Switzerland: Lakes, Watches, Cheese, and Chocolate

Many people think of Switzerland as more of a winter vacation spot with the Alps surrounding the country, but put it on the list for a summer trip as well! I know it may seem like every place we go is our new favorite… but Switzerland is really our new favorite! If you are looking for a relaxed vacation with lots of swimming, cheese, and chocolate, look no further. We visited three major cities during our trip: Geneva, Bern, and Zurich. If we were to do it again we would have made some time for the Interlaken, and if we had even more time added Lucerne to our stops.

All three of the cities we visited had rivers running through the middle of them which were all as clear as the blue ocean waters and open to swim in.

Switzerland is a very unique country with four different cultures and languages depending on where you are. Switzerland borders France, Germany, Italy, and Austria, so going an hour across the country can feel like you just entered a new country all together with completely different food, languages, and traditions.

Here are some highlights from our time in each of the cities we visited- with some recommendations to be sure to mark on your map for future trips to Switzerland.

Geneva

We stayed right over the border in France which actually was a huge blessing for many reasons including cost of room, cost of food (food in Switzerland is very expensive), wonderful company, and Chad’s new love: Zina! For real though, we would highly recommend this Airbnb. And this adorable dog is an added plus!

Here is the link to our Airbnb if you are interested: Geneva Airbnb

Geneva was a beautiful place to start our Switzerland trip.

Here were some of the highlights from Geneva we would recommend putting on your Switzerland bucket list.

1. Climb the stairs in the St. Pierre Cathedral for the best views in the city. There is a north and a south tower you are able to climb up for a small fee. Quick tip to save your legs some stairs- the north and south towers have the same view, but the south has windows while the north does not.

2. Eat fondue in a traditional Swiss restaurant. There are many highly rated fondue restaurants including Restaurant de Gruyrien, Cafe du Soleil, and Auberge de Saviese. We ended up going to Edelweiss had couldn’t have been happier. They had live Swiss music with some incredibly impressive instruments and musicians. The meat and cheese fondues were both wonderful! Just a heads up- the prices are per person for the fondue. We’ve heard some stories of people thinking the $30 cheese fondue for a table of four was $30, when it’s actually $120.

We had a chance to try out a REALLY long horn while we were here as well. Chad did much better than I did.

3. Have a picnic at the Pointe de la Jonction. This was an impressive site- unlike anything I’ve seen before. It’s the point in the river where the lake water (very blue) merges with the glacier water (white/gray). You can float down the lake side of the river into the mixed water if you want. We opted for a picnic with a baguette, pate, and cheese.

4. Get a personalized Swiss Army knife in Old Town at Victorinox Flagship Store. If you go to the basement of the store you can build your own Swiss Army knife and get it imprinted. A great souvenir for all price ranges.

5. Go swimming at Geneve- Plague. This beautiful park has a huge swimming pool with a slide, large lake toys, barges to lay on, and a massive platform with different levels to jump off into the lake. I thought the middle level was plenty high to jump off. Chad showed all the nervous teenage boys who had been hanging at the top level for 20 minutes how the jump was done.

6. See the Jet D’Eau. This famous water jet located on the lake has a fascinating story behind it. It actually explains why Geneva (and Switzerland) became famous for watches and chocolate.

All the way back in the 1500’s, the Protestant Reformation made its way to Geneva in opposition of the Roman Catholic Church. The reformation taught Faith Alone, Scripture Alone. All the art was removed from the churches. Fancy jewelry or any lavish accessories were banned from church so people could focus solely on scripture. Gold and diamond jewelers found themselves out of a job.

However, watches were considered practical and still allowed in church. Watches were now the only way for people to show their wealth. Gold and diamond jewelers changes their business to watches, and thus started the luxury watch industry in Switzerland.

But what does this have to do with the water jet? Geneva has been powered by hydroelectricity all the way back to the 1800’s. They used water from the lake and river to power machines to make watches and chocolate. On the weekends and evenings when the shops were closed the power built up and needed an outlet. The engineers created a way to divert the water in the form of this water jet that tourists all around the world have come to see since the 1800’s.

To put this water jet into perspective, it is taller than the Statue of Liberty, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and Big Ben!

7. Visit the European Headquarters for the United Nations. The name Geneva is associated with peace and human rights. In fact the first Red Cross building is located here as well. You can tour the United Nation’s building here but reservations are highly recommended.

Bern

This capital city of Switzerland dates back to the 12th century. Bern got its name from a bear that the founder of the city saw when he arrived.

Here were some of our favorite stops and a great itinerary for a day or two in Bern.

1. Walk to the Zytglogge Astronomical Clock. This clock located in the middle of the city has been a landmark since around 1530. This original clock still works today.

2. Check out Albert Einstein’s home. His apartment is located right down the street from the clock. He lived here in Bern when he came up with his Theory of Relativity. Apparently he was watching buses come around the corner from the clock tower and wondered what would happen if they moved at the speed of light.

3. Walk up the hill to the Rose Garden. This beautiful park has an amazing view of the city. You can bring a bottle of wine or some beers to hang out and enjoy the view. There is also a restaurant up top that has good reviews to enjoy some dessert or lunch.

4. Check out the Barengraben bear pit located on the river. This 6,000 square meter area is home to bears living right on the edge of the river- enclosed of course. They hibernate in the winter but are very active in the summertime.

5. Take the train up the mountain at Gurten for some beautiful hikes. The train leaves from Bern-Wabern which is located just a few minutes outside the city by bus. The train brings you up 2,800 feet to the top of the mountain for some beautiful views of the city. There are several hiking trails, restaurants, and parks at the top. You could spend a whole day picnicking, playing frisbee golf, and relaxing if you want. We opted for a hike down the mountain for some great views of the city.

Zurich

I need to take a second to tell you about the most amazing Airbnb we stayed at. This place was located via a 15 minute train ride outside the city, but couldn’t have been more perfect to experience some of the countryside of Switzerland.

This Airbnb was located on a flower farm with the owners actively running a flower business in the building across from the house. There was a small creek with a trail that ran for miles right behind the house tucked away in the woods. Their was an in-ground pool with the most beautiful landscape and two large Bernese Mountain dogs to greet us every time we got home.

The owners were an Irish woman and Swiss man who couldn’t have been more welcoming. If you go to Zurich I HIGHLY recommend staying here. We will definitely be coming back at some point.

Here is the link to this Airbnb if you are interested: Zurich Airbnb

Zurich is the largest, and probably most well known city in Switzerland. It is known for its banking industry- think James Bond and Wolf of Wall Street. While it is considered more high-end, we actually found it easier to find some more reasonably priced food options than the other Swiss cities we went to.

Here were some of our favorite things to do in Zurich.

1. Jump in the river! Honestly we could have done this every day. The river has a strong current that pushes you downstream. You can jump off bridges, walls, docks, etc. and float down the clean, refreshing river. There are several spots that have docks built that everyone lays out and picnics at. We went to Flussbad Oberer Letten which was a blast. We were also told Unterer Letten is a good spot to go.

Many Swiss people go here after work for an evening swim and live music.

2. Eat lots of chocolate. There are plenty of places to mark on your map for Swiss chocolate. The most famous is Cafe Schober. Here are a few other spots to consider: Confiserie Sprungli AG, Vollenweider Chocolatier Confiseur, and Kafi furDich.

3. Have a burger and beer at Gerold Chuchi. This is a great place to go after a day of swimming in the river. This small restaurant is tucked in an alleyway and decorated with beautiful umbrellas overhead. This is a very reasonable place to grab a good meal with plenty of outdoor, shaded seating.

4. Spend a day swimming in the lake at Strandbad Mythenquai. This beautiful park has several acres of grass to take a nap, read a book, or just relax in between jumping in the lake. You can rent paddle boards or jump off the platforms.

Now onto Italy! We can’t wait to meet up with our friends Molly and Kory!