Switzerland is a sight to behold. These are the Swiss cities we visited:
-Zurich
-Interlaken
-Grindelwald
-Jungfraujoch (Top of Europe)
-Kleine Scheidegg
-Weggis
-Luzern
-Rapperswil
-Werdenberg
The Swiss Franc is the currency and legal tender of Switzerland.
Over 60% of the Swiss population speak German as their main language. They do not speak standard German but rather various Alemmanic dialects collectively called Swiss German. Switzerland's national languages are German, French, Italian and Romansh.
They call their states “Cantons”. The country is divided up into cantons. Each canton has their own flag and has its own police. They have 26 cantons total in Switzerland.
Our main city we stayed in was Zürich.
Transportation
We used Uber and the Züri Linie Tram around the city of Zürich. Our hotel was a few blocks away from one of the tram stops.
Hotel
Our hotel was the Crowne Plaza Zürich. It was a great location for walking to the city tram stop and for a grocery store (Migros). It was 25 minutes from the Zürich airport. It was a short Uber ride to the bus station for the day tours also.
Day 1
We arrived in the morning time in Zürich, Switzerland. We visited one of the Swiss Christmas Markets called The "Wienachtsdorf am Bellevue.” It is a Christmas village at Sechseläutenplatz in Zurich. It is a classic among Swiss Christmas markets.
We shopped for jewelry and tried mini pancakes with Nutella on them.
We went to a Fondue restaurant near the Market called FONDUE CHALET. This had the classic Swiss fondue for you to try and a quaint rustic restaurant vibe.
Day 2
We went on a day trip we booked through Viator that took us to Interlaken, Jungfraujoch, and Kleine Scheidegg.
We took a tour bus first to Interlaken. This city is beautiful and you can walk the streets and look at the shops with a snow cap view of the mountain. I got a Swatch watch here that is only available in Switzerland.
The bus then continued and took us on to the Grendelwald Terminal where we rode a cable car up to the top of Europe called Jungfraujoch. The views in the cable car were beautiful. Once we got to the top they switched us to a train that rode us even further to the top!
When we made it, we then got to explore and do activities at the top.
We rode an elevator up again to the SPHINX viewpoint. Once you’re at the top you are up 11,782 feet at the highest point. We were there during a big snow storm so when we went out on the terrace we couldn’t see anything but snow. It was a very cool and unique experience to have in Switzerland.
I suggest taking some Dramamine because I got very light headed with the altitude.
We then explore the Ice Palace where they had sculptures of ice and an ice cave walkway.
After touring around we then decided to eat and get a Swiss Army knife for a souvenir.
On the way back down was an adventure too. We had to take a train back down and we had to get on and off a few different trains at some of the stops on the way down.
My favorite train ride down was in Kleine Scheidegg. This is where we got neat pictures and it reminded me of the Polar Express Train ride.
Once we finished the train rides back down, we took the tour bus back to Zürich.
I recommend a tour company to use for this area. We changed a lot of different transportations and took us around 3 hours to get there from Zürich.
Day 3
We did a day trip to Lucerne. They call is Luzern. We got the whole day here to explore the city. This is where you can get a lot of your shopping done because you can walk the whole city on foot. You don’t have to use any public transportation.
Luzern is the most visited city in Switzerland for tourists.
You have to walk across the different bridges there and take in the view of the historic city and the architecture there.
As you’re walking the streets look for the buildings that have paintings/drawings on them. They are so elegant and unique.
Be sure to visit the Lion Monument that is carved into the wall. The lion was built to remember the soldiers in the French army at that time. The Swiss sent their sons to the French army to fight. This honors the fallen Swiss soldiers that fought with the French.
Day 4
We spent this day chilling in Zürich. We decided to go to the Thermal Bath to get a panoramic view of Zürich and relax in some hot water. The place was called HÜRLIMANNBAD & SPA ZÜRICH and it was only $44 to spend as long as you want there. There was a rooftop thermal bath and some inside. They had changing rooms and showers there for when you finish. Be sure to bring a towel because they charge $5 for a towel there.
Day 5
We took a tour to Rapperswil, Werdenberg, and Liechtenstein. (I have information on Liechtenstein another blog post)
Our first stop of the tour was Rapperswil. This place was beautiful. It had a serene view over the calm Swiss city. We ate at a restaurant called ROSENSTÄDTER.
The next stop was Werdenberg. This is an extremely small city with an old castle on the hill.
We then crossed the border into Vaduz, Liechtenstein by bus.
Be sure to take in all the Swiss views on the bus tours around Switzerland. They are breathtaking and a sight to behold.