Switzerland is one of those countries which has so much potential as you can visit many cities in a small time and you can even visit up to 5 countries as Switzerland has boarders with France (west), Italy (south), Liechtenstein (east), Austria (east) and Germany (north). It also has the potential of being an amazing photographic trip as the alps gave us amazing mountain landscapes.
Switzerland is located in Western Central Europe. The landscape is divided between the Alps, the Jura, and the plateau where most of the largest cities are located. Since 16th century, Switzerland has maintained a strong policy of armed neutrality. Even though Switzerland is not part of the European Union, it is part of the Schengen Area and a Schengen visa is required to enter unless you are exempted, check this with the Swiss Consulate in your country.
As part of my research, I check out all the most seen places of the city and its surroundings. This particular trip was designed to visit as many cities as possible and during this enjoy the different landscapes. The currency for Switzerland is the Swiss franc and it is recommended to exchange at the airport just after landing, as who has the time to search for it. My adventure started on Saturday 4th April 2015.
On Day 1, we left home early as we had a very early direct flight from London Heathrow to Zurich. After an uneventful flight to Zurich, we arrived around 11am and we stopped to enjoy a light breakfast and a good cup of coffee. After lunch, we decided to pick up the car as we were going to take advantage of the short distances to cover as many places as possible in our short trip.
After checking in and leaving our things in the hotel, we decided that our first stop will be Vaduz. We arrived to Vaduz around 6pm and it was raining, therefore we decided to drive towards the Vaduz Castle which was on top of the hill.
Vaduz is the capital of Liechtenstein, the seat of the national parliament and is located along the Rhine River. On 23rd January 1719, Liechtenstein became a sovereign member of the Holy Roman Empire and it is ruled by the Princes of Liechtenstein. The Vaduz Castle is the official residence of the Prince of Liechtenstein and gives the name to the city. The princely family of Liechtenstein bought the castle in 1712 when it purchased the countship of Vaduz.
After a nice photographic session, we decided to find parking near the city centre and explore this walking. We arrived to the city centre around 6.50pm and it was still raining. Unfortunately, all the public buildings were closed and the only thing opened were the souvenir shops, so we decided to go shopping.
After an amazing shopping experience, we decided to return to Zurich and have dinner on the way. We were searching for a local restaurant for dinner but we find everything close, so we found a Burger King opened which was next to a grocery shop. We stopped in the grocery shop for some essential snacks and drinks, and then tried the regional specialities of the burger shop.
After dinner, we continued our trip back to Zurich and the hotel. We arrived to the hotel around 10pm in time to plan the next day adventure and to have a nice recovering rest after a very long day.
On Day 2 and after a nice breakfast, we left the hotel around 11am. We decided that this would be a very long day as we were visiting Bern, Interlaken and returning to Zurich.
After our nice breakfast, we arrived to Bern around 1pm.
Bern is the capital of Switzerland and the historic old town was added to the UNESCO’s Cultural World Heritage Sites in 1983. Bern lies on the plateau about 20km north of the Bernese Alps, around 122km west of Zurich. The earlier settlement dates back to the 12th century, and according to 14th century historiography Bern was founded in 1911 by Berthold V, Duke of Zähringen.
Once in Bern, our first stop was the viewpoint overlooking the city and I decided that this would be the perfect point to have an amazing photo session. Therefore, after finding a secure parking space, we sat and enjoyed the view while I took a huge number of photographs from different angles and at different focal lengths.
After enjoying this amazing view, we decided to find parking near the city centre and explore the city on foot. The Old City is the centre of Bern which was built on a narrow hill bordered on three sides by the river Aare. The city was rebuilt after the fire of 1405 in sandstone but retained its medieval character.
On our foot tour at the Old City, we discovered the Bear Square, the Zytglogge and the church of St Peter and Paul. The Zytglogge is a medieval clock tower located at the Old City which was completed in 1220 and the external appearance with baroque and gothic elements. The clock tower served as a guard tower, prison, clock tower, centre of urban life and a civic memorial. The addition of the astronomical clock makes this the most recognised and oldest monument of the city.
After enjoying Bern’s city centre, we made our way to Interlaken but I made several quick stops in order to take photographs of the amazing landscapes.
After this impromptu photographic session, we arrived to Interlaken around 5.56pm.
Interlaken lies on the flat alluvial land between the lakes Brienz and Thun, and the river Aare. The town is located around 57km southeast of Bern. The importance of the town raised due to the landscapes of artist Franz Niklaus and since 1820 it has become a popular spot due to their elegant spas and good transportation links.
After finding a secure parking space, we decided to have a quick snack and then explore the city while shopping for amazing souvenirs. After enjoying the sunset in this incredible and romantic city, we decided to find a traditional Swiss restaurant. We found an amazing restaurant in order to enjoy a Swiss cheese fondue with black truffles, which was amazing.
After over staying in Interlaken, we made our way back to Zurich. However, the route back was a two-lane road in a hilly region so it was a very difficult trip which we managed with a lot of focus and care. We arrived to the hotel around midnight in order to made some fast planning and then sleep as we had another busy day.
On Day 3 and after a nice breakfast, we were ready to leave at 10am. We decided to go to the Rhine Falls. We decided to take the shorter route towards the Rhine Falls, however, it happens to be the one that crosses the German boarder twice as the Rhine Falls are in Switzerland, which was something that we had never experience before.
Rhine Falls is a waterfall located in Switzerland around 45km northeast from Zurich and is the most powerful waterfall in Europe. The falls have a height of 23m (75ft), a width of 150m (490ft), and an average flow rate of 250m3/s in winter and 600m3/s in the summer.
After arriving to the Rhine Falls around 12.50pm, we decided to enjoy some traditional Swiss hotdogs (bread roll and a sausage) as lunch. After an amazing lunch, we were ready to explore the falls. We decided to climb to the top of the falls in order to enjoy the view but overall to create amazing photographs.
After an amazing hiking, we decided that it was time to continue our trip and our next stop was Lake Constance. In order to arrive to Lake Constance from the Rhine Falls, we had to cross the German boarder again which by this time was something normal. While driving to the harbour, we were able to enjoy the amazing buildings on the German side.
Lake Constance as part of the Rhine is a glacial lake and the third largest freshwater lake in Europe. The lake is located around 78km east of the Rhine Falls. The lake shoreline has a length of 273km and lies in Germany, Switzerland and Austria. The lake has a maximum length of 63km, a maximum width of 14km, and a maximum depth of 251m.
After finding a secure parking space, we able to find the pier and decided to walk all the harbour in order to see the sunset over the lake. While walking the harbour, we were able to find a nice local restaurant where we had an amazing dinner.
After an amazing evening at Lake Constance, we decided to return to Zurich through the Swiss side in order to avoid crossing another border. We arrived to the hotel around 11pm and after a short plan, we were able to sleep around midnight.
On Day 4 and after an amazing breakfast, we were ready to leave the hotel at 10am. We decided to travel and visit Titlis.
Titlis is a Swiss mountain located around 92km south of Zurich and has an elevation of 3,238m to the summit of Klein Titlis making this the highest mountain of the Uri Alps. The easiest way to reach the summit is via the cable car connecting Engelberg City and the summit, and was inaugurated in march 1967.
After an amazing breakfast, we arrived to Titlis around 2pm. We wanted to go to the top of the mountain in order for me to take amazing photograph while my husband walked around the amazing bridges. We took the first gondola ride in order to reach the first rest at 1,800m.
After a short exploration of the first rest stop, we took the second gondola in order to reach the second rest. We arrived to the second rest around 2.30pm, I decided to stay at the rest point in order to take some photographs of the amazing views of the mountain while my husband decided to go outside and take the cliff walk. The cliff walk is the highest-elevated suspension bridge in Europe with a distance of 100m but just 1m wide.
Although the second rest has the best views for amazing photographs, the best restaurant was on the first rest, therefore, I decided to wait for my husband before going down. After finishing my photographic session, I decided while waiting for my husband to do some souvenir shopping.
After a good shopping experience, my husband arrived and we went down to the first stop in order to have a hot traditional alps lunch.
After our amazing visit to Titlis, we arrived to Lake Lucerne around 7pm. We parked the car in a secured parking space and walked around the shore in other to create nice photographs from this amazing landscape.
Lake Lucerne is a freshwater lake located in central Switzerland around 52km south Zurich. The lake has an elevation of 434m, a maximum length of 3km, a maximum width of 20km, a maximum depth of 214m and a shore length of 143.7km. The lake elevation results in amazing views including of the Rigi and Pilatus mountains.
After our short visit to Lake Lucerne, we needed to return to Zurich in order to make preparation for our return trip to London as this was our last full day in Switzerland. We returned to the hotel around 10pm, we packed all our luggage and made preparation for the next day.
On Day 5 and after our last Swiss breakfast, we checked out and left the hotel at 11am. We decided that this day we would explore Zurich and carried out our last souvenir shopping, so no pressure.
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland. The city was founded by the Romans around 15BC and in 1519 become the primary centre of the Protestant Reformation. Currently Zurich houses many museums, art galleries, the most important theatres in the German-speaking world, and the world’s largest financial centres.
After finding a secured parking space in the city centre, we decided to walk around the city centre to explore and find nice places to shop. After shopping and walking around most of the day, we decided to stop in order to have our last Swiss lunch.
After an amazing day in Zurich, we decided that it was time to go to the airport in order to return the car and made all the preparation to take the flight back to London. Once in London, we took a taxi ride back home as we were very tired after driving all over Switzerland and Germany.
Switzerland is one of those countries that depending on the season is the colour of the photographs. During the winter, everything is white as this is the favourite spot for all winter games; during spring it is a mixture of white and green landscapes; during summer and autumn is all about yellow and orange landscapes, making this one of the best spots for any landscape photographers all year long.
However, Switzerland is not only about the photographs as this country is famous for its food products like chocolate and cheese, but for me as engineer it allows me explore those amazing clocks from the cuckoos to the astronomical clock in Bern.
Therefore, Switzerland is one of those countries that you need to come several times in order to explore all its hidden treasures but overall enjoy all the views and adventures that each season has to offer. In my opinion, first choose the season that you want to explore and then find the best adventure during that period.
Regardless of which season you pick; I would guarantee that your trip to Switzerland would be magical and one that you would never forget.
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