2019 – September in Switzerland (and Italy): Part One

Amy: Switzerland’s towering peaks, crystal clear lakes, and charming little towns have called to us for the past few years. When we found a great deal on airfare to Geneva on Scott’s Cheap Flights, we couldn’t resist.

After a quick stop-over at London Heathrow, we landed in the early evening at the Geneva Airport and found our way to the Nash Pratik Hotel. Typically I am weary after travel, but we both felt pretty energized. We hopped on the #10 Bus into the heart of Geneva for a sunset stroll.

We walked to the shores of the southwestern end of Lake Geneva, which features the “Jet d’Eau” (Geneva’s large water fountain), lovely historic buildings, and a pier with a swimming area. The warm weather and breeze made us wish we could jump in for a swim. Since Geneva is a very expensive city, we headed to the grocery store to grab some dinner. As Jon learned from his earlier research, the grocery stores close early and we found all of the stores dark for the evening. Luckily, the Migrolino (a convenience store) was open and we found some sandwiches and treats for dinner.

The next morning we took the SBB train along the northern shores of Lake Geneva to Montreux. Prior to our trip, we decided to use the efficient public transport network to get us around the country. We got the Swiss Travel Pass which provides travel on most trains, buses, and boats throughout the country (as well as free admission to most castles and museums).

Montreux features a riviera-like feel with a beautiful shoreline, lush flowers, palm trees, and small lizards. We jumped on a boat to visit the Chateau de Chillon and walked back to the city center.

We found the Coop grocery store and had some dinner on the balcony of our room at the Hotel Parc & Lac. The evening greeted us with a stunning purple sunset reflecting across the sparkling waters.

Next, we jumped on the train and made our way for a quick lunch stop in Sion. The city features picturesque castles perched atop small peaks. We caught a bus up the hill for a short hike to get a view of the city below.

After our quick break in Sion, we caught the train for our next stop: Zermatt. The car-free town of Zermatt is nestled in a valley at the base of the Matterhorn. We traversed the city center to find our lodging at the Hotel Capricorn. The clouds surrounded the Matterhorn and we were hungry to get a glimpse of the iconic peak. During an evening walk, we ended up with an incredible view of the glowing clouds clinging to the edge of the mountain.

We awoke the next day to low clouds covering the valley. Luckily, we checked out the webcams from the nearby Gornergrat mountain, which showed clear skies at the top of the nearby peaks. We headed up the Gornergrat Bahn, the second highest railway in Europe, and hiked around the summit with the clouds swimming below.

We took in the incredible views and walked down to a lake to get the reflection of the Matterhorn. The train then brought us to the Riflealp station and we hiked down the steep, wooded trail with the town of Zermatt below.

In the evening, we checked out the shops in town, visited the Matterhorn Museum, and grabbed some dinner at the Migros grocery store.

A perfect, clear view of the Matterhorn and surrounding area kicked off our morning and we felt a bit sad to have to leave the stunning valley. But a short visit to Italy was next on the agenda.

We took the train into Italy with a stop in Domodossola before our final destination of Stresa. Stresa has a charming little city center with outdoor dining, lots of gelato shops, and a nice lakeshore walk along Lake Maggiore. We stayed in a cozy room at the Hotel Fiorentino in the city center, but stopped into the ornate waterfront hotels with gilded ceilings, marble floors, and gardens.

Our first day in Italy was gray and gloomy, but clear, sunny skies the next day provided some terrific views as we took a boat out to Isola dei Pescatori (Fisherman’s Island). We found more beautiful views at the Skybar where we grabbed a drink and the best panorama of the area. We enjoyed some pasta and pizza while in Italy, where dining was much more affordable.

Kicking off a misty and gray morning, we took the “fast” ferry across Lake Maggiore back into Switzerland and to the town of Ascona. A classic car show was a fun surprise as we departed the ferry in front the Hotel Tamoro.

The small town was a perfect, relaxing stopover back into Switzerland. We grabbed some sandwiches and paprika chips at the local convenience store (the grocery store was closed on Sundays) and watched the world go by from the rooftop balcony of the hotel.

We discussed the next phase of our trip, which would bring us to the central part of the country and a much anticipated visit to the Bernese Oberland region. More to come in our next post.