Around this time in April, we were preparing for our journey to Switzerland.
The first time my sister traveled alone with me.
We first planned on going to the Scottish Highlands. But unfortunately, that wasn’t possible because don’t have passports, only ID Cards.
I knew that Switzerland was quite accecible with 8 hours of train travel because of my previous trip in 2019 with my girlfriend. Switzerland was going to be the destination and we booked our hotels in Zürich, Fribourg, Lugano, and Bad Reichenhall (Germany).
Getting these hotels sorted out was quite a mess to start with. I had never booked a week of travel in different hotels so it got quite stressful getting the dates right.
Eventually, we had set up the whole week and we could start planning our trains.
Trains & Stations
We used the Interrail App and Pass.
The only downside to this application is that you can only see the train times and not the platforms or if the train is delayed or canceled. You will need an additional application for that.
In Switzerland, this was no problem at all. But Germany in the summer of 2022 was something else. I have never witnessed that much of a mess.
Especially the train station of Cologne.
The biggest crowd you will ever see at a train station. It looked like the complete crowd of a Taylor Swift concert wanted to enter the train.
But for Switzerland, everything was pretty organized and we never missed a train or had a real noticeable delay. The trains were crowded but that’s okay when you’re traveling to popular destinations.
Often we had a reservation booked so we were assured of a seat. I recommend you do that as well.
Pretty Scenery
The Swiss rail routes offer an amazing view of the country. Sit down and relax and watch the landscapes.
This was next to us on the train to Montreux!
Isn’t that incredible?
The beautiful Lac Léman, surrounded by mountains and the water reflecting sunlight makes it looks like this lake has no end.
This part of Switzerland is sub-tropical.
Meaning that the temperature is always somehow warm. Although the water was pretty cold when we put our feet in it.
The Country Of 3
The day after seeing the lake above we went to Lugano via Zürich.
It was quite cold and we sat on a high-speed train that was going all the way to Milan in Italy. We departed the train in Lugano and took another short train to Paradiso where our hotel was.
We saw this.
Isn’t that majestic?
So we’ve seen the mountains in the North, Central Switzerland, the subtropical climate of the West, and the Italian vibe-giving lake of Lugano in the South.
Switzerland has it all.
It felt like we were walking on the boulevard in Orbetello, Tuscany. That’s how it feels like. (Except for our wallets).
Switzerland is (even in the south) pretty expensive.
But it’s all worth it if you’d ask me.
I’m happy to pay that much money for such a beautiful experience in a wonderful country.
But I haven’t mentioned one thing. The journey back home.
That was a mess.
German trains had 100+ minutes of delay and we couldn’t get home easily. Luckily our father was so kind to pick us up just over the border of Germany/Netherlands in Meppen.
Now that I’m writing this I desperately want to go back.
We’ve already booked our trip for next year. Making Chur, Lausanne, and Saint-Malo (France) our pinpoint locations.
Where do you want to go?