Took me nearly 3 years to take the trip to Switzerland. We kept holding off because it is the most expensive country in Europe. It definitely lives up to its reputation in that regard but it also was just as beautiful as you hear. This is the type of place where the phrase “pictures don’t do it justice” was invented.

My husbands mother, Kim, and his cousin Caitlin wanted to have a multi city Euro-trip and we decided to meet them in Zurich on their last leg over Thanksgiving. Being military, it can be really hard raising your children so far away from their extended family. Finances and logistics can make it hard for people to visit us and vice versa. When it comes to family members that put forth the effort to spend time with my boys (no matter where we live), Kim is the MVP! As adults they won’t remember the iPads or the trampoline she gifted them. They will remember the time their Nanny sat with them on a mountain and gazed at the Swiss Alps. #memories

Where we stayed 

I didn’t have much interest in exploring Zurich so we rented a car and headed straight to Lucerne. We stayed three nights in the Garni Hotel Drei Konige. It was simple and basic with a good breakfast and an excellent location. The hotel is walking distance to pretty much anything in Lucerne.

Lucerne

If Switzerland is the most expensive country in Europe then Lucerne has got to be one of the priciest cities. I don’t even know how much money we spent there on food alone…and we tried to be cheap. We ate at kabob shops and takeaway Chinese. A bowl of soup at a hole in the wall Chinese place? $18. That feeds one person. Yikes. Why is it so expensive here? Not sure…but maybe because this place is AMAZING.  I cannot stress enough how beautiful this place is.

Lucerne is a great city to just walk around and get lost. We really didn’t have a strict itinerary. It sits on a stunning lake and has gorgeous medieval architecture.  It was beautiful in late autumn but I can imagine being especially beautiful in the springtime.

This is a great city to walk around and get your snack on. There are plenty of cheese and chocolate shops on every corner.

Interlaken 

Honestly, the entire reason I wanted to go to Switzerland. It’s a picturesque village that sits between two lakes (with the Alps as its backdrop). If you don’t visit this area you are seriously missing out. Just driving around the lakes and all the little villages had us in awe. We were constantly pulling over to take pictures. Interlaken is very expensive and its accommodations are high in demand. It was easier for us to find a hotel within our budget in Lucerne but if you have the funds- stay here!

Im sure there is plenty to explore within the village itself but being short on time we didn’t spend long walking around. We were visiting in shoulder season when there is neither summer or winter sports happening. We came for the views so after doing some walking around we headed straight for the funicular.

 

Harder Kulm is the mountain funicular that takes you 1300 meters over Lake Thun and Lake Brienz. From here you can see the entire city and both lakes. One of the lakes was visible with the most beautiful blue water I’ve ever seen. The other was covered by a thick fog. I have been on many mountain tops and this one ranks fairly high on my must see list. Being in the quiet season we also felt like we could enjoy the scenery more. Very peaceful.

At the viewing area there is a small shop, toilets and a restaurant. The food was delicious but very pricey. You pay for those views! Our cheese fondue was $25. Yolo?

A 15 minute drive from Interlaken is Lauterbrunnen….also another village not to be missed. It can be a short, easy detour from any of your destinations in the Interlaken area. There is a beautiful cemetery, cows, and a 300 meter tall waterfall. We practically had the place to ourselves. I love shoulder season.

 

With the first two stops taking up most of our short November daylight hours, we decided to make a loop around Lake Thun and just see what we could find. Near Sigriswell there is a suspension bridge (if you’re into that sort of thing). Im not- but I gladly took a picture of Ben and Caitlin enjoying it.

Our last stop for the day was in Oberhofen, a village on the lake with a 13th century castle. I wish we could have spent more time here. After touring the castle exterior we sat down for some tea and pastries before making the drive back to Lucerne.

Final thoughts

As you can see…Switzerland is beautiful. Who wouldn’t want to visit? People are always asking me for advise on where they should travel with children. While we loved our trip- here are the reasons why I push people to visit Austria or Slovenia. The first is cost. This is not a country for someone on a strict budget. Could you do it on a budget? Sure! But you risk missing out on some of the things that make travel so beautiful. I was not going to miss out on that $25 cheese. I did not come this far to not eat Swiss cheese! The food is a huge part of why I travel.

Sadly, the second reason is the locals. Ive been to 44 countries and there have only been two where I felt like we were not treated well. Malaysia- and now Switzerland. I am a firm believer that you get back the type of attitude you put into the world. We treat people with kindness and we normally get back kindness. I’m not sure if they are tired of tourists or maybe because we were Americans…but we received many eye rolls, shrugged shoulders and outright hostile attitudes. I wouldn’t be saying this if it was just a couple times. It was everywhere we went, even in the airport toy store. I still have love for you, Switzerland.