Thun lies at the north western end of Lake Thun in the Bernese Oberland of Switzerland and is the eleventh largest city in Switzerland with 44,000 inhabitants. The city’s most famous landmark is the castle built between 1180 and 1190 and towering majestically over the town below. The town has cobblestone streets to stroll around with traditional rows of houses and the Alpine views by the lake are of...
Verbier has plenty of restaurants and cafés to enjoy, but sometimes a ‘cook-out’ on the mountain with a group of friends is a lot of fun too. For a small fee, you can rent Le Hatay Shelter from Verbier tourism which is equipped with tables and benches, 4 barbecues a cold water fountain and parking spaces. This shelter can accommodate up to 80 people so is ideal for family & friend trips and...
The lakes in Switzerland offer lots of Summer activities from swimming, paddle boarding, sailing and wakeboarding. There is no current to speak of and no speed limit on the lake, so anything you try is very straight forward, relaxing and sociable. You can hire or charter boats and we booked an afternoon of fun on the lake with Watersports Montreux (WSM). The lake is full of fresh water and in Summer the...
Swiss National Day is celebrated on August 1st and commemorates the date in 1291 when the 3 cantons of Schwyz, Uri and Unterwald joined together as the Swiss Confederacy. You will see the Swiss flag everywhere, flying outside homes and businesses and on bunting through the streets, as well as decorating the federal buildings and specialty foods such as the Auguestweggli bread buns. As with all Swiss...
One of the most iconic peaks in central Valais, the Pierre Avoi reaches a height of 2,473 meters. Accessed by foot, you can take the Savoleyres ski lift to get a head start on the hike or walk from Verbier following the signs to Pierre Avoi up through the larch forests and steep pastures. The last section of the climb involves some scrambling over rocks, and the last few meters to the peak are climbed...
You don’t walk far in the mountains around Verbier at this time of year without hearing the distant call of Alpine Marmots. Living at heights of between 800 and 3,200 meters, marmots live in the Alpine meadows and sub-alpine grasslands, burrowing into the land up to 3m underground and in burrows of up to 20m long. The moment they sense danger they quickly disappear into their burrows for safety. Marmots...
At this time of year in the Valais, the mountains are full of the sound of cowbells and the most popular type are the Herens. In the middle of Spring, you see cows, newly released from Winter stables, yearning for a tussle. They push and shove each other and lock horns trying to establish who is the strongest of the herd. ‘La Reine des Reines’ or ‘the Queen of Queens’ is a traditional annual...
Biking in Verbier is exciting with well-marked trails for mountain bikes, e-bikes and road bikes. There are guided bike tours, gourmet bike tours, easy routes for families on flat terrain and some very steep downhill runs for the more advanced riders. There are 17kms of tracks, ramps and jumps and the Verbier Bike Park has firmly established the resort as one of the capitals of downhill cycling in...
One very beautiful element of the Valais mountain landscape are the bisses. These are ancient irrigation canals that channel water from the glaciers and alpine springs to the dry plains and vineyards below. Originally the Bisse de Levron guaranteed vital water for the people of Levron. Nowadays, the villagers have other water supplies from the nearby dam but the Bisse de Levron is maintained and...
Gstaad is an upscale resort in the Bernese Oberland region of the Swiss Alps. Whilst Gstaad is known for its luxury hotels and shopping, international schools and celebrity residents, it is also one of the largest ski areas in Europe! The entire Gstaad ‘Super Ski Region’ has 6 sectors, over 70 lifts and 150 miles (250km) of trails. Gstaad sits between four valleys and about 60% of the runs are...