Things to do in Switzerland
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Sensorium
When all that cheese gets too much, flit to the mountain hamlet of Rüttihubelbad for an alternative sensory experience at Sensorium, an interactive museum aimed at exploring four of the five senses (no taste involved!). A disconcerting stroll in the dark through a maze, a thump on a deafening gong, a back massage with a bowl, a swing in a wicker basket and a barefoot stroll across sand, bricks and tree stumps are among the playful experiences.
reviewed
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Castello Visconteo
Castello Visconteo, dating from the 15th century and named after the Visconti clan that long ruled Milan, today houses a museum with Roman and Bronze Age exhibits. Locarno is believed to have been a glass-manufacturing town in Roman times, which accounts for the strong showing of glass artefacts in the museum. This labyrinth of a castle, whose nucleus was raised around the 10th century, also hosts a small display (in Italian) on the Locarno Treaty.
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Via Pretorio 9 (Cherry Building)
The pink brick Mario Botta office block is known to locals as the Cherry Building because of the cherry tree planted on the roof. It was designed by Lugano's Mario Botta (born 1943 in Mendrisio to the south), who has made an international name for himself as a leading light in contemporary architecture. Best known for his work abroad (like San Francisco's Museum of Modern Art and the Kyobo Tower in Seoul), Botta has also left an indelible mark on and around Lugano.
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Swiss National Park Centre
At the brand-new, hands-on Swiss National Park Centre, you can explore a marmot hole, eyeball adders in the vivarium and learn about conservation and environmental change. The tourist office here can provide details on hikes in the park, including the three-hour trudge from S-chanf to Alp Trupchun, particularly popular in autumn, when you might spy rutting deer; and the Naturlehrpfad circuit near Il Fuorn, where bearded vultures are often sighted.
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James Joyce's Grave
One of the greatest works of English literature, James Joyce's Ulysses, was written in Zürich and its author is buried here. Irish Joyce was just one disgruntled intellectual - Lenin and Trotsky were others - who took refuge in this neutral city during WWI, and he finished his epic during wartime exile here (1915-19). He returned shortly before dying in January 1941 and his carefully tended grave is found in Fluntern Cemetery; take tram No 6 to Zoo.
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Museggmauer
For a bird’s-eye view over Lucerne’s rooftops to the glittering lake and mountains beyond, wander the medieval ramparts. A walkway is open between the Schirmerturm (tower), where you enter, and the Wachturm, from where you have to retrace your steps. You can also ascend and descend the Zytturm or Männliturm (the latter not connected to the ramparts walkway).
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Goetheanum
The unassuming village of Dornach, 13km south of Basel, is home to the Goetheanum, a rather other-worldly building that is the global headquarters of the Anthroposophical Society. Austrian philosopher and teacher Rudolf Steiner (1861–1925) developed the thinking behind anthroposophy, which proposes the possibility of apprehending a spiritual world through inner development. He also designed this 1928 building, done in reinforced concrete.
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Cyrano
Try to ignore the horrendous orange building and be soothed by the crisp interior and white linen. Out of the kitchen comes a mix of local cooking with broader Swiss and Mediterranean strands. The spadellata di camoscio al ginepro e sugo di caccia con spätzli al burro e cavolo rosso alle mele (pan-cooked chamois with juniper and game sauce, butter spätzli and red cabbage with apple) is a mouth-watering autumn Swiss country feast.
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Café Du Pont
There's no question this is a kitschy spot that takes the movie scene a little overboard - all the entrées are named for classic films and TV screens periodically play previews. Still the cavernous place (think industrial) has a feisty vibe. The mostly American menu serves lots of Tex-Mex, pasta, burger and seafood dishes with better than average results. A favourite with the expat community, it's also a good (and noisy) spot to bring the family.
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Sankt Meinrad
Soft, creamy decor in this one-time corner bistro allows you to concentrate on the creative cooking emerging from the partly open kitchen run by Tobias Meinrad Buholzer. Just thinking about the Toggenburger Rindsfilet in Kakaobohnen rosa gebraten mit Pastinaken-Karotten-Gemüse und Petersilien-spätzli (medium-rare Swiss filet steak in cocoa-bean sauce with parsnips, carrots and parsley Spätzli ) gets the mouth watering.
reviewed
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Mont Blanc Encompassed
10 days (Chamonix Valley)
An extended walk in the Alps, traversing high mountain passes.
Not LP reviewed
from USD$1,490 -
Wein Lounge/Lounge à Vin
At the thoroughly modern Wein Lounge/Lounge à Vin you can taste chardonnay, Pinot noir and other varieties produced on the Domaine de Schernelz Village on a stylish decking terrace above vines. Contemporary designer sofas make it a particularly comfortable place to hang, glass in hand, as the sun drops behind St Peter’s Island. In keeping with its beautiful setting, this wine lounge opens only in beautiful weather.
reviewed
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Le Jardin Thaï
With palms spreading overhead, low lights and rapid service, this is one of the good Thai eateries in town. There’s a broad choice of rice, noodle, vegetarian, fish and meat options. The curry de crevettes vertes au lait de coco (green prawn curry in coconut milk) is good for those who don’t like it hot. This hotel restaurant has La Palmeraie (same details) as its bed mate, a good spot for Swiss cooking and mussels.
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Day Trip to Lausanne, Montreux and Château de Chillon
9 hours 30 minutes (Departs Geneva, Switzerland)
by Viator
Explore the beautiful Swiss cities of Lausanne and Montreux on this relaxing and scenic day trip from Geneva. You'll drive through the beautiful Swiss…Not LP reviewed
from USD$201.10 -
Mount Rigi Winter Day Trip from Zurich
9 hours 30 minutes (Departs Zurich, Switzerland)
by Viator
Board a comprehensive full day tour from Zurich and visit Mt. Rigi, Queen of the Swiss Mountains at 6000 feet (1800 meters). Your partly guided coach tour also…Not LP reviewed
from USD$127.29 -
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Susu's
Downstairs is good for everyday coffee or a casual lunch of spicy corn soup, while the stylish bar/restaurant upstairs is suitable for everything from a romantic tete â tete to a company get-together. The seasonally changing menu innovatively mixes Asian and Mediterranean influences, but usually finishes with Schoggiträume (chocolate dreams) - four shades of delicious chocolate mousse served in a line of shot glasses.
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Restaurant Gletscherstube
Around two hours from Fiescheralp, you reach Restaurant Gletscherstube. This cosy wooden hut sits below the Eggishorn at 2363m on an Alpine pasture grazed by sheep. It’s a superb spot to refuel over lunch (mains around Sfr16) or spend a peaceful night close to the Aletsch Glacier. From here, you can already glimpse the peak of 3740m Geisshorn and the spindly Fusshörner that rise above the Aletsch Glacier.
reviewed
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European Organisation for Nuclear Research
European Organisation for Nuclear Research, 8km west near Meyrin, is a laboratory for research into particle physics and was founded in 1954. It accelerates electrons and positrons down a 27km circular tube (the world's biggest machine) and the resulting collisions create new forms of matter - in 1996 it created antimatter for the first time. The lab can be visited by a free three-hour guided tour; book at least one month in advance.
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Museum Jean Tinguely
Built by leading Ticino architect Mario Botta, the Museum Jean Tinguely resonates with playful mischievousness. Unfortunately, you’re not allowed to touch most of Tinguely’s ‘kinetic’ sculptures, which would rattle, shake or twirl if you did, but with springs, feathers and wheels radiating at every angle, they look appealingly like the work of a mad scientist. Catch bus 31 from Claraplatz.
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Musée Cantonal des Beaux-Arts
Musée Cantonal des Beaux-Arts has many works by Swiss and foreign artists, ranging from Ancient Egypt to Cubism. The core of the collection is made up of works by landscape painter, Louis Ducros (1748–1810), and three other locals. The permanent collection is closed during the frequent temporary exhibitions. It is mooted that the collection will be moved to a new lakeside location in the coming years.
reviewed
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L’Adresse
Something of an urban loft with a fabulous rooftop terrace, it is all hip at The Address, a hybrid fashion/lifestyle boutique and contemporary bistro at home in renovated artists workshops. The Genevan address for lunch, brunch or Saturday slunch (a cross between tea and dinner, ie a casual evening ‘meal’ of cold and warm nibbles, sweet and savoury, shared between friends over a drink or three around 5pm) …
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Place de la Palud
The name of medieval Place de la Palud suggests that this 9th-century market square was originally bogland. For five centuries it has been home to the city government, now housed in the 17th-century Hôtel de Ville. To get here from the cathedral, a covered timber stairway leads down to Rue Pierre Viret, from where two more stairways lead further downhill, one to the modern Pl de la Riponne and the other to Pl de la Palud.
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Café Romand
A tatty sign leads you into an equally unpromising looking arcade. A few steps in and a push of the door takes you out of the 21st century and back to another era. The broad, somewhat sombre dining area littered with timber tables attracts everyone from bankers to punks for traditional food, ranging from fine fondue to cervelle au beurre noir (brains in black butter). The kitchen operates all day, rare for this town.
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Bärengraben
Bern sounds like it has something to do with bears, and indeed it does. Founded in 1191 by Berthold V, a powerful Duke of Zähringen, the city derived its name from his first hunting success in the area - a bear, or Bär in the local dialect. Today, there are still Bärengraben in the city, where five animals live. They're very cute and undoubtedly well cared for, but animal lovers might not approve.
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Hatecke
Edible art is the only way to describe the organic, locally sourced delicacies at Hatecke. Bündnerfleisch (air-dried beef) and melt-in-your-mouth venison ham are carved into wafer-thin slices on a century-old slicing machine in this speciality shop. Take a seat on a sheepskin stool in the funky café next door to lunch on delicious Engadine beef carpaccio or Bündnerfleisch with truffle oil.
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