After an amazing visit to Zürich for the Christmas markets, I returned to the city to see it in the summer-time. This time, my sister Zoe and her boyfriend Tom were on hand to show us the local side of life, including river swimming and all their favourite local foodie haunts. Read on for my tips on how to spend 36 hours in Zürich!
Frosty air, the sweet aroma of mulled wine, bustling crowds swarming over baked treats and gorgeous gifts… there’s nothing quite like a Christmas market for getting in the festive spirit. After thoroughly enjoying outings to Bruges and Cologne in years gone by, I nipped over to Switzerland with friends to see how the Swiss market experience matched up! [Read more…]
I definitely haven’t managed to do Switzerland justice yet, as my only visits have been an hour in Schaffhausen and now a few hours in Geneva. Wrapped around Lake Geneva, the city is beautiful and I’d love to come back for a few days to do it justice.
Ben, Kate and I had booked an early transfer back from Morzine to make the most of our sightseeing time, and decided to limit ourselves to a couple of sights and some highly necessary food stops. First on our list was, of course, the lake front for a view of the Water Fountain and the lake disappearing into the mist. The snow was still visible on the mountains surrounding the city and it was chilly but so picturesque!
With our love of views, we wanted to visit Saint Peter’s Cathedral for the panoramas over the city from its towers. It was an easy walk up the hill from the lake to the cathedral, but we broke it up with a quick coffee stop in the Place de Bourg de Four. These two old men relaxing in the sunshine certainly had the right idea!
St Peter’s Cathedral was finished in 1230 and became home to the Protestant Church of Geneva after the Reformation. The interior is sparser than some cathedrals I’ve visited because of this, but we didn’t linger too long, preferring to climb the narrow stairs to the Towers for these stunning views.
By this time we were hungry for lunch, where Kate and Ben couldn’t go past the national specialty of cheese fondue! Served warm and oozing with cheesy goodness, it looked amazing. However it did also seem somewhat like a heart attack in a bowl, given it was served simply with bread and potatoes – the Swiss must stay healthy with all that skiing and hiking!
Our final stop before jumping on our plane was the Reformation Wall in the Parc des Bastions. This monument shows many of the leading individuals and events of the Protestant Reformation, and is built into the old city walls of Geneva.
Bits & Pieces
Central Geneva is a quick train ride from the airport, perfect for a short look around the city. We bought a CHF 8 pass which was unlimited use for the day
Entry to Saint Peter’s Cathedral is free, but entry to the Towers costs CHF 5 for adults and CHF 2 for children
Have you visited Geneva? What other sights would you recommend for my return?
The glorious day had finally arrived, and Katie, Stacey and I were off to Oktoberfest. Cue MUCH excitement. We’d jumped on a friend’s pre-booked accommodation months before, but had been a little slower in figuring out how we were going to actually get to Munich. By the time we got around to looking at flights, they were around £400 return from London – ouch.
Instead, we decided to fly to Zürich and catch trains to Germany, the much less costly option at under £200 pounds total. That’s a substantial amount to save for steins and pork knuckle spending! In addition, it meant that we could see a lot of the Swiss and German countryside we would have otherwise missed out on. Best of all, we had just over an hour to explore the gorgeous little town of Schaffhausen, near the Swiss-German border.
In a very fun touch, the main streets of the old town were decorated with colourfully-painted seats, each quite unique.
Some were a bit… quirkier than others!
My favourite feature of the Old Town was undoubtedly the many gorgeous oriel windows and painted facades of the older buildings. The windows were often added on to existing houses in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, and served both to demonstrate their owners’ wealth and to provide a clear view up and down the street. They seemed to have lots of potential for romance and flirtation as well!
The Schwabentor bastion once formed a part of the town’s medieval fortifications, and its clock face today depicts the unstoppable march of time.
Gorgeous little pub
The Munot, the 16th century symbol of Schaffhausen
The central St John’s Church
The autumnal exterior of St John’s Church
Crazily ornate doorway
As you can see, Schaffhausen is an absolutely beautiful little town, and I’d love to go back soon to spend some more time wandering the town and seeing much more of its wonderful sights. Another place added to the list!
