Plan to visit Switzerland: Readme…

Here are some tips from my own experience for when you are planning a visit to Switzerland. Please note that these are my personal views and others’ might differ…

1. The best time to visit Swiss is during May/Early-June and then August/September. During peak summer, the place gets really overcrowded, and the weather at the plains can be too hot for one’s liking.
2. The best way to plan the trip is to enter via Zurich and leave from Geneva or vice-versa. It lets you span almost the complete Swiss length. But then, the train network is so awesome, that it really doesn’t matter much.
3. Language is generally not a problem if you speak English, especially at major tourist places and decent hotels.
4. Swiss pass is a must, though its quite expensive… A major share of your fun will be the train journeys.. Swiss pass gives you freedom to take any train or local transport in any of the cities (including boat rides). Lookout for special offers like buy one get one free, that run often (except during peak season of June/July). The pass also gives various other offers such as free entry to a lot of Museums and discounted entry at others.
5. Trains travel with Swiss watch precision. A train scheduled to leave at 14:58 will leave no later or earlier than 14:58.
6. Tourist information centers at major train stations are a Godsend. They are extremely courteous and helpful .
7. Give the hotels in the cities a miss and try and stay at some smaller mountain towns (Lauterbrunnen, Wengen etc). They offer cheaper accommodations and better experience.
8. Food is generally not a problem, even for a vegetarian like me. Must try items are Swiss Rosti with cheese and Swiss Fondue cheese. Also, would like to mention the Chai Latte and Tomato Pesto Sandwich at Spettacolo coffee house, present at almost all train stations. We just loved it.
9. For adventure sport lovers, try the paragliding or skydiving activities at Interlaken (unfortunately we missed it..)
10. For souvenirs, a Swiss knife, a Swiss watch and, if you an Indian, a cow bell (remember DDLJ) are things you might want to take back. Prices are almost similar everywhere, and bargaining is possible.
11. If you have the time, include Zermatt in your itinerary.
12. Unless you have never seen snow, you may want to give Jungfraujoch a miss for its exorbitant price, especially if you are planning a tight budget. Coming from Sweden, we were not all that amused.
13. If you have the time, and want to see something different, include St Beatus Caves at Interlaken in your itinerary (unless you have seen some other limestone cave, as I have heard they are all quite similar). They will add a couple of hours to your trip, but is absolutely worth it.
14. If you ever plan to upgrade your camera, do it before the Swiss trip…. And please, don’t rely on your phone cameras, however good you might think they are... you need something with a wide field of view (at-most foal length 28) and fast shutter speeds to capture views while you are on a train.
15. And last, and the most important: Forget all the must visit item lists (including mine above).. I believe Swiss experience is not necessarily about seeing/doing a lot of things… Its about getting a feel of the place and soaking yourself in Mother Nature’s love. So don’t plan a rushed itinerary… Give yourself ample spare time to just stroll around doing nothing, sitting atop mountain peaks admiring the views and yes, taking the scenic train routes.