I believe that Switzerland is the number one dream country for many people. Of course, I'm also one of them. And I've waited for many years and went trough many trips before I could get a chance to experience this country myself.

Sawaddee Krab .... Hello all, this past Songkran festival holidays, I got a chance to escape the heat and enjoyed the cold at Switzerland.

I travel from 6-16 April. In case if anyone is planning to travel during this time, you can see how Switzerland is like.

For this review, I think it will be a basic travel to Switzerland and suitable for someone who have yet been to Switzerland or someone who just want to feel Switzerland. I believe that this review will help those who've never been to Switzerland to have an overall picture and can plan for themselves. And for those who already went, they can also join us and recall some good memory together.

Although I have said this is just an ordinary trip, but its natural view and houses just gives us extraordinary impressions.


Day 01: Bangkok - Zurich
Day 02: Stein am Rhein - Schauffhausen - Rheinfall - Luzern
Day 03: Luzern - Mount Titlis - Bern
Day 04: Mount Rigi - Interlaken - Thun
Day 05: Jungfraujoch - Grindelwald - First
Day 06: Schilthorn - Gimmelwald - Mürren
Day 07: Brienz - Zermatt - Klein Matterhorn
Day 08: Klein Matterhorn - Gornergrat
Day 09: Geneva - Lausanne - Montreux
Day 10: Geneva - Bangkok

Although I've planned the trip like this, but the actual travel is not going so accordingly. Sometimes, I cancel some place and add some other place depending on the weather at that day.


Let's Fly to Zurich

This trip, I fly with Lufthansa airlines. It is approximately 20,000 THB for Bangkok to Zurich and Geneva back to Bangkok flight.

The flight of Lufthansa airline from Thailand need a transit at Frankfurt first. The transit time is great, only 2-3 hours. We don't need to hurry and won't get bored from waiting. While we are transiting at Frankfurt, we also need to go through the immigration in order to enter the EU. I think the German immigration is the toughest immigration in European countries (actually I've only been to a few, haha). They asked a lot of questions and asked to see hotel booking and cash. Anyhow, we went through successfully.

(In fact, I first booked a multi-city route from Kuala Lumpur to Zurich and from Geneva back to Bangkok but the airline canceled the route from Kuala Lumpur so I asked to take the flight from Bangkok instead.)

Before traveling, I read the review saying that European airlines such as Lufthansa doesn't have good services and the staff is not so friendly. But I could care less about it as long as it takes me to my destination safely and on time. But when I actually travel with Lufthansa, in addition of taking me safe and on time to my destination, the services are much better than what I have expected (Oh well, this thing depends on luck and can be varied from time to time too.)

I arrive at Zurich airport before noon. Before anything else, I plan to buy a Swiss Pass here and will start using it tomorrow. To buy a Swiss Pass is also quite easy. We just need to go to Travel Service Counter at the train station of the airport and tell them what kind of Swiss Pass we wanted. Then, we just need to show them our passport and pay. Just like this, we get the Swiss Pass and can use on the date we wanted.

This is how the Swiss Pass bought at Switzerland looks like.

A Sculpture of Guardian Angel at Zurich HB Station


The First Night at Hotel Leoneck


At first, I wasn't plan to stay at Zurich but changed my mind when the travel time get closer. So, I only found expensive hotels. If I want the cheaper hotel, I have to stay near Zurich HB station. But I'm quite lazy so finally I found an acceptable price hotel.

In fact, Hotel Leoneck is not so close to Zurich HB but within walking distance. Anyhow, we need to walk uphill a bit and it could get quite tiring with big luggage in hands. What I really like about this place is that it has small Gimmick by placing chocolate at the pillow as a sign of welcoming. Once I get into my room, I just sleep as I'm quite tired from traveling overnight flight.

The Atmosphere inside the Room

A small piece of chocolate is placed on the pillow.

A Road View from the Window

Another Angle of the Road

A nearby Church View

Hotel Leoneck : 47.37910, 8.54511


Roaming around in the Old Town Zurich


After having enough resting, now it's time to wander around Zurich.

At first, we plan to visit several churches but we took quite a long rest so most of the churches are closed. So we only can visit outside. The church that I want to go is Grossmünster which has the most prominent tower in Zurich.

When we walk from our hotel to Grossmünster along the Limmat River, we could also enjoy this beautiful views and shops along the way.

Here is a Lindenhof park where we could have beautiful view of Zurich from high angle and I will stop by later.


Grossmünster is a beautiful and spectacular church of Zurich.

Opening Hours: 10:00 - 18:00
Entrance fee: Free
Location: 47.36999, 8.54392

Snow Mountains in a far distance and the Tram in the City of Zurich



Enjoy the View at Lindenhof


Like I said earlier, I will stop by Lindenhof park after Grossmünster.

If possible, I would recommend you guys to visit Lindenhof at the evening time. Even though there's not many people at this time, but you can fully enjoy the beautiful view.

A Lonely Atmosphere of Lindenhof when the Sun is about to set

The evening view of Zurich and I think it is so beautiful and charming.

The Prominent Twin Towers of Grossmünster Church

A Beautiful Evening View of Zurich at Lindenhof Park

Lindenhof Park
Opening Hours: All day
Entrance fee: Free
Location: 47.37219, 8.54129


A Night View of Zurich


When it starts to get dark, people are almost empty at Lindenhof. I walk down to enjoy the view of Zurich from both sides of the river again. Here, people are still walking even thought it's already passed 9 p.m. Just walk and chill.

Anyhow, I have to hurry a bit because I was going to have my dinner at Coop restaurant at Zurich HB Station and it closes at 10 p.m. Today there's Thai food (made by Indians) at the Coop as well. The taste is quite good. I've tried it for my lunch.

The Same View on Lindenhof but at Night Time

Grossmünster Church and Limmat River


Another Nngle of Zurich near Limmat River



Stein am Rhein at the Cloudy Day

This morning, I wake up with not so nice weather. It looks like it could rain anytime but at the end, it didn't rain.

But one thing for sure is I won't see any sun today. Anyway, that's alright because I didn't plan to go up to the mountain today. Just wandering around seems to be a good idea as well.

From Zurich HB, we take two trains with about an hour travel time and we now arrive at Stein am Rhein Station. It is such a quiet station (I'm not sure where the tourists are all gone).

At first I thought once we get out of train station, we will see the old city right away. But we need to walk a bit by crossing the road and the bridge before we see the old city that tourists are coming for.

When we go across the bridge to the old city of Stein am Rhein, the sky is so white, haha.

Here is the old city of Stein am Rhein.


Stein am Rhein is a small town and extremely quiet for me. I almost see no tourists around and I can actually count how many people are here.


The highlight of this town is the buildings that are painted with different patterns and looking very beautiful. And like I said this is a really small town, just simply walking a bit and we are already done.


Most of the shops are located inside the town. I'm not sure if they open yet as I see no one in those shops.

These buildings are quite unique and outstanding.


A Quiet and Lonely Atmosphere inside the Old City


I've walked to the end of the city. It's a pity that this part is going under construction.

A Beautiful Shop Sign


Schauffhausen, the Capital City of the Northern State

After enjoying Stein am Rhein enough, I go to Schauffhausen which is another popular tourist city. It is located at the Northern part of Switzerland and it is also the capital city of a state.

The purpose of visiting Schauffhausen is to enjoy the city view on Munot Fortress and enjoy the Rhein Fall.

This is the view of Rhein River and Schauffhausen on the train when we about to reach the station.

Houses and Buildings of Schauffhausen



Munot Fortress

Like I said earlier, my main purpose of visiting Schauffhausen is Munot Fortress.

From the Schauffhausen Station, we need to walk towards the river that we just passed. Then, we will find a walking path towards the Munot Fortress which we need to walk up a bit.

The Path towards the Munot Fortress

The Fortress view that we can see at all time while we are walking up the stairs.


This fort was built to prevent the German invasion several hundreds years ago.

Inside the fort remains usable for combat.

Inside the fort is quite dark. On the spiral stairs, there's a window to see the outside view from times to times.



Schauffhausen View

Walking up spiral stairs for a while and have yet tired, we are already reached the top of the Munot Fortress. Up here is a wide open area that we can enjoy the city view of Schauffhausen.

A Wide Open Space on Munot Fortress

A View of Schauffhausen and Rhein River


The Clock Tower and Houses of the City


For the up-down route, I choose another route to go down (different route of going up).
Munot Fortress
Entrance Fee: Free
Location: 47.696897, 8.639891

Rhein Fall, the Biggest Waterfall in Europe

From the Munot Fortress, I walk back to Schauffhausen Station and go across the street in order to take bus number 1 to Rhein Fall.

The bus is continuously coming. We just need to wait at the bus stop going to Herbstäcker. We will get off at Zentrum Station and it takes only 7 minutes (a Swiss Pass holder can get on for free).

After getting off the bus, we follow the Rhein Fall sign and we will first see the Rhein Fall in this high angle.

This is the Rhein Fall with an island in the middle and we can also take a boat ride to this island.

I will walk down to that building and take a short boat ride to the opposite side.


This yellow boat is the boat that will take us to the middle island of Rhein Fall. I think they will all get wet as the water falls really strong.


The closer we are, the more we see that the water falls really strong. If anyone wishes to see the castle at the fall or the island, you can buy the boat ticket and enjoy it.


For me, I just want to have the feeling by taking the crossing boat in order to get on the Schloss Laufen am Rheinfall Station.

We can take the train from Schloss Laufen am Rheinfall Station which is close to the castle at Rhein Fall to Schauffhausen or Zurich.


For more information of the boat services at Rhein Fall, please click http://www.rheinfall.ch/en/attractions/boattrips (Swiss Pass is not applicable here).


Radisson Blu Hotel, the Best Room in this Trip

After finish packing at Zurich, I take the train to Luzern. Here, I stay at Radisson Blu Hotel and I think this hotel is the best room in my trip.

The room is spacious and so is the bathroom. There's Internet, TV and other full facilities. I think this is very suitable for my trip in Luzern (please stay in tune for the reason).

Walking to this hotel is a bit strange. We need to get off at the side of the train station and walk up to the bridge like we are heading for the parking lot. After that, we continue walking before getting down the elevator to the hotel.

The lobby of the hotel looks really elegant.


The atmosphere inside the room, like I said earlier, is spacious, clean and just so good.

After arriving, I just take a long nap and didn't go anywhere today.
Radisson Blu Hotel : 47.047982, 8.313902

Delicious Food in Coop

Well, that I didn't get to go anywhere today, so please allow me to introduce delicious food in the Coop instead.

And it is the Grilled Chicken......haha.

I see it at almost every branch of Coop. There's half chicken and a chicken thigh (around 6-7 CHF). You can try and I think you won't be disappointed (but having it too often, you can also get bored, haha).

Delicious Grilled Chicken in Coop


Raining Day in a Light City


Luzern has the meaning as the city of light. I'm not sure of what kind of light it refers to, but when I wake up I didn't see any sunlight for sure!!!

It rains this morning and the mountains are covered with fog. The weather forecast said it will stay like this the entire day!!!

So, I have to cancel my trip to Mount Titlis and I also don't feel like going anywhere else.

I just stay in room, watch the Thai MV in YouTube and when hungry, I just go out to buy something to eat. And the rest of the day I'm just resting inside.

Until the evening comes and the rain doesn't seem to stop anytime soon, I finally decided to go out anyway.

A Cloudy View of Luzern in a Raining Day

An Atmosphere of the Road with the Rain


I keep walking until I see this Löwendenkmal or the tortured lion statue. I think it looks beautiful despite raining.


The statue has such a good details.The face expresses the feeling as if the lion is really in a great pain.
Löwendenkmal (Lion Monument)
Opening Hours: All day
Entrance Fee: Free
Location: 47.05833, 8.310353


Kapellbrücke, the Wooden Bridge of Switzerland

Kapellbrücke or Chapel Bridge is not only the wooden bridge of Luzern but I think it is the wooden bridge of Switzerland. I believe that every tourist will not miss to have a photograph with this bridge when visiting Switzerland.

Chapel Bridge is still beautiful despite bad weather.

Another Angle of Chapel Bridge


Let's walk on the bridge. The bridge showcases the triangle crafting arts drawn into the story.


Below is a view of Luzern when the light starts to turn on as it's quite dark now.
Kapellbrücke (Chapel Bridge)
Opening Hours: All day
Entrance Fee: Free
Location: 47.05203, 8.307906


A Beautiful Evening View of Luzern

Even though the sun is set now, the rain doesn't seem to stop despite starting since last night.

The rain here doesn't rain hard but it rains all day. The weather is quite cold. I go out for the photography just like that. When I feel cold, I will seek some warmth at the Chapel Bridge. It goes on like this until about 10 p.m. before I go back to bed.

I still choose to stay and enjoy the beautiful night light of Luzern city at Kapellbrücke.

A View on the Bridge close to Kapellbrücke


The beautiful building is located on the mountain. It is so eye-catching when watching from the city.


A Lonely View on the Street with Light Poles


The view that I wanted to capture the most in Luzern is the Kapellbrücke stands side by side with Jesuit Church like this.



Check in at Youth Hostel Interlaken


The next morning is time to say farewell to Luzern with the similar atmosphere as yesterday. It's still raining and the fog is thick, there's no sign of sunlight. I think I don't have luck with this city.

That's alright. I hope I will have a good weather in the next city. And my next destination is Interlaken.

There's direct Lezern - Interlaken Express train from Luzern to Interlaken. The view along the way is so beautiful (I recommend you to sit on the right hand...as for me, I sit on the left).

View along the way from Luzern to Interlaken with Lezern - Interlaken Express Train

At certain point, the snow is covered the grass. I think it just snowed recently.


The train stops at Interlaken Ost or the Interlaken East.

Youth Hostel Interlaken is a great location hostel. It is situated near the Interlaken Ost Station. We can roam around very conveniently.

This is the Youth Hostel Interlaken in which I book the private room with bathroom. If anyone travel alone or want to save cost, you can also book the dormitory room.

The only inconvenience I found in Youth Hostel Interlaken is the WiFi signal doesn't reach the room, we need to go use the service at the lobby only.

Youth Hostel Interlaken: 46.690384, 7.867983


Let's Take a Gamble with Matterhorn

Once arriving at Interlaken, I take a look at a Live Cam (live camera) of mountains nearby and I found that the weather is really bad. Cruising will not be beautiful and walking around also seem to not be a good idea so I don't know where to go.

When I was playing on my smart phone, I suddenly found the Live Cam of Matterhorn showing a very clear sky and can clearly see the pyramid peak of mountains.

But I'm still curious as the weather forecast at Zermatt saying that its weather is similar to Interlaken and how could we see Matterhorn?

Even if we can see it now but when we reach there, can we still see it? It takes 3 hours train ride from interlaken to Zermatt. Well, since I already have Swiss Pass and I also don't where to go. So let's take a gamble by taking the train to Zermatt, a home to Matterhorn.

I take three transit trains and with about 3 hours, now I'm at Zermatt before my itinerary in which I planned to visit here in the next 3 days. As soon as I'm stepping out of the station, I look for the peak of Matterhorn first. But the sky is white, I can't see the peak of Mount Matterhorn!!!!

Oh no!!! I start to feel bad but not entirely lose hope just yet. I go into the Gornergrat Bahn Station and see the TV, which presumably is a Live Cam of Gornergrat Station up there, we can still clearly see the peak of Mount Matterhorn!!!

I decide to buy a ticket to go up right away, it is 45 CHF (it is already discounted 50% by using a Swiss Pass, the full price is 90 CHF) and then I go wait for the train inside anxiously......

When the train gets out of station for a while, we will see the view of Zermatt covered in snow and I think it just snowed last night. This also looks beautiful. (Don't forget to sit on the right hand side for a better view.)

While the train is running, I try to look for the peak of Mount Matterhorn but still couldn't see.

And eventually, the train just run into the white fog that we almost see nothing.

But once the train went through those white fog, I was able to see the blue sky for the first time since my 3 days here!!!

I admit that I'm so happy that I wanted to shout out loud. But still, I can't see the peak of Mount Matterhorn.

But then, once going pass Rotenboden Station and before reaching Gornergrat Station, when I look back, my dream pyramid peak shows herself to me. At this moment, I'm so happy. Even thought my next days in the trip will face bad weather, I could careless as my number one highlight has now appeared in front of me.



Superb View "Matterhorn"


Once the train stops, I rush to go inside in order to take photos with Matterhorn because I'm afraid that the cloud might cover the view again. The view up here is just breathtaking, I really don't want anyone to miss it if coming to Switzerland.

Here, you can see that many clouds are floating beneath the Matterhorn and that's why I couldn't see its peak from Zermatt. And I think it's very lucky that the cloud didn't fly any higher, otherwise, it will block the Matterhorn view and I will also miss to view its beauty.

Other nearby snow mountains are also breathtakingly beautiful.


Soon, I go up to that building which also offers hotel services.

It is such a pity that I just realized that I should also spend a night up here. Anyhow, this thought is too late as the rooms are all fully booked long time ago.

After taking the elevator up, we will see this sheep mascot holding the height of the Gornergrat Station with Mount Mtterhorn as a background.


Let's fully and clearly enjoy this summit pyramid view.

Another train is now taking passengers to enjoy the beauty on Gornergrat.


A View of Gornergrat Station and Matterhorn


Nearby Snow Mountains View


After enjoying the view until I feel satisfy, I take the train back to Interlaken. And I reach there at night. Today I finish my trip impressively.


Bright and Fresh Day at Interlaken


This morning I wake up to find the brightest day since I started this trip. Breakfast is also included in room price at the Youth Hostel. But since the weather is just too nice, I can't help but going around to take photos at Interlaken city before coming back for breakfast.

Just the view in front of our hostel is already very beautiful.

I walk until Höhematte or what is known to Thai people as Sanam Luang of Interlaken.

It has a big green grass with snow mountains as a backdrop.

The road has less cars running and many people are excising or walking their dog, such a happy life.


A peak of a church is having a clear snow mountain as a background.


While I was walking back to the hostel, I see the train is crossing over the bridge.


Taking a Train to the Top of Europe

After breakfast, I go to another highlight of this trip, which is Jungfrau “Top of Europe".

The train ticket to Jungfrau is quite expensive and the Swiss Pass can only offer 25% discount. But since we are already here, I don't want to miss out.

After 25% discount of Swiss Pass, it is 133 CHF per person (a round trip ticket).

While the train is getting closer to Jungfrau, there's a stop for sightseeing or restroom. The first stop is Eigerwand.

A View Outside the Window at Eigerwand Station


The next stop is Eismeer Station.


I think the outside window view at Eismeer Station is more beautiful than the first stop at Eigerwand Station.


Crystal clear ice cubes are covered with thick snow, this looks uniquely beautiful.



Jungfraujoch “Top of Europe"

After 2 hours of the train ride, now I arrive at Jungfraujoch which is known as the top of Europe at the 3,454 m height.

On the day I travel, the tourists are packed so I can't choose to sit on the left or right for the view.

There's about 8-9 stops for sightseeing at Jungfrau (excluding stops for shops). We can just follow this route and enjoy the view.

Oh.. before starting the travel, don't forget to stamp in our Jungfrau Passport in which we have received when we bought a ticket!!!

We get to see this view first but via the glass. If we want to see this view without any barriers, we just need to walk to the 9th stop and you won't be disappointed.

We can see these beautiful snow mountains views all along the walking route.


Certain stop is inside the closed building, yet there's always something interesting for us to see.


Keep walking and we will see my other favorite spot which is the ice tunnel.


The Ice Sculptures in Ice Palace (Eispalast)


The Cartoon Characters from the Animated Movie, the Ice Age



Enjoy the 360-degree View of Snow Mountains


After walking through all the stops, now we can come out to enjoy the view without the glass barriers.

This is the point where I'm looking forward to the most on the Jungfraujoch.

Aletsch Glacier is all covered by white snow (I cannot take out my sunglasses out here).


Beautiful mountains are all around us.


Sphinx is the building that we just walked pass.


Another Angle of Beautiful Mountains


After having enough sightseeing, I go down in order to go onto our next destination.

This is a red train which takes me up to Jungfraujoch while it stops at Kleine Scheidegg Station.


Let's Find James Bond at Schilthorn


In fact, I plan to go to Schilthorn tomorrow morning but since the weather is so nice, so let's go.

After getting off at Lauterbrunen Station from Jungfraujoch, I take the bus number 141 running towards Stechelberg from Lauterbrunen Station bus stop (after getting off from the train, you need to walk down to the tunnel and look for the bus sign. Then, after getting out of the tunnel, you will see the bus stop as below photo).

After taking the bus, you can get off at Schilthornbahn Station. The bus will stop at the cable car so we can just go and buy the ticket up to the Schilthorn. Swiss Pass can take us up to only Mürren, if we want to go further to Schilthorn, we need to pay. Swiss Pass can give us 50% discount, it is 40 CHF (for a round trip).


For taking the cable car, it won't go straight to Schilthorn but with a 4-5 stations stop.


A view on cable car when we about to reach destination is all covered with snow. It is the view that we just can't stop wowing!!!!!


When you see this stone, it means you are about to reach Schilthorn.



Enjoy the 3 Greatness Mountains on Schilthorn


Once we arrive Schilthorn at the Piz Gloria building, we will see everything about James Bond as the Jame Bond movie was shot here (but the very old episode). In addition, we can view the 3 great mountains here which include Jungfrau, Mönch, and Eiger.

When walking out of Piz Gloria building, we can enjoy this 360 degree view again.

The 3 great mountains include Jungfrau (4,158 m.), Mönch (4,099 m.), and Eiger (3,970 m.) which is located from the right to the left as below photo.


Another Viewpoint on Schilthorn that we have to walk a bit


Here, you will be surrounded by snow mountains view. No matter where you look, it's just so beautiful. I think if you like snow mountains, Schilthorn can offer more diverse view than Jungfrau.


Another Splendid Angle



Let's enjoy the surrounding view without any barriers!!!


Let's continue to enjoy the view on Schilthorn. I think Schilithorn could make us sick of snow mountains view as it is very where and looking very grand.

Let's fully enjoy the view!


Miss the Cable Car!!!


After having a quality time enjoying the view at Schilthorn, it's time to go down.

But the problem is.... after changing the cable car at the next station from Schilthorn, I went to take photo while waiting for the cable car to pick us up. Then, when the cable car comes, it is full. So we have to wait for the next round. Good thing this is not the last round but still, I have to wait for another half an hour.

Cable Car taking us down from Schilthorn

It is at this station that I went out for photography and miss the cable car.

There's many people come out to enjoy the atmosphere.

This viewpoint is a grating walkway in which we can see below view. I think people who are afraid of height will miss this fun.


When the next round of cable comes, everyone is more than ready to go down.


Once we reach Schilthornbahn Station below, we need to wait another hour of bus to take us to Lauterbrunen Station. Quite a long wait, but we have arrived at Interlaken safe and sound. Today is really fun and I'm just so impressed with those breathtaking views.


The Village of Lauterbeunen Falls


The weather at Interlaken on the following day is still clear and bright.

I need to re-plan my trip due to I have experienced the bad weather during my first 3 days here, haha. This also affected my original plan.

Today plan is to walk on the Mürren - Gimmelwald route that many reviews agree that it's such a beautiful walkway. I also must see for myself. But before that, I choose to take a walk in Lauterbrunen as it is along the way.

I start from Lauterbrunen train station in the early morning and the sun has yet shinned here.

At Lauterbrunen, you can see the gigantic waterfall right from the train station area.

This waterfall is called Staubbach Falls. The water is not much during my visiting time.

A small town with snow mountains as a backdrop is the Switzerland atmosphere that I love the most.


The closer we walk to town, the closer we go to the waterfall.


A Clear View of Staubbach Falls in the Morning



Travel to Mürren

When it's about time, I now travel to Mürren. I choose to go there with different route, not the same way as going to Schilthorn like yesterday. At the train station, there's a cable car at "Bergbahn" Station going to Mürren by Lauterbrunen-Mürren route.

This is the “Bergbahn" cable car to Mürren in which we can use Swiss Pass and get on for free.

Once the cable car leaves the station, we can clearly get the view of Lauterbrunen town and Staubbach Falls.


Cable Car will take us to Grütschalp Station where there's a train ready to take us further to Mürren.



Mürren, A Beautiful Swiss Style Town

I don't what the definition of a beautiful Swiss style town of everyone. For me, the wooden Chalet house with a snow mountain view is my definition of "a beautiful Swiss town".

The route of Mürren - Gimmelwald is a walking down path so we won't get so tired but if you want to do some exercise, you are always welcome to walk back following the Gimmelwald - Mürren route.

A Swiss wooden house and snow mountain view, just incredibly beautiful!!!

A small regret is that the grass is still not green yet. I think after May, it will be all greenly again.


If I'm not wrong, this is the Mount Eiger.


There's also several hotels offered at Mürren and I think it'd be more than worthy.



The Route from Mürren to Gimmelwald

It's not so shady from the path Mürren - Gimmelwald. The sun is quite strong and although it is still cold but after walking a while, you could also sweat. If you don't like sun too much, you could bring an umbrella for a shadow.

There's few cars in Mürren and it's quite a chill walk.

Snow mountains are to be seen all along the way.


I'm so envy people who live around here and spend a night here, they can open the window and see this beautiful view.

Well, I'm not sure if they could get bored if seeing this view everyday?

There's houses, hotels, shops and souvenir all along the way. But since now it's still very early, most of the shops are yet opened. Still, it's quite lively.

A Swiss style house with snow mountains background in a sunny day, it couldn't be any better.

Along the way, you will also see many people are doing this activity.


Directional Sign to Mürren


Walking while enjoying this view, there's no tiring nor boring.



This is a local route where local people are doing agriculture and livestock. They raise donkeys, horses and so on at certain point. You might come across these animals' faces for farming purposes. When it's fresh, the smell is also really something, haha.

(I'm not sure by saying this could spoil the atmosphere or not. Well, let's just think of it as another angle, haha.)

The route from Mürren - Gimmelwald is a small road with few cars running by.

Once in a while, there's a car passing by, you need to find a good place to stand.


Cable Car taking Passengers up to Schilthorn


Looking back to Below Villages


A small house or a barn with a gigantic snow mountain is such a perfect match.

We can just enjoy our walk and take photos and once in a while you will met other tourists. Believe me, you won't get bored (unless you feel enough with snow mountains).

Soon, we are walking into Gimmelwald.

There's a bench for us to relax and enjoy the view.


The view at Gimmelwald is also as beautiful as at Mürren.

But if I can choose only one place, Mürren would be my choice.

There's also a resting area at Gimmelwald.


There's also a slider for the kid to play at the cable car station at Gimmelwald.


It's time to go back to Lauterbrunen!


I choose to go back to Lauterbrunen by taking a cable car from Schilthorn by using the Swiss Pass and get on for free like yesterday. I take the cable car from Gimmelwald to Schilthorbahn and again bus to Lauterbrunen.

Taking the Cable Car from Gimmelwald down to Schilthorbahn View

We can see the rainbow at the waterfall from the cliff as well.

That I finish traveling Mürren - Gimmelwald faster than planned, I will just walking around to kill the time before going to the next destination. I take the bus number 141 as usual in order to go back to Lauterbrunen.



Waterfall inside the Trümmelbachfälle Cave


I choose to kill my time at Trümmelbachfälle where you can take bus number 141 and get down at Trümmelbachfälle bus stop.

In fact, I didn't know about this waterfall. I saw its name when I took this bus and I guessed it's the waterfall. Besides, I see many people get down at this stop. So with the time left, I think I should go take a look.

Trümmelbachfälle
Opening Hours 09:00 - 17:00
Entrance Fee: 11 CHF (Swiss Pass is not applicable)
Location: 46.569312, 7.914624
Transportation: Take bus number 141 from Lauterbrunen and get down at Trümmelbachfällebus bus stop

The Entrance Sign to Trümmelbachfälle

There's about 10 stops for traveling at Trümmelbachfälle and for the first two stops, we can just enjoy it by following the sign.

Here should be the first stop.

Trümmelbachfälle is a glacier waterfall inside the mountain. This water comes from the melting iceberg.


The water coming out from part of the cliff is one stop of the Trümmelbachfälle.


After the first two stops, we need to walk down again in order to take the elevator to the next remaining stops.

This looks like the elevator using in the mine factory.

After taking the elevator up, it is the cave. The weather is a bit cold with the light all along the way.


I see it is written that Trümmelbachfälle is the only glacier waterfall in the mountain that we can visit in Europe.


We simply walk and enjoy the view. I think spending about an hour here should be enough.


Here is the last view inside the cave of Trümmelbachfäll.


Actually, I'm not that impressed with this place. If you plan is full, I think you can skip it. But if you just want to kill time, it's a fair choice.


Stop for a Lunch at Coop Restaurant


When I return back to Interlaken, I find the Coop Restaurant nearby the station. The price is in accordance with the size of the dish. It looks delicious so I try it out and indeed it's very worthy.

This is a middle size dish, each dish is 9.95 CHF.


Cruising at the Thun lake


For the afternoon activity, I choose to cruise and enjoy the view at Thun Lake. For a Swiss Pass holder, you can get on it for free (it classifies by class).

For the timetable for cruising at Thun and Brienze, please visit https://www.bls.ch/e/schifffahrt/fahrplan.php

It's time to leave now....

Houses near the lake looks beautiful and peaceful.


The Easy and Relax Atmosphere at the Thun Lake


This is the view from the window on the boat while cruising in the lake.


Houses and castles around the Thun Lake, I think it's so worthy for this 2 hours cruising experience.


One of the most beautiful spots of cruising at the Thun Lake is when the boat is stopping at Spiez.

It is such a relax time with this beautiful view.



A Beautiful Castle on the Thun Lake

Oberhofen am Thunersee

Here is the arts at Schadau Castle and now we are getting much closer to the pier of Thun town.



Wandering around Thun Town


It's quite late evening when we arrive at Thun town. From the pier, we are walking towards the train station.

My destination is Schloss Thun or the Thun Castle.


Here is an atmosphere along the pathway to the castle.



Enjoying the View of Thun


We can see the castle now, it looks really outstanding and elegant.

A beautiful high angle view is showing the city along side the lake.


Another Angle of Thun


Since I arrive Thun very late evening and the castle is already closed so I didn't get to go inside.


A Church near the Thun Castle



Delicious Thai Food in Thai way

After I return from Thun back to Interlaken, it's time for dinner.

When we walk to the middle of the town which is around Höhematte area with a big lawn, on the opposite side is Hooster. I was about to eat fried chicken but then I see small restaurant with Thai and Chinese food so I decided to check it out.

Noodle Bar is a small restaurant at this corner.

There's only 2 staff in the shop, one is taking order and the other is cooking and one of them is Thai.


The food for tonight is Spicy Chicken Curry and Chicken Tom Yum Rice. It is quite delicious and help me ease the miss of Thai food.



Wandering in Interlaken


Tonight will be my last night at Interlaken. After food, I take this chance to enjoy the town before moving onto the other city.

Atmosphere around Interlaken, it is a lot of Thai people.

A Fountain in front of Höhematte


The view from Höhematte or as referred to as Swiss Sanam Luang. It is a large yawn. It's really like Thai Sanam Luang.


The mountain sunbathing view happens when the sun is about to say farewell to us.


A Church in Interlaken with a Beautiful Mountain as a Backdrop


Small Flower Farden with the Sign written Interlaken



The Sunset at Interlaken


The last moment of the day, I come to enjoy the last light before the dark is coming.

Today is a bit too cloudy but still, we can enjoy the golden light when the sun is about to set. Another day of our trip is ended.


Farewell to Interlaken


Today I will travel to Zermatt. In the morning, I've got some spare time so I decided to walk around Interaken again.

Coop restaurant at this town has snow mountain as a background.

This boat at the pier is going to the Brienz Lake. At first, I was planning to enjoy the cruising again.

But yesterday, I already went to the Thun Lake, so let's skip it.

When looking at the mountain behind the Youth Hostel, it is the Harder Klum Viewpoint. During my visit in Songkran, it didn't open for tourists yet.



Changing Train at Spiez


Yesterday after cruising passed the Spiez pier, I found that this city is very beautiful. So while changing the train to Zermatt, there's still some time left so I decided to walk out of Spiez Station and enjoy another beautiful angle of this city.

It is quite easy to enjoy the Spiez town, as soon as we walk out of the Spiez Station, we will see this beautiful view.

After walking out of the Spiez Station, it is this view awaiting for us.

The popular view of Spiez is already very beautiful from a far distance.


Another Angle of Spiez from the Train Station



Hello again, Zermatt


After I decided to make a short visit to Zermatt the other day, today is the time to spend a night here. I especially like this town. I also don't know why but just simply walking into this town and felt like it.

But in fact, I will not actually staying in Zermatt just yet. I will go to stay at Schwarzsee first.

A River View with a Beautiful Mount Matterhorn

Let's have another clear view of Matterhorn. In fact, you can see this view almost everywhere in Zermatt.


I walk to Zermatt ZBAG-lz Station which is a cable car station that will take me to my tonight accommodation.

Zermatt ZBAG-lz : 46.014807, 7.742915



Cable Car Going up to Schwarzsee


Actually, this cable car also take us to Klein Matterhorn (Matterhorn Glacier Paradise), another famous viewpoint which is similar to Gornergrat. But today, I will go to Schwarzsee Station only, a place that is located along the way to Klein Matterhorn and I will go up to Klein Matterhorn tomorrow morning.

Before anything, I need to buy a ticket first. I buy a Klein Matterhorn Return Ticket which is a round trip ticket to Klein Matterhorn. This ticket will take me to Schwarzsee for tonight and tomorrow again to Klein Matterhorn before going back down to Zermatt.

The full price of this round trip ticket is 100 CHF. The Swiss Pass can get us 50% discount, so the ticket is 50 CHF.

A view from the cable car along with this great weather, it is just so beautiful.

When looking back to Zermatt, the town is getting smaller and smaller.


The higher we are up, the closer we are to Matterhorn. I feel that it's just right in front of us now.


I can see my hotel for tonight now.



Hotel Schwarzsee, A Hotel for the Matterhorn Lover


Tonight I will be staying at Hotel Schwarzsee which is the most expensive hotel in this trip. I'm willing to pay in order to get closer to Matterhorn even if just for a short time.

The view of Matterhorn from this hotel is much closer than from Zermatt. It is significantly different.

This is a balcony view of Matterhorn View which is more expensive than the Zermatt View zone.

The room size is great. The bed is soft. And the WiFi is also good.


There's also a private bathroom inside the room.


The highlight is we can see the Matterhorn right from our window.

Hotel Schwarzsee : 45.990883, 7.710276


A million dollars view is just outside the window!!!


This may sound a bit exaggerating but some of the snow mountains view lovers, especially those who love the unique snow mountains like the Matterhorn, would definitely agree with me.

You can simply sit, lay down or walk out to enjoy this view and you won't get bored. Nonetheless the outside weather is extremely cold and very windy.

A view at the balcony, I won't never get bored of this view.

Matterhorn is actually just here. I feel that I almost can touch it.


A cable car station is not so far from the hotel.


A view around is also beautiful despite less than the beauty of Matterhorn.


Sometimes, the cloud just comes and gathers around the Matterhorn. I think like this is also uniquely beautiful.



Dinner at Hotel Schwarzsee


Breakfast and dinner is included at Hotel Schwarzsee (well, staying here, no one would go down for dinner). We cannot choose for dinner, everyone gets the same food.

The starter is toast bread and garden salad.

Then, it goes to main course. Today menu is Beef Steak (very delicious).


But just one thing, although the breakfast and dinner is included in the room price but the beverage is excluded. We need to pay extra for drinking water and it's quite expensive.

Below is the evening and night view.

After dinner, we can see the snow mountains embracing Zermatt town at the window of the restaurant. It is such a beautiful view and this is another think I love so much about this hotel.

When the sun is about to go down, it shines against snow mountains.

A Night View of Zermatt Embraced by Snow Mountains


A Clearer View of Zermatt Among the Lights


At night, I was planning to take stars shots with the Matterhorn. But unfortunately, the clouds come in between.



Probably, my luck is all used up!!!


I think that seeing beautiful view as planned also depends on one important factor...... which is luck.

After experiencing bad weather during my first few days, I have seen good weather several days after. Then, I was allowed to enjoy beautiful snow mountains like I wanted. However, this morning I wake up to find this bad weather again. Probably, my luck is all used up. The clouds are covering up the Matterhorn that I can see nothing.

Of course, I have to cancel my plan up to Klein Matterhorn.

This is the clearest shot of Matterhorn this morning.

I decided to cancel the plan up to Klein Matterhorn and take the cable car back down to Zermatt.


Almost reaching Zermatt now....



Hotel Rhodania, let's see if we have luck with Matterhorn again...

I book Hotel Rhodania at Zermatt and of course I choose the room with Matterhorn View. Everything at Hotel Rhodania is great except some smoking smell. The view at the balcony should be very beautiful.

I said should be very beautiful because since coming down from Hotel Schwarzsee until checking into the room of Hotel Rhodania, I haven't seen a bit of Matterhorn.

A View from the Balcony of Hotel Rhodania

The room is spacious with a private bathroom and great WiFi connection.


A view outside the window, we can see that the clouds are covering the entire area. We cannot see anything much even if it is 3 p.m. already.


At this corner, we should be able to clearly enjoy the view of the Matterhorn but it's not the case for today.


Today the entire area is covered by fog.

Hotel Rhodania : 46.017663, 7.748396


A Relax Day in Zermatt

After realizing that we won't be able to see the Matterhorn, we decided to walk around in the city and find something to eat for dinner. Then, we stop at the grilled chicken shop near a church in town.

The main vehicle in Zermatt is the eclectic taxi like this, without cars and I think it's a bit too many, running everywhere.

Another a bit more luxurious vehicle is a horse carriage.


A Grilled Chicken near a church which is not far from our hotel is looking very delicious.


The fog is still covering the Matterhorn in the evening time but with more hope to see.



Zermatt is beautiful until night time!


After diner, I go out for a night walk and enjoy its night view.

Even Zermatt is a tourist city, it's not as lively as I expected (probably now is not high season). There's restaurants and bars, but the road is quiet. It is such a chill walk.

A View of Zermatt at Night Time from my Balcony

A Chill Atmosphere at the Town ( I really like it.)


When we walk closer to the train station, it gets a bit more lively as there's many shops nearby.


Hotels up on the Hill in Town


At night time, the sky is open and we can clearly see the Matterhorn.


When we look back to the other side, we will see this view.

After that, I go back to the hotel. I hope that the sky will also open tomorrow.


The Waiting Golden Light


The next morning I have a bit luck as the sky is open for a short time before the fog comes near the Matterhorn again.

A moment to see whether we have enough luck to clearly enjoy the Matterhorn.....

A short moment when the sky is opened for me to appreciate the Matterhorn again before it's all covered by the clouds again.



Zermatt at the Morning Hour


My today travel program is quite long, but before anything else, let's go to enjoy the Zermatt city while walking to the train station.

The hotels are located on the high hill in Zermat.

I like this view where we can see snow mountains as a backdrop of Zermatt and the birds are flying out to search for their breakfast.


The statue of a mountain goat, the symbol of Zermatt


When arriving at the train station, I see this Glacier Express Train stopping there. But I didn't get to experience it as I don't have enough time.



The Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn Train

The train that will take us in and out of Zermatt is this Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn, a red train. The view along the way is so beautiful that I almost forget about the time.

This is the train that will take me out of Zermatt to another city and come back again tonight.

Houses along the way and Fog Surrounded the Mountains


Fog is covered the entire area that sometimes we cannot see anything below.


A unique shape of mountain embraced by fog, I really like this kind of scenery.



Bern, the Capital City of Switzerland

Here, I believe everyone knows that the capital city of Switzerland is Bern, it is neither Zurich nor Geneva. And today I will start my travel with this capital city.

The road at Bern looks chaotic and more people than every town I've visited. The city is busy with buses and trams.

At the Spitalgasse road and Marktgasse road, it looks lively and with beautiful sculptures all along the way.


Zeitglockenturm is Astronomical Clock that the doll will come out to dance every hour. But I didn't get to see it because I didn't want to wait.

Again, at the Spitalgasse road and Marktgasse road. I think this is the main shopping road of this town.

Zeitglockenturm : 46.947927, 7.447674


Enjoying the View of Bern from the Berner Münster


One of the reasons that I didn't go every hour to see the performance at Zeitglockenturm due to I have so much fun and viewing the city from this high angle. And the place that can offer me such kind of high angle view is, of course, the Berner Münster.

Berner Münster
Entrance Fee: Free / 5 CHF for getting up to the tower
Location: 46.947468, 7.451117

The Berner Münster is looking very elegant and grand.

The door has a very beautiful crafting arts.


In order to have a high angle of the Bern view, we need to pay 5 CHF and just keep walking up like this (it's a bit exhausting, but it's so worth this view).

A view of Bern with similar color of houses, such a good color!


Let's continue to appreciate the view on the top of Berner Münster.


Bern, A City of Bear


We can continue viewing the Bern after the Berner Münster as there's a beautiful place just around the bear's cage. .

Another popular viewpoint of Bern is this location 46.948445, 7.458526

The Same Corner with Different Angle


A city of bear must have bear (is it?), haha. There's several of them and each one is quite fat.


When we walk till here, we don't need to walk back the same route. We can walk to opposite site of the bear's cage and take the bus number 12 to the train station (a Swiss Pass holder can get on for free).


Fribourg, A Medieval Old Town of Switzerland

Fribourg is not so far from Bern, only 20 minutes by train and you reach. It is said that this town is like the medieval Europe. In fact, I come to Fribourg without planning in advance. I just search information right away and then decide to visit.

Atmosphere of Fribourg

The Cathédrale Saint-Nicolas de Fribourg Church is outstandingly elegant. We can see everywhere from here.


Beautiful buildings are to be seen around the town.


After walking around a bit, we reach this high bridge and its view is just spectacular.

Zoom in for a Close-up Shot


If you like this kind of architecture, I'm sure you will not be disappointed.


Simply enjoying the view on this high bridge, I'm already so content.


After this, you also don't need to go back to the same route. We can just go across the bridge and turn left, there's a bus stop on the same side with the bridge. Then you just need to take bus number 2 or 6 to go back to the train station (a Swiss Pass holder can get on for free).


Extraordinary View along the Way


The route from Fribourg to Geneva, we will see a very beautiful view along the way, especially when we go pass the Geneva Lake. The lake view and green field with yellow flowers are just so perfect.

Cattle enjoy the grass along the way.

The grass with houses view looks so fresh.


The Geneva Lake view while the train is passing by.


Green grass, lake and snow mountains are just the views of Switzerland.


Houses near the Lake

Along the way, we will see a lot of this yellow flowers field, it looks so beautiful and fresh.


Green grass and yellow flowers shot while the train is passing fast. I almost didn't catch it.


A yellow flower field stretching endlessly just makes me want to jump from the train right away.



Geneva in the Day without the Fountain


Finally, after so much enjoyment from the view along the way, I arrive at my destination at Geneva for doing something. But since we are already here anyway, let's also take this opportunity to go around.

I wanted to see the Jet d'Eau fountain but today it is closed. Well, that's alright, let's take a walk around.

Geneva Lake on the day without the Fountain

The little birds are swimming happily.


A Cozy Atmosphere on the Clear Day near the Lake


Let's take a look at the atmosphere near the Geneva Lake...


Visit a Big Church in Lausanne


After Geneva, I go to Lausanne. Here, I divide my route into North and South from the train station. I will go north first and my destination is Lausanne Cathedral (Place de la Cathédrale).

It is easy to go to Lausanne Cathedral. We just go to the train that runs towards Croisettes and we will get off at Ripponne-M.Béjart Station which is only 2 stations away (a Swiss Pass holder can get on for free).

Once we get out off the Ripponne-M.Béjart Station, we will see Lausanne Cathedral right away when going straight.

Inside the church is magnificent, especially the organ.


A Walkway inside the Church


I don't go visit inside the church very often but I really like it here.


Let's have a close up shot for Lausanne Cathedral (it's such a regret that I can't take this photo clearly).


Lausanne Cathedral

Opening Hours: 09:00 - 17:30
Entrance Fee: Free
Location 46.522599, 6.635219

After enjoying the inside enough, now let's go enjoy the outside view. There's a viewpoint for Lausanne in front of the church.


A View of Lausanne in front of Lausanne Cathedral

This is the staircase.



The South of Lausanne


After that, I go to another side of town which is the South of Lausanne.

We still go there by the train but this time on the opposite side. Our destination is Ouchy-Olympique Station which is also the terminal station.

Just walking out a bit from the station, we will see this beautiful lake view.

In the evening, the local come play a giant chess game.


Certain Symbol near the Lake



A Thai Royal Pavilion

After that I just walk around the lake and enjoy the view. My destination is the park which has the Thai Royal Pavilion situated.

Beautiful Buildings along the way

The lake with snow mountains, I just love this kind of view so much.


Along the way, we will go pass the Olympic museum and if you have time, you are more than welcome to stop by. But for me, I can't because it's quite dark already.

The sun is about to set now.


Finally, we walk to the Thai Royal Pavilion which named Le Pavillon Thailandais. It is located at the Le Denantou park. This pavilion is officially opened by the Princess Sirindhorn on 17th March 2009.

Even though the Thai Royal Pavilion is not huge, when located at the abroad park like this, it looks very outstanding.

When taking a close up look, we can clearly see a beautiful Thai painting on the pavilion.


Looking out from the Inside of the Thai Royal Pavilion


When looking at the sun again, it is almost set but I still have one more place to go.

Le Pavillon Thailandais

Opening Hours: All day
Entrance Fee: Free
Location: 46.506095, 6.640919


Chillon Castle, a Beautiful Castle near Montreux

The last destination for today is Chillon Castle in which I need to take the train from Lausanne and get off at Veytaux-Chillon Station.

During the evening time like this, the train is fully packed that I almost cannot breath. Luckily, most of people get off when we go far away from Lausanne. It is about half an hour ride to Veytaux-Chillon Station.

To go to Chillon Castle, we need to go under the train and go to the opposite side. Then we will find this castle located near the lake.

I'm very lucky to come here when the sun is about to set. I didn't go inside the castle. My intention is just to capture this angle right at this time only.

Another Angle of the Castle


The sun is about to hide underneath the clouds but still, some golden light is still shining.


Not so long after that, the light is on at the castle when it's dark. This is also the time I'm waiting for to take the train back. In fact, we can also take the bus number 201 back to the Montreux Station. But I choose to go by train as it's more convenient according to our plan.

Chillon Castle

Opening Hours: 09:00 - 19:00
Entrance Fee 12.50 CHF
Location: 46.414539, 6.927299

After that, I go back to Zermatt. I arrive the hotel around midnight and by the last train.


Matterhorn under the Stars

Finally, I get to see the Matterhorn under the stars after waiting for so long. So I would like to say goodbye with the Matterhorn under the stars photo.

Travel to Switzerland is not difficult, it's quite easy and the view is really beautiful. If you are a nature lover, especially snow mountains, you should not miss it.


Thank you so much for following until the end of this trip. See you again next trip.



Sawaddee Krab


Live Cam can help you plan!


Some more tips...

Before I'm going up to any top mountains, I check the weather forecast by looking at the Live Cam at that certain mountain first. So I really recommend you guys to check the Live Cam before going up and you won't be disappointed or waste money without seeing the view you wanted.

If you purchase the advanced tickets with a specific date from Thailand, I'm not sure how much it could be cheaper. But I've never thought of buying it. Well, actually, this depends on personal preference. If you are lucky, you will get a cheap ticket and a beautiful view but if you are unlucky, you will only get a cheap ticket with a bad view. As for me, I give more importance to the beautiful view, so I'd rather pay more and get a surely beautiful view.


Below are the recommended websites of Live Cam for several famous mountains:

Titlis
http://www.titlis.ch/de/titlis-gebiet/webcams


Rigi Klum

http://www.rigi.ch/Reiseinformationen/Webcams


Pilatus
http://www.pilatus.ch/de/webcams/


Jungfrau
http://www.jungfrau.ch/en/tourism/destinations/jungfraujoch-top-of-europe/live-cams/


Schilthorn
http://schilthorn.ch/en/Info/Schilthorn_Live/Livecams


Matterhorn (Gornergrat)
http://www.zermatt.ch/en/Webcams/Gornergrat-3-089-m


Matterhorn (Matterhorn Glacier Paradise)
http://www.zermatt.ch/en/Webcams/Matterhorn-glacier-paradise-3-883-m


*** Well, these links can change in the future. Searching for the new link is also very easy, you can simply type in the name of the mountain + Live Cam and you will find it. For example: "Titlis live cam".


The Cloud

 Thursday, June 2, 2016 10:28 AM

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