Switzerland: Sensational Alpine Bliss in the Swiss Alps

After a dramatic week in the Dolomites, involving lots of hiking and a trip to the garage, I decided to chill for a few days before continuing my mountain adventure.

With my time in Europe coming to an end, I wanted to make the most of my remaining weeks.

As luck would have it (or expert planning?), the last country on my trip was Switzerland, which is one of the most beautiful in the world.

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Lake Garda

The weather for the next few days was set to be scorching, so I decided to head to Lake Garda and chill on the beach 🏖️

To save the stress of trying to find parking and showers etc, I treated myself to a few nights on a campsite. It was a good job I did, as it was 36’C one day so having access to a shower was very much required!

It was also a good decision, as it was still so hot at night so I had to sleep with the van doors open which would not have been possible if I wasn’t on a campsite.

I spent 3 days on the shores of Lake Garda, not doing much other than the odd swim or paddle board, and went out in the evenings for some food and to watch the sunset.

On the way to Switzerland, I stopped at Lake Como for a night. There was a thunderstorm so I didn’t get much chance to explore at Como, but was keen to get on to Switzerland so off I went…

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Lake Lucerne

One of my favourite spots from my last visit to Switzerland with Fliss was Lake Lucerne, so naturally I had to go back.

I stayed at the same campsite we had previously, but this time it was so much busier which was only to be expected given the time of year. It also wasn’t great weather so I didn’t get out on the paddle board this time.

Once the weather had cleared up, I headed out on a hike overlooking the lake and was once again blown away by its beauty.

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Rigi Kaltbad

As with Norway, it seems like it’s impossible to choose a hike in Switzerland with bad views. I headed for Rigi Kaltbad and out on a hike which promised panoramic views of the lakes and mountains.

I was blessed with gorgeous weather again, and the blue skies really made the lakes look extra blue 😍

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Thun

I decided to have a chill day near the lake, as the weather up in the mountains was really misty and cloudy so I headed to the charming city of Thun.

Thun lies at the north-western end of Lake Thun, with its most famous landmark being Thun Castle.

I went to the castle, as it promised a great view from one of the turrets looking over the city to the lake. The medieval castle, which was built at the end of the twelfth century and now hosts a museum publicising some of the region’s history.

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Grindelwald

One of the places I was most keen to visit in Switzerland was a small town called Grindelwald. Grindelwald is a town situated in the Jungfrau region of the Swiss Alps and at the foot of the Eiger, a 3,967m mountain.

From Grindelwald, I took a very expensive cable car (£63!) to the top of First mountain (2,168m) but holy moly, it was worth every penny!

The scenery genuinely looked fake, or AI generated. I took so many photos 😂

At the top of First, there’s a cliff walk you can do to get a panoramic photo. There was a sheer drop down below, so it was utterly terrifying, but I did it and the views were pretty epic!

I hiked up to a lake called Bachalpsee, and the views of the surrounding snow-capped mountains were breathtaking.

I’ll just let the photos do the talking…

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Oeschinensee

My final destination that I’d pinned on my map was a lake called Oeschinensee.

This place is an instagrammer’s paradise as the lake is turquoise and it is surrounded by mountains and alpine trees.

There was an option to get the cable car up again, but this time I opted to hike up and enjoy the scenery along the way.

It was another glorious day, and after a very sweaty hike up a steep path, I opted to cool down in the lake.

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And so, my adventure in the mountains had come to an end. It was time to start heading back up north towards Calais and getting the Euro Tunnel back to the UK. The UK might not be ready for my return yet, but Europe is kicking me out, so back I must go. Plus, I’m running out of teabags 😱

I still can’t believe the amazing places I’ve been lucky enough to visit on this trip, and how my very rough itinerary turned out to be exactly the route that I would take, entirely winging it the whole way. I set off from home after I finished work on 30th April, and had absolutely no plan after getting the Euro Tunnel at 7am on 1st May. Yet here I am exactly 12 weeks later, having executed it to perfection 👌🏼

I’ve been trying to work out what my favourite part of the trip has been, but can only narrow it down to 3 places (in chronological order):

1. Norway 🇳🇴 – The original reason for the trip, to explore the mountains and fjords on the west coast and the Lofoten islands
2. Poland 🇵🇱 – An unexpected highlight of my trip with my pal, I never knew Poland has such beautiful mountains
3. Switzerland 🇨🇭- Fantastic to return in the summer, to visit Grindelwald and Oeschinensee

It’s been fairly stress-free driving in Europe (apart from my handbrake snapping when I was 2,000m up a mountain), with only the odd change in road signs etc in each new country to contend with.

I can’t explain how amazing it has been to have the complete freedom to roam at my own leisure, with no urgency to be anywhere at any particular time. It’s been so refreshing 😊

My biggest worry before I set off was how I was going to access showers, but it turned out to be pretty straightforward in most places and I had my portable shower as a backup if not! Between the Park4Night and TruckFly apps, I was able to easily find a shower most days, much to the relief of anyone I encountered on my travels.

I’m not sure how on earth I’m supposed to integrate back into society after 3 months in the wilderness, so maybe I’ll just continue the trip round the UK for a while before heading home. Although I am concerned about adjusting to driving on the other side of the road again 😬

And then I suppose I’ll need to find a job 🙄😭

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Travel Stats:

• Days: 84
• Countries: 18 (🇫🇷🇧🇪🇳🇱🇩🇪🇩🇰🇳🇴🇸🇪🇫🇮🇪🇪🇱🇻🇱🇹🇵🇱🇸🇰🇦🇹🇸🇮🇮🇹🇨🇭🇱🇺)
• Distance driven: 9,081 miles (14,614 km)
• Distance hiked: 251 miles (405 km)
• Half marathon PBs: 1 🏅
• New handbrake cables: 1