St. Gallen: the city of history, opera and embroidery

Nestled in a valley between Lake Constance and the Appenzell Alps, the buzzing university city of St. Gallen is a great destination for culture and history buffs. 

St. Gallen was founded in the early 7^th century when the Irish missionary monk Gallus who set up a hermitage here. For many centuries the city played an important role as an educational and cultural centre in Europe. From the 18^th century, St. Gallen also became famous for its elaborate embroidery with the industry still going strong and supplying embellished fabrics to some of the biggest fashion houses in Europe.

St. Gallen

The Old Town is a maze of charming narrow streets and beautiful squares. Here you can admire a typical feature of St. Gallen’s architecture, oriel windows that adorn the old houses built by rich resident some centuries ago. 

The city’s most famous landmark is the Baroque Cathedral of St. Gall, which is part of an old abbey complex declared a UNESCO world heritage site in 1983. Step inside the church to admire the vibrant décor with elaborate stucco, intricate carvings and an impressive organ. The Abbey Library houses one of the world’s richest medieval libraries with almost 170,000 documents some of which are over 1000 years old. The library’s Baroque hall is an overwhelmingly beautiful example of whimsical rococo style, the most spectacular in Switzerland.

St. Gall Cathedral

Near the abbey, you will find the Mühleggbahn, a self-service funicular that will bring you up the hill for stunning vistas over St. Gallen and Lake Constance. In summer months, you can enjoy a swim in the splendid art-nouveau Dreilinden-Weiher open-air pool while admiring views over the city.

Every summer the city hosts St.Gallen Festival, an open-air classical music bonanza when the Abbey courtyard is transformed into an opera setting. Another great event that is worth a visit is St.Galler Genusstag (Indulgence Day) held in September. At this large food market you can indeed indulge and gorge on some of the best produce from the area such as cheese, cured meats, jams and many other delicacies.

Photos via Flickr by: Stephan Ohlsen, JJ Hall.

The best festivals to visit in Switzerland

Switzerland has it all: excellent hiking trails, world-class ski slopes, great spas, upmarket shopping. The list can go on. In case you need another excuse to visit the country, here are the best festivals in Switzerland that attract visitors from across the globe.

International Balloon Festival

International Balloon Festival, Château-d'Oex

Château-d'Oex is not only famous for its excellent ski slopes. Its unique microclimate makes it the perfect place for … the International Balloon Festival. Colourful hot air balloons fill the sky above the picturesque Swiss resort every years in January. Teams from over twenty countries compete with pilots demonstrating their skill and precision in navigating the balloons. Spectators can also take a flight above the beautiful Pays-d'Enhaut valley. 

World Snow Festival, Grindelwald

Every January, for six days, the charming village of Grindelwald turns into a winter wonderland with masterpieces created from snow. Teams of international artists chisel enormous blocks of snow into animals, mythical creatures, abstract forms. Anyone can vote for their favourite team in the Public Choice category. During the World Snow Festival Grindelwald fills with buzz and excitement. If it gets too chilly outside you can pop in to any bar or restaurant for a glass of hot wine or hearty fondue.

Montreux Jazz Festival

Montreux Jazz Festival

The biggest jazz festival in Europe has been running in July on the shores of Lake Geneva since 1967. Some of the biggest international names in music participate in the festival that attracts almost 200,000 spectators. Over the years, it has become a multicultural music with all genres played at venues across the city, from hip-hop to acid jazz, techno to indigenous African bands. 

Yodel Fest, Brig-Glis 

The largest folklore event in Switzerland, the Federal Yodel Fest (Eidgenössisches Jodelfest) is close to the Swiss heart. Every three years (the next festival takes place in June 2017) yodel groups from across the country gather in the pretty town of Brig-Glis to show off their yodeling skills dressed in colourful folk costumes. Yodeling, a special vocal technique with rapid pitch changes, has been part of the local culture in the Swiss Alps for many centuries and is widely popular in rural areas. If you want to see Switzerland beyond its glossy touristy side, this is a great event to learn about the country’s rural traditions.

Photos via Flickr by: Ricardo Hurtubia, Katia Herrera.

Exploring the Swiss Wine Route

Just 30 minutes from Geneva, high above the lake sprawl 800 hectares of the historic terraced Lavaux vineyards (Terrasses de Lavaux). In the area between Vevey and Lausanne you can taste excellent wines and sample hearty local dishes while hiking or riding a train between picturesque winegrowing towns on the Lavaux Vineyard Trail. 

Lavaux Vineyards

Lavaux has been known for its winemaking traditions since Roman times. However, the steep terraces with vineyards as we see them today were built by local monks in the 11-12th centuries. If you fancy a comfortable ride from one wine cellar to another, you can hop on the Train des Vignes, Lavaux Panoramic or Lavaux Express that run through the Lavaux vineyards. Hope off at one of the stops to taste wines, eat in charming family-run mini-restaurants called pintes and take short walks among the vines. Another leisurely way of exploring Lavaux is by a boat that stops in the towns of Rivaz and Cully on the shore.

If you are feeling up to it, you can hike along the Lavaux Vineyard Trail, wondering from one village to another. For a full day of hiking, take the Discovering the Terraces of Lavaux route (Grand Traversée de Lavaux) which runs from Ouchy to Chateau de Chillon Castle between Montreux and Villeneuve. In September, when grape harvesting starts, you will see many other fellow hikers along the trail and locals in the vineyards. 

St. Saphorin

There are many shorter scenic walks, such as from St. Saphorin to Chexbres or Cully to Riex. The views of the Lake Geneva, the Alps and the endless terraced vineyards are breathtakingly beautiful here. Each village has several wine cellars open for tastings, restaurants and bars. In the medieval St. Saphorin you can admire characteristic winegrowers' houses from the 16th-19th centuries and an excellent Michelin star restaurant Auberge de l'Onde serving local delicacies. The delightful village of Chexbres is often called the balcony of Lake Geneva for its magnificent views of the area. Cully has a picturesque old town centre with many historic buildings. 

The wine route is suitable for all levels of fitness but if you get tired of walking you can always hop on the train or boat to head back as all villages and towns are very well connected.

Photos via Flickr by: Laurent Bernier, Patrick Nouhailler.

What to do in the Pays-d’Enhaut region, Switzerland

The tranquil Pays-d’Enhaut Mountain Region is nestled between Lausanne and Interlaken, in the pre-Alps of the Canton Vaud. It is a beautiful place to visit on private tours of Switzerland as there are many things to see and do.

Rougemont

Enjoy the outdoors

All year round, outdoors enthusiasts can enjoy many activities in the Pays-d’Enhaut Region. In summer, there are more than 300 kilometers of hiking and mountain bike trails to explore. In winter, you can go skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing or sledging.  

Explore the Alpine villages

The traditional Alpine villages in the Pays-d’Enhaut offer a fascinating journey into the history of this stunning corner of Switzerland. In Rougemont, Rossinière and L’Étivaz you can see historic churches, old timber houses and chalets, and many historic monuments. Local artisans pass their skills from one generation to generation and visiting their wood carving, patchwork, lace making and pottery  workshops is like stepping back in time.

The Hot Air Balloons Festival

Ride a hot air balloon

Château-d’Oex is the world’s capital of hot air ballooning. The stunning views over the Alps, from Mont-Blanc to the Eiger, the Matterhorn, the Jura and Lake Geneva will take your breath away. Here you can also visit a hot air balloon museum, Espace Ballon, to discover how they are operated and learn how the first around the world hot air balloon flight was launched from Château-d’Oex in 1999. 

Every year, the town hosts the International Hot Air Balloons Festival that attracts visitors from across the globe.

Étivaz Cheese

Sample local Alpine cheese

Do not miss a chance to taste the famous Étivaz mountain cheese that has been made in the area since the 12^th century. In the charming village of L’Étivaz you can visit the maturing cellars and learn how the cheese is produced from the fragrant milk of the indigenous Simmental cows, one of the world’s oldest breeds of cattle. The best way to enjoy the Alpine flavours of Étivaz is in a local bar with a glass of crisp Swiss wine admiring the snow-capped peaks around the village.

Photos by: Roland Zumbühl/Wikimedia Commons, Festival International de Ballons à Château-d'Oex/Facebook, Joselu Blanco/Flickr.

Blooming beautiful: flower events in Switzerland

If you think Switzerland is all about snow-capped peaks and ski resorts think again. On private tours of Switzerland in spring and early summer you can also see some spectacular bloom displays that will take your breath away.

The Tulip Festival in Morges

The Tulip Festival, Morges

From mid-April for six weeks more than 120,000 tulips of 300 varieties burst in bloom in Parc de l'Indépendance in Morges, on the shore of Lake Geneva. This much anticipated free event attracts thousands of locals and tourists alike who come to the town to admire the riot of spring colours that the festival is. The event has been organized by the Lake Geneva Horticultural Society since 1971 with horticulture apprentices tending to the tulip bulbs in the park. Morges itself is a very pleasant town with several historic sites such as prehistoric pile dwellings, a castle, old inns and Bronze Age settlements.

Jardin des Iris

The Iris Garden at Vullierens Castle, Vullierens

In the Iris Garden (Jardin des Iris) 50,000 irises of over 500 varieties bloom for four weeks from mid-May at the private Vullierens Castle. American-born Doreen Bovet, the owner of the castle, started the irises collection in 1950 opening her garden to the public in 1955. Set against dramatic views of the Alps, you can admire irises in all imaginable shades and colours: honey, purple, orange, mahogany with many new varieties added every year. At the castle, you can also taste the excellent wines produced on its grounds and see a large collection of sculptures. After the irises finish blooming, the garden fills up with fragrant lilies until the end of August.

Alpine Flowers

Alpine Garden, Schatzalp

From June to September the two-hectare Alpine Garden (Alpinum Schatzalp) becomes a colourful display of blooming high-altitude flowers from the Pyrenees, New Zealand, China, Nepal and Tibet. The garden, which is part of the historic Hotel Schatzalp, is surrounded by dense forests, alpine pastures and is a pleasure to walk in listening to the sound of birds and running mountain brook at a distance.

Photos by: Maarten Danial, Jardin des Iris/Facebook, Peter Stevens.

Sechseläuten, springtime festival in Zurich

In mid-April, as the weather get warmer and trees burst in blooms, a springtime festival, Sechseläuten, is celebrated in Zurich. It is a beautiful event that attracts tens of thousands spectators and can be visited on private tours of Switzerland.

Sechseläuten in Zurich

The festival’s tradition goes back to the 16th century, when the City Council decided that in summer work should stop an hour later than in the winter. The second largest bell rang out at 6.00pm to introduce the new working hours and the beginning of spring for Zurich’s residents. The festival’s name, Sechseläuten, literally means “the six o’clock ringing of the bells”.

In the 19^th century the bell ringing was combined with another great tradition that existed in the city, - burning of a snowman-like figure called Böögg to chase winter away. 

The festival opens on Sunday afternoon with up to 3,000 children marching through the city dressed in historic costumes.

Parade of the Guilds

On Monday afternoon, the Parade of the Guilds takes place with 3,500 members of the various city’s guilds walking through the streets accompanied by 350 horsemen, 50 horse-drawn parade floats and 30 music bands. Until the end of the 18th century, the guilds, associations of craftsmen, played an important role in governing the city, however, nowadays, they mainly carry out social functions.

Burning of the Böögg

The climax of the festival is the burning of the Böögg at 6pm on Sechseläutenplatz, on the shore of Lake Zurich. The snowman figure is 3.40m high and is placed on the top of a 10m tall bonfire. The popular believe is that the faster the fire reaches the snowman figure and his head explodes, the hotter the summer will be. If it takes 10-15 minutes for the Böögg to explode, summer will be rainy and cold. Horse riders gallop around the burning snowman, music plays and everyone cheers waiting for the explosion to greet arrival of the spring. 

The festival continues with a street feast of grilled sausages and other local delicacies. 

Photo via Flickr by: Conrado Plano, Adnan Yahya, Denis De Mesmaeker

Saas Fee, the Pearl of the Swiss Alps

At the foot of the Dom, the highest mountain in Switzerland that rises 4545m above sea level, lies a glacier village of Saas Fee. It is often called the Pearl of the Swiss Alps for the stunning views of the thirteen high peaks that surround the village.
This gorgeous little town is the perfect destination for unforgettable Private Tours of Switzerland!

Saas Fee

Good reliable snow at an altitude between 2500m and 3500m makes Saas Fee a popular winter sports resort. With its 22 lifts, 62 miles of ski pistes, 12 miles of winter walking trails, many toboggan runs and a long cross-country ski trail keep the visitors busy. 

Saas Fee is also a busy destination in summer as outdoors enthusiasts love the 200 miles of walking trails and the “adventure forest” with various obstacle courses, rope bridges, the «Feeblitz» summer toboggan run and a network of mountain-bike tracks.

Friendly Marmots

Adrenalin junkies enjoy crossing the Alpin gorge between Saas-Fee and Saas-Grund, swinging on ropes and squeezing past steep rock walls accompanied by a mountain guide. Nature lovers can observe wild live and befriend a few marmots who love getting treats from humans.

One of the most stunning attractions is the Ice Pavilion, a 200-feet long tunnel inside an ancient glacier that is located at the Mittelallalin stop of the subterranean Alpine train (Metro Alpin). Saas Fee is also home to the world's highest revolving restaurant called “Threes!xty”, which sits at an altitude of 3500 metres allowing breathtaking panoramic views of the Swiss Alps.

Saas Fee form above

The traditional village of Saas Fee is car-free and has charming narrow streets with old wooden chalets. There are many excellent restaurants for all budgets. The Michelin-starred Fletschhorn restaurant serves such local delicacies as reindeer, white asparagus and an impressive range of Swiss cheeses. The cosy Vieux Chalet is famous for hearty fondue, raclette and röstis. The village’s several bars and clubs offer great entertainments, live music, wine and beer. 

Photos via Flickr by: Vismar Ravagnani, Andy Harbach, Martha de Jong-Lantink.