A Staycation in Switzerland
Like many other expats, I love the landscape and beautiful scenes Switzerland offers. The great thing is that there’s no need to deal with jet lag, the stress of highways or airport queuing – we can just hop onto a train and enjoy our fun “daycation” getaway, thanks to the convenience of Swiss public transport. It’s so practical!
Like many other expats, I love the landscape and beautiful scenes Switzerland offers. The great thing is that there’s no need to deal with jet lag, the stress of highways or airport queuing – we can just hop onto a train and enjoy our fun “daycation” getaway, thanks to the convenience of Swiss public transport. It’s so practical!
Because I work as a freelance photographer and writer for various magazines, I often need to take short trips in Switzerland for work. I used to do city trips with a buggy when my daughter was little. We went everywhere easy for strollers and babies – Thun, Lucerne, and Arosa are my favorites. When she started to walk independently, we naturally went further and wilder. Gradually, I realized that it wasn’t only to my benefit: my little one liked the trips, too. Her curiosity is the perfect fit for travel, and I have ended up being guided by her, which is amazing. We often went for real hikes, and one day I realized that I had unconsciously trained up a little hiker. Now I had an extra benefit to my trips: natural and un-posed photographs of my little one, and a happy little model.
Here are some spots and routes I highly recommend for your next staycation in Switzerland:
Flumserberg
It’s just right for my little one, with her limited walking time at the moment. It’s a fun alpine hiking spot with fantastic mountain views, with a 2-km loop trail that’s great for little kids and visitors on a budget and short on time. On the path, there’s an interesting interactive installation that always give a little extra motivation to lazy kids. My daughter has had great fun running to explore, as she’s curious about what she will see next.
Rigi
This destination is classic, easy and very close to Zurich. The train takes you all the way to the top, and it runs all year long.
Elm
We love Elm, a beautiful mountainous area in the Glarus region south of Zurich. It has many play stations, including huge musical instruments, a little upside-down house, and a giant trampoline my daughter can jump on for a view, which is obviously her favorite part of the trip.
Stoos
An easy, impressive outing with amazing views of the Swiss Alps. The new funicular itself is very photogenic.
Heidi Path in Pizol
I like the fact that it has several play stations along the trail to help motivate my little one to keep walking. Kids get a little trail passport that they stamp along the way, which is always exciting.
It used to be my hobby to discover which mountain resorts have playgrounds right next to the cable car station, so that my little one run can run around while I relax with a view and take pictures. Even a swing, slide, sandbox, or maybe a trampoline will entertain her very well and makes both of us happy. Allmendhubel above Mürren is definitely one of these playgrounds.
Vevey and vineyard visit
It’s a glorious walk through beautiful scenery, and there are plenty of places to stop for picnics or to pause and take a break. It’s so nice in both spring and autumn. I particularly love the fall colors here, so it can be wonderful to visit before winter really sets in.
On the way back to Zurich, I strongly recommend a stop at Château de Chillon. In the evening, with great sunset color, it’s just fabulous.
Happy staycation!
Author and Photos by Cloudia Chen
Cloudia is a portrait photographer specializing in CV headshots and family and children photography. Before settling in Zurich, she lived in Mainland China, Hong Kong, London and South of France. Her photos and articles have been published in various social media and popular travel magazines in China. She has more than 10 years cross-cultural experience in marketing, event planning and business development in international companies.
She’s also a writer for magazines such as Newly Swissed. To contact, her please visit her website www.cloudiachen.com.
