Rod's Switzerland: 2026

LUCERNE

ACTIVITIES

Near Lucerne is the famous Schwyz-Stoos railway with the rotating cars (see my page). Take the IC to Arth-Gildau then the S2 to Schwyz.

Check the famous 153m high Hammetschwand Lift near the city.

FOOD

There are very unusual eating locations near Lucerne. There is a 3-course meal served aboard a cable car going from Weggis to Rigi Kaltbad. But this is only available as a group booking. The Rigi Tavolata takes place on the edge of a cliff overlooking Lake Lucerne and is held only once a year in August. Tickets are sold by lottery and auction in January.

I had a nice venison meal at Wirsthaus Taube, Burgerstrasse 3, Lucerne. They have 4 or 5 venison dishes. The only issue is that they serve the red wines too warm — actual room temperature.

Try the Old Swiss House for the best true veal schnitzel, their most popular dish. Located at Löwenplatz 4, Lucerne. Tues-Sat 11:30-14:30 & 18:00-23:30. See the menu here.

BASEL

I stayed at Grand Hotel Euler which is about a 1 minute walk from the main train station. Rooms are quite nice and the restaurant, Casper’s, is just okay — the green salad was just okay; the veal with mushrooms sauce and rosti was quite good. The breakfast Buffett is okay.

For a good laundromat use Waschsalon EcoWash Laundry Self-Service, Hauptstasse 4. Take the #2 tram (Binningen Schloss end) from the main train station (Bahnhof SBB) to the Zoo Dorenbach stop. Walk about 2 minutes to the large building with the Lidl sign on it. The laundromat entrance is inside the building. Pay by cash, coin or credit card. Wash is CHF14; dry is CHF3 per 12 minutes. Open 07:30-20:40.

FOOD

Possible itinerary for a Switzerland-only trip to include rail trips and hiking. Buy a Swiss Travel Pass Flex or Swiss Half Fare Card from the official SBB website. And here is a thorough explanation of the Flex. The SBB website has a map showing all the lines on which the discount passes apply.

Long term luggage storage is provided by Bounce in Bern, Geneva, Interlaken, Lausanne and Zurich. Cost is from CHF3.50 to 6.95 per day, also see my Storage page.

Buy and bring back a bottle of Berentzen Apfelkorn (available in most liquor stores) and also a bottle of Mathilde Framboise, if any is still available (no longer listed on Ferrand's website).

Try the Gourmino dining on board the Rhätische Bahn from Chur to St. Moritz. This is part of the Bernina Express line. Meals are also served on the Glacier Express.

CIDER

MoMö Cider Museum in Arbon
La Genevoise du Terroir, Marché de Carouge, Place du Marché 1227, Carouge. Take tram #18 (10 min).
Cave et Domaine les Perrières, Route de Peissy 54, Peissy. Take RL 5 then bus 72 (30min)
Domaine des Molards, Route des Molards 21, Russin. Take RL5 to Russin (20 min)
Les Vergers de Féchy. Take RE33 to Féchy as a stop on the way to Lausanne.

Tom Beers in Geneva is great bar with many ciders. I tried one on tap and they sell many but only in 700-750ml bottles. Also try Drinks of the World retail shop.

Geneva

I stayed at Hotel Le Square located about a 5 minute walk from the central train station. Don’t buy a day pass for public transport - your hotel will give you a complimentary one that is good for the extent of your stay. Buy only a single trip ticket if you initially need one to get to your hotel.

Montreux

I stayed at the beautiful old Golf Hotel René Capt, 35 Rue de Bon-Port. Take the 201 bus from the train station to the Bon-Port stop. Enjoying a drink or meal while sitting on the spacious patio with a view of the mountains is not to be missed. (The snow-capped mountains in the distance are Les Coronettes de Bais, elevation 7,980ft.)

Day trip from Montreux to Martigny to visit Apothibières bar for cider. Did not do that - next time.

I took the Golden Pass Line from Montreux to Interlaken.

Interlaken

(Gelmerbahn Railway, the Brienzer Rothorn Ridge Trail hike)

Go to Lucerne:
Schwyz to Stoos railway is a must do! Take train from Lucerne - 45 minutes.
The "Dragon Ride" cable car or cog railway to Mount Pilatus.
Also check out interesting restaurants on my Lucerne page.

Lucerne > Zürich

See the "Things to see and do in Zürich" and "Food and Drink in Zurich" pages.

Zurich > Appenzell

Appenzell: Try hikes in the Appenzell area especially Mount Schäfler (from Wasserauen station).

Possibly go to Liechtenstein to visit the National Museum and tour some of the small villages - see "Little Europe: Liechtenstein" in the video section. Might be good place to find a Liechtenstein franc. Try elements trading in Vaduz.

Stanserhorn Cable Car (near Lucerne)

While in Interlaken I tried hang gliding with Bumblebee Hang Gliding Interlaken. Cost is CHF260.00. CHF40 for the pictures and videos that they shoot of the adventure.

Home of some of the world's great hiking locations - check out my Swiss walks, Switzerland's 8 Best Day Hikes and More European Hikes on my Fell Walking page. Try hikes in the Appenzell area especially Mount Schäfler. The best ones are in the areas of Zermatt, Interlaken and Appenzell. On hiking in the Bernese Oberland and the area around St. Moritz see the article The 15 most beautiful hikes in Switzerland.

Sites not to be missed (according to a FB video):