Last weekend, government staff from numerous EU countries were running around trying to find the meat of potentially sick animals illegally slaughtered in Poland and sold across the EU, according to the newspaper 20 Minutes. While the hunt to identify the meat and pull it from shop shelves was underway, authorities in Poland confirmed that […]
The best way to save forests, according to a forester
Last summer, two mates and I set out on what turned out to be a “bridge-too-far” walking project. Switzerland is blessed with more than 60,000 km of walking trails crowned by seven iconic National Routes. The National Route 5 (which extends as the GR5 into France’s renowned “Grande Randonnée” hiking network), but is also known the […]
The Swiss town on the 2019 New York Times’ places-to-visit list
Every year the New York Times assembles a list of 52 recommended places to visit. This year it lists Vevey at number 49. 2019 is a big year for Vevey. It is the year of the Unesco-recognized Fête des Vignerons, an event held every 20 to 25 years. This spectacular wine festival, which began in […]
Chateau d’Oex balloon festival gets set for take off
The 2019 Château-d’Oex International Hot Air Balloon Festival is close to launch. The festival, which brings together 60 pilots and balloons from 15 different countries, takes advantage of the exceptional ballooning conditions in this corner of the Alps at this time of the year. It kicks off on Saturday 26 January 2019. Created in 1979, […]
Swiss offers fondue on flights from Geneva
On 1 December 2018, Switzerland’s flag carrier started offering cheese fondue on flights out of Geneva. The dish is a new addition to the airline’s Swiss Saveurs menu, which was launched six months earlier. The pre-heated, specially packaged fondue, which is 50% Vacherin Fribourg and 50% Gruyère cheese, is available on Swiss flights from Geneva […]
Swiss ski season starts early
Recent heavy snow has allowed several Swiss winter resorts to open early. Some high-altitude resorts have received as much as two metres of snow. Some of the resorts that have opened are only running lifts at the weekends. Last weekend, Verbier opened the area of the resort known as Lac des Vaux. Snow up to […]
Swiss Rail plans to test free WiFi on trains
Swiss Rail announced on Thursday that it would test free WiFi, named FreeSurf, on certain routes next year with a plan to extend the offer to all major routes from 2020, according to RTS. Train passengers benefiting from the tests in 2019 will be those travelling on InterCity trains between Lausanne and St. Gallen, Geneva […]
Switzerland gets its first capsule hotel
Normally associated with overworked sometimes inebriated Japanese salary men, capsule hotels squeeze a lot of humanity into a small space. From the 5 November 2018, residents of Switzerland will no longer need to travel to Tokyo to experience a night in a 3 cubic metre space. Instead they will be able to travel to Luzern, […]
Lake Geneva’s beautiful paddlewheel boats – getting there is way more than half the fun
They say that “getting there is half the fun”. But sometimes it’s more. A lot more. For example: a Lake Geneva cruise on a grand historic paddlewheel steamboat. Destination? Who cares? On a recent gorgeous Sunday afternoon, I, your intrepid reporter, along with my intrepid stepson and two intrepid nephews, provisioned with our intrepid bottles […]
Switzerland’s most beautiful village contest
To the Swiss, it can seem like every time they turn around they’re being asked to vote on something. But this vote is more fun than choosing a city council candidate. The online polls are open for the annual Most Beautiful Swiss Village contest, with 12 to choose from, each one shamelessly enchanting, as you’ll […]
