By Bill Harby Winter weather is the perfect time for families to explore Switzerland’s fine museums. Some suggestions: Swiss Museum of Transport Lucern No wonder this is the most-visited museum in Switzerland with its hands-on exhibits showing the history and future of Swiss transport on railways, highways, waterways and skyways. Don’t tell your kids about […]
20 ice skating rinks around Lake Geneva. Get your skates on!
Ice skating season is here so get your skates on! There are ice-skating rinks all over Geneva, Vaud and neighbouring Fribourg. Entrance prices vary and all rinks have skates that you can hire. The links below will take you to the relevant websites for prices, locations and opening and closing times. The ice skating season […]
10 Swiss Christmas markets to get you in a festive mood
While Christmas may be considered an over-commercialised affair, the Swiss hold true to their roots. Traditional Swiss Christmas typically lasts from the beginning of Advent (Sunday 1 December 2019) to the end of Epiphany (6 January 2020). While each Swiss home may give the tradition a slight twist, some customs have remained intact: the excitement, […]
THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS – English language musical theatre in Nyon
In the run up of the Christmas season this year, instead of their traditional Pantomime, GAOS offers THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS, by Alan Bennett, adapted from Kenneth Grahamme’s book. Renew your acquaintance with Mole, Rat, Toad and Badger in this modern-day production. A Christmas treat for all! The animals’ adventures take them from the […]
Places to go for early season skiing in Switzerland
Mention skiing in November and it is likely to draw blank expressions, or comments like: “It’s too early, there will be no snow”. While this is true for some resorts not all ski domains were created equal. A recent study shows that in 2015, snow came to the Swiss Alps 12 days later and melted […]
Thanksgiving 2019: where to go in Switzerland
Every year on the fourth Thursday of November – the 28th this year, Americans come together with family and friends to reflect, be thankful and consider those in need, while sharing a traditional, usually sizable, meal. The traditional thanksgiving feast is not for committed vegans. The turkey is the centerpiece of the Thanksgiving table, but […]
Five gorgeous Swiss parks for contemplating autumn splendor
By Bill Harby Whether you prefer thickets of grand old trees, a formal English garden, or a pocket park, these five urban green spaces offer colourful ways to rustle through autumn leaves. Geneva: Park La Grange One minute you’re in bustling Geneva with buses and trams and people everywhere, then, a few steps later, you’re […]
CERN tours – go on, expand your universe – 2019 open days
CERN Open Days 2019 On 14 and 15 September 2019, CERN will open its doors to the public for two special days for a glimpse at the heart of one of the world’s largest particle-physics laboratories. The Open Days give visitors the chance to discover the facilities, both underground and on the surface. With free […]
Chaplin’s World – enter the home and life of a comic genius
Film legend Charlie Chaplin spent 24 years living in the Manoir de Ban, a grand old mansion above Vevey in Switzerland. In 2016, his charming former home and grounds were cleverly and artfully transformed into Chaplin’s World and opened to the public. Wandering through the rooms of the mansion it is easy to imagine you’ve been […]
Taking a trip back in time on a Swiss steam train
Trains run Saturdays and Sundays from 4 May until 27 October 2019. On 21 May 1966, the local rail company closed the line between the two small towns of Blonay and Chamby, in Switzerland’s Riviera region, on the eastern reaches of Lake Geneva. Too few were catching the trains on this stretch of track, that had opened in […]
