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 […]
Going underground – Touring Switzerland’s oldest salt mine
There is a reason why the Swiss excel at digging tunnels: they have been doing it for a very long time. In 1680, tunnels were dug into the Vaud Alps near Bex to get at salt buried there more than 200 million years earlier, le Sel des Alpes. According to legend, a young shepherd noticed […]
Vaud’s vineyard touring and wine tasting season is fast approaching
The wine tasting season is approaching in Vaud, the Swiss canton stretching around the shores of Lake Geneva. With its six distinctive wine growing regions and eight appellations, Vaud is Switzerland’s second largest wine producing region. Little known outside of Switzerland, Vaud’s wines, produced from Chasselas, Pinot Noir and Gamay, are so popular with the […]
New exhibition opens at Lausanne’s Olympic Museum – We are Olympians, and You?
The latest exhibition at Lausanne’s Olympic Museum is all about the athletes and their stories. And while their record-breaking exploits might be difficult to relate to, the human stories of passion, heartbreak and solidarity that lie behind them, contain something we can all connect with. For the exhibition, the Museum interviewed 50 athletes on what […]
Paleo festival 2019 line up announced
Today, the Paleo festival in Nyon Switzerland announced the 2019 line up. The list includes The Cure, Lana Del Rey, Twenty Øne Piløts, Christine and the Queens, Patrick Bruel, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Stephan Eicher & Traktorkestar, Angèle, Tash Sultana, Lomepal, Jacob Banks, Xavier Rudd, Shaka Ponk, -M-, Birkin Gainsbourg Le Symphonique, The Blaze and Polo & […]
The Swiss cheese train to Chateau d’Oex – fondue and alpine tradition
It’s called Le Train du Fromage – The Cheese Train – but after this day tour, you’ll remember a lot more than that steaming fondue you had for lunch at an alpine village restaurant. You can board The Cheese Train (just one of several trains) in Montreux by Lake Geneva. The journey lets you experience […]
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 […]
Foxtrail – an adventure game on the streets of Lausanne
As we zoomed down the metro line, the puzzle unfolded with the first clue we were given: watch for the fox’s green paw print on the rail track. Later, during our half-day adventure chasing the “fox”, we had to figure out a series of other clues: a barometer showing a thieving alligator, a particular sewer […]
Lausanne’s Olympic Museum – a great family day out
In 1915, the Olympic headquarters moved from Paris to Lausanne, a peaceful stable place at a time when war was tearing Europe apart. It is still there today, on the shimmering shores of Lake Geneva. Today’s picturesquely set modern International Olympic Committee (IOC) building contains a fascinating Olympic museum, spread over three levels, packed with detailed […]
