The new airline PowdAir, which plans to base itself at Sion airport in the canton of Valais in Switzerland and start flying in December 2017, recently announced plans to fly an Airbus A 319 instead of the smaller Fokker 100. According to Swiss broadcaster RTS, the new airline plans to use a single aircraft to […]
5 romantic Swiss spring getaway ideas
Buds will soon be on the trees, and our juices will start flowing, so it’s time to plan a romantic getaway with your sweetheart. Here are 5 love-struck suggestions. By Bill Harby Ascona-Locarno, Ticino Canton Nesting: The Art Hotel Riposo in the heart of Old Town Ascona offers intimacy amid fine design with its own […]
First direct flight to Sion, near Verbier, from London Heathrow, arrives
20 Minutes. Back in August last year, the French language newspaper Le Nouvelliste, reported that Swiss would start test flights direct from London Heathrow to Sion in Valais this February after Switzerland’s military stopped using the airport. Over the weekend the first aircraft and its passengers made the first 1:50 minute flight. The aircraft, an Embraer […]
A Swiss experiment begins with ski pass discounts for bad weather
Over the Swiss January school holidays we planned a one day ski trip. Snow conditions were poor so we planned our day around lunch. The plan was to start in Zermatt on the Swiss side of the Alps, then head over to Italy for lunch at a particular restaurant. We arrived in Zermatt at around 10am, bought […]
2016 saw fewer passengers on Switzerland’s highest railway
The train, which takes sightseers to the Jungfraujoch in the Bernese Alpes, carried 916,500 passengers in 2016, significantly fewer than the year before. In 2015, a record 1,007,000 made the journey. Despite the decline, 2016 was still the second best performance recorded. And, at the price of CHF 218.80 for a first class round trip, brought in […]
Easyjet adds six new destinations from Switzerland
Easyjet will add six new destinations from Geneva, Basel and Zurich starting next summer. Geneva There will be new flights from Geneva to Tivat in Montenegro from 1 July 2017, running weekly until 2 September. Basel From Basel, two flights per week to Biarritz, in France, and to Dubrovnik, in Croatia, will be added and run from 28 […]
West zest – Zürich’s hippest quarter
By Bill Harby Aficionados of über urban culture, get thee to Zürich – specifically, the trendy neighbourhood locals call “Züri West”. You can get started at Im Viadukt, where the neighbourhood’s past and present meld. A railway viaduct hand-built in 1894 to transport coal for the area’s 19th-century factories, today the 36 archways are home […]
Frankenstein’s monster spotted in Geneva at his first murder site
By Bill Harby Beware: Dr. Frankenstein’s creature still lurks in Geneva. In 2014 he returned to the scene of his first murder in the Plainpalais quarter, and there he still stands near the skatepark, a fearsome hulk, an expression on his face halfway between horror and grief, oblivious to the shocked stares of passersby surprised […]
Exploring Geneva in one day
Explore Geneva in one day? No way, right? Well yes. Here’s an itinerary. By Bill Harby Get up early and start your day at Cornavin, the main train station. Pick up delicious fresh pastries and coffee from one of the patisseries there. Stroll to the Pont du Mont-Blanc and cross where the lake feeds into the […]
Swiss trains the most expensive in Europe
A study by GoEuro, compares the cost of travelling 100km by train. Switzerland led the ranking with the most costly train trips in Europe. Travelling 100km in Switzerland cost CHF 52. The study is based on the prices of 300 million domestic train journeys across Europe between April 2015 and April 2016. The price differences are significant. […]
