Best way to visit the most picturesque place on earth.

Do you want to visit the most picture perfect places on earth? Read on.

S W I T Z E R L A N D, y’all. My #1 bucket-list dream experience: Walk a St. Bernard in Switzerland amongst the Swiss Alps. So, I Googled. It was actually a thing in Champex, Switzerland. Oh, and NO hiking experience necessary. It is a calm, safe walk around Lac De Champex with scenery you can only dream about. I wish my iPhone had done it justice…

Even if you aren’t obsessed with the gentle giants like I am, I still say GO NOW. Do it. You won’t be disappointed. The town of Champex (Sham-pay. Please don’t go and say “Sham-pex” as I did) is magically charming and worth the winding road you take up. (There is more information here on their bus and train system to get you up to the 4,810′ mountain pass.) Full disclosure: We didn’t want to mess with that, so we hired a driver through Taxi Michel & had the most lovely experience that was worth the price!

While waiting for the excursion to start, we discovered Le Cabanon, an excellent café with views of Lac De Champex (Lake Champex). Le Cabanon is a small, quaint, delicious, and has friendly staff. We ordered a local beer and some fondue. If you’re more into hot chocolate or coffee, this place should still be your go-to! I was so thankful we had an hour to waste as it landed us in the best two seats in Champex!

While you’re in the area, be sure to take the quick (appx. 2.5 hours) trip over to Lake Brienz in the canton of Berne, Switzerland. There, you will find views that re-define “insta worthy.”

Simply put, here’s how you should make the quick trip to Lake Brienz:

• Spend two nights in Interlaken, Switzerland (I recommend Hotel Interlaken)
• Take the bus (a free pass provided by the hotel) down to the village of Iseltwald
• Stop by the local grocery store to get picnic-style snacks
• Sit on the dock (you can’t miss it) and snap your insta worthy photos
• Enjoy the fresh air, gorgeous views, and overwhelming peacefulness
• …Read on for my unique Interlaken food recommendations!

So, food is my thing. I couldn’t finish this blog without mentioning some must-eats we came across in Interlaken.

Dessert. Yes, I am starting with dessert. Live a little! The sugary magic happened at Hotel Interlaken with their meringue, homemade sorbet, & a berry compote dessert. They say you have to have a meringue dessert when in Switzerland. As soon as I find out who “they” is, I’m giving them an enormous hug around the neck! (Side note: After doing some research, I hear Restaurant Schuh is the place to go for desserts, so try it out and let me know.)

Breakfast. I may sound biased at this point, but we found Hotel Interlaken to have breakfast we couldn’t pass up! Even though it was buffet-style (not my fav, typically), it was spot on. From the delightful meats & cheeses to croissants, to the butter machine (yes, you heard me), beans, oatmeal, eggs, an easy-to-use self-serve cappuccino machine (YUM!)…you really can’t go wrong.

Lunch. If you think I’m going to say fondue or raclette, you’re wrong. Indian Food. Taj Palace was incredible! Let me just go ahead and tell you what to order. Start with a Kingfisher beer, chicken wings, and samosas. Then, order their Thali (either veg or non-veg). You’re welcome.

Coffee. When you’re tired from walking around and ready for a break, go to the quiet coffee shop of Michael Beck AG. It’s a little walk away from the main drag of Interlaken, but so worth the extra steps. Plus, once you see what they have to offer, you’ll be glad to walk off a few calories.

Dinner. Nope. I am still not going to recommend Swiss cuisine. You already had some in Champex. Now, for dinner, I’m steering you towards Thai food at Little Thai. Take my word on this and order a Kama Citra IPA, Giow Thod (fried wontons), Tom Yum Gung soup, and shrimp Pad Thai. Then, click on my “contact” page and thank me.

Other great things in Interlaken don’t involve a full belly. However, most of my trips are centered around food. It’s expected. Growing up, my family was in the restaurant business. We love to eat and talk about food, but I digress.  A lot of Interlaken is accessible right off of Höheweg street in which we walked up and down a lot, visiting the little casino, local shops, and perused the festive Christmas market.

Thanks for reading my blog post!  If it doesn’t make you buy a ticket to Switzerland right now, I hope it at least put the thought in your head! Until next time, er, Aufwiedersehen…

 

I don’t get paid for any of the aforementioned hot spots, excurions, hotels, restaurants, or anything, really. Ha. These are all my guinine, fav highlights of our personal trip!