How to experience switzerland in five days

Magical. Every site in the Swiss Alps takes your breath away. After visiting my boarding school outside of Basel in Kandern, Germany, my family drove into Switzerland. The first time for my wife and seven-year-old daughter, we decided to spend more time in the country’s natural beauty versus cities. Here’s what we did.

Day One- Basel to Brienz Rothorn

After picking a good friend from EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg, we drove into Basel, a city I frequented attending boarding school nearby. Spending two hours in the city, here’s what we did.

Ate an almond chocolate croissant from Bäckerei KULT, a small bakery with warm pastries.
Drank an iced latte from Das Cafe am Rhy, a popular coffee stand along the Rhine River.
Float down the Rhine River, a popular thing to do in the hot summer. We started at Museum Tinguely and floated down to just passed Pulpo, a bistro. There are little beaches along the river to get in and out of the water.
- You can change into your bathing suit at Museum Tinguely and buy a “wickelfisch,” a waterproof floating sack to keep your things dry.

(For more Basel recommendations, we enjoyed the below activities on past Basel trips.

Eating lunch at tibits, a vegetarian, buffet-style restaurant with two levels of seating.
Grabbing food at Markthalle, a spacious food court with a slide.
Sipping wine at Chez Grisoni, a wine bar with an impressive wine store.
Spending a few hours at aquabasilea, an indoor water park with slides, a wave pool, and spa.)

After Basel, we drove to Brienz Rothorn Bahn, a 132-year-old steam engine train ride up a mountain. Buy tickets online in advance and make sure you have a seat guarantee. Spaces are limited. Also, there’s an inexpensive parking lot across the tracks in case you drive.

The train ride up the mountain is among the most beautiful in the world. (Here’s proof.) Once on top, we checked into Hotel Rothorn Kulm, a small lodge with views from every room. (Book your rooms online in advance.)

That evening, we hiked the nearby trails, among the highest in Europe, and ate dinner watching the sunset.

Day Two- Brienz Rothorn to Interlaken to Grindelwald to Saanen

After waking up early to watch the sunrise from the mountain, we rode the train down, picked up our car from the lot, and drove to Interlaken, a popular town among tourists in between two lakes. After drinking mountain water from public spouts, taking a dip in the cold Aare River, and eating a delicious lunch at Aarburg Cafe, we drove to OUTDOOR – Glacier Canyon Grindelwald, a canyon walk with views and a net walkout over rapids.

Trying to navigate distracted by natural beauty, we ventured to HUUS Gstaad Hotel, an adventure lodge with daily activities, an indoor pool, game room, kids spa, and more.

Day Three- Saanen

After a filling breakfast at HUUS Gstaad Hotel, we borrowed their bikes and rode into Saanen. Here are a few highlights.

Buying a scavenger hunt packet for five Euros at Gstaad Saanenland Tourism Office. It’s built for kids, but a fun way to learn about the region. There’s even a prize for kids at the end.
Eating cheese toast at Rössli, a Swiss restaurant inside a lodge.
Playing at Erlebniswelt Alpenruhe, an outdoor playground, petting zoo, garden, and cafe with mountain views.

Day Four- Saanen

Again, we started the day with breakfast at HUUS Gstaad Hotel and a few games of air hockey in the game room before venturing out. Here are a few highlights.

Canyoning with Alpinzentrum Gstaad, an adventure company that hosts group trips like canyoning (wading through canyon water and cliff jumping).
Eating gluten-free pizza at Cherry’s Bistro, a small restaurant with pizza, salads, and more.
Ordering a fondue kit and backpack from Molkerei Schönried, a cheese shop, and making it at Fondue Caquelon Schlittmoos, one of several public wooden fondue pot huts with mountain views.

Day Five- Saneen to Bern

Checking out of HUUS Gstaad Hotel, we drove into France via an hour in Bern. Eating lunch at tibits Bern Gurtengasse, a vegetarian, buffet-style restaurant in a beautiful space, we wandered through old town, visiting old markets, and seeing the views along the Aare River.