It’s amazing just how many awards there are in this world.

I never knew there was such a thing as an Alpine Town of the Year, but Brig seems to have won the big prize this year.

Probably the main attraction is the lavish Baroque palace known as Stockalper Castle, the largest private 17th Century building in Switzerland. Again, that seems like a very tightly defined title, but it, and its gardens, is certainly worth a look.

It also shows just how wealthy merchants could be, Kaspar von Stockalper must have made or bob or two in his time.

A relatively new addition to Brig’s list of attractions is the Museum of the Papal Guards. This covers the history of the Swiss Guards, who to this day still patrol the Vatican in Rome.

Brig is one of those “crossroads of Europe” towns. Celts, Romans, Alemannic tribes all came through and settled.

The city itself is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and with the Matterhorn (and of course the ski resorts of Zermatt and Saas Fee) close by, perhaps it wasnt an unusual choice for the title.

Brig Tourismus
CH-3900 Brig
+41 (0)27 921 60 30

www.ferienland-wallis.ch

photo: the phantom skier

Post from: The Switzerland Traveler

The Swiss are justifiably proud of their mountain railways,

Now, you can have the chance to feel what it’s like to drive one of the Rhätische Bahn trains across the beautiful landscapes through the alps.

Tunnels through mountains, spectacular bridges across deep gorges.

And guess what? You can start in St Moritz! Actually there are quite a few trips you can do,

The engineering on the Albula and Bernina lines is truly impressive, especially as it is set against the backdrop of glaciers (so go soon before they melt) and of course, the mountains.

For 850 CHF (which means you have to be pretty keen) you get to sit alongside on your chosen route, and talk to the driver, have all the signals explained etc.

Still, you do also get 20% off any souvenirs you may buy, so that’d be a plus.

To be honest, you’d need to be a complete train nut to go for this, or very rich, but it is an exceptional opportunity.

More info: www.rhb.ch

Post from: The Switzerland Traveler

The lake is surrounded by three countries, Germany, Austria and (you guessed it) Switzerland.

The Swiss part runs from Kreuzlingen (which merges smoothly into Konstanz, apart from the border crossing) along through Romanshorn and almost up to Bregenz in Austria.

The photo above is a sunrise taken from Arbon, which lies on the shore north of

St Gallen.

There’s also a much quieter part of the lake, the Untersee, which runs from Konstanz to Schaffhausen, effectively forming part of the river Rhine as it does so.

Its a relatively quiet lake shore, which is surprising as it is so beautiful. But as it is nearly an hour from Zurich, the Swiss are unlikely to commute and so tends to be used for retirement and relaxation rather than daily work-life balancing.

But if you have time, it’s well worth taking a cycle ride along at least part of the lake. Hint: Lake shores are flat!

Or just drive along, and stop at a lakeside restaurant and order trout and some local white wine…

Photo: litscher

Post from: The Switzerland Traveler

Let’s start with an easily accessible mountain. Not one of the highest mountains in Switzerland by any means, but great for visitors, with trains running up it from both sides.

Rigi is located close to Luzern, and one of the nicest ways to see it is by catching a boat from Luzern to Vitznau and catching the train up.

Or if you’re visiting from Zürich, you could even make it a round trip; catch the train down the other side to Arth Goldau, and either catch the train from there, or take another boat to Zug across Lake Zug (aka Zugersee) and train it from there. This is Switzerland remember, so the timetables are synched nicely.

Rigi is a great place to get a general view of the Alps. It’s separated from most other mountains, which gives you a distinctive view and impression of the size of the peaks.

There are helpful signs at the top which help you point out the Eiger, Jungfrau et al, and if you look the other way, you can see all the way to the Black Forest.

November is a great time to go up a mountain; cold and foggy in the valley, there’s nothing to beat the moment when you emerge into the sun. It’s a bit like flying, except you’re still on the ground and with something other than clouds to look at!

Photos: pasajero and viradeth

Post from: The Switzerland Traveler

High up above the town of Locarno, there is a sanctuary located on a forested cliff; Madonna del Sasso. Sasso means rock, so hopefully I won’t be struck down for translating it as Madonna on the Rocks.

The church was consecrated in the 19th century when a local monk, Brother Bartholomeo, claimed that the Madonna had appeared before him whilst walking in the woods.

You can reach the sanctuary either on foot, if you are feeling energetic, or there is a funicular railway that winds its way through the trees and delivers you at a very pleasant bar with terrace looking down on the church.

There are a number of sculpture groups in rooms surrounding the stairs on the way up to the main church, including one of the Last Supper. Inside the church are two impressive paintings, Flight to Egypt and the Transport of Christ.

And by the main door are a series of plaques pledging thanks to the Madonna for helping people in their daily lives. I’m not what you’d call religious but it certainly makes you think.

From the church, or to be precise, from the funicular, it is possible to catch a cable car higher up the mountain, and even a chair lift should you be determined to go higher to get a birds eye view of Lago Maggiore.

If you choose that option, wear sensible shoes and warm clothing, especially at this time of year. Of course, if you are only passing casually, there’s always the possibility of sitting on the restaurant terrace, sipping something on the rocks and trying to recreate Brother Bartholomeo’s vision…

Post from: The Switzerland Traveler

But then the idea of an extra celebration caught the corporate retail imagination and we all went Kürbis Krazy. Kürbis being the German for Pumpkin, if you hadn’t twigged.

Two brothers have caught onto this trend and turned their beautiful farm, overlooking the Pfäffikersee (that’s a little visited lake near Zürich btw) into a full-blown Pumpkin Experience.

Obviously, there’s the "how big is the biggest pumpkin?" question; and since you are asking, 363kg (800lbs) is this year’s biggest, around 100kg down on last year’s biggest. That’s apparently due to the poor summer we’ve had; but it’s still a lot of soup.

The theme of this year’s exhibition (other than pumpkins, gourds and squashes naturally) is signs of the zodiac. All twelve signs are represented, so as a Piscean, you can imagine how delighted I was to see two fish made antirely of pumpkins.

Why not pop along on one of these beautiful autumn days and amaze yourselves? 

Photo credits: www.juckerfarmart.ch; Julie Collins

Post from: The Switzerland Traveler

The Susten pass was built between 1938 and 1945, linking the cantons of Uri and Bern, running from Wassen to Innertkirchen. Although I guess if you live in Bern, that should probably be the other way around. Which makes me think I’ve never driven it that way, so maybe there’s a trip coming on.

It’s been the subject of some serious roadworks over the past few years, and now has a very good surface, ideal for either cars or bikes.

And if you don’t feel like driving, you can always take the bus. Public transport is renowned for its quality, and the Postbus is a familiar sight in the mountains. Buses run about every two hours, and link up with trains at both ends. Remember, this is Switzerland, so should a delay occur, one will wait for the other.

Probably the most impressive part of the journey is the moment when you come round a corner to discover a glacier coming the other way. Fortunately they don’t move too quickly, so if you do hit it, it’ll be your fault.

The Steingletscher is receding slightly these days but before you blame global warming or climate change, I think I should point out that according to a survey carried out by the most prestigious of Swiss Universities, there is more ice around now than there was 2,000 years ago.

Photo credit: Wikipedia

Post from: The Switzerland Traveler

One of Switzerland’s main attractions is of course, its mountains. And one of the best, if not the best, ways of seeing them is to put on a pair of stout shoes and go for a walk.

A good map is always recommended, but like most things in the country, walking is well organised.

Wherever you go, you’ll find signposts giving you directions and guidelines for how long a walk will take. Not only that, the yellow signs also tell you if it’ll be a simple path or a bit of a scramble.

And should you need to know, the signs also tell you what types of public transport (Cable cars, trains, buses, boats etc) will be available when you get there.

Where a sign has a white and red mark on the pointy bit, it means it’s categorized as a mountain walk, and is likely to be stony and/or a bit steep. In this case those sensible shoes are even more advisable.

The times listed are quite achievable by a reasonably fit adult and it’s quite easy to complete the walk faster if you wish.

One final word, which should be unnecessary, if you are walking in the mountains, be prepared for sudden changes in weather.

Clouds can descend rapidly restricting visibility and with an attendant drop in temperature. If you don’t know what you’re doing, make sure you go with someone who does, or stick to shorter easy walks. Just like I do. Not!

Photo credit www.bigfoto.com

Post from: The Switzerland Traveler