A Magical Weekend in Switzerland

We celebrated one whole year of living abroad by taking a trip to Switzerland! You can read my 'One Year of Living as an Expat' blog post here! Düsseldorf to Zurich is only a 50 minute flight, isn’t it so crazy how you’re able to fly an hour and reach a new country in Europe? Back home that is obvi not the case! Anyway, our weekend getaway was the BEST trip ever. Switzerland is the most beautiful country. I have never seen anything like it.

Something I wanted to touch on real quick, I have never received so many comments and general interest in a country before. There are SO many of you who want to visit Switzerland one day. Rightfully so. I only experienced two cities and quickly fell in love. I am so thankful to be able to visit these wonderful places, and I hope you all feel like you experience a little bit of each place as well. If you take anything away from this specific blog post- let it be that you absolutely have to make it a goal of yours to experience Switzerland. It will change your life.

Keep reading for details on where we stayed and what we did! 

Early morning views of Mount Pilatus before sunrise

Lucerne

Friday we arrived to Zurich and then immediately bought train tickets to Lucerne. Lucerne is the cutest city ever and a 45 minute train ride from the Zurich airport. The city sits on Lake Lucerne and  is surrounded by Mount Pilatus and Mount Rigi. We were planning on doing this tour but the cable cars were underconstruction during our visit. If you're an experienced hiker, I know it is possible to reach the top by foot. Rob and I don't have hiking gear otherwise we may have tried. Keyword: may have. I'd love to go back one day and take a trip up the mountain though.

Where we stayed: Hotel Des Balances // We stayed at Hotel Des Balances and it was magical.👏🏼 We booked a double room with a water view, which I highly recommend. Not only did our room have water and lake views, but also MOUNTAIN views. It was the perfect size balcony with outdoor seating. The views of Lucerne honestly made me emotional. I couldn't believe how beautiful the world really is. It was also my first time seeing mountains in person- so surreal.

Visit Chapel Bridge or Kapellbrücke- This bridge holds so much history in Lucerne. It is one of their most treasured landmarks and a popular tourist attraction. The bridge was built in 1333 and burnt down in 1993 but was later restored. The bridge is built across Lake Lucerne and connects the Old Town and New Town. The water is so clear that when you look over the bridge, you're able to see all the fish! 

The Chapel Bridge that connects the Old Town and New Town

Saturday Morning Market- We woke up early Saturday morning to enjoy the city before it got too busy and enjoyed the cities largest flea market. The flea market is open every Saturday morning from May-October. There are vendors from all over selling homemade items. It was the best experiencing the city when it was so calm. 

Saturday morning flea market in Lucerne

Winterwald Fondue at Pfistern- Pfistern has amazing fondue all times of the year but around Christmas they turn their restaurant into a winter wonderland. There are lit up trees and Christmas decor all over their outdoor area. The weekend we were the beginning of the season. Definitely need reservations here!

Dinner at Restaurant Balances- so normally I would try to eat at a local spot vs. the hotel but when your hotel has an award winning restaurant, you check it out. The food was v fancy. I'm talking small portions and pretty plate design, fancy. They brought us out a complementary starter of deer.. I ordered the salmon with rice and veggies and it was very good BUT had we known it was so lush we probably wouldn't have gone. If you're into lavish dining, definitely check this place out. 

Zürich

Where we stayed: 25 Hours Hotel // we found this hotel on the HotelTonight app. It was in the west side of the city, which was very cool to check out a neighborhood that we may not have explored if we were staying in the city center. It was only a 15 minute train on the Bahnhofstrasse to get to Altstadt. The hotel was very modern and trendy! They had a large pingpong table in the lobby area, the elevators were painted pink, and my wine glass from the bar had a high heel on it. LOL it's the little things, am I right?

Traditional Swiss Dinner at Zum Kropf- For a traditional Swiss dinner, dinner at Zum Kropf is must. Oh my goodness, this dinner. It was located in a beautiful area with cobblestone streets and in-between so many shops. The service, food and atmosphere was on point here. I highly recommend the Geschnetzeltes Kalbfleish Zürcherart, which is veal, mushrooms and potatoes with a white wine gravy sauce. 

Traditional Swiss dinner at Zum Kropf

Dessert and Coffee at Cafe Felix- The cutest cafe ever! They had just put up their Christmas decor and this place was magical. They have the best coffees, hot chocolates and cakes. We stopped here after dinner and seriously sat there for a few hours just chatting and enjoying our nighttime coffee with Bailey's in it. I immediately wanted to put up my Christmas tree after leaving Cafe Felix.

The best coffee at Cafe Felix in Zürich

Lake Zürich- It was pretty cold and rainy during our time in Zürich but we didn't let that stop us from spending time by the lake. We sat and fed some of the swans and ducks and just enjoyed the view. Zürich is so amazing because you have so many different views of the city, water and mountains. Next time I'd like to go on a guided boat tour to see the views from water. It was recommended to do when the weather was clear to get more views!

Until next time,

Tor

Balcony views of Lucerne and Mount Pilatus