Switzerland: The First Stop to Our Epic European Adventure

This past summer, we spent 26 days travelling through western and southern Europe, and it turned out to be our most epic adventure yet. First stop: Switzerland.

Switzerland looked like a real‑life postcard—massive mountains, turquoise lakes, and quiet valleys sprinkled with castles and waterfalls. It was almost too perfect.

Day 1

The adventure started with a chill TGV Lyria train ride from Paris to Basel. We’ve taken European trains before, but this one was especially lovely. For three hours, we just sat back and watched the French countryside roll by in soft green waves.

Next, we picked up our SIXT rental and set off for Bern, the capital of Switzerland and our home base for the next three days. The drive to Bern wasn’t long—about an hour and a half—but it felt like a journey. The good kind. The kind where the scenery turns into little memories you want to hold onto.

Within minutes of leaving Basel, the landscape softened. The city faded, and suddenly we were driving through greens so vivid they didn’t look real—rolling hills, open meadows, towering mountains, and gentle valleys unfolding one after another.

One of the joys of this drive was how often we passed small towns that looked like they belonged in a watercolour painting or children’s storybook. I honestly lost count how many charming towns we passed, each with a mix of neat clusters of houses, wooden chalets with flower-filled balconies, and tall, skinny churches steeples.

And then, right when we thought it couldn’t get any more picture perfect, waterfalls suddenly appeared. Not a famous one. Not a “pull over here” viewpoint. Just a random ribbon of water casually spilling down a mountain.

Of course, no Swiss road trip is complete without cows and sheep grazing without a care. Sometimes they were way out in the fields, other times they were so close to the road we heard their cowbells through the windows. Somewhere along that drive, I fell totally in love.

We spent two nights at the ibis Bern Expo, and their family room turned out to be perfect for our crew of four. The setup was simple but practical, comfy, and surprisingly spacious. And, we can’t forget the most peculiar part of the stay: the weirdest hairdryer we’ve ever encountered, which gave us all a good laugh.

After we checked in, we each received a Bern Ticket, which gave us free rides on all streetcar and bus journeys (in zones 100/101) for our entire stay. It was perfect for exploring so we left the rental car parked at the hotel and hopped on a tram straight into Bern's Old City.

Bern’s Old City is the well-preserved medieval heart of Switzerland's capital. Old City has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1983 and has been preserved well from the cobblestone lanes to arcaded walkways, gorgeous sandstone buildings to quirky Renaissance fountains, and the famous Zytglogge clock tower. It is cozy, charming, and super walkable, with plenty of cafés tucked under the arcades where you can sip a coffee and watch the world drift by. It is the kind of place that makes you slow down, breathe a little deeper, and think, yeah… I could stay here awhile.

Day 2

We woke early for another scenic drive through the Swiss countryside, this time to the Bernese Oberland region to ride the Gelmerbahn, the steepest open funicular railway in Europe with a dramatic 106% gradient.

Don’t pay attention to the countless videos on social media, the real experience was slow and gentle. It took about 12 minutes for the funicular to carry us backward up the mountainside to Gelmersee. The whole ride felt weirdly calming and exhilarating at the same time. At its steepest points, the track tilted so much that it felt as though we were almost standing upright against the mountain.

Don’t make the same mistake we did by heading out super early unless you are prepared with proper layers. Early morning fog in Switzerland during the summer is apparently common, especially in low-lying areas, valleys, and around lakes. As a result, the temperature on the mountain tops was much cooler than we expected. Being Canadians, we figured t‑shirts and shorts would be fine in August… but we were wrong.

Our next stop was Aareschlucht, also known as the Aare Gorge, a stunning, narrow canyon carved by the Aare River near the town of Meiringen. The Aare Gorge formed over tens of thousands of years by the Aare Glacier meltwater eroding a path, up to 50 meters high, through the region’s limestone ridge. In some places, the gorge is only one to two metres wide. Today, visitors can walk its length on wooden walkways and short tunnels built directly into the rock, stretching roughly 1.4 km between the towering canyon walls and through stunning icy blue water.

The trail was super easy to follow, and I loved how it zigzags through dark tunnels and along these wooden footbridges that cling to the gorge walls. The best part was getting ridiculously close to waterfalls, like, close enough to catch the mist on our clothes. It took Evelyn and me about 45 minutes to walk from one end to the other, then another 45 minutes to make our way back to our starting point at Aareschlucht West.

We wrapped up the day wandering around Interlaken, the adventure capital known for year‑round thrills like paragliding, skiing, and skydiving. While we skipped the adrenaline rush, we did enjoy a relaxed stroll through the charming town centre, picked up souvenirs, sampled Swiss Chocolate and local treats including gelato, and admired the incredible views of the Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau mountains.

Day 3

We started our morning visiting Gurtenbahn, a funicular railway that transported us to the summit of Gurten in just five minutes. The real reason we took the Gurtenbahn was to try the toboggan run at the top. While we were disappointed by how slow it was, it was still worth a go, especially if you’re already exploring the hiking paths and viewpoints around the summit.

Photo courtesy of Gurten Park im Grünen

We then started making our way back to Basel for our early flight the next morning, but we couldn’t pass up the chance to explore a real castle along the way. Burgdorf Castle is a well-preserved castle built around 1200 on a hilltop by the Dukes of Zähringen. Today it houses a museum, a restaurant, and a youth hostel, and offers fantastic views over the town and countryside. Best of all, it was completely free to visit.

One thing we had not expected was that most shops close on Sundays, following the local tradition of keeping the day quiet and restful. Supermarkets, clothing stores, and even small businesses like laundromats were all closed. In the end, we had to drive across the border to Saint-Louis, France to do our laundry. It turned into an unexpected little detour that reminded us how travel always keeps you on your toes.

Similar to Bern, Basel offers the BaselCard, which gives overnight guests free public transport throughout the city and surrounding areas for the entire duration of their stay.. The physical card is issued at check-in and also includes 50% off museums, Basel Zoo, and the city's sightseeing bus, plus free wi-fi and 25% off e-bike rentals.

Our three days in Switzerland were the perfect start to our European adventure. It was full of postcard views and unforgettable moments that felt almost unreal in their beauty. Switzerland was everything we hoped for and so much more.