Tjo YEE WONG
Europe road trip - 16 days, 5 countries
Switzerland - France - Italy - Liechtenstein - Germany
10 October 2022
DAY 1: SALLANCHES, FRANCE
After a long flight from Singapore to Geneva, Switzerland, we went to pick up our 4WD rental car before heading to The Old Town of Geneva (Vieille Ville) - Switzerland's largest historical city.
We walked around this old town that was surrounded by many restaurants, cafés, historical sites, and picturesque squares. Parc Des Bastions was the first place we visited and all the trees were filled with autumn colours. Next, we took an 8-minute walk from the botanical garden to St. Pierre Cathedral which is located in the heart of Geneva's Old Town. By climbing up the two towers of this Cathedral, you will see the whole of Geneva. (Note: no entrance fee is needed for this cathedral however entrance fees to the towers will be needed). Afterward, we walk to Geneva's main shopping street - Rues Basses before heading to Sallanches, France.
Driving from Geneva to Sallanches will take you about 50 minutes. Sallanches is a lovely small town that is situated in the west of Chamonix-Mont-Blanc where many mountains and rivers surround it.
We did our grocery shopping at the nearby Carrefour before checking in to our Airbnb in Sallanches which has a view of the Mont-blanc.
Places to eat in Sallanches:
DAY 2: CHAMONIX, FRANCE
We started our day early by driving to Chamonix, France which takes about 30 minutes from Sallanches. Chamonix is a world-famous destination and is known as a world-class ski resort. Explore this alpine town and visit its Saturday Market, located right in the center of Chamonix.
The Aiguille Du Midi cable car ride was our next activity of the day. You will reach the center of Chamonix to the high-altitude mountains in just 20 minutes. The views from Aiguille Du Midi and the viewing deck at 3842m will offer you a stunning view of the Mont Blanc Alps. When we were there, the weather was just perfect. We were able to see the blue sky and it snowed a little which makes this whole place feel like a snow globe.
If you aren't scared of heights, you can try stepping into the glass box - Step Into The Void. This glass box is suspended 1000m above the void and it allows you to view the French, Swiss and Italian Alps.
Later, we took a cable car back down to Plan de l'Aiguille and walk around that area before taking the next cable car down to Chamonix. Plan de l'Aiguille is also a hiking trail (14km) so if you are adventurous enough you can hike down instead of taking the cable car.
Our final stop for the day was driving back to Sallanches and enjoying our beautiful accommodation.
DAY 3: ANNECY, FRANCE
For our 3rd day in France, we decided to do a day trip from Sallanches to Annecy.
With the paradisal canals and the Thiou river that flows through the old town, Annecy is known as the "Venice of the Alps".
Annecy Farmer's Market was our first stop. They offer a wide range of products from fresh fruits, vegetables, and food to handcrafted jewelry and many more!
We stopped by Palais de l'Île which is a famous historic monument located right in the middle of the Thiou canal. Next, was Lac D' Annecy to look at this footbridge - Pont des Amours. This place was really beautiful, especially during the fall season.
For museums or castles, you can take a nice walk up to Chateau d’Annecy which is a historic beauty of Annecy. If you have some time for shopping, you can head to Galeries Lafayette Annecy (Tip: take note of their opening and closing times).
The last stop we did in Annecy was the Gorges du Fier. It is a natural wonder located in the west of Annecy. This gorge has been carved out hundreds of years ago by the erosion of running water.
DAY 4: LYON, FRANCE
Woke up early and left Sallanches by taking a 2-hour drive to Lyon - the capital city in France’s Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region.
We parked our car and did some shopping in the squares of the Presqu’île. If you are looking for a lunch spot, you can stop by FaFa Sushi Burger for some Asian food. We love their gyoza and their poke bowl.
After lunch, we headed to The Rhône River, Lyon for a short walk across the bridge before heading back to our car. We drove to Lugdunum - Musée et théâtres romains which is the oldest Roman theatre in France. We took a stroll around Teatro Galo-Romano to enjoy the nice weather and the architecture.
Checking in to our Airbnb in Lyon was our last stop of the day.
Places to park near Lyon square:
12 Quai Tilsitt Lyon, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Parking Indigo Lyon Bellecour
Where to stay in Lyon?
DAY 5: BEAUJOLAIS, FRANCE
This was one of my favorite place on this trip - the Beaujolais wine region.
We did a day trip from Lyon and drove along the Beaujolais wine route to explore these medieval villages in golden stones. It takes about 38 minutes to get to the Beaujolais wine region if you drive from Lyon.
The Beaujolais wine route which is located in the eastern-centre of France has many stops you can stop by.
Our first stop of the day was Charnay, Rhone-Alpes, France - a small french village. This place is home to countless wineries so you would be able to see many vineyards located in this area.
Before heading to our second stop, we bought some croissant and other delicious french pastries from Boulangerie des Pierres Dorées.
Val d’Oingt was our next stop. Everyone here was so welcoming and friendly. We walked around this beautifully preserved village and visited the farmers market there.
For the last part of the Beaujolais wine route, we drove up to Mont Brouilly - a mountain peak that is able to view the Beaujolais vineyards. Alternatively, you can also take a gentle walk up here.
We headed back to Lyon afterwards.
DAY 6: TURIN, ITALY
We set out early the next morning for the 4 hour drive to Turin, Italy.
Italy would be our 3rd country for this trip. But, we only manage to spend one day here in the northern Italy before heading back to Switzerland.
Turin was one of my favourite cities in terms of shopping. There were many variety of brands to shop for. We did most of our shopping here at Via Roma - Turin's main shopping street and visited their department stores.
In the late afternoon, we went to explore the city to see Turin's historical buildings and the magnificent architecture.
We stayed at Hotel NH Torino Lingotto Congress which was a former fiat factory and is connected to a shopping mall.
Pit stops from Lyon to Turin:
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Forte delle Valli (Forte di Fenestrelle)
DAY 7: TÄSCH, SWITZERLAND
This was a big travel day heading back to one of my most loved country - Switzerland.
But first, we visited Market Crocetta Torino in the morning before leaving Turin, Italy. If you have more time here, you could also visit another market - Porta Palazzo.
We left the city centre and headed to the northeast of Turin - Caravino, Italy for a small pit stop.
Along the way to the Swiss border, we stop by Bar Pasticceria Arianna for a short break and had some gelato. We continue driving towards the north of Italy and reached Lake Orta. This underrated lake in Italy was really pretty. Highly recommend.
Feriolo, Baveno was our next place we en route to. During the past few days we hit a couple of spots of rainy weather so we were really lucky to see the blue sky here. We then parked our car near Lake Maggiore to enjoy the view.
We crossed the Swiss border and drove all the way to Täsch, Switzerland and stayed two days at our Airbnb.
DAY 8: ZERMATT, SWITZERLAND
Woke up really early to catch the first few trains that brings you to Zermatt from Täsch Railway Station. (Note: Zermatt is car-free village so if you are driving make sure to park in Täsch). The train ride takes about 12 minutes from Täsch to Zermatt and the shuttle train comes by every 20 mins.
We bought the tickets that will bring you to the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise. This ticket includes cable car rides and an open-air cogwheel train ride that provides you with a view of the Matterhorn.
The train ride will take you about 30 minutes to get to your destination. We alighted at Gornergrat to view the Matterhorn from a better angle. (Note: Along the way, there are many other stations that you can get off to see the different views of all the snow-capped mountains).
Afterwards, took the train back down and headed to a cable car that brings you to the Glacier Palace. Zermatt does offer many different cable car rides which lead to different parts. So, if you have time do explore the different areas.
After a few cable car rides, we headed back down to Zermatt to explore the main street of this idyllic mountain village - The Bahnhofstrasse.
We ended our day early by taking a train back to Täsch, walking around the village and enjoying our Airbnb.
DAY 9: INTERLAKEN, SWITZERLAND
Checked out of our accommodation early and left Täsch to Blausee Lake. We took about 1hr and 45 mins to get to our destination. (Note: this route will be require you to take the Lötschberg Tunnel train to Kandersteg which was a really memorable experience for us).
Blausee Lake, the water was really clear and this place was just stunning despite the rainy weather. We walked around the lake and enjoyed the nature here. You are also able to take a short boat trip around the lake which just takes a few minutes.
We headed to Interlaken next, but we stopped by Thun to see Lake Thun for a short while. We did not have much time to explore Thun, but it is definitely worth visiting this town if you had extra time to spare.
When we reached Interlaken, we had lunch at Aare for some Korean food before heading to Hardrbahn rail - a funicular railway. This railways brings you to a mountain viewing deck (Harder Kulm) with extensive views over Interlaken.
Afterwards, we drove to Grindelwald to collect the keys for our Airbnb where we will be spending our 3 nights at.
Tips:
- We bought our 3-day pass tickets from the Top of Europe Flagship Store which allow us to access the cable cars, trains that is available in the Jungfrau region. [249 CHF/pax]
- Alternatively, you can purchase the tickets in advance at their website.
- If you're staying in the Jungfrau region for 3 days (or more), it will be cheaper if you purchase the Top of Europe pass
Where to park around Hardrbahn area?
- You can find parking at 4 Untere Bönigstrasse or around that area.
DAY 10: GRINDELWALD, SWITZERLAND
Grindelwald was definitely the main highlight of our trip. Everything here was just so magical and gorgeous.
We took a cable car at Firstahn AG - Grindelwald-First - Top of Adventure to First where there are many activities there that you can do there.
Must-do activities at First:
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The First Cliff Walk by Tissot
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Bachalpsee Trail (2hrs)
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First Glider (80km/hr)
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First mountain carts
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First trottibike
After doing most of the activities, we took the cable car back down, and head to Clubhaus Foodtruck for a short lunch break before driving to our next cable car terminal - Männlichenbahn Grindelwald.
I LOVED this second cable car ride we took from Grindelwald terminal to Männlichen. This 20-minute cable car ride provides you with a 360° view of Grindelwald. The view was so perfect.
We reached Männlichen which also offers a spectacular view of the mountains over a wide area. It's a really nice place to just chill, rest your mind and appreciate nature. (Note: be mindful of the cable car timings as it ends really early depending on the season you visit).
After visiting Männlichen, we took the last few cable car back down to our Airbnb at Grindelwald.
DAY 11: LAUTERBRUNNEN, SWITZERLAND
Spending our last day here in the Jungfrau region, we visited Lauterbrunnen. But before that, we took the Eiger express from Grindelwald Terminal (45 mins) and the Jungfrau railway (the highest altitude railway station at 3,454m) to the Top of Europe - Jungfraujoch.
What to do at Jungfraujoch?
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Sphinx Observation Deck
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Alpine sensation - connects to the Ice Palace
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Jungfrau Ice Palace - narrow ice tunnel hallways surrounded by see-through ice sculptures
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Glacier Plateau (a popular photo spot at Jungfraujoch)
Headed back down to Lauterbrunnen via a train. We needed to change to a different train at Eigersletscher station in order to get to Lauterbrunnen and Wengen. (Note: Top of Europe pass allows unlimited times of trains and cable car rides except for the Eiger express to the Top of Europe).
This train ride was really worth the time as it felt really surreal and astounding. I would recommend you to sit in the panoramic section of the train as it will provide you with the best views of the Jungfrau region.
We walk around Lauterbrunnen and visited the famous waterfall - Trummelbach Falls and Kirche Lauterbrunnen. Everything here was just breathtaking. HIGHLY RECOMMEND.
Next, was Wengen. (Note: This is a car-free alpine village. If you are driving you can park at Lauterbrunnen and take a train to Wengen). The first thing we got was gelato parked right opposite Wengen train station. It was the perfect weather to have gelato and right beside it was a tree filled with autumn colors.
Wengen is a pretty small alpine village so we didn’t really do much there we just walked around the village and headed to Luftseilbahn Wengen - Männlichen AG (cable car terminal). This cable car will take you straight up to Männlichen. We went back to Männlichen again to walk around that area and headed back down to Wengen.
We decided to take a train back to Eigersletscher station and head to Grindelwald Grund
instead of taking the cable car to Grindelwald from Männlichen. But, if you want to save time, the cable car would be a better option.
DAY 12: VADUZ, LIECHTENSTEIN
After spending 3 days in the Jungfrau region, we are heading to our 4th country - Liechtenstein.
But first, we did a pit stop at Iseltwald to take some photos of the beautiful Lake Brienz before heading to Vaduz, the capital of Liechtenstein.
We drove for about 3 hours from Grindelwald before reaching Liechtenstein where we did a short day trip touring around Städtle - the center of Vaduz.
Wildhaus, Switzerland was our final stop for the day. We checked in to our Airbnb and enjoy the sunset.
DAY 13: KONSTANZ, GERMANY
Going to the city area today. We left our accommodation early and drove from Wildhaus to Zürich for around an hour.
City parking is really tough, but we manage to find a parking lot near the old town of Zürich - Niederdorf. But before this, we went to ShopVille - Zürich Main Station to walk around and got some petite macaroons from Spruengli. I was a big fan of their Blackforest flavour.
What to do in Zürich?
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Niederdorf
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Bahnhofstrasse - main shopping area in Zürich
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Fraumünster Church
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Grossmünster
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Predigerkirche Zürich
We headed back to our car and drove to Konstanz, Germany. This makes it the 5th country we visited on this trip. Zürich and Konstanz are really near each other so, we took about an hour's drive to reach our destination. We parked our car and did some shopping as things are cheaper here as compared to Switzerland.
Lastly, we drove back to Wildhaus, Switzerland. But first, we went to get some groceries at ALDI and some Thai food.
Where to park in Zürich?
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Parkhaus Urania
Places to eat in Konstanz:
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Lunch at umami - Pizza & Pasta which is located in LAGO Shopping Center
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Dinner at Bangkok
Where to shop in Konstanz?
DAY 14: BERN, SWITZERLAND
Our first stop of the day was in Bern, the capital of Switzerland.
We parked our car and went to walk around the UNESCO - Bern Old Town and the famous clock tower - Zytglogge. Next, was The Parliament building. The architecture here was really beautiful and it is a lovely place to just wander around and chill. There is also a really nice view just right outside the parliament building.
We decided to leave Bern early and headed towards our last Airbnb accommodation at Chardonne. You're able to see Lake Geneva from here and it was really stunning.
DAY 15: GSTAAD, SWITZERLAND
A few weeks before the trip we had booked the Belle Epoque train (MOB - Goldenpass). The train ride takes about 1 hr and 30 minutes from Montreux to Gstaad. But first, we got breakfast in Montreux before heading to the train station.
We decided to spend our last day in Europe by doing a day trip to Gstaad - a top-end resort town known for its ski, winter hiking trails and cross-country slopes.
Gstaad was a really nice town to walk around. The weather was really good and we were lucky that there were really few tourists as we visited Gstaad during the off-peak season.
We had lunch here and headed back to the train station to catch our train back to Montreux.
Our last stop of the day was Château De Chillon. We took a 6-minute car ride to this island castle situated right at the eastern end of Lake Geneva.
Headed back to the accommodation to enjoy the beautiful view of Lake Geneva and the cooling weather.
Places to eat in Gstaad:
DAY 16: GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
Woke up really early and drove to Geneva Airport to catch our flight back to Singapore.
Being able to spend 16 days in Europe and visiting 5 countries has been really amazing.
This trip has definitely left a special place in my heart and I hope to be back here soon! <3