Europe & Switzerland Travel Tips #3

Hiking and Walking

Switzerland with its well kept hiking paths is the ideal hiking country. Hiking is best from May through October. Walking and hiking maps are available from the local tourist offices or from well stocked bookstores in Switzerland.

During the Summer the choices are great, ranging from easy lake shore walks to challenging mountain ridge hikes or glacier tours. In Winter well maintained, clearly marked trails are accessible for relaxing walks.

Rock Climbing and Mountaineering

The most challenging peaks of the entire alpine region are in Switzerland. In summer and winter they offer many attractive excursions and climbs. Mountaineering schools offer guided tours as well as courses in rock climbing and mountaineering.

Bikes

City and mountain bikes can be rented for a moderate fee at most railway stations. You may return it at the same station or to any other railway station.

Golf and Tennis

Switzerland has more than 30 ideally situated golf courses. Playing golf in Switzerland combines the pleasure of the game, the enjoyment of a beautiful landscape and the benefit of a bracing climate.

There is hardly a Swiss resort without tennis courts. Numerous hotels maintain their own courts. Please ask your hotel or the local tourist offices.

Water Sports

Most lakeside beaches are open from June to September. Sailing, water skiing, wind surfing are popular throughout Switzerland. Cities and resorts have public indoor and outdoor pools. Many resort hotels have their own heated pools.

Adventure Sports

River rafting, canoeing, yachting, hang gliding, parachuting, bungy jumping, horseback riding are just a few of the adventures waiting for you in Switzerland

Snow Sports

Switzerland has an abundance of magnificent slopes and the most extreme vertical drops which guarantee every possible skiing thrill in a breathtaking setting. The ski schools are staffed with expert instructors and most of them speak English. They offer classes for beginners, intermediate skiers, snow boarding lessons as well as classes for children.

Castles of the Bernese Oberland

For some great castle touring, head to the Lake Thun area, a day excursion by lake steamer, in central Switzerland just south of Bern. In the town of Thun itself, you'll find the 12th-century Schloss Thun on the hill. It contains a good historical museum and there are fine views from the turrets of the Romanesque tower.

One of the best castles around the lake is the 13-century Schloss Oberhofen, which was once held by the Hapsburgs, and has a good collection of grand furniture, portraits and musical instruments, authentic suits of armor and weapons, and even boasts a Turkish smoking room. The gardens were landscaped in the 19th century and are a fine place for a stroll.

Schloss Hunegg at nearby Hilterfingen was built in the 1860s and renovated in 1900. It's a fascinating mix of Neo-Renaissance and art nouveau styles and has a funky split-level bathroom complete with nickel-plated bathtub. If you're a castle buff, you can squeeze in a visit to all three fortifications in a day trip by boat.

To enjoy the many villages along the shore, simply leave the boat whenever you see an appealing spot and catch another boat in an hour or two.

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