2022 - Switzerland (Winter Tour + Christmas markets)

[kurienp]

Another year and blessed to be able to do another short trip - to Switzerland. Switzerland has been on the cards since 2020 when the Swiss border closures due to lockdown forced us towards Portugal that year.

The route plan was there, but most of the passes that I wanted to do were closed. So what, that gives an excuse for a trip back to Switzerland another time. This time we will need to do see some places and just relax and enjoy.

The plan was hatched for a short 7 day trip to Switzerland. By now, we had a set template for our cross channel travels.

• Day 0 - in this case Thursday evening - start from home and cross the channel and drive for about an hour or two. The beauty of this approach is that the next day your destination is within a 4 to 6 hour drive. Think about all the places that you can get to in a 4 hour drive from somewhere 1.5 to 2 hours into mainland Europe. Many.

The draft plan …

1. Day 1 - Friday - from wherever we had stopped the night, drove and get to Basel. (Christmas markets again!) Don’t know when this Christmas market fever will die down with my wife … but secretly I’ve started to enjoy it because of the mulled wine!
2. Day 2 - Saturday - Drive to Lauterbrunnen (1.5 hrs from Basel)
3. Day 3,4,5,6 - Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday - explore Lauterbrunnen and surrounding areas (day 5 or 6 should include Lucerne and that means - 2 more Christmas markets - and lots more mulled wine
4. Day 6 late evening, start the return journey and stop on the way - about a few hours from Calais and then…
5. Day 7 drive back to Calais and then back home.

Winter tyres on - check
Water filled - check
Porta Potty Cleaned and ready - check
Food items for the first few days - check
Clothes (including winter clothes) - check
Snow chains - check (always good to have. Never have had to use anywhere as yet).

... and so the journey begins

Day 0 the usual drive from home and navigating the nightmarish traffic on the M25. Not too bad and the evening sees us driving on and off the Chunnel train and then an hour and a half drive into France and stop at a roadside service - near to the main service station (so that the rest rooms are easy to get to in the morning).

you feel the journey starting ...


and the next day - Day 1 - is just about 4 to 5 hours of relaxed driving on the motorways ... going around Nancy in France and then to Basel in Switzerland.



Blessed with great weather ... and the many tunnels ...



The next stop was for a quick cuppa tea ... and with fantastic views.



... and to get into the Christmas mood ... a gingerbread man! .... no mulled wine for the driver.



.... got the toll tag at the France-Switzerland border -



and onward we went to our campsite for the night. ....

 

[kurienp]

Ah! campsite for the night - now that is a story in itself.

Sent an email to them ... and there was no reply. The website mentioned availability ... so well, go there and book.

Got to the campsite and it is closed.

No worries - the beauty of the Cali. Check for 24 hour parking in the city and drive to the location.

.... and we hit the jackpot with the location in Basel



APCOA Parking right in the centre of town, under the main station. All Christmas markets just about a 10-15 min walk.

Drove to the location,

parked up ... and set to sleep in the van later at night. Right now it was just about 3 pm. (we left the next day at about 12 in the afternoon and paid about 40 Euros as parking. 40 Euro campsite in the centre of town for two people with toilet and shower facilities at the station - it does not get more convenient and cheaper than that!

The station as with all old stations is stunning ...



... and off we went to see the Basel Christmas Markets ... and there met Moni and Robi, the talking reindeers at the first Christmas Market at Barfusserplatz.



... and if in Rome do like ... and all that - the first thing we went for was Gluhwein.



... and over the evening, many were consumed ... and also some of the local fare ... I think this was Fondue of some sort ... bread with a hole in the middle filled with cheese. Went well with Gluhwein actually.



... and spent the rest of the time just looking around shops and this pic reminded me of @WelshGas



... toys for the grown ups! many complex wooden builds.

 

[kurienp]

Overall a very colourful and energetic atmosphere at both the Barfusserplatz



and at the Munsterplatz.



with more Gluhwein and food consumed.



... well got the focus all wrong there (or did I get it right? )

and more Gluhwein was consumed - a different cup from each Christmas market ... and we now have many in the cupboard at home.



Evenings are usually a good time to explore the city and you see things in a different light.



Got back to the van in the evening and had a good night's sleep - not disturbed by anyone and woke up relaxed in the morning, used the services in the station and got ready to see the city by day!

trams ...

interesting postie machines ...



... and then it was back on the road to Lauterbrunnen (Jungfrau region) - just 1.5 hours.

 

[kurienp]

You will find so many tunnels along the way ... no wonder the Swiss are called masters of tunnelling.



... and many tunnels later ... the closer we got to Lauterbrunnen the more stunning the scenery became



yes, it was like driving through a winter wonderland and we reached the Jungfrau region.

Lauterbrunnen is a part of the Jungfrau region



... and just enjoying the scenery, took a wrong turn ... and Google routed us through some back country roads ... which is always fun ... and guess what we found along the way ..

Santaclaus visiting the Rugenbrau distillery in his big american grotto truck!



The good parts of these back roads are such events are - you find a lot of local street food ... and that is what we are out for ... and that is what we enjoyed at the street food stall at the distillery (I was still driving ... so no alcohol )



a great start to experiencing the Jungfrau region.

 

[kurienp]

After a short drive, reached our destination - Camping Jungfrau,




Checked in -



Were guided to our pitch and parked up .. with some stunning views.



by evening ... the whole place was lit up and you could tell that the holiday/Christmas season was on!



roamed around town, back to the van late in the evening ... and this is what we woke up to the next day morning.



there is just something magical about the morning sun on the mountain peaks.



the day was beckoning us to get out and about.

 

[kurienp]

The Jungfrau region is well connected via trains, cable cars and buses. Lauterbrunnen is one of the stops and to move around, it is good to understand the transport layout.

Studied this transport map of the region.



Took a 3 day pass for all travel within this region ... and off we went. Two things that we wanted to see were
1. Jungfraujoch
2. Schilthorn / Pis Gloria - (yes, James Bond - On Her Majesty’s Secret Service)

... and then wherever else that we fancy ... some activities such as sledging (I am not good at Skiing).

Stunning views of the snow capped peaks for miles around from different vantage locations - especially from Junfraujoch. That's Eiger (one of the peaks) in the foreground.



That's the Eiger Glacier


and the visitor centre at Jungraujoch



With quite some activities to do there ... we did it all as we had reserved the day for Jungraujoch.

Mindblowing to think about the times when they had this built ... a marvel of engineering indeed.



and that allows us to enjoy the beauty of Nature



Took the Cable car down to Grindelwald and spent some time just walking around the town. It was most enjoyable with some more Gluhwein.

and in the evening, retreated to the warmth of the van.

 

[kurienp]

The next day was reserved for Schilthorn. A cablecar, a train ... a walk through Murren town, and then the cable car all the way to Schilthorn.

The previous evening, we again watched James Bond - On Her Majesty’s Secret Service ... to refresh our memories on the scenes before our visit.

Could not resist the below pic ... (those who know will know ....) ... and many more.



and the evening was back at the campsite and for some nice walks through the Lauterbrunnen valley





Another great day ... before we again retreated to the warmth of the van.

 

[kurienp]

We still had a few more days of relaxing and just taking in the surrounding places. Many walks into town and many more train rides to visit interesting stations along the route - Wengen, Kleine Scheidegg ... just made the visit most enjoyable.

In between we also got in a visit to Lucerne - again, just an hours drive from Lauterbrunnen ... and when in Lucerne, the Christmas markets and some other interesting places were on the list







... a very beautiful city indeed and many things to take in and enjoy!



... and of course the Christmas markets .. this is just one of the two that we visited when there.

 

[kurienp]

For our return Journey, we did not want to drive back the same route ... and some of our friends suggested visiting a small village called Yvoire. Well, with the flexibility that the Cali provides, we decided to take the route down south - via Geneva and then back home.

Our focus was Jungfrau and with that done, did not want to add Geneva to the list ... so this time we did not enter Geneva ... but got to experience lake Geneve from the shores at Yvoire.

Well, the it does not end there. As with all things Cali - en route we saw a sign stating "Gruyere" !

Err ... was that the cheese?

A quick google search told us that it indeed was and that gave us an unplanned place to visit - the Gruyere cheese factory! what a gem of a place to go and see the factory and also get some cheese (to fill the fridge! )





... and the shop floor ...



What a pleasant surprise that was ... and the flexibility of travelling in the Cali made that possible.

Of course our last stop for the day was at Yvoire ... a quaint village on the shores of Lake Geneva ... and a most quirky and unique place. Not as beautiful it would have been on a summers day ... but enjoyable nonetheless.

Unique indeed ... with crafts and eateries and well preserved architecture.

 

[kurienp]

Well, that was almost the end of the trip.

about 4 hours of drive that day from Yvoire got us to somewhere ~3 hours from Calais.

The next day it was a 3 hour drive to Calais - a little bit of queueing at the ports - just about an hour ...



I guess, because of the strikes, many people had decided to drive ... and that made the M25 a bit if a challenge ... but by 4 pm, on the 23rd we were back home - all set to get ready for Christmas.

Also a special thanks to @sapto - who helped with details on Basel to make our trip there very calm and relaxing as well.

... and of course, all the other people who post on here with their encouraging vlogs that makes us want to travel more ...

Next on ... I think it may be - Italy or Morocco ... - here we come.

 

[two-saabs]

Great to read your adventure went well, thank you for sharing

 

[Swiss Cheese]

Wow great write up - thank you!
Switzerland is a lovely place and it sounds like you made the most of your time here. Still plenty more to see!

 

[soulstyledevon]

Hey @kurienp, great write up.
Looked like a fantastic trip to one of my favourite places in the world.
I’m back in Switzerland again next summer, but fancy doing this trip one winter. Just have to wait for the magic of Christmas to finish, he’s 6 and 7 in the NY. I would say 3 years time

Unless I can convince him Santa visits Campervans

 

[kurienp]

Wow great write up - thank you!
Switzerland is a lovely place and it sounds like you made the most of your time here. Still plenty more to see!

Lots more to see. Especially the high mountain passes and some of the tunnels. Will be back for sure.

 

[WelshGas]

Lots more to see. Especially the high mountain passes and some of the tunnels. Will be back for sure.

Thanks for the Model Link.

Mechanical models Archives

wooden.city

 

[The Tall Luthier]

That is a great travel log. Thank you very much for putting it all together for us to enjoy.

We have started using the Day One app for recording all of our retirement trips. I don’t know when this would be useful for you.

 

[Georgiegirl]

Really enjoyed reading about your adventures and has inspired me to plan my own trip. Thanks for posting

 

[sidepod]

Always blown away by Switzerland. How can one countries infrastructure be so far ahead of anywhere else?

 

[Wesel]

Always blown away by Switzerland. How can one countries infrastructure be so far ahead of anywhere else?

Money

 

[sidepod]

Money correctly spent.

 

[Nand0]

I'm lucky enough to live here, and after many years (well over a decade) I'm still awed by this place. @kurienp Thanks for the reminder

 

[sidepod]

Wasn’t sure about your use of gingerbreadMAN as opposed to person?
I googled it to see if I need to be offended, looks like you’re in the clear

 

[kurienp]

Wasn’t sure about your use of gingerbreadMAN as opposed to person?
I googled it to see if I need to be offended, looks like you’re in the clear

I ate him, so I know if the texture was undeterminable, then I would have quoted correctly as gingerbread person

 

[sidepod]

I ate him, so I know if the texture was undeterminable, then I would have quoted correctly as gingerbread person

Excellent.

I reserve the right to be offended retrospectively.

 

[Van Diesel VW]

Excellent blog, love Switzerland, although have never experienced it in the winter, this blog has got me thinking about a winter trip next December to the Alps.