The second leg of our whirlwind honeymoon brought us to snowy Switzerland. What we didn’t know until we arrived was the Switzerland has a slow season – for two weeks in early winter, most towns, resorts, bars, restaurants, etc., shut down for refurbishment before the hustle and bustle of the winter season begins.

Of course, this was right when we arrived! While we had to make a few adjustments to our itinerary, our time in Switzerland was incredibly memorable and we cannot wait to visit again someday!

Before jumping into our itinerary and recommendations, my BIGGEST piece of advice if you wish to visit the country is to BUY A SWISS RAIL PASS! The Swiss rail system is incredibly sophisticated and reliable, and with this pass, we could go virtually anywhere in the country that we wanted. It was so much fun!

Wilderswil

Selected solely based on the name (HP fans, anyone?), we stayed at the base of Grindelwald, in a little town called Wilderswil at the Jungfrau Hotel. We were greeted upon check-in by the most adorable local woman – donning none other than pigtail braids and a gingham jumper.

It literally felt like we were staying inside a rural Swiss postcard. Outside of our window, we could see farm animals grazing, locals hand washing their laundry and trains coming and going from the nearby station, all with a backdrop of the rolling Swiss Alps. It didn’t feel real, but after grounding ourselves we ventured to the train and up to the city of Grindelwald.

Grindelwald

The city of Grindelwald was absolutely adorable. With plenty of shopping, bars, restaurants and scenic views, I highly recommend staying in the city if you plan to visit Switzerland. Again, it was during slow season when we visited, so once we found an open bar with an English-speaking bartender, we made ourselves cozy and stayed a while.

After a few drinks and some great recommendations from our new friend – the most important being that drinking is permitted on Swiss trains – we purchased a bottle of Champagne from a nearby market and boarded the train once again, this time headed for a fondue dinner in Interlaken.

While aboard the train, the beers + Champagne + altitude + jet lag got the best of us, and we both drifted off for a nap. We were awoken suddenly by Swiss police. Not only were we seated in the first class rail car (by mistake), we were at the end of the rail line. To this day, I have no clue where we were! We made the most of it and grabbed a bite at the first open restaurant we could find.

It was a memorable start to a wonderful vacation!

After a good night’s sleep, we made the trek back to Grindelwald, grabbed pizza and a $6 Coca-Cola for lunch, then purchased tickets for a cable car and ventured into the Alps. The views were immaculate – I get teary just thinking about it!

Zermatt

After exploring the Interlaken area during the beginning of our trip, we boarded a train for an adventure in Zermatt. Second to purchasing a rail pass, visiting Zermatt is an absolute must for your Swiss vacation. The town itself doesn’t feel real – it’s a gingerbread village where cars are replaced by horse-drawn carriages, situated in a gulch between enormous mountains.

Most notably, Zermatt is home to the Matterhorn.

We couldn’t be all the way in Zermatt on our honeymoon without the opportunity to get up close and personal with the Matterhorn, so we purchased (very expensive) tickets for an hours-long journey to the top of the mountain. What the ticket counter failed to mention, however, was that there was NO visibility at the top of the mountain. Like, we couldn’t see our hand in front of our faces.

IF YOU PLAN TO TAKE THE CABLE CAR TO THE MATTERHORN – please, please, please, make sure you will be able to see it! We wasted hundreds of dollars and tons of time by not asking this question.

Mark my words, Matterhorn, we will be back to see you someday!