Below you will find a selection of the most recent entries from bloggers in our Travel section.
To view the entries from individual bloggers, click on the links below:
- After a successful corporate career in supply chain management, Marta Koncz, took the leap to follow her passion for travel and start her own business: Agate Experience, to help people discover and explore the hidden gems of her adopted home country, Switzerland.
Marta has always loved to travel, to discover new cultures, dishes, and customs, and experience something new. Even as a schoolgirl she planned trips for her classmates. As an adult, travelling was more than just a passion, it was also a therapy for Marta as she found she learnt a lot about herself through her adventures and seeing life through a different lens. It was also the perfect way to destress and relax from a busy working week.
Through Agate Experience she offers fun travel experiences and opportunities to discover the hidden gems of Switzerland.
- This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - A keen photographer and former expat who loves to travel, discover food, wine and cultures, does a bit of feng shui & home design and plays Scrabble & Gateball. She has been living in Switzerland since 2000 and would like to share her experiences, photos and perspectives on all of the above! This is her first travel blog catered for Swiss locals.
- Rachel Beacher is a British journalist who would be ready to backpack around the world tomorrow if she could find an easy way to carry two small and unruly children. She most enjoys travelling to places that are family-friendly, and easily accessible from Geneva. Before becoming an expat in Switzerland, Rachel was a writer and editor for UK newspapers and magazines. She moved to Lausanne in early 2013, speaks passable French, and has been writing travel articles for over 15 years. She is the co-founder of Living In Sion.
By Marta Koncz, www.agateexperience.com
For many people, going to the mountains is a sole summer activity; and, as autumn arrives, they cease going outdoors till the following summer season.
It is true, that the cable cars and gondolas shut down during fall for few weeks for maintenance, however they reopen with full force by the time the first snow falls. There is a lot to do in the mountains during winter!
Skiing
The good old classic downhill skiing is probably the first comes to your mind when thinking about winter activities. It is indeed a popular and well-established sport in Switzerland dated back to the 19th century.
As such, there are plenty of options. My favorite resort is Portes du Soleil. Located between France and Switzerland, it is easy to reach both from Geneva and Lausanne; and it is the largest ski area in the Alps with 600 km of slopes, suitable from absolute beginners to very experienced people.
If you are not fan of speed, you can also try cross-country skiing. In this case, I suggest visiting Vue des Alpes. It is on the border of the French speaking part of Switzerland, one hour from Lausanne and 1 hour forty minutes from Geneva; but its worth the effort. It offers 110 kms of cross-country tracks and amazing panorama to the surrounding Alps, Jura, and Vosges!
Text and photos by Aurea Fagel
Autumnal blues kicking in after an active eventful summer under the sun? Hmm… what to do next? In Switzerland, that last question is met with a chockful of goody ideas! Of course, TONS of stuff always to do around this beautiful country. And the onset of the cold season does not even hamper the spirit! So allow me to give you my 2-cents on what to explore on a weekend – the day-tripper, overnighter and the long weekender - good itineraries to get your autumn vibes going.
Day Tripper - Easy Hike to Arboretum, Vallon de l’Aubonne
My Scrabble group took a day hike to the famous national park Arboretum in Aubonne last summer and we covered about 3-4 interesting trails for around 3 hours with a picnic lunch. But I bet in autumn, there would be a magical display of colors on the trees and reflections on the lake promising a wonderful walk or hike!
We followed the trail “Parcours Sylviculture” (Forest Discovery trail) on the way up to the main picnic area. Then on the way back, we traversed through the trails “Sentier de la Vaux”, “Séquoias” and “Sentier du Bois-Guyot”, before coming back to the park’s central space.
Fun Fact: Wild roses bear fruit and they are called rose hip or rose haw (in French it is called cynorrhodon). They are edible and can be made into jams and infusions!
By Aurea Fagel
As the holiday season is now behind us, we would normally be settling down after a tumultuous time of scrambling for last-minute flights and hotels or returning from a trip somewhere with warmth, snowy peaks, or foreign languages.
Some of you would have been heaving a sigh of relief after family gatherings or friends coming over for dinner and ensuring your home is nicely decorated, wines are aplenty, and the kids presentable.
But probably not this last season. Travel was the last thing on most people’s mind. Or even visiting friends or relatives. You may be planning on where to travel next year when all this Covid-19 madness is over.
But there is one type of journey we can all considering doing. It doesn’t involve money, packing, or preparation. It requires only time, reflection, and maybe action.
By Aurea Fagel, text and photos
Three things come to my mind when autumn is here: the colorful leaves, “la chasse” or game meat and wine tasting!
Autumn Leaves
Where to witness the grandeur of the autumn leaves? Switzerland has definitely a handful of beautiful places if the weather ensures the leaves wither gracefully. Photographers and nature lovers go in search for that perfect spot.
The Arboretum in Aubonne is one such place to see a display and reflection of colorful trees. This national park has been in existence since 1968 and houses a variety of plants, flowers and trees. Being a photographer myself I have been going there many times to shoot autumn. The place has lots of short and long trails for everyone and holds events all-year. This coming Oct 18 and 25, there will be a guided tour of the Japanese forest and the colorful autumn trees respectively! So mark your calendars and allot at least half a day.
Another great spot is the Ballenberg in Brienz, central Switzerland. It is the largest open-air museum in Switzerland which showcase Swiss traditional homes and handicrafts. Autumn is a good time to visit if only for the colorful leaves. Best to wear your hiking boots or comfy shoes as it will involve a lot of walking!
By Aurea Fagel, text and photos
Mention The Tulip Festival in Switzerland and everyone imagines Morges, the alluring petite town in the canton of Vaud. This year in late March, The Tulip Festival celebrated its 50th anniversary at the famous venue Parc de l’Independence, albeit with less grandeur. Now the season has passed, one might think there is nothing to see. But I beg to disagree! With Jêune Genevois and Jêune Fédéral this month, this is the perfect season to spend time in this lakeside city.
For one thing, the Parc de l’Independence is a magnificent place for a lazy Sunday or weekend escape. One Sunday while I picnicked I noticed many others doing the same, or reading a book, or taking a nap on the grass, or simply taking a stroll overlooking Lake Geneva with a backdrop of the Mont Blanc. When you stroll past the park towards the port please indulge in the artisanal ice cream stand just beside the port. Their pistachio ice cream is one of the best I have tasted; make it a double and pair it with cassis noir.
