Travel to Switzerland

Beautiful Switzerland One look at the pictures below and you would know why Switzerland has been one of the favorite destinations not only for the vacationing tourists but the biggest film industry in the world – Bollywood! Where Berne, the capital city is known for its old town, Zurich the largest city is the centre for banking industry. Geneve, the second biggest city in Switzerland houses many governmental and non governmental organisations. Basel, Laussane, Lucerne and Lugano are other cities each holding its own attractions. One good news is that you no more need a separate visa to visit Switzerland, as now the Swiss have begun to accept schengen visas. However, its still not a part of European Union so you need to convert your money to local Swiss Fracs to be able to indulge in some Swiss made watches, chocolates or shopping of other luxury goods.:) Btw, if you are in mood for some Indian food there are enough and more number of restaurants to satiate your cravings along with Bollywood music, no matter which city of Switzerland you are in “) Rishi Menon shares with us the pictures he took across his travel in Switzerland while his wife Suchi narrates…

1 The alps viewed from the cable car that takes visitors to Grindelwald – First which is a summit in Bernese Alps in Switzerland. This area can get pretty foggy late evenings.

2. Alphorn players in Geneva. This is a nice place to pick up European styled boots.

3. United Nations Office at Geneva. The tours conducted from here are very informative.

4. Train journey through Switzerland offers breathtaking sights. One such is Golden Pass line which offers stunning alpine scenery.

5. Murren in Switzerland is a beautiful mountain village with houses decorated with fresh flowers. Public cars are banned on the roads. We spotted a female ibex there and it was oblivious to us and continued with its grazing.

6. Lauterbrunnen in Switzerland lies at the bottom of a valley and has a beautiful waterfall called “Staubbach Falls”. There is a nice restaurant inside “Hotel Oberland” which serves the Swiss specialities Rostis and fondues.

7. Jungfraujoch also called “Top of Europe” has stunning landscape. The train journey to the top takes you through some breathtaking scenery. The cafe at the top is named ‘Bollywood’.

8. Schilthorne in Switzerland has stunning panoramic views and has a revolving restaurant also featured in James Bond movie “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” It is an experience dining there, but make sure not to leave your belongings in the revolving part of the floor. It happened with a fellow diner and the poor lady had to go round and round the restaurant to look for her handbag.

9. The Lion Monument also known as the The dying lion is in Lucerne, Switzerland. Switzerland cuisine is amazing, but if one is wanting to try food from India, there is a restaurant which serves south Indian and North Indian cuisine called “Kanchi” which offers buffet during lunch and a la carte at dinner.

10. Rhine falls in Schaffhausen, Switzerland is the largest waterfall in Europe. Schaffhausen can be reached by train from Zurich.

11. Zurich, the largest city in Switzerland has an eclectic combination of culture, art, cuisine and is famous for its banks. There are some lovely stores to shop as well as authentic Swiss cuisine restaurants.

12. Chapel Bridge in Lucerne crosses Reuss River and has a picturesque water tower, which is covered with beautiful fresh flowers. Check out Rishi’s picture portfolio on Flickr