Posts In The “Europe” Category
Crescent-shaped Lake Geneva has a surface area of 224 sq mi (580 sq km), making it the largest lake in Switzerland. The lake straddles the Swiss-French border, with ferries regularly carrying passengers between the two countries. The Swiss side had gentler hills full of vineyards, towns, and centuries-old castles, while the French side is more…
Extending up from the banks of Lake Geneva, Lausanne is known as the headquarters for the International Olympic Committee and the home of 13th-century Cathedrale du Notre Dame, one of the finest Gothic cathedrals in Europe and the spiritual capital of French-speaking Switzerland. Lausanne also has a vibrant arts and music scene, and many excellent…
Historic Lugano is the third-most important banking center in Switzerland, a country that excels at banking. The city extends from the western edge of Lake Lugano up into the hills behind, with cobblestone streets winding and climbing between centuries-old buildings. At either end the mountains Monte Bre (3,035-ft; 925 m) and Monte San Salvatore (2,992-ft;…
The Bernina Express scenic railway operates between Chur, Switzerland and Tirano in northern Italy. Reaching an altitude of 7,391 ft (2,253 m), it is the highest railway crossing in Europe and the third-highest railway in Switzerland. The majority of the route, from Thusis, Switerland to Tirano, has been designated the “Rhaetian Railway in the Albula/Bernina…
The Glacier Express is one of the two most scenic train rides in Switzerland (the other is the Bernina Express). Passengers travel through the Swiss Alps in specially-designed viewing carriages with large windows and skylights. The natural scenery is astounding, but so too is the infrastructure. The train passes through at least 91 tunnels and…
A metal cross at the summit of the Matterhorn is a memorial to the estimated 500 people who have died attempting or descending from the summit, including members of the first successful ascent team. Four of the seven-member team fell to their deaths on the descent in 1865. Currently about 3,000 people climb the mountain…
Matterhorn Glacier Paradise, at altitude 12,740 ft (3,883 m) on the mountain Klein Matterhorn, is the highest viewing platform in Europe. Since 1978, a cable car has whisked visitors up to the summit from 9,642 ft (2,939 m ) Trockener Steg. Over half a million people ride to the top annually. Many are there to…
The distinctive pyramid-shaped peak of the Matterhorn has been famous world-wide for more than a century. The 14,692 ft (4,478 m) mountain has inspired millions of photographers and thousands of climbers, with up to 150 attempting the summit on a good summer day. And the image of the Matterhorn has been used for a variety…
The vista from the summit of 7,687-ft (2,342 m) Mannlichen is known as the Royal View, where on a clear day Jungfrau, Monch and Eiger dominate the skyline. The theme extends to the short hike up from Mannlichen station, called the Royal Walk, with waypoints along the way carrying names such as the King’s Gate,…
The Via Ferrata Murren-Gimmelwald is 1.4-mile (2.2 km) route strung along the cliffs between Murren and Gimmelwald. Unlike most via ferratas, this route descends rather than ascends, starting Murren at altitude 5,374 ft (1,638 m) and ending at Gimmelwald at 4,485 ft (1,367 m). But it shares many features of other via ferrata we’ve done…
The revolving restaurant atop 9,744 ft (2,970 m) Schilthorn, pictured above, was the setting for the fortress Piz Gloria in the 1969 James Bond movie On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. It really does look like a fortress atop the craggy summit of Schilthorn. The restaurant was under construction before the filming and subsequently was named…
The Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch UNESCO World Heritage Site, established in 2001, comprises 318 sq mi (82,388 ha) of the High Alps, including the most glaciated part of the mountain range and the largest glacier in Eurasia. The dramatic scenery, centered on the mountains Jungfrau (13,642 ft; 4,158 m), Monch (13,480 ft; 4,110 m) and Eiger…
The Bernese Oberland (Bernese Highlands) region topped every list we found of best places to visit in Switzerland for spectacular mountain scenery. Here are some of the highest and well-known peaks in the Bernese Alps, including 14,022-ft (4,274 m) Finsteraarhorn, 13,642 ft (4,158 m) Jungfrau, 13,480-ft (4,110 m) Monch, and 13,015-ft (3,967 m) Eiger. Some…
The Pilatus-Bahn, just outside Lucerne, is the world’s steepest cogwheel railway at 48% maximum and 35% average incline. The line opened in 1889 and ascends 5,279 ft (1,609 m) from Alpnachstad to the summit of Mount Pilatus in only 2.86 miles (4.6 km). Depending on snow conditions, the train generally operates from May to October….
The steamboat Stadt Zurich is the oldest of more than a dozen passenger ships that ply the waters of Lake Zurich. Built in 1909, the steamship makes regular two-hour runs the length of upper Lake Zurich between Zurich and Rapperswill. The vessel is beautifully maintained, particularly the original Escher Wyss & Cie engine, also dating…
The city of Zurich is the largest and wealthiest in Switzerland, and one of the oldest. Evidence of settlement in the area dates back more than 6,000 years, and the city was formally founded as a Romans camp around 15 BC. Over the centuries since, the city grew and prospered into the vibrant metropolis it…
Although 2020 was a year of big and unexpected plan changes, for us, 2021 brought even more. We started the year living on our boat in Norway and ended it living in our apartment in Seattle. In between, we travelled 4,933 nautical miles across the North Sea, the Irish Sea and the Atlantic Ocean to…
The most direct route from the Azores to the US is an 1,800-mile great circle route to Bermuda (the red dashed line above), then a 600-800-mile run to the US, depending on our landing choice. The problem with that routing is that the winds predominately blow from the west, on the bow, and we would…