A look back at a year of amazing Swiss travel adventures with Michael Portillo, Jodie Kidd, the Kemps, Theo Randall and Lilly Gomm
Over the past 12 months an array of well-known names have travelled to Switzerland to indulge their passions. Here we look back at a few of their favourite moments:
Michael Portillo was able to indulge his passion for all things locomotive when he visited Switzerland in February:
“I have just taken my seat on the Glacier Express and, before the train has departed, my champagne has already been served. It arrives not in a flute but a saucer, that wide flat glass I associate with Audrey Hepburn movies. It’s a hint that I’m in for an old-fashioned experience of gracious luxury…
“…Guests may enjoy a seven-course meal during the six-hour journey between two of Switzerland’s most spectacular Alpine resorts, St Moritz and Zermatt. Being ascetic by nature, I settle for just a mint soup, a Swiss beef tenderloin and a plate of cheeses. The crockery, glassware, linen and service are exquisite. The menu is long and detaining. The excellent food and still wines are sourced along the route, and they have been prepared with care and pride…
“…Switzerland is a sort of public transport paradise. You will never find yourself far from a train, tram, bus or boat stop. Everything runs to time, of course. From Zurich station’s control tower I have watched the trains surge in and out, as predictably as the tides. In half-hour cycles, the services flow in, filling every platform. Look again moments later, and the trains are gone and the platforms have emptied. The identical pattern is repeated every 30 minutes and every day…
“…Most trains are operated by Swiss Federal Railways, but by no means all. About 250 private companies also run rail, boat and bus services. Yet a single travel pass (starting at 232 Swiss francs – £207 – for three days) covers national and private operators, and gains you entry to 500 museums, too. Ticket barriers scarcely exist, and much of the system relies, delightfully, on trust.”
Read more about Michael’s awe-inspiring train journey
Jodie Kidd went skiing in Gstaad with her father Johnny in January:
“As the train rounds a corner, we look down and see the village of Gstaad. It’s a picture of Alpine gorgeousness: all twinkling lights, snow-topped wooden chalets and paved streets. Just above us, we spot the grand chalet-style Alpina Gstaad overseeing it all. This beautiful hotel is going to be our base for the next three nights.
“And what a base it is. Its covert cavernous driveway through the hillside is a suitably dramatic entrance to this exclusive ‘home from home’ in the mountains. It’s a welcoming scene inside: exquisite wood-panelling, stone fireplaces with roaring fires, and a sweeping staircase (flanked by intricate fresh flower displays). The contemporary and thought-provoking art pieces that are scattered throughout create a wonderful juxtaposition between traditional and new.”
And then, as spring arrived, she drove part of The Grand Tour of Switzerland with fiance Joe in a Porsche 911 and a vintage Maserati:
“It’s the sound that first hits us: the roar of water tumbling over rocks and the clang of cowbells. Then it’s the scent of yellow, purple and pink wildflowers swaying on the verges. And finally the sight of the road winding up and up into thickly forested mountains laced with threads of silver streams. I get a shiver of excitement – I’m in Switzerland with my fiancé Joe to drive some of the Grand Tour and we’re ascending our first mountain pass, the Flüela Pass….
“…Soon we’re right on the border with Italy and decide we want to drive the full length of the Splügen Pass, so we nip across the border to Chiavenna, driving through the beautiful, bucolic Bregaglia valley, pulling up for a quick espresso stop before we’re back on the road, twisting and turning our way ever upwards.
“This pass reaches an altitude of 2,115m and is, for me, the most exhilarating of our journey. The hairpin bends keep on coming, we pass through tunnels hewn into the mountain, and drive along knee-knocking narrow stretches that cling right to the edge. I’m glad I’m driving and not in the passenger seat. It’s such a rush.”
Read more about Jodie’s ski adventure with her father and her Grand Tour with fiance Joe
Martin and Shirlie Kemp enjoyed the peaceful outdoor life that Ticino had to offer in April. Martin enjoyed people watching above Lake Lugano:
“My wife Shirlie and I agree that our favourite moment – the one that sums up our wonderful mini-break to the magical canton of Ticino – was sitting on the sun-drenched balcony at Locanda Gandriese in Gandria, sipping the local white merlot while waiting in anticipation for the arrival of a particularly delicious spaghetti dish and people-watching the sailors, windsurfers and canoeists on the sparkling waters of Lake Lugano below.
“It was a special moment, part of a special trip that will live long in our memory. We felt we’d earned our lunch too, having given ourselves a good workout on the olive path to Gandria – an excursion you simply have to do if you are taking a trip down this way.”
And Shirlie appreciated the calm majesty of the countryside as they travelled through the south from Zurich:
“There is an overwhelming sense of calm when you arrive in Switzerland. Our flight was not much more than an hour from London and soon after our train eased its way out of Zurich to begin its journey down to Ticino, in the Italian-speaking south of the country, Martin and I felt that lightness of being wash over us. We both said it.
“And Switzerland’s stunning countryside is even more spectacular when it is bathed in the Spring sunshine. There is no better sight than the snow-capped Alps in the background and placid lakes twinkling in the sunshine before them, and that’s what you get pretty much all the way down from Zurich.”
Read more about why Michael Kemp feels at home in Ticino
Theo Randall went on a culinary adventure and was fascinated by what he saw:
“Switzerland is simply top class when it comes to food and wine and my recent trip there was magnificent.
“The whole experience was amazing, meeting so many passionate people who love their country and wanted to share experiences with us. Like the cheese expert I met who explained the concept of the humidor – unique in Switzerland – or the chocolatier who showed me the painstaking process of grinding organic coffee beans in the stone mélangeur.
“The whole country is so diverse and beautiful. Everything is so clean and uncluttered; nothing looks messy and the trains and trams run like clockwork. And that was before I even tasted the wonderful food and drink…“
…In a day absolutely packed with interesting details, I was told that it is legal for people in Basel to swim in some of the city’s fountains – and during the summer they do exactly that, often with a glass in hand during those long, warm evenings.
“Many people also spend their lunch-hours swimming in the Rhine, with all their belongings in a buoyant swim-bag they take with them, emerging from the water to have lunch – while still damp – in one of the many riverside cafes and restaurants. Then they get dried and dressed and return, refreshed, to work. I can’t imagine jumping in the Thames after lunch but couldn’t help thinking it’s a lovely way to live during the summer.”
Read more about Theo Randall’s culinary tours of Zurich and Geneva; and Basel and Lausanne
And Lilly Gomm took her expert horticultural eye across the country. Here were two of her highlights:
“The mountaintop alpine garden of Schynige Platte is reached by a slow, chugging, nostalgic train. As you reach the top you realise it’s far from the modern botanic gardens we know around the world; it’s one like no other, confident in its own unique locality, littered with passion and formed by years of expert knowledge. While avidly studying the carpet of alpine species to be admired, including gentian, bellflowers and, probably the most famous Swiss alpine, edelweiss, you are continuously struck by the setting. The colossal, far-reaching views across the Bernese Alps turn the garden visit into an emotional experience filled with wonder. A must-visit and, once you’ve caught the Swiss travel bug, a place to return to on subsequent trips.
“Pelargoniums are prevalent across Switzerland, appearing in the window boxes of chalets and homes as well as adorning the cultural landmarks of cities. Lucerne’s Chapel Bridge would not be the same without the joyful, overflowing statement red, pink, white and lime green of its annual display. This iconic and shamelessly photogenic bridge is worth strolling on for its planting display alone. Best visited from July to September, the knowledge that these plants are grown locally and subsequently composted by the city of Lucerne’s Parks and Gardens Department, shows a sustainable, circular approach to municipal displays.”
Read more about Lilly Gomm’s special Swiss Sanctuary
Switzerland is easily reachable via train from London or by Swiss International Air Lines. And once you land, the famously efficient public transport will take you to the regions you want to visit by train, bus or boat using the Swiss Travel Pass, available from the Switzerland Travel Centre. Discover Switzerland for yourself at myswitzerland.com
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