Alpine Awe
Gruetzi, Buongiorno, Bonjour
and welcome to my 2025 Rick Steves' The Best of Switzerland Scrapbook that showcases the natural splendor, cultural experiences, and moments of awe as we traveled across the country.
Hi, I’m Christy- a solo traveler who’s dreamed of visiting Switzerland long before I ever had a passport. The classic story of Heidi and her grandfather first lured me to the Swiss Alps, and leaving the flatlands of Texas for real mountain hiking called to me. I’m an elementary school teacher ten months of the year and a life-long learner all twelve, which means wonder and exploration guide me year round- whether in my classroom or on a trail.
Oh, and it’s not just the landscape that enticed me here- chocolate and cheese are truly my favorite food groups, making it a personal mission to discover my Swiss favorites of both. So, let’s wander together through The Best of Switzerland which faithfully brought me Alpine Awe.
The Best of Switzerland is my third Rick Steves’ tour, and I am eager to share what it offers. Rick Steves’ tours transform a vacation into a journey filled with experiences special to the local culture. When you are ready to go beyond seeing Switzerland and desire to experience it- hiking through a cave to emerge at a hotel clinging to the mountainside, joining your travel mates at a lakeside restaurant to make risotto, retracing the steps of the pact made at Rütli Meadow, exploring a WWII bunker that supported the country’s neutrality, and engaging in yodeling and alphorn music- you discover this is more than travel. It’s a connection.
The undeniably most impactful part of the tour is the people. The guide, who wants to connect you not just to a place, but to the stories behind the culture. The tour group, whose spirit of adventure parallels your own excitement. The local guides, with their passion for their home and culture. When you gather these people together with the experiences hosted by locals, your trip becomes a journey of awe rather than a series of stops.
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Click on the map to learn more about Rick Steves' tours!
“Instructions for living a life:
Pay attention.
Be astonished.
Tell about it.”
—Mary Oliver, Sometimes
Tips for your Alpine Adventure
Ricksteves.com shares many tips, guidelines, and commitments to for your trip. Here are a few tips I would like to add:
Stopping at the local markets Migros or Coop for a sandwich saves time and money to get back out and enjoy all that Switzerland has to offer. Think of it like this- you can spend time indoors or make a picnic with the Matterhorn!
Bring a water bottle. There are fountains throughout Switzerland with clean drinking water.
For fun, watch movies and read books featuring your destinations. The James Bond film “On Her Majesty’s Service” used the Schilthorn’s revolving restaurant as the setting. You can find a list of suggestions online and in the guidebook.
Download the Rick Steves Audio Europe app to listen to interviews. Listening to these on my commute before the trip added to my excitement. You may even find one that features your guide! With this and your guidebook you will be ready to experience Switzerland.
Be present. Sample the food. Try the alphorn. Immerse yourself in the experiences!
With this presence, keep a travel journal to reflect on all you experienced during the day. I’ve included my “Moments of Awe” from my journal in the pages that follow.