Snowboarding & 5 Day Road Trip in the Swiss Alps

After hiking back down to our car and brushing several inches of fresh snow off, we drove to Täsch, where we parked (for 14 CHF/$15.19) and hopped on the scenic Zermatt shuttle train to Zermatt—a picturesque car-free town at the base of the Matterhorn. Two train tickets cost us 32.80 CHF/$35.58.

We took in the quaint town’s sights as we made our way to the train station to Matterhorn Sport, where we rented snowboards and helmets for 48.60 CHF/$50.86 each (we made sure to reserve them online ahead of time). We brought our own goggles which definitely came in handy and we highly recommend!

Then we walked with our gear over to the Sunnegga Funicular that took us up to the slopes. There were many other people doing the same things as us! The lift pass we bought (the beginners ski pass) gave us access to plenty of beginner trails, which turned out to be perfect and allowed us to take in the sights as we made our way down the slopes.

For most of the day it was clear, but the higher in altitude we got the foggier it got and at one point you couldn’t even see 50ft in front of you! The fog just added to the thrill and wonder of the day though.

Midway through the day, we stopped at Adler Hitta, a charming slope-side restaurant only reachable by skis or snowboard in the wintertime, for a quick water break with a stunning view of the Matterhorn.

After an exhilarating (and exhausting) day on the mountain, we headed back down to the town of Zermatt to return all our gear before grabbing dinner at Pizzeria Ristorante Molino. After our bellies were full, we explored the town some more, searched for some souvenirs and then took the train back to our car in Täsch. Finally, we made the snowy drive back to our cozy cabin once more.

We packed up early and left our cabin in Val de Bagnes, crossing into Italy via the scenic Great St. Bernard Pass. Once across the border, we spotted a McDonald’s in Aosta and decided to see how the Italians do fast food. The kiosk was down, and we couldn’t speak Italian, so we ended up ordering burgers for breakfast—an unintentional, funny highlight.

Once we got to Milan, we quickly realized the Italians drive much differently than we do here in the U.S. Sometimes there were no lanes painted on a 4 car wide road, and even if there were lines, people ignored them. Roundabouts were complete chaos and everyone just exited whenever they wanted from whatever lane they wanted. Somehow we didn’t see any accidents and we didn’t get into one ourselves!

We eventually found a parking garage and walked towards the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, popped into the Ferrari store, and admired the Duomo. For lunch, we stopped at a tiny café for salmon sandwiches and some gelato.

After we returned to our car, we then made our way to Chur, Switzerland’s oldest town. It is also a car-free town like Zermatt, so we walked through historic cobblestone streets and made our way to Speiserestaurant Rätushof Chur, where we had dinner. After dinner we headed to our Airbnb, which was a modern condo that overlooked Lake Lucerne. The view was postcard-perfect.

We sipped espresso in our Airbnb overlooking the lake before heading to Kriens to take the 45 minute gondola trip to Mt. Pilatus up into the clouds. The lift cost us 57.60 CHF/$62.07 each. Though clouds concealed the panorama view from the summit, it was still surreal standing above the cloudline.

The first thing we did was grab lunch at the Panoramagrill and looked for some more souvenirs. After that we walked part of the Dragon Path, bundled up against the high winds and blowing snow.

Next up: a hike on the Rigi Panorama Trail, reached via cable car from Kräbel. It cost more than we expected—about $100—but the panoramic mountain top views were worth every franc. With hardly anyone else on the trail and fresh snow underfoot, it felt like we had the Alps to ourselves. We both agree this is one our favorite hikes we’ve done to date, and certainly one of the most beautiful. We were not about to completely finish the trail due to the depth of snow, but it was funny giving it a try!

We bought crampons/boot spikes in anticipation for this hike, and they were very helpful, especially over icy terrain. We may have needed snowshoes for the last bit though.

That evening we went into the city of Lucerne to have a traditional fondue dinner at Fondue House Du Pont. To get there, we walked along the river and crossed the Kapellbrücke Bridge (Chapel Bridge) which is a famous medieval wooden bridge built in the 1300’s.

At dinner we enjoyed an indulgent three-course meal with bread and apples for appetizers, then potatoes, vegetables, rice, chicken and steak for the main course, and finally fruit with chocolate fondue for dessert. It was certainly a romantic dinner with a view of the Reuss, all coming in at $170.

We took it slow the next morning before lunch at Helvetia, where we were starting to put together that European waiters never rush you—at all. For us Americans used to the waiter checking in every 10 minutes, just know that unless you directly flag them down they will never come over to your table.

After our meal, we headed to Balsthal to explore the Neu-Falkenstein Castle Ruins on our way to Bern. It was completely free, remote, and beautiful. We climbed up the towers and could see for miles.

In Bern, we saw the famous Bear Pit (the Bärengraben) where they have kept bears since 1513 and has roots all the way back to 1191.  We saw a few brown bears roaming their enclosure across from the pit and then explored the charming streets of Switzerland’s capital.

At the time of this trip, the U.S. mandated a negative covid test 24 hours before re-entry. We planned it so that we could do it while we were in Bern. We had to stop at a clinic in the city—an annoying but necessary step for getting home.

Dinner that night was at Restaurant Harmonie, where we finished the meal European style—with an espresso.

After dinner, we walked back through the town and found one of the many 16th century public drinking fountains, and decided to try it for ourselves.

Lastly, we had one last gelato from La Golosa, which we enjoyed while walking through Bern’s historic streets and alleys. We then headed back to our Airbnb to fly home the next morning.