Swiss & Italian Alps
The Swiss Alps are the highlight of any trip to Europe. Many times you will even hear people talk about how they merely flew over the alps and were amazed by its beauty. If you haven’t been to the region then it is a must. Although they are called the Swiss Alps, less than 15% of the Alps lie within Switzerland, it’s the country that people most closely associate with the Alps. For sure, Switzerland is home to some of the most famous Alpine locations—the Matterhorn, the Eiger, the Jungfrau—and many of the highest peaks and largest glaciers. It’s also home to an extensive network of well-marked hiking trails, hidden hotels, unique scenic trains, and much more. Depending on your mode of travel is very important for us to understand when planning your trip. Especially when it comes to a region like this.
What to really expect when traveling to the Swiss Alps? The towns/villages that surround the Alps are small just like their hotel rooms (period). For your standard and deluxe rooms, you can expect to be very small in the range of 190-290sq ft. If this is okay with you, great but if not it can lead to ruining your trip. The upside about having a smaller room is that it will force you to explore the great outdoors and cute towns. There is plenty to do in the Swiss Alp Region, here are a few of our favorites: scenic train routes, funicular train rides, toboggan rides, hiking, biking, zipping and typical adventure sports. Note that many of these small towns will not have a lot of options when it comes to restaurants. When you are in Geneva, Bern and Zurich you will have many more choices for food options.
On the Italian side items such as food and restaurants throughout the Alp region will be slightly less than in Switzerland but both are expensive. As it is a lot of effort and cost to get all the goods to the region. A reminder that Italy is on the Euro and Switzerland has its own currency CHF. In general, Switzerland is one of the most expensive countries in the world so even small items might be a sticker shock at first.
When is it a good time to travel to the Italian and Swiss Alps? For one many of the mountains/tops can see snowfall until the beginning of July. If you are into hiking I would say plan from the start of July until the beginning of Summer. The Summers are very short but the beautiful weather is well worth it. If you are into snow sports or just genuinely interested in exploring the region’s beauty in the snow then we would recommend the end of November until the end of March. Remember these are for dates specifically pertaining to the Alp region.
