Cool Winter Destinations: Switzerland
November 21, 2009 | Megan Eaves
The Matterhorn is an Alpine icon
Almost anytime you watch a Hollywood movie or see pictures of Switzerland, there is snow involved. Remember that opening scene of The Bourne Identity where Jason Bourne tears up an American embassy in Zurich? Remember the snow falling outside when he tried to run away? What about the Matterhorn ride at Disney? A bobsled rollercoaster through the snowy Alps. In fact, the one thing that pretty much everyone knows about Switzerland is the Alps. Well, that and of course cheese and knives and watches. But I digress…
The point is, Swizterland is absolutely beautiful in the wintertime. You don’t necessarily need to be into winter sports, although they’ve got tons of tobogganing and skiing if that’s your thing. If not, you might just enjoy shopping in the French regions of the country, or sipping an ale in a Zurich cafe. There are plenty of options in Switzerland for almost any student traveler.Switzerland is generally split up into regions called cantons, or counties, and it is a country well-known for its diverse cultural triumvirate consisting of French, German and uniquely Swiss. There is also an Italian element to Switzerland, which, along with the others, are influences from Switzerland’s many bordering neighbors. Officially trilingual, depending upon which part of Switzerland you’re in, you’ll hear German, French or Swiss-German (Schweizerdeutsch), which is actually a series of dialects rather than one single language.
Winter sports like skiing and toboganning are the obvious first choice of most winter visitors to Switzerland. Some of the Swiss resorts have serious set-ups, sometimes with 30 or 40 lifts, gondolas and even dozens of resorts packed into one area. Perhaps one of the most famous spots for skiing in all of Europe is the Swiss resort Nendaz, which boasts 100 different lifts scattered across 4 ski valleys on 400 km of terrain. Holy moly. Nendaz is located in the Valais canton of southwest Switzerland, not too far from France. The youth rates offered by Nendaz also give us student travelers a bit of a break on the price (around €35 for a full day lift pass!).
If you’re looking for somewhere a bit more off the beaten path and a bit less fancy schmancy, you might try Bettmeralp, also in Valais, which is a small, car-free ski village up in the Alps. You can only get to Bettmeralp by taking a cable car there, but once you arrive, you’ll get some of the most spectacular views in the world, including great vantage points of the infamous Matterhorn, a craggy peak that’s one of the highest in the Alps.
For a less rigorous vacation, you could always explore the many castles of Switzerland which, under a gentle blanket of snow, look like something out of a storybook. Chillon Castle, which sits on the shores of Lake Geneva surrounded by the snowy tips of the Alps, has been the haunt of many famous writers, including Victor Hugo and Lord Byron. There is a reduced entry fee to the castle for students of just €7. Other Swiss castles you might want to check out are Schloss Lenzburg, Aigle Castle and Trachselwald Castle.
Less outdoorsy types might prefer a more sophisticated Swiss visit by simply city hopping between the country’s urban centers. Zurich boasts a great nightlife and fantastic history, and city center lake that looks simply stunning under cover of snow and ice. French-speaking Geneva is Switzerland’s second largest city and it’s cultural center, with plenty of art museums and historic buildings to keep you occupied. The Swiss capital, Berne, is a small city with wonderful heritage and an outstanding UNESCO World Heritage Site old town. Other cities, such as Lausanne with its distinctly French flair for wine and culture, or the Italian-speaking Lugano, offer idyllic scenes of multi-cultural Switzerland that aren’t to be missed.
Perhaps the best thing about getting around Switzerland is the extremely efficient public transport system, which whisks passengers around on cute trams, subways, high speed trains and rickety mountain railways and gondolas. The Swisspass offers extremely good value to tourists with unlimited travel on all Swiss forms of transport for a flat fare, and there are student discounts to boot.
Don’t forget to bring along your International Student Identity Card to provide proof of your student status and get tons of great discounts across Switzerland.
