Sometimes you just need to grab a friend and go on an adventure!

That’s exactly what I did in Switzerland.

Let me address one issue about Switzerland – the rumors are true, everything is expensive in Switzerland! Well….from an Australian standard it’s expensive. Coffee is roughly AU$6.50, a kebab will cost you AU$12 and McDonald’s Meal Deal will roughly be AU$15. Not exactly prices I’m use to paying, then again it’s almost on par with London prices.

Switzerland is a great country for solo travelling, but I’m so glad I did it with a friend, because honestly, it was so nice to split the cost for everything!

We decided to hire a car for the week we were there, which worked out cheaper in comparison to the prices of the train tickets per person (it would have been double the price!). I heard the Swiss train system in itself can be a great experience, but we had such a great time road tripping and making detours to places where you can’t get to by public transport, so I highly recommend anyone who is travelling to Switzerland to hire a car.

Switzerland fascinates me, it’s truly a democratic country where they value the quality of life more than anything. You’ll rarely see a homeless person, because no one is poor in Switzerland. Everyone is respected by their profession and gets paid well for it. Tax is low, health care is free, school and university is free, they have four national languages (Swiss-German, Swiss-French, English and Italian) and they rank quite high in the most liveable country. I’m ready to pack my bags and make the move to Switzerland!

This was our road trip route around Switzerland. With an added detour to France – Annecy.

From Zurich we made a quick detour to Germany to see the Rhine Falls, 35mins drive from Zurich. Well worth the border crossing!

Exploring old town Zurich. Oh I should point out that Swiss don’t really go out, they have bars and clubs, but it’s not part of their lifestyle to go out drinking. They tend to live within their means. Also, you can’t buy alcohol to take home after 10pm.

Driving in Basel in Autumn is quite magical. Unfortunately we were there on a Sunday – everything was closed. Here’s a tip, street parking on Sundays are free, don’t park in car parking bays like we did that costed a fortune!

Then a quick drive to Bern. Everything in Switzerland is close, literally an hour apart from each other.

Bern is the capital of Switzerland and is the second biggest city, after Zurich. Here you can see their famous brown bear, and the beautiful lake. Bern is also great for shopping….if you have the budget for it.

We made a quick day trip to Annecy in France. Annecy is my favourite place on Earth, and the last time I was there I promised myself I would share the moment with someone the next time I return. I’m so happy to have spent it with my friend B.

Enchanting Annecy.

Geneva

Back in Switzerland, exploring Geneva. The famous broken chair statue across the road from the UN embassy, signifying a reminder of the land mines and bombs, in hope it will unify the world to come together to resolve the one issue which is the war within the human race.

UN congress office.

We made a pitt stop off the foot of Mount Chamonix.

Plenty of scenic views on our drive.

The town of Sion.

If there was one place you have to go in Switzerland, it would be Adelboden. It is absolutely breathtaking! Even the journey there is incredible. I don’t have any photos of it, but we drove our car onto a train which then travels up the mountain in a tunnel, completely pitch darkness. It was quite an experience!

We stayed at the lovely ‘The Cambrian’ hotel, with their huge outdoor spa. My most memorable moment of the trip was spending time in the spa at dusk, then seeing it snow at night. I was so excited!

Spa session after breakfast.

View from the Hotel’s lounge.

Making our way through Lake Blausee

Lake Blausee – the stunning blue water.

A quick tea break in Interlaken.

Before heading to Grindelwald, even the drive into the town was mesmerizing!

Grindelwald is very quaint. From here we made the decision to go up the mountain to the highest point in Europe – Jungfrau. Although it was extremely expensive (AU$180) for the train ticket up to the peak, it was well worth the experience. Sometimes when you’re travelling you have to make the quick decision to go all out or not at all.

Highest point in Europe!

Checking out the ice cave.

Also, you might want to be prepared for the -10 degrees temperature. We weren’t, so we wore 3-4 layers of what we had in our suitcase.

Then our last stop in the gorgeous Lucerne.

Autumn, Winter, Spring, Summer- Switzerland is beautiful in any season.

It’s nice to have a travel buddy who helps you out with taking photos, but there are still photo fail moments with the self timer….