A Trip Around the Mountain Resorts of Switzerland

 I participated in a 9-day trip to Switzerland from September 6 to September 14, 2012 (H24). The tour was operated by Emirates Airline, based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Day 1

Departure from Kansai Airport at 23:40. The flight time to Dubai was approximately 10 hours and 10 minutes. There is a 5-hour time difference between Japan and the United Arab Emirates, and a 7-hour difference between Japan and Switzerland. The cabin was air-conditioned, and a blanket and long sleeves were necessary. This was likely due to differences in body constitution. The first meal was served about two hours after departure, followed by the second meal approximately two hours before arriving in Dubai.

Day 2

Arrival in Dubai at 04:50. Dubai Airport is a major hub connecting Europe and Africa, and it is very large. The transit time was about 4 hours. Despite the early morning hour, the airport was bustling with people of various nationalities, including Arabs and Westerners, making it feel like a melting pot of cultures.

Departure from Dubai at 08:40. The flight time to Zurich was approximately 6 hours and 40 minutes.

Arrival in Zurich at 13:20. After arrival, we transferred by bus to Maienfeld, the setting for "Heidi, the Girl of the Alps." There, we hiked through the original landscape of Heidi and visited Heidi's house and Heidi's spring. Afterward, we moved to St. Moritz, where we stayed for two nights.

Day 3

Tour of the "Bernina Alps," one of the Four Great Peaks of the Swiss Alps.

We traveled by bus from St. Moritz to the cable car station at "Diavolezza." From there, we took the cable car to the Diavolezza viewpoint, which is situated at an elevation of 2,984 meters. The view from the observation deck was breathtaking, with a magnificent panorama of 4,000-meter peaks stretching out before us. Famous mountains like Piz Palü, Piz Bernina, and Piz Morteratsch lined up in front of us, and below, we could see the Pers Glacier and Morteratsch Glacier.

Afterward, we boarded the Bernina Express and traveled to "Tirano," Italy. In Tirano, we enjoyed pizza at a local restaurant before taking a stroll through the town. We then returned to St. Moritz for our overnight stay.

Day 4

We boarded the Glacier Express, a long-awaited experience, and passed over the Landwasser Viaduct on our way to "Täsch."

The village of Zermatt, located at the base of the Matterhorn, has a unique feature: in order to protect the view of the Matterhorn from air pollution, the use of vehicles with internal combustion engines is banned within the town. As a result, most vehicles in Zermatt are electric.

To travel from Täsch to Zermatt, we took the train. Zermatt station is small, but there are charming, traditional Swiss buildings in front of it. Our luggage was transported by electric vehicle, and we walked to our hotel.

On the way, we stopped at a famous Matterhorn photo spot known as the "Japanese Bridge." Unfortunately, the mountain was obscured by clouds, so we couldn't see the iconic red Matterhorn.

Tonight, we stayed in Zermatt

Day 5

I wanted to capture the sunrise over the Matterhorn, so I set up my tripod on the hotel rooftop and waited from around 4:00 AM. Unfortunately, due to cloudy skies, I was unable to take the shot I was hoping for. During that time, I noticed several red lights flickering along the ridge in the darkness. When I asked about them, I was told that they were the lights of climbers who had started their ascent to the Matterhorn summit even earlier, embarking on a dangerous and life-threatening challenge.

After breakfast, we boarded the cogwheel train and headed to the "Gornergrat" observation platform at an altitude of 3,089 meters. The panoramic view of the Gorner Glacier and the Matterhorn from here was breathtaking.

On the way back, we enjoyed a 2.2 km hike through nature, which took about 1 hour and 30 minutes. I was able to capture a stunning photo of the Matterhorn reflected in the lake.

After descending, we stopped by the local Coop and Migros supermarkets at the foot of the mountain to purchase souvenirs.

Day 6

We headed to Chamonix, France. For lunch, we enjoyed curry rice at a restaurant run by a Japanese owner in Chamonix. Compared to the past, Japanese people now live in many countries, and the number of Japanese restaurant and café owners has increased. I thought it would be a good idea to visit such places during the trip, even as part of the itinerary.

Afterward, we took the cable car to the Aiguille du Midi, an observation platform at 3,842 meters, where we had a stunning view of Mont Blanc. There was still a lot of snow on the mountain, and we could see people walking on the snowfields. They were probably part of a group of mountaineers.

After descending, we explored the Swiss capital, Bern, before heading to Grindelwald for the night.

Day 7

The Jungfrau Railway departs from the Kleine Scheidegg station, passing through tunnels beneath the Eiger and Mönch mountains, and finally arrives at the Jungfraujoch station. This is the highest railway station in Europe. The entire journey takes about 50 minutes, and most of the time is spent traveling through tunnels. The fare is quite expensive, around 10,000 yen for a round trip.

At the Sphinx Observatory, it was snowing heavily, but at the Ice Palace, built beneath the Aletsch Glacier, we were able to walk through ice corridors. The place was incredibly crowded with Chinese tourists. At the souvenir shop in the Sphinx Observatory, we saw many visitors purchasing high-end Swiss watches one after another.

Day 8

Finally, today is the last day of our trip. Since our flight from Zurich was at 15:30, the sightseeing ended in the morning. We traveled from Grindelwald to Stechelberg, where we were supposed to take a cable car up to Allmendhubel. The plan was to enjoy the view of the three Jungfrau peaks and take a leisurely walk along the Flower Trail to see alpine plants.

However, there was a light snow accumulation at the cable car station, and when we arrived at Allmendhubel, we were greeted by a fierce snowstorm. There was nothing we could do, so we passed the time in a restaurant. We did see a few people wandering around in the blizzard.

Lesson from the Swiss Trip

In September, the mountains are already starting to feel the early signs of winter. The best time to visit is from June to August.