The Swiss village of Gimmelwald.
A cow in the Swiss Alps.
Jaun, a municipality in the district of Gruyère in German-speaking Switzerland.
B eing cost-conscious and striving to take many once-ina-lifetime vacations, my travel destinations are usually chosen based on cheap flights that often get me and my husband there in shoulder season. Shoulder season is defined as the time between peak and off-season. It often means a time when the weather can be less than ideal, and for this trip to Switzerland in May 2024, it was definitely shoulder season.
We began our journey by flying into Geneva, Switzerland, and renting a vehicle. As we started the drive, we quickly, and without more than a simple road sign, crossed into France. Because both countries are in the Schengen Area, no border control or documentation is required to pass through. While Switzerland is a member of the Schengen Area, it is not a member of the European Union, meaning we had to pack Swiss francs instead of euros as currency.
One of our favorite things about trips like these is not planning out every hour or detail and allowing ourselves to have the adventure of seeing where we end up. Our first breakfast stop reminded us why we do this. We ended up stopping in Chamonix, France, on our way to Zermatt, Switzerland. We walked into town not knowing what to expect or a word of French and ended up having the loveliest coffee with the best views. Once we saw the milky blue waters with the mountains in the background, we knew we were in for quite the trip.
Zermatt is an idyllic Swiss mountain town that is car-free and can only be reached by train at the foot of the world’ s most photographed mountain, the Matterhorn. We parked our car at the local train station and set off on the train to Zermatt.
Knowing we only had two full days to enjoy Zermatt, we left for a hike. For these trips, I do a lot of research using social media, various websites and travel guides that I rent from the library. Being that this was only our third European trip, I was worried about closures due to shoulder season. I was right to be worried because as soon as we got to our first destination, a 15-minute walk from town, the Gorner Gorge was closed for the season.( Something to note here is that Switzerland has four official languages: French, German, Italian and Romansch.)
As we reached the gate of the gorge, we could see in five different languages, English included, that it was closed for the season. We debated how a trail could really be closed, weighed the risks, and decided to carry on anyway.
Winding down into the gorge, we followed the trail on wooden walkways. We had great views of turquoise pools, and it was the beginning of a trail system that worked its way through various routes leading deeper into the mountains.
As we walked through the lush forests and out into the open hills, we were lucky enough to see a few squirrels, marmots, ibex, snails and slugs. We ended up hiking more than four miles in the rain. I look at this hike as a pivotal moment for us and one that really defines how travel can be such a great learning tool and reminder for making the most of every situation. Due to the rain, we never got more than a 15-second fogless view of the Matterhorn, but that hike and never really knowing what was around each turn was worth so much more.
Before we knew it, our two nights in Zermatt came to an end, and we took the local train back to the station to grab our rental car and set off to our next destination. I remember looking at Google Maps and seeing two ways
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