The country of Switzerland has many contributions to the world such as its wonderful and majestic picturesque topography and landscapes, but one thing that cannot be missed out is the country’s craving for sweets. Switzerland offers a handful of the world’s beloved chocolates that originated in the country, and one can take a tour or partake in the chocolate-making industry.
Chocolate Factory
Switzerland is very famous for its chocolate-making industry, and Switzerland is certainly one of the largest producers of chocolates. The area around Switzerland has many chocolate business establishments to choose from. These establishments offer a unique and delightful feeling of touring the entire or portion of the chocolate factory. World-renowned companies like the Cailler, Lindt, and Sprungli to name a few are found in Switzerland. The Maison Cailler factory located in Gruyere gives a chance to visitors and tourists alike to come and see the wonder and beauty of chocolate making. The factory tours et the people watch as the step by step process of chocolate making is unveiled before their very eyes, such as the putting of all the ingredients and etc. The Lindt and Sprungli chocolate factory also share its secrets through a factory tour.
Cheese Delight
Switzerland is famous for cheese, as you probably know. The country is awash with cheese producers, with numerous factory and local cheese makers. The cheese we all know as “swiss cheese” is actually Emmental cheese. It is is a semi-hard kind of cheese withan abundance of holes that originates in Emmental. The Emmental cheese is most common and loved in North America and thus the name Swiss cheese came about.
Le Gruyere cheese is one of the best cheeses to use on fondue dishes that can either be eaten as plain cheese or used in a variety of other ways. Many Swiss cheese companies also give factory tours to visitors if you are interested in cheese and wish to get a glimpse of the cheese business.
Hiking The Alps
Switzerland has one of the most extensive hiking networks in the world with over 66,000 km of hiking trails all over the country. You could literally walk out of your hotel anywhere in the country and hike to your next destination, never leaving the hiking network along the way.
Of course, that also means there are way too many hikes to choose from, so here are a few you should consider:
- The long-distance Via Alpina which also passes through other countries in the Alps
- Parts of the Chamonix-Zermatt Haut Route are also favorites of mine
- Hiking around the Bernese Overland near Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen can’t be beaten
- Also, try to get in a few hikes around the Lake of Lucerne
This is just the tip of the iceberg, and you can explore many more hikes here.
Precision Automatic Watches
When you think of watches, aside from thinking of James Bond, you probably think of Switzerland. After all, this country has made a name for itself producing some of the most accurate and precise automatic watches in the world.
There are so many Swiss watch brands around, it’s kinda hard to keep up, but you have probably heard of Rolex, Omega, TAG Heuer, Tissot, Cartier and maybe many more. Even the extremely affordable plastic ones like Swatch have stormed the shopping malls of the world and they have even gone as far as to build those tiny cars that slot into non-existent car parking spaces!
Snow Sports
Switzerland is known worldwide for its chocolate and cheese for sure. But besides that, it is known for its mountains and ski resorts!
The Swiss Alps can certain get overcrowded during the winter months as the slopes serve as the base for snow and extreme sports. This includes skiing, snowboarding, ice climbing, snowshoe trekking, and tobogganing. People who are not into snow sports can still enjoy winter by making use of chair lifts, cable cars, gondolas, funiculars, cliff railways, and others.
The Literature & History Of Switzerland
For tourists and travelers seeking a more relaxing and slow-paced environment in Switzerland, a place like Maienfeld is worth visiting. The town of Maienfeld is popularly known as the location of the story of Heidi. In the town itself is an authentic replica of Heidi’s house can be found, which if you are a fan of the book, may be worth checking out