This weekend, a huge group of my friends and me planned a trip to Interlaken, Switzerland through the program Bus2Alps. (For anyone considering using this company for travel in the future, I would highly recommend it! Other than having to wait 6 hours for our return flight due to the company only providing one bus ride from the hostel to the airport, Bus2Alps did a great job). Though I was staying in Bombers, the oldest hostel in Interlaken that was full of other study abroad students, I was still hesitant to go due to the fact that I don’t ski or snowboard. However, I quickly realized this didn’t once affect the amount of fun I’d have on this trip.
1.) Like me, if you aren’t comfortable with snow sports and have a free day in the alps, I would highly recommend going paragliding to anyone (even if you don’t have an adventurous edge, it was the best way to see Switzerland). I would recommend suggest using the program we went paragliding with—they were organized, calm and cautious of everyone’s safety. In fact, my friends and I were originally supposed to go on Friday, but due to the light snow and wind, the instructions moved all of our dates to Saturday for a safer fly. Coming from someone who easily gets nauseous from roller coasters and heights, my experience in the air this weekend was unforgettable and stress-free. The flight time was only 10-15 minutes, and provided the most breathtaking birds eye view of both lakes and the city.
2.) In addition to paragliding, I would also recommend visiting Lake Thun. Because the town of Interlaken is so small, walking and using the bus system are both doable/easy ways to get to Lake Thun. Not only are the views here crystal clear, highlighting the snow covered mountains and clear blue water, but it allows for an opportunity of pristine lighting and picture quality.
3.) If you start to get hungry or develop a sweet tooth throughout the day, a visit to Funky Chocolate will probably be necessary. Located on Jungfraustrasse St. (around a 10-minute walk from my hostel), not only does this chocolate store have the best hot cocoa I’ve ever had, but also it offers daily chocolate-making cooking classes. Not to mention, for 10 Frank’s, the store provided customers with bubble wrapped envelopes to express mail two chocolate bars of the customers decision.
So, even if you aren’t a skier or snowboarder, this won’t prevent you from having an incredible time in the Swiss Alps.
hola from the other side 