UnDiplomatic Wife

Switzerland

GENEVA

We live outside of Geneva, so when we have guests from out of town, it’s also our chance to explore Geneva. This is a great itinerary for families with kids because there are rest stops, play breaks, places for refreshments & toilet stops. It’s also a great itinerary for adults where you will just skip the carousel.

1-DAY ITINERARY
for families who miss Asian Food

If you want to follow the route we took which is very friendly for young kids because we ascended more gently on sloping streets and then took stairs going down, you can see the locations in order on GOOGLE MAPS starting with Nagomi Tempura for the most amazing lunch:

  1. Les Cygnes Parking convenient parking in Paquis
  2. Nagomi Tempura the only Tempura a la minute resto in the whole of Europe
  3. Genève-Pâquis boat station to get on a water taxi CHF6.50 regional day ticket via SBB app
  4. Genève-Molard disembark at this station to go to Old Town
  5. Place du Molard walk under the ancient clock tower built in 1591 (also a restaurant)
  6. Fontaine du Molard around this fountain, people love to eat & people watch
  7. Chaussures Aeschbach a good stop for families, coz of the slide, shopping, WC & cafe
  8. Le Patio by La Bonbonnière charming courtyard cafe for quick refreshments & markets/displays
  9. Perron IV by Gérard Musy cool off tired feet in the summer on this fountain
  10. Cathédrale Saint-Pierre Genève gorgeous architecture. If you have 2hrs to spare you can go to the architectural site underneath or walk 157 steps up the towers for a panoramic view of Geneva
  11. Passage des Degrés-de-Poules a steep and long historical staircase
  12. Caran d’Ache store the best pens from a Geneva company!
  13. Promenade de la Treille take a play break in one of the prettiest playgrounds with a view!
  14. L’Ancien Arsenal see the differnt canons from different times
  15. Tavel House discover the oldest private residence in Geneva & take a WC break
  16. Fontaine de la rue du Perron take a break & drink from this historical fountain
  17. Carrousel de la Madeleine an iconic place for kids in Geneva
  18. Jardin Anglais save the best for last & enjoy the beauty of this iconic garden by the lake
  19. Fontaine des Quatre-Saisons a large fountain loved by kids
  20. Buste de Gustave Ador honoring the man who was critical to the establishement of the UN
  21. Umamido Pâquis – Ramen Shop Asian standards excellent Ramen for dinner!
  22. Les Cygnes Parking

1D GENEVA ITINERARY on GOOGLE MAPS

Swiss Rest Stops

We love doing road trips in Switzerland. The rest stops are on a different level. One of those is the Relais du St Bernard. Stunning views!

*I’ll be updating this list with my favorite rest stops for when we do road trips in Switzerland

LUCERNE

Lucerne or Luzern to the locals is super popular with Asian Tourists because it is so beautiful and really gives you all the Swiss Vibes from the lake to the beautiful Old Town all the way to up to the mountains! You can have everything Swiss in 3 Days and it’s super family friendly.

Important Places in Lucern

LUZERN-RIGI 1-Day Itinerary

Taking a boat on Lake Luzern then the Cogwheel Train or Cable Car to/from Mt. Rigi’s summit (RIGI KULM) is an activity that’s recommended when you are in Luzern & nearby areas; however, before you buy tickets, please check the Live Webcam to make sure it’s worth it (see CLEAR vs WHITE OUT below). You want to have a view, coz if it’s white out (RIGHT PIC) then it’s not worth spending CHF160/person to go up for the RIGI DAY PASS. Please note that you only spend 80/person if you have the HALF FARE CARD for RESIDENTS or for TOURISTS.

WEB CAM: Clear vs Whiteout

Swiss Travel Pass

VERY IMPORTANT: But if you are traveling to Switzerland, I really recommend checking if the SWISS TRAVEL PASS is worth it for you. If you have this, all the trains/cable cars in Mt. Rigi + the boat rides on Lake Lucerne are already INCLUDED! It also includes trains, buses, and boats in Switzerland, and urban transport in 90 cities. Includes panoramic trains (reservation extra) + FREE ENTRY to more than 500 museums in Switzerland. PUBLIC TRANSPORT is EXPENSIVE, so having this pass can save you a lot. Children travel for free with their parents on the Swiss Travel Pass.

1 Day Itinerary

I highly recommend this 1DAY ITINERARY we took coz we were able to experience different modes of transport & check off a bucketlist item with the healing baths at Rigi-Kaltbad First. Click on the links to see where they are on GOOGLE MAPS.

Instagram Reel

 

Montreaux

Montreux is known as the Swiss Riviera. And indeed it’s so beautiful to walk along the promenade by the lake. I also dream of taking the Belle Epoque ferry one day.

Montreux Christmas Market

Most of the world know it for it’s insta-famous Christmas Market FLYING SANTA.

Montreux Swiss Riviera in Spring

Morge

Morge is famous for the TULIP FESTIVAL in Spring. And it’s the only reason we have ever gone back to Morge. It was the first event #DiploBigBro took us to when we moved to Switzerland in 2021. And it’s definitely a must do if you are in Geneva or other nearby areas.

TULIP FESTIVAL 2026 theme is TALES & LEGENDS

DIPLOTIPS to enjoy the Tulip Festival stress-free:

  • Put sunblock on & bring some to reapply
  • Check the weather to dress appropriately i.e. hats & bring neckfans/fans to keep cool.
  • Bring water as it can be quite warm in direct sunlight
  • Go later in the day so people are already leaving
  • There are food trucks but the ones near the entrance have longer lines than the ones deeper inside.
  • Same goes for the WC. There’s one near the buvette at the end. 
  • Some people sit in the grass and picnic. If you are allergic to grass like I am, bring something to sit on & antihistamines

THUN 3-day Itinerary

Recently we went to Thun to check off watching the Spanish Women’s National Team off our bucketlist. This is our 3-day Itinerary. It was an easy trip because we were so well located by the Thun See. The only time we took our car was when we ate in the old town. Other than that we walked or took public transport.

DAY 1

DAY 2

We have a free transport card for the day of the match. The Spain vs Belgium match was still at 6pm so we were deciding on going on the SOLARSCHIFF, the FERRY or take the TRAIN/BUS to Isetwald which is famous for the CLOY PIER. Due to the timing we decided to take the TRAIN/BUS to ISETWALD.

DAY 3

On our last day we checked out of our hotel at 11am then finally had time to really explore the Thun Panorama museum.

  • Thun Panorama Set aside 1-2hrs for this museum coz it has so many interesting things to do especially for kids.
  • lunch at Schloss Schadau again (3rd time this trip coz it’s so yum!)coz it’s so close & convenient with the best view. Highly recommended!
  • Before leaving we went to the Seespiegel Uber Meer to take some family pictures in front of the castle and say goodbye to the stunning lake.

We were supposed to head over to the Ballenberg Open-Air Museum before going home, but because it was raining, we decided to skip it. I hope we get to go some other time.

Zurich

We went to Zürich for DiploBaby’s birthday and we did not realize that you need to plan months ahead of time.

Zürich locations on GOOGLE MAPS

LAUTERBRUNNEN

  • Going around Lauterbrunnen
  • Overnight parking
  • Taking the train up to Wengen

WENGEN

  • How to get to Wengen: our first roadtrip in Switzerland
  • Parking facility in Lauterbrunnen
  • Splurging on Bergwelt Grindelwald Alpine Design Resort
  • BG’s Breakfast Buffet
  • BG’s Grill Restaurant
  • Bergwelt Grindelwald Pool & Spa
  • Bergwelt Grindelwald Restaurant

GRINDELWALD

  • Bergwelt Grindelwald Alpine Design Resort
  • Meals at the Hotel Restaurant
  • Hotel Breakfast
  • Hotel pool & spa
  • Grindelwald Pfingstegg
  • Takeout at Alte Post

LAUSANNE

LEUKERBAD

A great location to learn snowboarding/skiing, then soak in a thermal spa after. No need to go up with the Gondola. Just get lessons in the Sports Arena which is walking distance to the hotel.

  • Therme 51° Hotel Physio & Spa + breakfast
  • Restaurant Pizzeria Giardino
  • Snowboarding Lessons
  • Snowpark for sledding & taking lessons
  • Sports Arena Restaurant in Sports Arena
  • Walking around
  • Mcdonald’s Reststop in Yvorne on the way back home. Interior designed na McDo

BERN

  • Hotel Ambassador fassbindhotels.ch
  • Taishi
  • Kleintierklinik for DiploDog’s cancer surgery & traumatic experience with locals
  • Gourmanderie Moléson
  • Tierpark (Zoo) + Dählhölzli (restaurant)
  • Bistro Steinhalle
  • Museum Nacht Bern 2021
  • Bernisches Historisches Museum / Einstein Museum
  • Natural History Museum Bern (Barry the Legendary St. Bernard Dog + Giant Crystals)
  • Museum for Communication
  • Moules-edy

ST. MORITZ (winter)

LOCARNO

  • Driving to Locarno
  • Hotel La Barca Blu
  • Villa Orselina fancy dinner with a view
  • Ristorante Osteria Nostrana
  • Lido Locarno High-tech swimming complex with pools, massive water slides & thermal baths, plus beach (lake) access.
  • Grotto Baldoria garden dinner

NEUCHATEL

  • Salle des Quais
  • Walking around – beach, Chateau de grandson
  • crepe break
  • PSA on the bumper cars

ST. CERGUE (winter)

The cool thing about where we live is that we are only 20mins away from the mountains, St. Cergue in particular. In winter this is great if we want to get some sun and also for winter activities like sledding & skiing.

ST. GALLEN

We usually pass by St. Gallen to go to Dornbirn in Austria. We gas up in this SHELL STATION that honors the Shell Diplomatic Card which is a benefit of Diplomats in Switzerland.

St. Gallen locations on GOOGLE MAPS

FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM @UNDIPLOMATICWIFE

Verified by MonsterInsights