Welcome to our Switzerland Travel Guide Food & Lodging page, where we will share information and tips regarding some of the best local food specialties, restaurants to dine in, and lodging options for overnight stays.
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Food
Swiss cuisine is generally primarily associated with cheese and chocolates, and you definitely can’t go wrong with either. For centuries, cheese fondue in Switzerland has been a staple item enjoyed by locals and visitors alike. Although cheese fondue can also be found in France and Italy, the Swiss version generally consists of a big communal pot of melted cheese, wine and garlic. Switzerland has become synonymous with chocolate in part because it was one of the first countries to produce chocolate from imported cacao, but also because swiss chocolatiers were the first to think about combining milk with chocolate. The latter fact is what primarily differentiates Swiss from Belgian chocolate: the swiss version tends to be creamier and smoother on the palette, whereas the Belgian version is richer in cacao and thus tends to be more bitter.
Another must-try dish in Switzerland is the simple yet delicious rösti, consisting of thinly grated potatoes, pan-fried with butter until crisp and golden. This gourmet hash brown is one of Switzerland’s iconic national dishes; although traditionally eaten for breakfast by Bernese farmers, it is now found throughout the country and across mealtimes as a side dish to accompany many other Swiss foods. Berner Platte is another traditional food platter, consisting of various meats and sausages cooked with sauerkraut flavours and accompanied with potatoes, beans and sauerkraut. Zürcher Geschnetzeltes is a dish particularly popular in the Zurich region and consists of thinly sliced, pan-fried veal topped with a creamy white wine sauce and sliced mushrooms.
For a quick breakfast, be sure to check out Butterzopf (Zopf for short), probably the most famous Swiss bread, a slightly sweet braided milk and butter bread.
Lastly, we bet you didn’t know that Switzerland is actually one of the world’s largest wine-producing countries? Unfortunately, only a small amount of it gets exported, so you’ll have to visit the country to have a proper tasting!
Lodging
Like most things, lodging in Switzerland isn’t necessarily cheap. Because of the high costs and the fact that we were still somewhat poor students during this trip, we used accommodations that were more inexpensive than usual.
Pension furDich provides 12 elegant and contemporary furnished rooms. Located within a 15-minute walk from Zurich Hardbrucke Railway Station, Pension furDich provides guests with an ideal base when visiting Zurich. It is situated in the area’s popular nightlife district, about a five-minute walk from Helvetiaplatz and Langstrasse. As an added bonus, all the rooms are located right above the congenial bistro bar Kafi fürDich. It is the perfect place for lunch, an evening meal or weekend brunch, just a few steps away from your room.
Balmers Tent Village (only open in summer), an extension of the Balmers Hostel in Interlaken, provides specialty glamping accommodations with very large tents set on wooden flooring. Located just outside the town center, it’s the perfect setup to wake up to fresh air and fantastic views of the Swiss Alps.
Bern Backpackers Hostel – Bern
These simple hostel rooms are definitely nothing to write home about. They are very basic and under-decorated (though the common area is cozy). But our room here served its purpose: an inexpensive stay that is centrally located within Bern’s old town.
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