What To Eat In Switzerland: 5 Foods Beyond Fondue

 Guest Post written by Matt Connolly: Switzerland does dairy well – the molten variety in particular. There’s something rather brilliant about eating hot bubbling cheese or chocolate while you sit nestled among the snowy Alps and this a scene the Swiss have nailed.

From chocolate shops through to cafes serving raclette and fondue, there are plenty of opportunities to indulge a penchant for all things warm and milky in Switzerland, but if Emmental, Gruyere or Vacherin don’t do it for you, you’ll find plenty of other local cuisine to tempt your tastebuds.

The Swiss have taken much influence from their neighbors in some of their favorite foods, so expect to find a touch of the French, Italian and German about some dishes.

Traditionally a country of farmers, simple foods reign supreme in this region, but don’t be fooled – there are still a wealth of fine dining establishments.

In fact, Schloss Schauenstein was ranked 30 in the list of the World’s Best restaurants last year and boasts the rather grand setting of a castle. Of course, top class dining anywhere in the world doesn't come cheap.

You can price up the cost of the Castle’s different course offerings using Travelex’s currency converter here - if it’s a little out of your price range, worry not.

Here are some top Swiss dishes you can sample in small and inexpensive eateries on the streets of Switzerland…

Rösti

Forget hash browns – the proper crisp potato goods you should be heaping on your breakfast place are rosti and the Swiss are big fans.

Eat with eggs and cheese on top for breakfast, or serve as a side to mop up creamy sauces with at dinner time.

Cervelas

This is a very special sausage made predominantly of pork, which crackles up nicely when grilled. Originally the sausage also contained brain, though this ingredient is now thankfully prohibited..!

Sausages in general are very popular in Switzerland thanks to German and Italian influences, so expect to see a Bratwurst or two.

Älplermagronen

This herdsmen’s pasta dish is a Swiss staple. Alongside the key components of pasta and cheese, expect to come across bits of bacon and potato in your Alpine macaroni.

This is definitely not a diet friendly option but it is certainly very tasty and comforting and there’s a slim chance the applesauce Alpermagronen is traditionally served with counts towards one of your five a day.

Leckerli

This biscuit/cake dates back to the 1400s, which pre-dates the Swiss’s love of chocolate and shows they’ve long had a sweet tooth. Made from honey, it’s flavoured with finger and often topped with sugary glaze and candied fruit and nuts.

Müsli

It has become a gourmet breakfast choice all over the world but muesli is a Swiss creation. Invented by Dr Bircher at a diet clinic in 1887, it’s traditionally served with   yoghurt or cream rather than milk and though predominantly eaten at breakfast time, it also makes a tasty supper snack.

Look For Local Products

Another thing to keep in mind when visiting Switzerland is that every region has its own local specialties. In Graubunden for example, they are very proud of their traditional Bündner Nusstorte (nut cakes), a delicious but slightly dry pastry.

Around Vevey you will find some great local wines in the vineyards that surround the small villages on the hills, and since milk chocolate was actually invented in Vevey there is a lot of chocolate fondues on offer as well.

You will also find that depending on which region you visit, the cuisine will either be Italian, French or German influenced.

by Sofia 

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Swiss Chocolate Adventure To Open In June In Luzern Switzerland

The Swiss Museum of Transport has gained a further attraction. The multimedia theme world, the Swiss Chocolate Adventure, developed in conjunction with the Lindt Chocolate Competence Foundation, is scheduled to open in June 2014. Visitors will experience the chocolate adventure on an exciting journey.

The Swiss Chocolate Adventure is a new theme world that allows the visitor to learn interesting facts about the discovery, origin, production and transport of chocolate. Seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting and feeling: this multimedia voyage of discovery appeals to all the senses. It illustrates the entire value creation and transport chains from the cultivation of the cocoa bean and the transport to Switzerland up to the manufacture and sale of the finished chocolate product. Our favorite Swiss selection is Teuscher. For  more information and for U.S. orders orders please visit:  www.teuscherphiladelphia.com/ 

For more information about visiting the Swiss Chocolate Adventure please visit: www.verkehrshaus.ch/‎

The 10 Coolest Suites In The World For Elite Travelers

Contributed by Aoife Moriarty, Elite Traveler Digital

FOR THE SPA LOVER

The Alpina Gstaad, Panorama Suite, Switzerland (4,306 square feet) – $10,852 per night

Aside from the use of a $175,000 Range Rover for the duration of your stay, the most expensive suite of this newly opened hotel also offers a private spa and marble-clad Jacuzzi on its upper floor – reached by a grand staircase. Guests can lie back, relax and enjoy the bubbles – and the view – with a spectacular skylight offering a breathtaking window onto the Swiss Alps.

The top floor of this three-bedroom duplex also includes fitness and massage areas, featuring the same beautiful timber latticework visible throughout the rest of the impressive 400sq metre space.

With two majestic wood-burning fireplaces included on each floor, this airy Alpine suite is truly the epitome of relaxation.

FOR THE PARTY ANIMAL

Rock Star Suite, Hard Rock Hotel Vallarta, Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico (2,968 square feet) – $2,624

Loud, brash and full of fun, the audacious ‘Rock Star Suite’ of the Hard Rock Hotel Vallarta, Mexico is not for the faint hearted.

The suite includes celebrity memorabilia such as Madonna’s black bustier and Shakira’s silk nightgown. With your own private bar added to the mix, it’s the perfect palatial pad for those who want to take the party on into the early hours.

FOR THE HIGH FLIER

Peacock Suite, ITC Gardenia, Karnataka, India (5,040 square feet) – $10,000 per night

Fancy having your own helipad? The ITC Gardenia’s lavish Peacock Suite in Bangalore offers just that and also includes bulletproof windows for extra high security.

A favorite of visiting dignitaries and high powered CEOs alike, this is one suite that – just like its namesake – succeeds in making a big impression, with an aquamarine plunge pool and butler service thrown in for good measure.

FOR THE SPACE SEEKER

Presidential Villa, The Royal Begonia, A Luxury Collection Resort, Sanya, China (7,180 square feet plus 16,286 outdoors) – $10,286 per night

With a magnificent 16,286 square foot of outdoor space on top of an already impressive 7,180 indoor area, this Mediterranean-style villa on Sanya Haitang Bay offers plenty of sprawling room.

These are quarters truly fit for a king, with a luxurious outdoor pool, Jacuzzi and private access to the beach – not to mention a master bathroom housing an oversized oval tub and rainforest showers.

FOR THE WATER LOVER

Ocean Pavilion, Huvafen Fushi, Maldives (3,522 square feet) – $9,200 per night

Set 100 metres out on the Indian Ocean, these exclusive private over-water residences in the Maldives are part of a solace-seeking holidaymaker’s paradise.

With your own private fibre-optic lit pool flowing from the indoors right to the water’s edge, as well as a sundeck Jacuzzi, guests who choose to stay at an Ocean Pavilion suite are spoiled for ways to cool down from the scorching island sun.

FOR THE PART-TIME DJ

Extreme Wow Suite, W Singapore, Sentosa Cove, Singapore (2,099 square feet) – $4,500 per night

Providing not just exclamations of ‘wow’ but the ‘Extreme Wow’ Factor, this snazzy Singaporean space includes your very own DJ spinning booth and a fully stocked mini bar pantry – perfect for cocktail-making with friends.

Your guests will be fully entertained in this boldly designed and zany suite, which also features a ten-person dining area and a stainless steel Jacuzzi bathtub.

FOR THE ONE WHO PREFERS PRIVACY

Redentore Terrazza Suite, The Gritti Palace Venice, Venice (818 square feet, plus 2,691 outdoors) – $16,200 per night

If the thought of small talk with other vacationers fills you with dread, then the Redentore Terrazza Suite at the thirteenth century Gritti Palace palazzo could be just the ticket.

Take a trip in your private elevator directly from the lobby right into your alfresco-adorned apartment and private 250sq metre roof terrace – unique to the whole of Venice – for the ultimate in hospitality luxury.

FOR THE BILLIARDS BALLER

Nobu Penthouse, Nobu Hotel Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA (2,200 square feet) – from $1,999 per night

Enjoy a game of billiards but also require an oversized whirlpool tub, a spectacular outdoor terrace and top notch Japanese cuisine delivered straight to your suite?

Look no further than the Penthouse suite at the Nobu restaurant chain’s first ever hotel – recently opened at Caesars Palace in Sin City. This loud and brassy suite offers in-room dishes from the hotel’s own Nobu Restaurant – the first ever to do so. With space in this expansive suite for up to 45 people at one time, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.

FOR THE SPORTS SUPERSTAR

The Bentley Suite, The St.Regis Hotel, New York, USA (1,700 square feet) – $10,500 per night

A favourite of tennis player extraordinaire Serena Williams, she’s previously said: “The suites at The St. Regis New York are beyond compare in both design and luxury. The hotel is my undisputed first choice whenever I’m in New York – for style and service. There’s no place like it.” Now there’s a high flying jetsetter you can trust.

FOR THE HOLLYWOOD ACTRESS

Penthouse, Garza Blanca Preserve, Resort & Spa, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico (5,345 sq ft)- $1,800 per night

Desperate Housewife actress and film star Eva Longoria says of this palatial Mexican pad: “If you want to spend your beach vacation in the lap of luxury, being pampered by a great staff, surrounded by beauty and happily ensconced in a gorgeous penthouse, then Garza Blanca Preserve, Resort & Spa is not to be missed!” And who could argue with that?

Interlaken: A Summer Fairy Tale…

The focus will be on tradition and culture in Interlaken this summer. Farmers and craftsmen will let you look over their shoulders as they work and talk about their daily routine; flag throwers, yodellers and dancers in national dress will meet for colourful folklore evenings and German and Swiss literary classics will be performed on open-air stages in the region. Culinary cruises on Lake Brienz will cater for physical well-being with Indian, Arabic or Swiss specialities served on board according to the cruise. Anyone then seeking a sporting balance is certain to find the perfect activity in our holiday region – whether in the air, in the mountains or in and on the water.

Touch the cow

The plain between Lake Thun and Lake Brienz is a paradise for cyclists who like to take things a little more leisurely. The trails lead over fields and meadows without any significant uphill sections. On the Touch the Cow tour however, the emphasis is not on scenery but on meetings – meetings with local farmers who talk about their daily routine, and with their animals, who are happy to be fed and stroked.

Axalp Woodcarving Trail – art alongside the path

Art lines the path on Axalp. The Woodcarving Trail (Schnitzlerweg) leading from the alp above Brienz to the idyllic Hinterburgseeli (lake) is lined with many attractive figures created from tree trunks by Brienz woodcarvers. What began as an attempt to ease the damage to the forest after a devastating winter storm is today a highly acclaimed artistic project.

Swiss Lumberjacking Championships, 22–23 June 2013

Wood chips will fly in Brienz when the 14 best lumberjacks in Switzerland battle for the title of Swiss Champion. The tough men will compete in six breathtaking disciplines, demonstrating strength, skill and speed with saws and axes.

Lake Thun Festival, 16 July–5 September 2013

This season the Lake Thun Festival is venturing to present a Swiss literary classic and bringing a musical version of Friedrich Dürrenmatt’s «Der Besuch der alten Dame» (The Visit of the Old Lady) to Europe’s most beautiful lake stage. The old lady is paying a visit to Thun! The work revolves around love, greed and power – and the fact that it is impossible to avoid the past. Theatre tickets and hotel stays for the Lake Thun Festival are available as a package.