Hiking the Swiss Alps

On a four-day weekend, we decided to drive to Switzerland, so we could go camping and hiking. This was the first time either of us had been to Switzerland, so it was exciting to see a new country and the famous Swiss Alps! 

It's a hike to Switzerland (pun intended). From Kaiserslautern, it's roughly a seven-hour drive. If that seems too long a trip for you, then you can easily spend the night in Basel or Bern in order to break up the drive. The drive was absolutely wonderful. More on that later...

Be warned that when you get to the border of Switzerland, there are two lines. One is for people that already have a motorway sticker (vignette), and one is for people that need to purchase one. If you have not purchased one, then you will need to go in the right lane, park, and go inside the building to purchase your vignette for 38.50€ (or the equivalent of 40 CHF). The 2016 sticker is good through January 31, 2017. Each 'year' sticker is valid from the December previous until the January after the year in question. Keep this in mind when traveling or purchasing a vignette. If you want to pre-purchase the sticker, this website can help you out. 

All packed and ready to go!

The drive down to Switzerland was beautiful. We passed the Lac du Gruyere and Lac Leman, which were breathtaking. Lac Leman (Lake Geneva) marks the border between France and Switzerland. Also along the way, we passed through Pays du St-Bernard, where the pretty mountain dogs hail from. There is so much to do along the way, and I can't wait to return.

Last year, I had read an article in The Guardian about beautiful campsites around Europe. I had made a note to visit Camping Arolla in Switzerland, and we finally had the time to make the trip. We were lucky because we arrived just a week before the end of the season. So, if you are planning a camping trip for next season (beginning in June), then we highly recommend Camping Arolla. 

At the campsite, there were two areas; one for caravans and RVs, and one for tent campers. I really like this division. In Germany, all the campsites are hoarded by caravaners and RVers, and the plots are typically very small and very close to your neighbors. Camping Arolla is a beautiful location at a very high altitude. Being the end of the season, it was pretty cold at night. However, by the afternoon, it was warm and sunny. 

The campsite has very nice amenities. It costs one franc to take a shower, but you can get some from the front desk if you didn't bring any francs. I am more than happy to pay for a warm shower after a long hike. There is also a washer available to wash your clothes and nice dish-washing sinks in front of the bathrooms. 

From the campsite, you can start many hikes. There are hundreds of hikes available. It is very common to hike to the different alpine huts (cabanes). For the truly ambitious, you can even hike to Matterhorn. We opted for something easier than that, though still difficult for us, as we weren't acclimated to the altitude.  

The town of Arolla

Heading right towards the Cabane des Aiguilles Rouges

We opted to take the hike towards the Cabane des Aiguilles Rouges (an alpine hut) and then take the route down towards Lac Bleu. It total, we hiked for about 6 hours, not counting our victory beer at the Cabane. We gained about 2,000 meters of altitude getting to the hut. It was a fantastic hike, and we were completely exhausted by the time we made it back to the campsite. 

When we finally made it to the top, we were ecstatic. The hike was pretty difficult at times, with steep inclines and a harrowing cliff-side jaunt. At times, we were climbing rocks and crossing glacier run-off streams. Many people ordered food once they reached the top, and the food smelled great. We got two cold Swiss beers and were happy they accepted euros. 

Le Cabane des Aiguilles Rouges

Lac Bleu was at the bottom of our long decline hike. It was a welcome sight, and if we had not been worried about the sun setting, I believe we would have relaxed here for a stretch. The water was clear, and there were some hikers cooling their tired feet in the water. From Arolla, this is a good hike to Lac Bleu and back.

Fox Hole

Overall, our trip was a complete success, and we look forward to camping in Switzerland again when the season begins. The hiking culture is fantastic and the people are very nice. In Switzerland, everything is more expensive, so this is a great way to explore the area without paying 400 euros a night to stay in a hotel in Geneva or Zurich.  

Due to bad weather we traveled back a day earlier than planned, and were able to once again drive through the Pyramides de Euseigne (pictured below). 

On the way home, we stopped in Baden-Baden for dinner. We also checked out another campsite about 30km from Baden-Baden in the Black Forest, so stay tuned to hear about our future camping adventures in Germany.