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Swiss getaway: More than snow and chocolates
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Paragliders above Interlaken -- photo by Thomas Ulrich
In my last post, I reported on some luxury travel deals to be found at Leading Hotels of the World. One of them -- a '7 nights for the price of 5' deal at the Victoria-Jungfrau Grand Hotel & Spa in Interlaken -- got me thinking about a trip I took to that area a few summers ago.
When many people think of visiting Switzerland, they picture themselves skiing the Alps and sampling chocolates. Of course, these are two fabulous reasons to visit the country, but there's so much more to do in Switzerland, especially during the warmer months -- and one of the best places to visit in summer is Interlaken.
Literally translated as 'between the lakes' in German, Interlaken is a small town nestled between the Brienz and Thun Lakes in the Bernese Highlands region of Central Switzerland. It's a popular base camp for lots of outdoor sports like hiking, rock climbing and hang gliding. It's also a perfect place to sail and go bicycling.
But perhaps the most popular activity during the summer in Interlaken is paragliding. On days when the wind conditions are just right, the horizon over Interlaken is dotted with hundreds of colorful gliders.
Never been paragliding before? No worries. Those who are interested in learning can get lessons and go on tandem flights with instructors. Paragliding Interlaken offers tandem flights at costs of 120-180 Euros.
Another popular attraction in Interlaken is the Jungfrau-Aletsch-Bietschhorn -- a glaciated mountain peak that's capped with ice all year long. This UNESCO World Heritage Site (and Europe's largest glacier) 25 km south of Interlaken can be visited by taking a funicular ride up into the mountains.
Interlaken is also home to the largest concentration of souvenir shops in Switzerland, offering visitors plenty of opportunities to purchase Swiss watches, clocks, army knives -- and of course, chocolates. In fact, Switzerland is paradise for those who love dairy foods -- it's a place to indulge in more than a variety of the world's best chocolates, but also Alpine cheeses, fondue and raclette.
If you plan a trip to Interlaken, I suggest taking a scenic route -- you can fly from DC to Zurich or Geneva, then take a train to Interlaken.
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