A quick guide to a family trip to Switzerland

After graduating Optometry school, I decided to go on a summer Europe trip with my parents. It had been many years since I had a chance to have quality time with just them and it was just what I needed! We took a 3 hour, 20 minute train from Milan- the train ride was breathtaking with non-stop heaven like scenic beauty throughout.

Day 1-Downtown Zurich

Unknowingly, we arrived in Zurich during the Colors of Unity Street Parade, the most colorful music festival of the year in Switzerland. I had heard of how clean Switzerland is but when we arrived in Zurich, I was surprised to see trash and broken glass on the streets everywhere amongst thousands of partiers. What was amazing is that by early next morning, the roads were sparkling clean again!

We spent the day walking through the streets of Zurich, along Lake Zurich, admiring the shops, vibes, and checking out some great restaurants serving fresh food.

Day 2- Day trip to Liechtenstein

On our 2nd day, we took a convenient group tour to one of the smallest countries in the world adjacent to Switzerland, beautiful Liechtenstein! I was captured by the picturesque beauty around me filled with mountains and lakes as we drove 2 hours through beuatiful Switzerland . Looking back, this was such a good idea for a family trip- our day itinerary was pre-determined by the company and the trip was smooth and efficient and most importantly, stress-free and simply stunning!

As we explored, I had a chance to hike to Heidi's village, a beautiful alpine village based on the world famous children's book Heidi. To be honest, I wasn't really interested in the village as such but the scenery around us blew me away! We also stopped in the beautiful medieval town of Rapperswil-Jona for Lunch and I got my first taste from an outdoor drinking fountain known for the purest water!

Day 3- Visiting Lucerne, gondola ride to Mount Pilatus, riding the world's steepest cogwheel railway, and a lake ride with wine back to Zurich

Our last day was the cherry on top to the tour of this beautiful land. We took another group tour that kicked off in the city of Lucerne, where we enjoyed a rainy morning coffee and walked around this picturesque medieval city on the shores of Lake Lucerne.

We then started our journey to getting to Mt. Pilatus to experience the beauty of the Swiss Alps! We took a gondola up to the summit and got some breathtaking views on our way up.

When we reached, we quickly realized how much colder it was up here! We were shook by what we saw- we felt we were in heaven with clouds in front of us amongst alpine beauty.

Switzerland can captivate anyone and after this day, I realized that this country is unlike any other and is truly heaven on earth! After spending time at the summit, we took a train ride on the steepest cogwheel railway in the world!

We reached back to Lucerne and enjoyed a calm and relaxing boat ride in Lake Lucerne back to Zurich!

This trip taught me the importance of quality time with your parents and how important it is. We often get caught up in our own world and our daily life, forgetting that family is truly the most important. Bringing my love for travel and family together through this trip was perfect. We all enjoyed a relaxing and well-planned trip to Switzerland and experienced everything that the Swiss Alps have to offer! Now I can't wait to come back to skii here in the Winter!