News from the road – Alpine walks in Europe – August 2024

This tour just finished on a very hot day in Munich having started nearly three weeks earlier in Zurich.

In between Switzerland and Germany the group spent time in Austria and Italy. On the very first day of walking an optional extra of a trip up the Jungfraujoch, saw us reach 3450 Meters, this is just 274 meters lower than Mt Cook, on the highest railway in Europe.

The views from the top were spectacular but the walk to the bottom station was equally impressive in the shadow of the infamous North Face of the Eiger. There was a concern that the first day would thereafter be hard to live up to, this fear was not realised.

We stayed in five different alpine villages, moving effectively from one picture postcard to the next. We stayed in Wengen, Engelberg, Appenzell, Seefeld and Castelrotto. Four of the five hotels were in a classic alpine style. The last site in Italy has had a hotel there since the 13^th Century.

The accommodation was very comfortable but the food was of a consistently high standard. The buffet breakfasts at each hotel almost seemed to try and out do each other. Cheeses, eggs, cured meats, bread, croissants, pastries, fruit, condiments, cakes – even at times the obligatory apple strudel.

Along with the fine alpine walking we visited historic sites and cities, Lucerne, St Gallen, Innsbruck and Blixen. We had a happy half day at the Ballenberg Swiss outdoor museum watching traditional crafts being carried out. In the cities we were met by local guides and the alpine walks were also led by qualified local guides who provided their own colour and interpretation. Along the walks we observed the local flora including of course the edelweiss. We heard vespers chanted by monks at one of the many baroque monasteries, attended a Tyrolean concert, we learned how to make alpine cheese and made traditional gingerbread in a local bakery.

Between sites we travelled by luxury coach and whilst in the alpine towns we used the local cog railways and a plethora of cable cars. The infrastructure in Switzerland is hard to beat, every time the motorway reached a mountain a tunnel would appear and transport us through to the other side.

Our last 24 hours were in Munich where a young NZ guide showed us his adopted home. We learned not just the older history but also about WWII and the lead up when Adolf Hitler was in residence. We ended the day with dinner and a traditional stein of beer in one of famous bier gartens,

The group dispersed the next day to various cities around Europe and some headed straight home to New Zealand. The remaining core had a last day walking around the city, enjoying food from the market and watching improbable surfing take place in the English Gardens whist other revellers floated happily down the fast-flowing streams.

All in all an unforgettable trip.

We will be running more European walking tours in 2025 and beyond. Pop us a note if you are interested in a repeat of this tour or any other walking tours in Europe.