Switzerland

We have all heard of the many quaint cliches surrounding the beautiful country of Switzerland; an undying love for chocolate & cheese, world class ski resorts, cuckoo clocks keeping everyone on time and bells on cows (of course), and whilst many of these fantastic traits reign true, there is but oh-so much more to unpack. Boasting four official languages, Switzerland is filled to the brim with an exciting array of wonders and curiosities waiting to be uncovered. From the world’s largest staircase to a colourful nine day long hot-air-balloon festival every January, you never know what you may just come across when uncovering this fascinating country. Furthermore, Switzerland is nothing short of breath-taking, with seductive landscapes including otherworldly alpine peaks that have even featured in Star Wars, shimmering lakes of crystal clear waters that break up lush green pastures and picturesque cities and towns that know how to charm the socks off their visitors. For those planning a future trip to Switzerland, or know of anyone excited to go, Bedford Worldwide Ltd is your one stop shop for some truly unique Swiss experiences. This carefully considered blog will elaborate on what to expect when travelling there and some of the spectacular things you can do.

Don’t let its modest size fool you, Switzerland is internationally renowned for its countless intriguing characteristics and outstanding achievements. Switzerland can often be seen residing at the top of many lists such as the world’s happiest country and the Mercer’s Quality of Living Report. Hence, the people of Switzerland are a friendly bunch that love to welcome guests with wide open arms. This year marked the 10th consecutive year of Switzerland ranking first as the most innovative country in the world in the Global Innovation Index. This comes as no surprise considering the astounding country is responsible for many of the world’s most famous inventions such as the zip, velcro, aluminum, LSD, the Swiss Army Knife (Duh!), and most importantly milk chocolate. The Swiss chocolate industry makes up approximately 40% of the world’s chocolate production, with the sweet country producing 190,000 tonnes of it (worth 1.7 billion USD) in 2018 alone.

Whilst Switzerland has forever been celebrated for its world class fine chocolate, however it is lesser-known for just how much they eat. Not only do they love making delicious chocolate for the whole world to indulge in, the Swiss are the world's biggest consumers of it! A study found that the average Swiss person eats 10.3 kg of chocolate per year. If you happen to be a renowned sweet tooth, be careful, there are all kinds of dangerous temptations at every corner. We can’t talk about chocolate without mentioning the incredible Gruyeres Tour With Chocolate Tasting tour on offer. Combining captivating medieval history with everyone’s favourite treat, this experience is a certified crowd pleaser. The tour explores a real medieval village and guests step foot into the historical Gruyeres Castle. Dating back to the 13th century, the castle is one of the most famous in all Switzerland and is recognised as a Swiss heritage site of national significance. After uncovering the secrets of this national landmark, guests travel to a local chocolate factory in which they learn all about one of the most iconic Swiss delicacies with a mouth-watering tasting experience. With the utterly tempting smell of chocolate everywhere, there’s simply no way your giftee will be leaving empty handed.

Alongside chocolate, the Swiss are also known for their public love affair with cheese. The image of a flavoursome cheese fondue is what immediately springs to mind when thinking about Swiss food. Nearly half the milk produced by their beloved cows is turned into one of 450 unique varieties of Swiss Cheese. In 2016 alone, the Swiss indulged in over 22 kg of cheese per person, that's approximately 186,756 tonnes of cheese! For an awesome introduction to the world of Swiss cheese, the Gruyeres Gold Chocolate & Cheese Tour is the one. This tour will have guests experiencing the joys of authentic Alpine cheese making amongst pure mountain air and ringing cowbells in near pasturelands. By the end of the tour all involved will have become experts in the field of Swiss cheese fondue by having prepared it themselves. This journey into the blissful Swiss countryside also concludes with an extraordinarily relaxing ride aboard the famous Golden Express train overlooking magnificent views over Lemanic Arc.

No matter what season you visit, the lively country will always have an outdoor adventure ready for the taking at every step. From skiing or snowboarding your way through the dreamlike alpine wonders of Matterhorn mountain, to hiking or biking through trails to explore long winding valleys and glistening lakes once the green grass returns in the summer, there is endless outdoor exploration to be had all year round. There are a staggering 208 mountains over 3,000m high within Switzerland’s borders. As the birthplace of Alpine winter tourism, people flock in droves from all corners of the world to tick skiing in Switzerland off their bucket list. The Swiss Alps make for some truly amazing skiing and snowboarding and the country is known for offering some of the best ski spots in the world. For those wishing to carve their way down some of the world’s best slopes, the Chamonix Ski Tour is the one. Near the junction of France, Switzerland and Italy, Chamonix-Mont-Blanc is a resort area unlike any other and is home to the highest summit in the Alps. This unforgettable day trip from Geneva includes a lift ticket, rentals and a scenic 90 minute drive across the France-Switzerland border before guests can experience the thrill of zooming down the slopes (or gradually making you way down at a beginner pace) surrounded by nothing short of jaw-dropping scenery.

For those who want to experience these dramatic panoramic alpine views at a much slower, less terrifying speed, the Glacier 3000 & Montreux Tour Ex Geneva is an experience bound to leave all guests in sheer awe of the mountains. Kicking off in an authentic mountain village called the Little Devils, located at an altitude of 1200 meters above sea levels, the tour then continues to the snowy wonderland of outdoor adventure known as Glacier 3000. With such a wide range of incredibly fun activities available, outdoor enthusiasts won’t know where to start! A scenic 15-minute cable car ride will take guests to the very top, from which they can traverse the infamous 108 meter long Peak Walk, the world’s first suspension bridge connecting two peaks. The tour concludes with a stop at the traditional resort town of Montreux on Lake Geneva, Switzerland’s largest lake.

If you are truly lost for a Switzerland gifting experience, a sightseeing tour is the perfect way to introduce any demographic to their holiday destination. Here at Bedford Worldwide Ltd, we highly recommend the Annecy & Geneva City Tour With Boat Cruise experience. Surrounded by Jura mountains and the Alps, the city has a strong global influence as it boasts the Headquarters of Europe’s United Nations and the Red Cross. The tour will have your giftee uncovering all of the best spots and city secrets known only to the locals. From the iconic Flower Clock to the dramatic Jet d’Eau fountain, the tour will also hit all the essential attractions that every tourist needs to visit. As well as a trip to the charming Annecy markets this tour includes a stunning cruise on Lake Geneva in which guests can view famed locations such as the Niton stones, the UN building, the castle of Bellerive, the Mermaid, and many others.

With so many intriguing Swiss gifting experiences available on Bedford Worldwide Ltd, you’ll be at a loss for what to choose. Here at Bedford Worldwide Ltd we ensure that there is absolutely no pressure put on gift giving, so all our vouchers are redeemable for up to 3 years and are completely interchangeable! So no matter what you choose, you can’t lose. Happy Gifting!