Are you looking forward to spending a fun winter weekend in Switzerland? Then Schwägalp region in eastern Switzerland has a lot in store for you. In addition to the picturesque views of Alps, Schwägalp offers unique experiences for people of all ages alike.

1. Scratch the map

The Schwägalp Pass is located about 90-100 km southeast of Zurich and the driving distance is about 1hour 30 minutes. The road to Schwägalp along Urnäsch has beautiful views of snow-clad mountains on both sides. But this is just the beginning of the breathtaking scenery awaiting you in this mountain destination.

3.Tour Highlights

You can enjoy a lot of fun activities in Schwägalp during winter. To make the most of this winter experience

3.a Lantern Walk

The key highlight for us in Schwägalp was the evening “Lantern Walk” through the snow covered Weidwald forest. This “Lantern Walk” is open from Thursday to Saturday during every winter season. It’s a 40 min circular loop where you can follow the trail illuminated by lanterns along the way.

3.b Quinten

This car free town on Walensee is definitely worth a visit for its superb views, charming vineyards and special kiwis and figs. On one side it is bordered by the lake and on the other by the Churfisten range. It can be only reached via ferry from Unterterzen or by foot from Weesen. This dreamy village offers some of most amazing views of Walensee and surrounding towns. You can also spend some time sipping a cup of coffee or grabbing some food at the Restaurant Seehus while enjoying the surreal beauty of the lake.

3.c Betlis (Seerenbach Falls hike)

Don’t miss the opportunity of a lovely hike of 3.5 km from Betlis to one of the tallest waterfalls in Switzerland (Seerenbach falls). We took the ferry from Unterterzen to Betlis and started our walking trail from there. You can also drive to Betlis and park your car in the open parking area near the starting point of the trail. It generally takes 3 hours to complete the hike both ways, but you will most certainly spend more time since it’s difficult to resist oneself from stopping on the way to click pictures of the amazing views along the hiking route. The With lush green alpine meadows all around, cows grazing here and there, blue waters flowing along the route, you can’t really ask for more!! It was almost like a scene from the fairytales that we read in childhood. By the way, this is a fairly easy hike and will be a fun day trip from Quarten. On the way, there are a couple of places where you can also arrange barbeque and have a nice picnic as well. 

3.d Flumserberg

Flumserberg is a famous family friendly resort area in the Swiss Alps high above Walensee and is known for skiing and hiking trails. Even if you are not a ski enthusiast, you can enjoy fantastic views of the mountains and the lake from the mountain peak and along the way up in the cable car. The journey can be completed in two parts with easy cable car rides- first from Unterterzen to Tannenboden in 35-40 minutes while the second part from Tannenboden to Maschgenkamm with the new gondola lift "BergJet" in 15 minutes. It was a unique experience with superb views of green fields and lake Walensee in the first half and white snowy landscapes and mountain ranges in the second half. Also, there are some good restaurants at the top of the mountains where you can relish good food while admiring the fantastic scenery around. 

4. Useful Tips 

• Number of days: It would be ideal to spend atleast 3 days in Walensee for a relaxing vacation.

• Ferry timings: The ferries are not very frequent in this area- hence make sure to check timings before planning your day.  

• Accommodation: The location of Marina Walensee resort is perfect for enjoying the picturesque views of Walensee and the Churfisten range.

• Quinten: Although Quinten is a beautiful village, and the best way is to explore it on foot, do keep in mind that the roads are quite steep and can be a bit difficult for aged people.

5. Goodbye Notes

Walensee is quite an underrated destination in Switzerland but maybe it has helped to preserve the charm and beauty of this lake and its surrounding villages. I would surely love to come back to Walensee again and hope that you are also excited enough to plan your visit here. Happy travelling guys!!!