SWISS-STYLES UMMER
This mountain break is pure pleasure for all the family, says Alice von Simson
Sugar-topped mountains, turquoise lakes and the crisp smell of pine needles should be available on prescription for stressed-out parents. While many think of the Swiss alps as a winter spot for shredding the slopes and eating near-fatal doses of fondue, it is, in fact, a year-round destination that rivals even Italy for being family-friendly.
It takes less than two hours to fly to Zurich from London, a time-frame that I decided should be tolerable for our ‘spirited’ toddler (and hopefully those who had to sit near us,) and then another couple of hours on the train to Interlaken.
don’t stop reading here — Swiss trains are an absolute delight. they are clean enough to eat your toblerone off, and the ‘ family carriages’ have built-in play areas.
WIth our daughter, Violet, occupied on the slide, my husband and I are free to gaze blissfully out of the window as lakes, cows and pretty wooden houses with red geraniums on the sills whizz by. our summer holiday is well and truly under way.
the live cameras show cloud at the top of Interlaken’s famous peaks, so we spend our first day in her cleavage.
Justis Valley, a sickle- shaped depression splattered with yellow buttercups, dandelions and arnica is just a short drive from town and well worth a visit. there are no steep inclines or drops, so you can let your children off the leash as herds of grazing goats with bells around their necks provide a uniquely Swiss soundtrack to your walk.
Small farms provide the refreshments, including bread, nutty alpine cheese and ice - cold glasses of milk with flecks of yellow cream on the surface.
You sit right next to the very animals that produced your meal, which feels rather like the bovine equivalent of the chef’s table.
It is a great place to eat with children because there are rarely other diners to disturb. the following morning we set off to the open-air museum in Ballenberg to take in some culture — and, in Violet’s case, to feed chickens and ride the carousel. at the exit is their chocolaterie, which features two constantly undulating vats of molten chocolate. With sticky fingers and mouths, we catch the famous steamer on Lake Brienz back to Interlaken. the SS Lotschberg is an antique vessel that has been well looked after. She is just as beautiful as she was in 1914. You could spend all day leaning over the railing admiring her highly polished engine. More importantly, we discover, you can also spend all day sitting on the upper deck enjoying a glass of wine as your little one enjoys the spiel kajuete or ‘play cabin’, featuring the holy grail of perks: free babysitting.
the final day of our trip promises perfect weather, so it’s time for some hiking.
an old-fashioned cog railway chugs us up to the Schynige platte, past crumbling wooden barns and grass thickly tangled with wildflowers.
at the top we find a restaurant where we revive Violet with her new favourites — rosti and hot chocolate — as the local alphorn players honk a solemn serenade.
We stay at the Backpackers’ Villa Sonnenhof for most of our trip, which is scrupulously clean and surprisingly quiet. then we treat ourselves to one night at the deliciously luxurious Victoria Jungfrau hotel and Spa.
Both places are unfazed when we roll up with a grubby toddler in tow. the Victoria- Jungfrau even provides Violet with a wooden cot with freshly pressed sheets and allows her into both the very grand restaurant and the beautiful, roman- style swimming pool.
Spoiling? absolutely.