Grand Tour of Switzerland – a road trip guide

As summer ramps up in the northern hemisphere, many of us will begin packing suitcases, carry-ons and duffel bags as we prepare to head away on holiday.  

Backroads has long been a leader and an innovator in the world of adventure travel. They’ve also been at the forefront of change, keeping tabs on fluctuating demographics and traveler demands. Back in 2020, during the heart of the pandemic, they first offered softer adventure trips called Dolce Tempo, or “sweet time,” as in “take your sweet time.” These were walking, E-bike, and multi-adventure trips designed for first-time adventure travelers and those looking for an easier option than regular Backroads trips. Call them easygoing active vacations designed with more downtime built-in. They were active adventures but at a more relaxed pace. They were clearly on to something because all the trips quickly sold out. They continued to do so even as the offerings expanded to include Active Ocean & River Cruises.

On Monday, the UN's cultural organization UNESCO recommended that Venice, Italy, be added to the organization's list of world heritage in danger, AFP reported. 

International dialling code: +41 Currency: Swiss f

In the spring of 2022, my aunt and uncle began kicking around the idea of visiting Switzerland after a work trip to France. An avid traveler myself — who at that point hadn't been out of the country since before the pandemic — I happily and unabashedly invited myself along.

The master weaver stands up and starts to sing. His voice echoes around the carpet warehouse, a high warble pure and true, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand up and goosebumps ripple along my arms. Below him, cross-legged on the floor, three members of his family work as one, their fingers knotting hundreds of threads in a hypnotic dance of hands. A carpet of incredible intricacy stretches away from the little group, oranges mingling with reds and ochres, set within a border of midnight blue and tassels the colour of tea.

Lonely Planet destination editor AnneMarie McCarthy recently returned from a flying visit to Palma de Mallorca. Here she shows you what you can squeeze into 24 hours in Mallorca's cultured capital by sharing highlights from her jam-packed day trip.

From 11,362 feet, summertime in Switzerland’s Jungfrau region looks like a half-colornized photograph. Peering down from the viewing platform at Jungfraujoch, the mountain saddle that connects the Jungfrau and Mönch peaks in the Bernese Oberlands, you can trace the jagged, piny line where the limestone-and-ice mountains melt into the fertile green valleys below.

Seven of us are roped in a line, with hiking poles in our hands and crampons on our boots. Led by our guide, David, we take it in turns to step from rock into the marbled grey ice beyond. I hesitate before taking my step; the act feels oddly disrespectful. It takes a few minutes to trust that the spikes will hold their grip, but I get used to the crunching rhythm and the occasional tug of the rope. The summer sunshine is warm but a coldness radiates from below. It is a six-hour hike to the hut we will sleep in tonight.

Typically, the words "refreshing" and "commute" don't belong in the same sentence — in America, at least. (If you're reading this while sweating through your suit on the subway, I apologize in advance). 

If you feel like you keep seeing stories about travelers brazenly leaving their mark on Italy's Colosseum, you're not imagining things.

The opportunity for kids to meet their idols when they’re young are abundant. There are princesses at EuroDisney and Emmet at Legoland, and every summer fete or Christmas fair seems to have a Spiderman or a Peppa Pig. A toddler’s face as she meets Elsa and Ana is one to behold. When young kids meet the person or thing of their current obsession, open-jawed, interested, it’s parenting sorted. Tick.