Hello! This is a diary and travel journal of my short 3 days trip to Switzerland (Genève and Lausanne) and Chamonix-Mont-Blanc back in March 2022.
Day 1
Geneva: Île Rousseau, Jet d’eau, Boat ride, Botanical Garden, UN, Geneva City Center and Old Town
I left Paris from Gare de Lyon in the morning and spent around 3 hours on the train before arriving in Geneva at around 11am. Then, I checked in at hotel Montbrillant, which I stayed for the rest of the trip. The great thing about traveling in Switzerland is that the hotel will give us free transportation card that could be used with train, tram, bus, and boat in that particular city. After that, I went for a walk with my friend. We just wanted to explore the city, but did not have solid plan for that day. (Well, I hope we had planned beforehand in order to manage everything more effectively.)
We literally enjoyed the scenery of the lake, and the water was crystal clean full of ducks and swans. After that, we continued to Île Rousseau. Honestly, before visiting Switzerland, I did not understand Rousseau optimistic notion where he perceived human nature as naturally good, but became corrupted due to the society. It was not really convincing to me back then, but I guess I got his point now. Then, we dropped by at L’horloge Fleurie as we were on the way to Jet d’eau. After spent some time, we decided to have our lunch before taking our boat trip.
The google map suggested us to go to Da Paolo Pizzeria, which was really close to Jet d’eau if I remember correctly. The food was great. To add up, the price of food in restaurant in Switzerland seemed to be as twice as higher than I had in France and Italy, which is quite understandable. (I actually listed the price at the end of this travel journal.) We were happy about the food and got on the boat ride to enjoy the stunning scenery of the lake. After that, we walked along the way to Botanical garden and to UN office afterward. Then, we took the bus from there to the city center of Geneva. After that, we continued walking to the old town to see the Cathedral.
After that, we had our dinner at Chez ma cousine. The portion seemed to be too big for us. I mean this would be size of 3–4 people in Thailand not for two. They also gave us coloring and drawing kits while waiting. By the way, the food was great. Then, we walked around the city again and found the statue of “Henry Dunant.” I mean I did known that he was Swiss. It was surprising since the road in Bangkok also named after him.
Day 2
Chamonix-Mont-Blanc: Aiguille du Midi et Mer de Glace
My friend bought the tickets from OMIO in advance. This was a one day trip from Geneva to Chamonix- Mont- Blanc in France.
After one hour, we arrived in Chamonix, France. Then, we bought tickets to the Vallée du Mont-Blanc. I think they used to have one day package in Chamonix before the pandemic. For instance, we might be able to pay 60 euros for visiting many places in Chamonix. However, we were not sure and paid for both Aiguille du Midi and Mer de Glace that cost 100 euros in total. Hence, please kindly ask the people at the ticket office before buying or making decisions. After enjoy the scenery and people skiing, we had our lunch in the cafeteria on the Mont-Blanc. The food was alright, but due to the low level of oxygen, I felt sleepy. Hence, we decided to go back down. (I actually hope they had oxygen bottle selling up there.)
Following, we go to the ticket office of Mer de Glace. However, we had to wait for the special train to take us to the glacier. After arrived, we took the cable ride, then walked down to the ice tunnel. On the way, we would witness the decreasing level of the glaciers in each year. As the level of 2018 and 2022 was significantly different, we had to walk farther and longer. Moreover, due to the lack of oxygen, the walk was very exhausting. I considered this as a kind reminder and reflection to myself regarding climate change and the increasing temperature on the long journey to the ice tunnel. When we arrived, people were skiing outside in the valley while in the tunnel, there were ice craving into object and furniture.
In the end, it was even more difficult for me to go back to the cable car. Moreover, the guy at the cable car station was shouting that everyone should be hurry up since it would be the last round getting us back to the train station in time. To conclude, with no doubt, I would considered this as one of the toughest work out I ever did in my entire life. Therefore, please kindly prepare if you want to visit. By the way, it was still a great experience for me as I do not know if I would have a chance to visit Mer de Glace again or not. I mean if I come back, it still would not be the same.
As we still had enough time before the bus arrived, we crossed the street from the ticket office of Mer de Glace to a place where many people practice skiing. At that place, we were able to enjoy some rides. Then, we took the bus back to Geneva where we had our dinner at “Les Antiquaires.” The food was amazing! The Chacuteries, fondue, and Ramseier apple juice were the great combination!
Day 3
Lausanne: Port d’Ouchy et promenade, Thai Pavillion, Cathédrale de Lausanne, and city
This time we bought the train ticket on trainline in advance, and not even an hour from Geneva, we arrived in Lausanne. We headed to Port D’Ouchy where we spent most of our time and enjoy the stunning scenery.
Well, we did not have any active activities in Lausanne. To be honest, we just walked around, take photos, and simply be happy. Along the promenade, we saw the famous hotel Château D’Ouchy. Then, we bought our lunch and our favorite apple juice, Ramseier, from Ouchy Snack. We sat at the bench and enjoy the breathtaking view in front of us. The lake is crystal clear and we just want to jump and swim. However, it was during spring, so the water was still cold.
After that, we walked along the way to see the olympic museum and thai pavillion. The quality of life in Switzerland is amazingly great. According to my experience in 2022, I want to mention that the homeless problem in Switzerland seems to be very different from many other European countries I have visited. For instance, I have seen people coming and checked on them with more generous manners and treated them as human beings.
Then, we sadly left the lake promenade area and took the metro to the Cathedrale de Lausanne to enjoy the scenery of the city. As we still had time, we hung out in the city for quite a while before heading to the train station back to Geneva. In addition, I think I have to mention about how much we paid for the toilet at the train station. We exchanged the money currency at the Lausanne train station for 10 euros and got 8 swiss francs in return. The rate seemed to be more expensive compared to how much I exchanged in Paris if I remember correctly. The toilet at the Lausanne train station cost 2 swiss francs while the toilet at Gare de Lyon costed 1 euro. Nevertheless, I found that there were free public toilet available close to the Olympic Museum or the Thai Pavilion.
To conclude all the expenses without including the cost of hotel, Paris return train tickets, and Chamonix-Mont-Blanc return bus tickets.
Day 1: Lunch 26.5 CHF + Dinner 24.5 CHF
Day 2: Aiguille du Midi 69 EUR + Souvenirs 7 EUR+ Lunch 9.6 EUR+ Mer de Glace 35.5 EUR+ two roller coster rides 6 euros + Dinner 42 Swiss Franc
Day 3: Quick Breakfast and water that I got from station’s convenience store 5 CHF + Snack Lunch 10.5 CHF + Transportation in Lausanne 2.4 CHF + Toilet at the train station 2 CHF + Snack Dinner 10 CHF
In the end, I also have learned a lot from this trip to Switzerland and Chamonix-Mont-Blanc. Hence, I am looking forward to visiting again. I hope that our experiences and mistakes will be useful so that you will be able to organize more effective trips. Thank you very much for reading and hope everyone to have safe and amazing travel experience. Bon voyage!
