A different kind of Christmas: Festive highlights at the youth hostels

I don’t know about you, but I love Christ­mas­time! When the air gets cold­er, the first lights go on, the Christ­mas mar­kets open their stalls and the scent of cin­na­mon and mulled wine is in the air – that’s when I start feel­ing the Christ­mas spir­it.

The days are get­ting short­er, but Advent evenings are all the more cosy. It’s the per­fect time to get togeth­er with fam­i­ly and friends and end the year in good com­pa­ny. And this mag­ic is exact­ly what you can expe­ri­ence at our youth hos­tels:

Christmas magic in Montreux

One of the most beau­ti­ful and atmos­pher­ic in Switzer­land, the Christ­mas mar­ket in Mon­treux is an absolute high­light. The pic­turesque back­drop of Lake Gene­va, the bright lights and the mix of tra­di­tion­al and mod­ern stalls set the per­fect Christ­mas mood. Why not com­bine your vis­it to this win­ter fairy tale with an overnight stay at Mon­treux Youth Hos­tel? End your evening relaxed and with­out hav­ing to rush home the same day.

Mon­treux Noël from 21 Novem­ber to 24 Decem­ber 2024

Accom­mo­da­tion Mon­treux Youth Hos­tel

Raclette in the yurt in Bern

Bern at Christ­mas­time – tru­ly an expe­ri­ence for me! The bustling alleys, fes­tive­ly dec­o­rat­ed shop win­dows and small Christ­mas stalls invite you to stroll through the city in style. This year, you can escape the hus­tle and bus­tle of the old town with a vis­it to the win­ter yurt. It’s best to fin­ish your Christ­mas shop­ping before enter­ing the snug yurt on the ter­race of Bern Youth Hos­tel. Cosied up in soft furs by the crack­ling fire­place, you can enjoy a tra­di­tion­al raclette here. The yurt can accom­mo­date up to 20 peo­ple and can also be hired on an exclu­sive basis. I’ve already booked my table, what about you?

Raclette in the yurt from 1 Novem­ber 2024 to 31 Jan­u­ary 2025

Accom­mo­da­tion Bern Youth Hos­tel

Fondue and raclette party in Richterswil

The team at Richter­swil Youth Hos­tel has also come up with some­thing spe­cial for Christ­mas. After a win­ter walk along the shores of Lake Zurich, the path takes you straight to the youth hos­tel. The wel­com­ing atmos­phere with his­toric charm makes the hostel’s par­lour the ide­al place to warm up with a hearty fon­due or clas­sic raclette. The choice is all yours. I arranged to meet with my office team for a fon­due par­ty and we tried out the offer. Our over­all impres­sion: Come by, it’s well worth a vis­it – both for a tête-à-tête and for fam­i­ly fun. “En Guete” (bon appétit), as they say in St. Gallen!

Fon­due and raclette par­ty from 15 Novem­ber to 22 Decem­ber 2024

Accom­mo­da­tion Richter­swil Youth Hos­tel (end of sea­son 01.12.2024)

Christmas dinner at Burgdorf Castle

Are you still look­ing for an excep­tion­al loca­tion for a Christ­mas din­ner that will leave a last­ing impres­sion? Burgdorf Cas­tle Restau­rant offers just that. Nes­tled with­in the castle’s his­toric walls, a unique atmos­phere awaits you here, com­bin­ing the charm of bygone times with the warmth of the hol­i­day sea­son. Whether for a com­pa­ny Christ­mas din­ner or a fes­tive fam­i­ly event, the youth hos­tel restau­rant promis­es an unfor­get­table expe­ri­ence dur­ing Christ­mas­time. Let your­self be enchant­ed on the impos­ing cas­tle hill.

Burgdorf Cas­tle Restau­rant open dai­ly from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. À la carte ser­vice with reser­va­tion

Accom­mo­da­tion Burgdorf Cas­tle Youth Hos­tel

Pure Christmas cheer in Basel

If you love Christ­mas mag­ic, Basel is a must! The city is trans­formed into a glit­ter­ing win­ter won­der­land. But the city on the Rhine has even more to offer.

Off I go