Bucket list for spring in Switzerland

Spring awakening at the youth hostels

The days are get­ting longer and nature is wak­ing up from hiber­na­tion. It’s the per­fect time of year to explore the out­doors. We’ll tell you what you absolute­ly need to have on your buck­et list for spring.

Mar­tigny high­lights for spring:

For me, Mar­tigny is a real spring­time favourite in Switzer­land. The small town in the Valais invites you to stroll through the alleys, dis­cov­er small shops and soak up the relaxed atmos­phere. The com­bi­na­tion of old-town charm and region­al spe­cial­i­ties makes every walk a lit­tle moment to savour.

A must: La Fro­math­èque, where you can sam­ple the finest cheeses and pack a few pieces to bring home with you. Anoth­er worth­while stop is Fol’terres, a shop full of local del­i­ca­cies and hand­made prod­ucts. Its large sun ter­race is a true high­light, where you can enjoy local prod­ucts such as region­al wines or a tasty cheese plat­ter.

Mar­tigny in spring is a place to relax, explore and drift and deserves a spot at the top of every spring buck­et list!

Mar­lena, Mar­ket­ing & Sales Back Office Intern

Moun­tain spring in Grindel­wald

Cap­tur­ing the first rays of sun­shine in front of the Wald­hüs­li is the per­fect start to spring. A yum­my pic­nic with fresh veg­eta­bles, hum­mus and crack­ers, while the tall fir trees around the Hüs­li pro­vide plen­ty of pri­va­cy. The Wald­hüs­li at Grindel­wald Youth Hos­tel can accom­mo­date four peo­ple, has a small inte­grat­ed kitchen and even its own WC. It doesn’t get much cosier than this!

And when the spring air draws you out­side, Grindel­wald is the ide­al start­ing point for your adven­tures. Par­tic­u­lar­ly impres­sive is the panora­ma hike with views of the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau, a real high­light of the moun­tain region. After­wards, stop at Barry’s Restau­rant, Bar & Lounge and enjoy a per­fect­ly crisp Swiss rösti in a cosy atmos­phere.

Grindel­wald com­bines nature, relax­ation and activ­i­ty and should there­fore def­i­nite­ly be on your spring buck­et list!

Nina, Con­tent & Social Media Spe­cial­ist

Solothurn in spring: Alpaca trekking on the Weis­senstein

The baroque city of Solothurn imme­di­ate­ly exudes the feel­ing of spring with its beau­ti­ful alleys and some favourite spots on the Riv­er Aare. If you’re look­ing for a spe­cial expe­ri­ence besides the charm of the old town, this is the place for you. Alpaca trekking on the Weis­senstein is an excur­sion you’re sure to nev­er for­get. After all, who can say that they once took a gon­do­la with an alpaca? 😉

Even the ride up is a high­light. As you glide towards Solothurn’s local moun­tain with the curi­ous ani­mals, you’ll soon realise: This is no ordi­nary trip. Once at the top, you embark on a two-hour trek through the spring­like land­scape of the Weis­senstein. Being out and about with the alpacas is real­ly relax­ing. You adapt to their calm pace, enjoy the far-reach­ing views of the Alps and spend a few hours far away from every­day life. Believe me: In the evening, you’ll sleep twice as well in your hos­tel bed. Alpaca trekking clear­ly belongs on your buck­et list for spring.

Eve­lyn, Mar­ket­ing Spe­cial­ist

Soak up the spring sun in Bein­wil am See

When the sun glis­tens on Lake Hall­wil, there’s only one thing to do: get out, stroll along the water and enjoy spring to the fullest. That’s why Bein­wil am See should be on your spring buck­et list.

From the youth hos­tel, you can reach the lake­side path in no time. When the sea­son is in full bloom, this path invites you to take a leisure­ly stroll or go on a short hike. It takes around an hour and a half to reach medieval Hall­wyl Cas­tle, one of the most beau­ti­ful moat­ed cas­tles in Switzer­land. And yes: You absolute­ly must stop at the cas­tle bistro.

As soon as tem­per­a­tures hit the 20-degree mark, the first lidos around Lake Hall­wil also open. So grab a beach tow­el, pack a pic­nic and off to the lake for an aper­i­tif with some extra vit­a­min D.

Eve­lyn, Mar­ket­ing Spe­cial­ist

Basel: As vibrant as spring

The tri-bor­der city on the Rhine brings togeth­er cul­ture, tra­di­tion and culi­nary delights in per­fect har­mo­ny. Basel Youth Hos­tel enjoys a qui­et yet cen­tral loca­tion in the St. Alban quar­ter. Right next to the ter­race, a small creek rip­ples while the birds chirp in the green trees. Break­fast on the ter­race will slow you down and give you ener­gy for an event­ful spring day.

A walk through one of the many parks and gar­dens is an absolute must; the Botan­i­cal Gar­den of the Uni­ver­si­ty of Basel is par­tic­u­lar­ly rec­om­mend­ed. Basel is gen­er­al­ly a won­der­ful place to explore on foot, pass­ing by high­lights such as the Basel Min­ster, the Kun­st­mu­se­um Basel and the Tingue­ly-Brun­nen foun­tain.

After all these impres­sions, a short break is just what you need: Sim­ply fol­low the entic­ing scent of fresh cin­na­mon buns and you’ll end up at the trendy Cin­namood Basel. The per­fect sweet fin­ish to your buck­et-list day in Basel.

Nina, Con­tent & Social Media Spe­cial­ist

Off to the city on the Rhine

Stein am Rhein is always worth a vis­it! In spring, the large gar­den with the cosy out­door seat­ing area of the youth hos­tel shines in all its glo­ry. A small idyll just out­side the city cen­tre. But not mat­ter. Breathe in the fresh spring air as you walk along the banks of the Rhine to the famous lit­tle town with its elab­o­rate­ly dec­o­rat­ed facades.

You’ll find deli­cious home-made gela­to in the live­ly city cen­tre. It’s also a great spot to take a break and enjoy a cof­fee while watch­ing the hus­tle and bus­tle. What would spring be with­out grilling? In the evening, you can make a fire in the youth hos­tel gar­den and enjoy a bar­be­cue. A per­fect day for your spring buck­et list.

Nina, PR Spe­cial­ist