Pearls summer

Make your boyhood dreams come true as an apprentice fireman on the legendary Brienz–Rothorn mountain railway! Besides learning all about the line and the vintage 1892 locomotives, you can take a look inside the steam engine, be present when the brakes are tested and help stoke the furnace on the way up to the top. Plus you return home with a personalized fireman’s certificate.

A bit of Ticino to take home with you! At the Gottardo dairy in Airolo, guests can use the wonderful milk produced by cows in the San Gottardo region to make their own cheese. An experienced cheese maker tells them what to do and after each freshly made cheese has aged sufficiently to produce a fine mature cheese, it is sent back home to the one who made it as a reminder of an unforgettable holiday in Ticino.

Not everyone has a garden, but everyone can have an apple tree – by sponsoring a tree in the apple-growing village of Altnau, for example, or by planting a new one, in which case you can choose the variety and location yourself. Every sponsored tree has a sign with the name of the sponsor, who naturally gets to harvest the apples as well, either whole or in the form of freshly pressed apple juice.

A visit to Augusta Raurica, the famous Roman settlement on the Rhine, promises more than just a fascinating insight into one of the most interesting chapters of human history; it's sure to be lots of fun too!

A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! Visitors to the bell foundry in Berger in Bärau can now cast their own bells. The first job is to decorate the sand moulds, after which guests are taken on a tour of the foundry while the metal is being heated up to 1100 degrees. Once it is molten, the bells are cast and just a short time later can be admired as unique works of craftsmanship.

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The past is alive and well in Basel’s old paper mill. Here in the mill’s medieval-style workshops, paper is still made using traditional methods. The history of writing is brought back to life by the machines for casting and setting lead type, while the historical printing presses in the museum's own printing shop show how books used to be produced. Visitors are welcome to make their own coloured paper in the museum’s interactive studio.

Those who sign up for a tour of Basel with Emma Munzinger get to see the city from a completely different perspective. An old school maidservant, Munzinger takes guests with her to her new workplace in the home of one of Basel’s most illustrious families. There, allowed to peek behind doors that are normally shut, visitors can learn all about the history of Basel’s “Daigs” – as the upper crust is called in Basel dialect – as well as picking up many a juicy piece of gossip.

No one is too young to go to sea! On this boat trip on Lake Bienne, children can get a taste of what it means to be at the helm. Those who sign up in advance not only get to visit the captain on the bridge, but can also have a go at steering the boat on their own – at the helm and with the captain’s cap on their head! So if that’s not enough to fire a young sea pup’s imagination, what is?

As a guest on the footplate of the steam train from Brienz up the Rothorn, you get to experience both the marvels of steam and the wonders of nature at first hand. Passing through romantic meadows and chugging alongside precipitous cliff faces, the cog railway climbs 1,678 m to the craggy ridge at the top, with gradients of up to 25 percent in places. The Brienz–Rothorn mountain railway is Switzerland’s only steam railway to provide a daily service.

What started as an April Fool’s joke can now be experienced for real. On the Brunni near Engelberg, Pius the mountain cleaner takes guests on a via ferrata with a difference. And because flossing rock faces is not just fun, but likely to make you hungry, too, the assignment is followed by a hearty supper at the Brunnihütte – until the sun sets behind “Switzerland’s cleanest mountain.”

Every Saturday morning, visiting foodies are welcome to call in on the chef de cuisine of the Auberge du Soleil in Bursins and there in his kitchen learn some of his secrets. Among the many skills Jean-Michel Colin teaches them is how to compose a menue gastronomique under professional conditions – which upon completion they are naturally allowed to eat. This rather exclusive culinary pleasure is open to no more than six participants at once.

What first spring to mind are vases, elegant glassware, artfully crafted dishes and decorative glass ornaments. Yet glass-blowing is not just an art, but a science, too, and has been since the days of alchemy. The distinction is explained in the course of this tour of the Jorat glassworks, when visitors will have a chance to try their hand at glass-blowing.

The last Wednesday of every month is open-door day at the Zollbrück bakery in the Emmental. Here, visitors can learn all about the history and manufacture of the famous Bärner Ankezüpfe – traditional Bernese plait – and even try their hand at making one too! Once their souvenir plaits are in the oven, guests can also go on a tour of the show bakery.

This is an exhibition one cannot get enough of! A culinary journey back in time at Switzerland’s largest hotel museum, the seven-room show culminates in the most magnificent spread. Narrated in seven courses with seven different wines, the 132-year-old history of the Hotel Waldhaus in Flims stimulates both mind and palate.

The fisherman's craft is one of the oldest there is. And has remained a fascinating experience to this very day. As on Lake Geneva, for example, where some professional anglers take guests with them in their boats. The piscatorial skills taught include interpreting fish behaviour correctly, using a rod and line, tying knots in tackle and filleting freshly caught fish.

The “Säge” in Giswil is one of history’s great survivors. Made entirely of wood, Switzerland’s only water-powered sawmill exudes nostalgia and the romanticism of an age-old craft. You will be amazed at how little water is needed to start the giant wheel turning. And the souvenir piece of wood you get to saw will serve as a permanent reminder of your visit to the “Säge”.

The Fluonalp is one of the loveliest of the Giswil Alps and the cows that graze here enjoy not only magnificent views, but a copious supply of the most delicious herbs. No wonder the cheese made from their milk is so remarkable. Nor is the recipe a secret. Anyone who wants to can visit the dairy and make their own cheese. What’s more, they can pick it up again a year later (the cheeses weigh between 11 and 13 kg), by which time it will have matured to perfection.

Lots of animals come alive at night. But the Walterzoo is the only zoo in Switzerland to admit visitors after dark to enable them to watch four-legged predators in action – naturally from a safe distance! Supper is served in an Indian-style tipi and after that it’s time for bed so that next morning you will feel sufficiently rested to take a look at the zoo by day.

Amateur sleuths will love this! Accompanied by a guide, they set off on the trail of Sir Othon de Grandson and Charles Le Téméraire, the aim being to find all the hidden clues and interpret them correctly. The reward is a legendary treasure trove! An exciting and interesting day out for kids aged between five and eleven, whose parents are also welcome to join in the fun.

Many people regard cows as the most amiable of creatures, but few realize that they can literally be taken for a ride. After a brief introduction at the Bolderhof, guests get to saddle their own cow ready for a three-hour tour across meadows, along riverbanks and through woods. The leisurely ride is an excellent opportunity to get to know these extraordinary animals even better. And you’re sure to love them even more by the end of it!

Just imagine being able to make your own soft cheese in a huge copper kettle over an open fire! This is what you can do at Hemishofen, an organic farm where you can learn how to lend your cheese its own special flavour and how to refine it with herbs. You can also churn your own butter and sample it on freshly made bread. And those wanting something to wash it down with can help themselves to a glass of fresh milk by milking one of the farm’s many forbearing cows!

Not the animals, of course, but a kind of gingerbread which is a speciality of Canton Appenzell. And because Biber – the German word for beavers – taste best when you make them yourself, it helps to watch a master baker at work and take your cues from him. With your beavers in the oven, you can watch the local wood carver fashioning a typical Appenzell cutting board, which like the beavers you will be able to take home with you.

There is a poetic beauty to Jobin’s fantastic collection of ancient musical boxes and jukeboxes. Yet no box can touch us like one we’ve made ourselves. Which is the big attraction here, where visitors can temporarily slip into the role of craftsman and make their own musical box. In addition to your favourite tune in a box, the package also includes an after-work drink and personalized certificate.

Lake Gruyère is surrounded by the most enchanting countryside. Embark on a one-hour boat trip on the lake and all you have to do is lean back and enjoy – and be astounded, too; at Rossens, for example, where nature herself has carved the head of an elephant in the cliff face, or at the medieval ruins and picturesque chapel on the tiny Île d’Ogoz.

Experience the sight of some 160 sheep being given a short back and sides – and help give it to them, if you like, if only to find out what sheep’s wool feels like when it’s still on the sheep. You can also try giving your animal a more stylish hairdo, or just admire the sheer skill and speed of the shepherds hard at work around you.

Spend a whole day learning to be a dolphin and sea-lion trainer! This is what you can do at the theme park Conny-Land. The first job of the day is to get the sea-lions out of “bed”. And then, after learning a few important tricks, you can give them their breakfast, too. The next highlight is sure to be your session with the dolphins. The day also includes important, but less glamorous jobs such as taking water samples and learning how to portion fish.

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This extravagant tour in a horse-drawn coach has everything the gourmet could wish for, whether it’s a classic fondue, a zesty Raclette or meat barbecued to a crisp at your seat. And as digestif a shot of “Hengstwasser” (schnapps). All of which, thanks to the exceptionally romantic route taken through this legendary city of lights, makes for a two-hour tour of Lucerne at its finest.

An authentic slice of life in the Jura. The horses of the Pays de Fribourg have been part of the Jurassic landscape since time immemorial. Not surprisingly, therefore, the most stylish way of exploring this part of Switzerland is in a horse-drawn coach. Lovers of regional cuisine are strongly advised to interrupt their two-hour tour from Moutier to Crémines, Grandval and Eschert for a zesty cheese fondue or hearty farmhouse brunch in Grandval.

Stefan Grossenbacher is not just a goldsmith, but a professional gold digger, too. He’s also the kind of person who is happy to share his knowledge and skills with others, including how to separate gold from sand and gravel. The Napf Region, by the way, is famous for its gold rivers and is known to have attracted prospectors even in Roman times.

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It is hailed as the world’s steepest cog railway. Hence the impressiveness of the ride up the 2132-m-high Mt. Pilatus – within touching distance of fascinating cliff faces. Ride in the cab and you will get a grandstand view. And while the driver is telling you the story of the now legendary railway, you can take photos of the majestic peaks and precipitous drops all around you.

At nightfall in the old town of Schaffhausen and Stein am Rhein, the Middle Ages comes back to life; for this is the hour at which the night watchman begins his rounds. And if you accompany him, you will get to see not only the town’s best beauty spots, but also its best kept secrets. Your guide, moreover, will regale you with tales both instructive and ghoulish, ranging from the town’s brothels and the iron hand of the law to plague epidemics and conflagrations.

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Josin Neuhäusler is not only a dyed-in-the-wool Engadine native, but also an inspired sgrafitto artist. On his tours of the village, he shows guests the many outstanding examples of sgraffito on the houses there, explains how this typically Engadine style of house-painting is done and what it means to the region. Last, but not least, amateur artists are given a crash course in the art of sgraffito and can take their own attempts home with them as a souvenir.

Scarcely anyone knows Silwängen Caves as do the Schniders, a family of alpine farmers. Escorted by them, guests can climb down a ladder into a wonderland of stalagmites and stalactites. More than 250 passages with a combined length of over 32 km have been explored to date. So here in the belly of the mountain, even hardy walkers will find what they are looking for.

No, there have not been any reports of a sudden influx of chamois and marmots on the Stanserhorn. Climb this peak with one of the local rangers, however, and you are sure to see lots of wildlife. The fully accredited rangers will explain the local flora and fauna, help you to identify the surrounding mountains and other topographical features and spin their stock of yarns relating to what is popularly known as the “Lazy Man’s Mountain”.

The legendary Via Mala gorge is almost more exciting by night than by day. The stairs built in 1903 are the auditorium from which you embark on a journey back in time. Key scenes from 2,000 years of transalpine traffic are re-enacted for your entertainment and played out against a spectacular backdrop of precipitous cliffs, the upper reaches of the Rhine and a glorious night sky!

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Everyone can drink, but not everyone can brew. Except in Switzerland’s smallest brewery, the Hof Hopfentropfen, where visitors can attend a brewing seminar or a demonstration brewing and there help with the production of the brewery’s own special beer. Later, on the hop theme trail, you will discover that hops are used not just in beer, but also find their way into schnapps, vinegar, oil, pralines, pasta, tea, cosmetics and herbal remedies.

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An unforgettable experience for all the senses! The fields near the old mill in San Carlo are sown with buckwheat. This is later harvested and separated from the chaff before being sent to the mill for threshing and milling. After that, it’s off to Poschiavo, where the fresh flour is made into Pizzoccheri, a typical Poschiavo speciality.

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Imagine what it feels like to have 480 horsepower at your command, nothing but snow as far as the eye can see, a pale moon in the sky and only the hiss and crackle of your colleagues' radio messages for company. That is the world of the Pistenbully operator. Those who want to experience it live can hitch a lift on one in Zermatt. They will even have a chance to pilot the monster caterpillar and to prepare part of the glacier piste ready for the next day’s skiing.

So much for the idea that mixing drinks is for men only! Since there’s no reason why women should not be able to mix a perfect drink, Kay Prüfert, Chef de Bar at the Eden au Lac, invites ladies to take a look at his very own recipe books and to learn from him how some of the best loved drinks are mixed. After learning all about spirits and taking a crash course in cocktails, the new bar tenders come away with their own book of recipes and lots of great ideas for the bar at home.

A spine-chilling adventure! Those who love horror movies can get to know the creepier side of Zurich by going on a ghost walk with Dan Dent. Blood-curdling stories of the city’s violent past and tales of the many spooks and poltergeists that still haunt some of the gloomier streets are sure to generate a pleasantly titillating sense of horror, despite the seemingly picturesque backdrop.