The plan was irresponsibly simple: one small van, five days, and every high pass we could string into a loop. Switzerland makes this easy — the roads are engineered joy, the valleys are spaced exactly one appetite apart, and the mountain inns seem to compete for who can serve the best soup at altitude.
Day one to three: up and over
We climbed through meadows loud with cowbells, crossed our first pass in a wall of cloud, and descended into a valley where the air smelled of pine and fondue. The van — twenty years old, named Marmot — complained on the hairpins and forgave us at every viewpoint.
Days four and five: lakes and the long way home
We dropped to the lakes for a swim that reset our legs, then took the long way home along the water — cherry stalls, a lakeside lido, and a final night parked where the mountains turned pink and stayed pink for an hour.
Drive it yourself
The full loop — passes, swim stops, inns and the bakery you must not skip — is mapped in The Mountains collection. And if Marmot has taught me anything, it is this: rent the small van, take the high road, stop for every cow.
Wren Aldana
Travel writer behind Lantern Trails. Walks far, packs light, always carries a spare notebook.
