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“This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Alpine Tourist Commission which is comprised of Austria, Germany and Switzerland.
When Pete and I were in high school, on different sides of the country, we both took road trips through Europe. I traveled through France, and Pete took a longer trip to the Alps. I remember him telling me about his time there on one of our first dates. He enjoyed it that much! He told me how friendly and welcoming the residents are, and how it has a sustainable infrastructure with countless experiences in the natural environment. Plus, he knows how much I love trying new foods in new areas, like these 9 must-try dishes through the Alps.
The Alps is the original vacation and travel destination, and good for all age groups. Now that we have been traveling so much closer to home, we are starting to think about a European family vacation, and of course, a road trip to the Alpine nations of Switzerland, Germany, and Austria is at the top of our list. While we would be taking our daughters, the region also makes for an amazing honeymoon or multi-generational spot. Did you know that you can drive through the Alps in under two weeks, and you can also enjoy the route via train and leave the driving to someone else?
Taking a road trip with parts of it explored on a train and driving in other areas seems like the perfect way to me, because then you can sit back and enjoy the sights as you travel from the train and slow your pace down in the car in other areas as you see fit. If you decided to travel by car for all or a portion of your visit, you will be happy to know that the transportation throughout the area is easily accessible with visitor friendly roads that help you get the most of your visit. I have been planning our Absolutely Alps road trip as a whole, and also breaking it down by country and city.
I have been using Pete’s memories from his visit to guide me. Alpine Tourism Commission also has some pre-made itineraries for ease of planning for visitors, and I have picked out a few of my favorite stops along the way to experience the culture, cuisine, and hospitality of the Alps.
For our road trip, we would plan to start in Switzerland and make our way to car-free Zermatt. It is located at the foot of the Matterhorn in the middle of an extraordinary hiking and skiing region. The ski region here encompasses 63 mountain railways and over 220 miles of slopes! It is also known for the 250 miles of hiking trails throughout the Matter Valley. Since we will be traveling with kids, we won’t be able to hike all of those 250 miles, but we plan to explore as many of them as we can. Another thing we have as a must do on our trip while in Switzerland is to ride the cog railway. It operates between Zermatt and the over 10,000-foot-high Gornergrat platform. We can’t wait to take in the breathtaking views of the Matterhorn and of glaciers. This is a 33-minute round trip on Europe’s highest open-air cog railway.
Doesn’t this picture of Matterhorn take your breath away?! Switzerland is so beautiful!
I’m also mesmerized by The Glacier Express. What an incredible view this must have!
Oberhofen Castle, on Lake Thun, is also on our list because I have heard so many people talk about it and its historically significant past. An American even helped secure its place as a museum now. I think the girls would learn a lot from visiting a castle dating back to the 1200s. Next on our trip will be Germany. I know it is also going to be a big memory maker along our road trip through the Alps, whether we decide to drive or take the train. When we are traveling, we try to see as many different sights as possible, so I know that we would definitely want to visit the Black Forest. It is quite the place to see with mountains, breathtaking views, deep lakes and charming valleys. It is also the largest nature park in Germany, and it has an array of health and spa resorts, thermal baths, and delicious regional food along with towns filled with historic architectural treasures.
We would also want to visit Mainau Island to see the hundreds of species of plants and trees that have been planted there. The island is also well known for their positive environmental practices. Plus, we would really enjoy seeing these blue waters.
Our ultimate road trip would wind down in Austria. I would imagine that this part of our trip would be via car. Until I met Pete and heard about Austria from him, I really didn’t know what a rich history the county has, and all the beautiful areas there are to visit. He drove through on a bus with his group, and he really enjoyed all the little towns that they stopped at, so we would most likely want to do the same. One such area that really caught my eye while I have been planning is Tirol. Tirol, which is located in the heart of the Alps and surrounded by majestic mountains, rolling meadows, and picturesque valleys has villages such as Alpbach (likely a permanent settlement for more than 1,000 years). This is another area that I would love to share the long local history with my girls so that they can learn about history where it actually happened.
The cozy homes here are surrounded by flowers and are crafted with bold, natural wood and stone that can easily withstand the rugged environment and its weather, while still blending beautifully into the landscape. I love seeing all the different types of architecture that are region, and climate specific and this seems like a place I would fall immediately in love with! We are also planning to visit Salzburgerland to get a real feel for the people of Austria. It is a place where our girls would love to explore with us through hiking, enjoying the local cuisine and watching the children of the area play in their traditional clothing.
As I plan more of our trip through the Alps, my itinerary just keeps growing. Two weeks seems like a good amount of time to visit, but I could see us easily spending another week and still having more to see.
Because I always feel like the best stories are told by seeing real stories, I’m so excited to share a video of travelers enjoying the “Alps Experience” in the next few months. Be sure to visit me here again soon to see it! Until then, here are the 9 best hidden gems in the Alps and 9 fun facts about the Alps for you to enjoy and learn from!
That is so amazing! We are SO doing this the next time we go to Europe. It’s like road tripping through a fairy tale!
I have always dreamed of going on a trip through Europe. These are beautiful photos. The flowers are so colorful.
It looks so beautiful there. I would love to go on a trip through the Alps. I bet you can not wait to go back.
A trip through the Alps would be so amazing and fun. It looks absolutely beautiful there. I have always wanted to go.
We have been talking about dream vacations we would love to go on. I will have to add a trip through the Alps to the list. It looks breathtaking there.
Wow, those photos are breathtaking!!! I would love to go on the Glacier Express!
I have always wanted to visit the Swiss Alps! What a gorgeous view in these pictures.
Absolutely breathtaking! My hubby and I have been planning a European trip in the next year I’ll have to show him this!
This entire area is on my bucket list! So many fantastic places to visit, you just set my wanderlust into full speed ahead!
I’m in desperate need of a trip!!! This looks so fun
I have never been to the alps. I would really love to visit with my family as well.
This looks like an excellent trip. Simply gorgeous views.
I think I would like to go on such a cool trip.
Hard to believe, but it’s been forever since we’ve been! My favorite part was seeing their ballet company. You just can’t beat it! Your post makes me want to go back.
Looks like an amazing place to go. Those photos are so beautiful. I would love to go there someday. The photos make me wish I were there now.
I have never been to the Alps but after reading this post I would love to. This would be such a great experience.
Europe is beautiful. It’s been a while since I was there but hopefully I get there again soon. I would love to visit Austria.
I have never been to the Alps but after reading all about it, I would love to go there!
Wow, those pictures are gorgeous! I’ve only been to Estonia in Europe, but I need to add Austria and the Alps to my list.
That looks like a beautiful place to visit. I’ve never been to Europe before. I love seeing pictures shared on other bloggers’ sites and social media channels.
A European road trip has been on my bucket list for as long as I can remember. Sounds like so much fun.
This is so beautiful. I can only imagine what those alps look like in person. Your pictures are amazing.
Wow, wonderful place. You always take beautiful photos, love your talent!
Talk about gorgeous! I would absolutely love to go here someday with my family – what a magical travel destination!
“Magical” came to my mind too!
This looks like an amazing place to visit. I hope that I can go one day.
I would love to visit all of these places one day. They are all so beautiful, I can only imagine how many pictures I would end up taking on that vacation lol.
Absolutely will do this before much longer. I’ve done a lot of travel in the States but none outside other than a deployement.
I want to visit the Alps, but honestly I worry I would never be able to leave! Such a lovely place in this world!
I would love to visit Switzerland someday, it is gorgeous! The Alps, will be beautiful to see.
These pics definitely sold me. I want to visit Switzerland and I’ve always heard that it’s one of the most beautiful places on the Earth. – Yolonda
Last time I was in Switzerland was in 1967. I remember it as being like one big fairytale land. I was so impressed….Swiss chocolate and Lake Lucerne…really wonderful memories.
Living in the US, I don’t get to take any awesome European vacations without a lot of time and money. We plan on doing all of our traveling once the kids are grown so we can enjoy it more.
Thanks for sharing so many wonderful locations. I look forward to reading all about your families trip. Thanks for sharing.
Wow, these photos! I really want to go! Maybe in a few years. I hope.
This looks so beautiful, I would love to visit Europe someday
Awesome shot! Makes me want to go for a trip now. The place looks so fab.
AbsAbsolutely magical! The sights are incredible and something I’ve only seen in movies! Would love to visit here one day. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Who wouldn’t love this trip. I haven’t made it to Switzerland yet.
A trip like this would be amazing!! I know my family would love if we took a European road trip like this!
amazing pictures! the place is so good to visit 🙂 I want to travel no! thank you for the post 🙂
I’ve been to Alps, but not in Switzerland.
Love the photos, they made me want to pack my bags and go there.
The Alps is the perfect destination for the winter, without a doubt! The place is breathtakingly beautiful! You can’t go wrong with planning a trip there!
Those views are absolutely breathtaking! The Glacier Express looks like something out of a fairytale!
This is the kind of trip I want next for my family. We pretty much have only done theme parks thus far.
That is so beautiful! I would love to visit the Alps like this. I can’t even imagine being surrounded but such gorgeous natural beauty.
The Alps is someplace I would like to visit. Just thinking about it makes me want to Yodel.
So BEAUTIFUL!!! I’ve always seen such wonderful pics like this, but never seen any of it in person. Hard to imagine it could be this beautiful!
The photography on this post (and this whole blog) is AMAZING. Thanks so much for sharing with us!
I would love to explore the Alps! I’m so jealous that you are planning our trip. Don’t be surprised if I crawl inside your suitcase so you can bring me along LOL. It looks like an awesome place to visit.
I have been to Europe but did not go to the Alps. This looks like a lovely trip
The Alps look gorgeous, simply breathtaking. I would love to visit them someday. They are on my bucket list.