Mice in Switzerland, the Other Cheese Country! (page 11 of 19)

In December it's too cold 🐭

Well, change of plans—at least partially...

My partner has a piece of tooth breaking off, urgent dentist appointment in France tomorrow...

But that doesn’t stop us from visiting the museum during the evening opening.

He’ll need an early night, so we’ll have to head back sooner...

The dentist canceled, and there’s no available appointment between Lyon and Strasbourg for quite some time. It really shows how much of a medical desert France is becoming 😐

Yesterday, between showers, we still managed to visit the old town, the park with the Reformation Wall, the Tavel House, the cathedral and its chapel, and then my Russian church 🐭



We ended up on the quays during the blue hour before grabbing a bite at McDonald’s 🍟

Actually, I’d already been to Geneva once 15 years ago. Back then, I mostly saw the shores of Lake Geneva and the botanical garden. I’d also wandered through the shopping streets, which I found kinda ugly. The old town has made me like Geneva a bit more, even if it’s not huge. Though it’s still not my favorite city.

Originally, we wanted to visit the Patek Museum, but there was a line to get in! Didn’t feel like touring with a crowd pressed against the display cases, so we left...

Actually, it's the Reformers' Wall...

A Swiss dentist can at least patch the hole with resin, then we'll see later in France.

Missed it last night, the mouse... 😉 https://www.lematin.ch/story/athletissima-le-nombre-fou-de-morceaux-de-gruyere-distribues-a-la-pontaise-103400921

Yeah, it was the spell-checker that messed me up 🤦‍♂️

The dentist in Switzerland is gonna cost an arm and a leg. Anyway, with the weather like this, we’re not staying. I’m also kinda over staying with people at this point.

Cheese for him: 🙃

Our trip to Switzerland has come to an end.

We returned to Geneva to see the Broken Chair. It started raining quite a bit, so we took a quick detour to the Ariana Museum!

We made a little detour to see the Grottes district and its unique architecture, then spent some time in traffic to reach the Museum of Art and History.

We explored the whole place. It was okay, but the building is old and not very well maintained... There was a party at the museum café, and we could hear the music everywhere—it was pretty annoying.

For our last day, my partner wanted to rest. Driving two days in a row to Geneva with all the traffic was enough for him.

We just took a stroll through the village of Moudon—cute but nothing extraordinary... Had a drink on the terrace and did some shopping, especially to stock up on cheese and chocolate!

One last fondue for the road (from the store, to enjoy at the apartment) and that’s it.

We’re currently in Besançon for a stopover before heading home.

Hello everyone, A little detour from your super interesting topic. I’m planning to go back to German-speaking Switzerland—a real love at first sight for its landscapes and some restaurants that aren’t exactly diet-friendly but are an absolute treat. I’d also like to point out how strict they are about speeding in cars—they don’t mess around with the rules. When I got back to France, I had the unpleasant surprise of receiving two fines I had to pay because Switzerland has an agreement with France. If you don’t want the police showing up at your door, you pay quickly (especially if you plan to go back, because unpaid fines can mean a few days in prison—I think that’s going overboard). On Geneva’s ring road, there’s a spot where two municipalities meet, and there are speed cameras just two minutes apart (one in each municipality). I got caught by both, and it hurts after spending time in a country that’s so expensive for us French. For going just 8 km/h over the speed limit, it cost me 120 CHF (128 €). And even worse, two minutes earlier, another camera caught me going 3 km/h over the limit—a 40 CHF (43 €) fine for 3 km/h over. I think that’s really excessive on a four-lane road. So, if this can help other travelers, just know that in this country, they don’t joke around with driving mistakes. Have a great weekend, everyone! 😊

Hi there,

This travel journal is really great. I love all the little tips you—and the other contributors—share. I also really appreciate your website, which I use regularly. Thanks for sharing (and for all the work you put into it).

Switzerland is a beautiful country. We went there last summer and then returned to Basel at All Saints' Day. Too bad it’s so expensive.

Thanks to the latest contributors!

Yes, the Alps have tons of speed cameras, sometimes right after the speed limit sign. My husband has a detector that seems to work well.

I hope so, because the car is in my name and I don’t want to get any fines 😅

Prices are high, but when you look at Swiss salaries, they actually seem more in line with purchasing power compared to France.

It’s not uncommon to find meals for 20-25 € in France now, which is expensive relative to salaries.

True, pizzas in France aren’t at 25-30 € yet. And in Swiss restaurants, the price of meat is wild—beef dishes easily hit 50 CHF... Rarely any set menus, everything’s à la carte. But since the portions are filling, one dish is often enough 😅

A little side note: I didn’t find the menus very varied! Always a bit of the same thing, or burgers and pizzas. It felt repetitive. Though I didn’t check out Michelin restaurant menus. There was a lack of veggies. Luckily, we could also eat in our accommodations.

A few random thoughts after a month in Switzerland!

- Between French-speaking and German-speaking Switzerland, I sometimes felt like I was visiting two different countries... Different architecture (depends on the canton), language... The only common ground is the prices.

But when we went from the north (Schaffhausen, Stein am Rhein) to Lausanne, there were few similarities. That’s a bit less true for central Switzerland.

- Visiting French-speaking Switzerland sometimes felt odd as a French person. At times, it just felt like visiting another French region, but a few details reminded me I was in another country. It’s a bit like the Walloon border.

- Overall, I preferred the cities in German-speaking Switzerland—they felt more colorful (Bern being an exception, and I didn’t make it to Zürich).

- We found the Swiss generally friendly. I’m used to Eastern European countries where the welcome is a bit different, so I’m rarely shocked. But we had some great conversations.

Switzerland is a beautiful country with stunning landscapes, cities, and villages... It’s not a stressful place, it’s clean and safe, so it’s really enjoyable!

During this trip, I got to see a bit of everything: mid-sized cities, villages, lakes with different urbanization styles, natural sites, museums, vineyards, and a bit of the mountains.

What I missed most were the summits and viewpoints, and mountain lakes. Guess I’ll have to come back...

Since I’d only been to Geneva before, this was all new to me!

My favorites: Lucerne, all the lakeside spots, Gruyères, Stein am Rhein, and the Rhine Falls.

Oh, I forgot... The Swiss specialties were a hit with the mice too 🐭

We tried fondues, of course—once at a restaurant and then bought some at the supermarket 🧀 For me, this kind of dish is pure gastronomic bliss 😇

Cordon bleu is good, and it’s rare to find it in restaurants in France, except in Alsace. The one we had in Fribourg, with Fribourg vacherin cheese, was amazing!

Rösti is pretty good, even if it’s heavy (the one in Brienz, with raclette, was really tasty!), and I tried *croûte au fromage*—which I didn’t know before—and it was pretty good too!

Didn’t try the sausage dishes or *émincé à la zurichoise*.

We did eat Asian food now and then for a change, and some pizzas, but they’re better in France 😋

I tried lake fish in breadcrumbs once. Not bad either.

I’d have thought there’d be more fish on the menus, not just breaded (trout, Arctic char...). But given the prices for even the simplest fish or meat, ouch!

And of course, all the cheese you can find in supermarkets 😇

I also preferred what they call "German" Switzerland for the architecture, the game dishes, and I love their accent. Since I often travel alone, I got closer to the locals and learned that the Swiss Romands don’t really like the others, and vice versa. I also found out that some German Swiss understand French and can speak it, but sometimes they pretend not to understand or don’t want to reply in French 🤪 A bit like some older Alsatians 😏

Hello,

A few more years and it’ll be English for everyone... Wanna bet?

https://www.rts.ch/info/suisse/2025/article/debat-en-suisse-alemanique-le-francais-precoce-menace-a-l-ecole-primaire-28898042.html#:~:text=Plusieurs%20cantons%20al%C3%A9maniques%20envisagent%20de,

Others are fighting the opposite battle. The same goes for France, where some regions have many schools teaching in regional languages, and lots of young couples bring their kids there.

Didn’t try the sausage dishes or the Zurich-style sliced veal.

How come you didn’t try the Zurich-style sliced veal? Major faux pas... 🙂😛

When you go to Zurich, head to Zeughauskeller, Zeughauskeller Zürich - Hearty traditional dishes :: Wienerschnitzel, Cordon Bleu, Zurich-style sliced veal, calf’s liver, pork knuckle, veal bratwurst, farmer’s bratwurst

Super tasty, great service, "not too expensive" for the city! Great location, nothing to complain about. A bit noisy, some might say, but that’s the soul of the restaurant!

Edit: but I do recommend booking!!!

There are plenty of restaurants serving excellent fish dishes in the Lausanne area and along the lake between Lausanne and Nyon.

There are plenty of restaurants serving excellent fish dishes in the Lausanne area and along the lake, between Lausanne and Nyon.

I didn’t really see any, but I wasn’t specifically looking in that category, to be honest.

Didn’t try the sausage dishes or the Zurich-style sliced veal.

What do you mean you didn’t try the Zurich-style sliced veal? Major fail... 🙂😛

When you go to Zurich, head to Zeughauskeller, Zeughauskeller Zürich - Hearty traditional dishes :: Wienerschnitzel, Cordon bleu, Kalbsgeschnetzeltes, Calf’s liver, Pork knuckle, Veal bratwurst, Farmer’s bratwurst

Super tasty, great service, "not too expensive" for the city! Well located, no complaints. A bit noisy, some might say, but that’s the restaurant’s vibe!

Edit: but I do recommend booking!!!

I’ll keep that in mind if I go!

For everyone, an article from this morning showing the atmosphere in certain places:

https://www.watson.ch/fr/suisse/berne/119046853-surtourisme-7-choses-qui-m-ont-frappe-au-lac-d-oeschinen

Yeah, thanks social media...

From the moment I arrived in Switzerland, I was bombarded with Instagram posts about Switzerland, always the same places.

This stuff is dangerous...

So it actually warned me about places to avoid!

The Bernese Oberland in summer? No thanks. But honestly, off-season isn’t always obvious either.

There are places I’ll probably never see...

Well, the mice have booked their accommodation for the global event they were most interested in 😛

https://www.capitalofcheese.com/fr/