Basel to Interlaken

On our way to Gimmelwald and our Airbnb, we stopped in Lucerne—and wow. That is a town I wish I had more time in. It was absolutely stunning.

We visited the Lion Monument, which is chiseled right into the mountain wall and more powerful in person than I expected. We also found and bought the cutest cuckoo clock, which I can’t wait to hang up at home. Unfortunately, we couldn’t find parking to walk across the famous Chapel Bridge, which was disappointing—but Ben and I both agreed: we’ll be back to this cute little town for sure.

We continued toward Gimmelwald, and Ben had found a really cool place to stop along the way: Aare Gorge (Aareschlucht).

This impressive gorge in the Bernese Oberland was carved into the rock by the power of the Aare River over thousands of years. It's about 1.4 kilometers long and only one meter wide at its narrowest point, with sheer rock walls rising up to 200 meters high. Walking through it was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced—it’s dramatic, beautiful, and totally peaceful all at once.

This is also where you can see remnants from World War II. Even though Switzerland was neutral, they built strong defenses—including installations in Aareschlucht. You can even see an eagle chiseled into the wall, marking the cave that the Swiss Army once used.

Pro Tip: At the top of the gorge, there’s a train that takes you back to the starting point. We didn’t know that until we got up there—and had already seen tons of people walking all the way back!

Also… the water. The water in this gorge was the bluest I have ever seen. Honestly—even bluer than Caribbean water. Absolutely unreal.

After leaving Aare Gorge, we headed toward Interlaken and stopped at a public swimming area on Lake Thun, near Laguna Beach Bar & Restaurant. There was plenty of parking, and we stayed for a few hours while the kids swam and we relaxed lakeside.

Then we finally made it to our Airbnb in Reichenbach im Kandertal. It was a great place for a big family—we even had a separate apartment downstairs, which worked out perfectly. The only surprise was the location: the pictures made it seem like it was in the middle of nowhere, but it was actually along a fairly busy road.

Pro Tip: When doing long road trips like this, try to alternate between Airbnbs and hotels so you can do laundry along the way. I brought laundry sheets from Amazon with me and they worked great—no mess, no bulky bottles.

We went to Coop and got some food to stock up at the Airbnb, where we stayed for 2 nights. It was the perfect base for the mountain adventures ahead.