Birthdays are big, and milestone birthdays are even bigger. My 35th had to be something twice as epic since my 30th birthday plans were thwarted due to covid lockdowns. Switzerland has been on my list, because it is known for its gorgeous landscapes in both warm and cold seasons, and I love to behold and photograph a good landscape. As a true winter baby, I also knew it would have fun winter activities: skiing the Alps, après ski activities, riding the train, shopping, hot Swiss chocolate! Switzerland more than delivered.
Once I chose Switzerland, the algorithm delivered all things Switzerland. We came across a post with a train journey on the sbb showing postcard views and a play area for the kiddos. As someone with children, and who has friends with children, I wanted to ensure the trip would be kid-friendly. It also sent us videos from the White Turf St. Moritz event, which is an exclusive, annual equestrian event held on the frozen surface of Lake St. Moritz in Switzerland where people eat good food, drink fine drinks, and wear beautiful clothes. I saw that the sbb went to St. Moritz, and that White Turf was scheduled during the weekend we’d be there, so I built everything around that.
We flew into Zurich and immediately hopped on the train to St. Moritz; the ride took about 3.5 hours with one transfer. The play area for the kids was secluded, and had a slide and some games. But guess who didn’t care to play in the area on the first ride? Yep, my children. We arrived to our hotel, Hotel Europa St. Moritz, and basically crashed, because after a 9-hour flight and a 3-hour ride with two toddlers, everyone involved was wiped. Just before we crashed, we were able to grab a nice dinner at Hotel Giardino Mountain, which was a quick walk from the hotel.
St. Moritz
The next day, we hit the slopes! My husband and I couldn’t ski, because our 1-year-old was too young, so we decided we would sled. We rented toboggans, trekked to the sledding area, and put in work. There are no lifts for the sledding hills, so after every ride down, we had to walk back up, pulling the sleds and the kids. They had a blast, and the squeals of joy made it all worth it! We had so much fun, and the scenery was breathtaking. Some of our party who went skiing later joined us on the sleds, because it was the place to be. After the slopes, we went to the White Turf Family Day event, which was a free opening-day event where they had food and drink booths, live music, and pony rides. The ponies alone made the trip for the children. After Family Day, we went to an igloo bar, Beluga, which made the trip for me! I’ve always wanted to go to an igloo bar, and the experience lived up to my anticipation. To end the night, we set to the St. Moritz streets for dinner at Restaurant Caschölin, where I found my favorite Swiss dish: the rösti, which is a potato dish topped with a fried egg.
The third day was dedicated to White Turf. We dressed in our finest après ski attire, furs, and geared up for a day of winter leisure. The horse race kicked off at 11am, and we were there in our Grandstand B seats to see them off. The backdrop to the horse race and the fact that it was all taking place on a frozen lake took most of my attention, but what great races they were! We sat outside in a sundrenched area, ate oysters and caviar, drank bubbly, and were merry. The vibes were perfect, and it felt great to celebrate life with my good friends and family. A group dinner at a steakhouse followed, and was a perfect last dinner with the crew.
Zurich
We rode the same sbb train back to Zurich from St. Moritz, and thankfully, the children took full advantage of the play area this time. After the early travel, we had lunch and the ladies headed to Hürlimannbad & Spa for the thermal bath and massages. It was so relaxing that I fell asleep – I still can’t be sure she massaged me for the full 60 minutes I booked, but at that point it didn’t even matter. After our massages, we did a random search for somewhere to grab food to bring back for the families, and we stumbled upon Ristorante Napoli – this restaurant is anything but a quickly-grab-food-and-go restaurant. It was so stunning and well-decorated, it felt like we walked into a museum. Or a royal’s dining room. Needless to say, we stayed and had a three-course meal complete with birthday celebration dessert.
The final full day on the trip, we dedicated to seeing as much of Zurich as we could and making sure the kids had a good time. It was actually quite rainy, so we stuck to mostly indoor activities. We started with the Zurich Zoo, headed to the Lindt Home of Chocolate Museum (ok, that was more for me), and ended at the FIFA Museum (ok, that was more for my husband).
This trip was everything I could’ve asked for and more, and I was very pleased that I was able to plan it alone for 18 people including five children. On a return trip to Switzerland, I have to come in the summer, so I can round out my experience. I can’t wait!
All photos taken with a Nikon D5600.
