2 Countries in One Weekend

One of the ideal aspects of living in Freiburg is its central position in Europe. Located in the southwest corner of Germany, Freiburg is easily an hour's travel distance from major cities in France and Switzerland, and well-connected to northern Italy as well. This weekend, I was able to squeeze in two full travel days (at the low cost of a few hours of sleep). I enjoy day trips because you don’t need to pay for overnight accommodations, and you can typically see everything that smaller cities have to offer within one day.

Saturday’s destination was Colmar, France. If you have a Regiokarte in Freiburg, the 30 minute train to Breisach requires no additional charge. Breisach is right on the border between Germany and the Alsace region of France. From there, you can take a €4 bus which drives 45 minutes directly to Colmar. Of course, the first thing we had to do upon arrival in Colmar was try a real French croissant. The warm, buttery, flaky treat surpassed all my expectations, and eating it outside on the French cobblestone streets made the experience infinitely better. 

Our group then visited the Bartholdi Museum, which is free for students who show their student I.D. The museum has exhibits dedicated to Bartholdi’s life and sculptural work, and of course, you can see early models of the Statue of Liberty and learn about the process of its construction. After the museum, we walked through the Münster and explored the downtown area with all its shops. We explored La Petite Venise and took pictures of the Lauch River. I found the colorful half-timbered houses throughout Colmar very charming, and it was impressive how well-maintained the structures were. Colmar remained mostly untouched during the world wars, so much of the medieval architecture remains, which is one of the reasons the town is a popular tourist attraction. 

We finished the day by tasting some French wine at Cafe Jupiter, window-shopping, and treating ourselves to ice cream at Amorino. They make your ice cream cones in the shape of a flower, and you can choose as many flavors as you want for one price. 

I would highly recommend a day trip to Colmar if you are studying abroad in Freiburg! If you already have a Regiokarte, this trip can easily be under €20, perfect for traveling on a budget. Overall rating: 9/10.

Sunday morning I woke up bright and early (or more accurately, dark and early) to get on the road by 6 a.m. We had the rare opportunity to travel to the Swiss Alps by car, since one of my European classmates had his car in Freiburg, which saved us a lot of money. You can travel by regional train for free as far as Basel, Switzerland with your Regiokarte, but after that it’s not always cheap. Still, depending on how many travelers are with you, the train might be more comfortable... I spent the 2 hour drive to Lauterbrunnen squashed in the backseat with two guys and a pair of skis. (Guess who got to sleep on the skis?)

First, we walked through a valley in Lauterbrunnen which had a beautiful unobstructed view of the mountains. Afterwards we took an €8 train to Interlaken. While the mountains and the Aare River were absolutely stunning, I was disappointed that everything I saw in Interlaken was catered towards tourists, from the Hooters restaurant to the fancy hotels and casino. I will admit that we stayed on the well-beaten path, and there are many natural hiking and skiing areas around Interlaken that are less commercialized and that I would have preferred. 

Finally, we took another €8 train to Brienz, which was by far my favorite part of the weekend. The aquamarine lake was super clear and looked gorgeous in the sunlight. We hiked partway up the mountain on the opposite side of the lake from the train station, and sat at the top of a waterfall to admire the view: the lake, Grandhotel Giessbach, and vast mountains in the background. The picture truly does not do it justice. In my opinion, Brienz is a must-see. 10 out of 10.

One more thing about Switzerland: everything is ex-pen-sive, so I would highly recommend packing a lunch if you plan on taking a day trip to Basel or anywhere else in Switzerland. This time, I caved and bought some Swiss chocolate for my mom (if you’re reading this before I come home, Mom, pretend you forgot.)