This exciting road trip across Europe to Switzerland is one for those with an interest in science as well as enjoying a bit of scenery and local culture. Taking in CERN(Geneva), Swiss mountain villages and the European Space Center, this itinerary can be completed in 3 nights (4 long days). If you have more time, go at a slower place and take in Brussels for some more chocolate on your way back!
It is an 8-hour Journey from Calais to Geneva, so start early. Travelling out of the main holiday season is best, when traffic on the roads will be lighter.
Science at CERN, Switzerland
Whether you are a science person or not a trip to CERN (the European Organization for Nuclear Research) should be on your bucket list. This a research organisation located in Geneva, Switzerland and was established in 1954 to study fundamental physics, particularly the structure of matter and the forces that govern the universe.
In 1989 it became the birthplace of the world wide web. It operates the world’s largest particle accelerator the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), which is 27km in circumference. It is used to collide particles at high speeds and energies in order to study their properties and interactions. In 2012 the LHC played a key role in science with the discovery of the Higgs Boson particle, which is obviously considered a major milestone in science, particularly particle physics.
The collider operates for most of the year, meaning you do not usually get to visit it. During our tour we saw the much smaller Leir collider and also their large data centre. There is a small exhibition Universe of Particles. Later in 2023 their brand-new exhibition id due to open which will further improve the visit. Further information on a visit to CERN, Switzerland can be found here.
Geneva, Switzerland
Geneva itself is a beautiful city to visit, with its vast lake and stunning mountain views. After visiting CERN, spend the afternoon exploring the city, easily accessible by trams, buses, and trains. If you are staying at accommodation in the city, you receive a pass for free transport within Geneva.
We stayed on the opposite side to the old town, so strolled along the lake front and Jetty for beautiful views of the Jet d’Eau, the old town and mountain backdrop; it is possible to see Mont Blanc on a clear day. Continue across the bridge and walk through Jardin Anglais before heading for the beautiful old town.
Walk through the streets of the old quarter, lined with cafes, and then head towards St Pierre Cathedral. The Cathedral is free to enter, so take a peek inside. Below the Cathedral is a terrace with beautiful views across the city and lake. Wander down from here towards the lake, to find several streets with more modern shops.
Whilst in Switzerland try the cheese fondue! We had a delicious meal at Hotel Edelweiss with a delicious fondue starter, accompanied by some yodeling and Alpine horn playing!
We had a short afternoon and evening to explore, but if you are there for longer try a visit to the European headquarters of the UN or a boat trip on the lake. Click here for more ideas.
Mountains at Gruyères, Switzerland
Gruyères is a small town in the mountains of Switzerland, just over 1 hours drive from Geneva. It has a castle, a number of small museums, as well as a beautiful cobble stone pedestrianised square. It is a pleasant place to spend a few hours. The castle is worth investigating, particularly for its picturesque views. It has a variety of souvenir shops to explore, selling Swiss traditional products. If you do not have time to visit the cheese factory, one of the shops on the square has a small demonstration at the back. We visited Gruyères during a light snow shower and it was a picture perfect!
It is a beautiful area and on a dry day there are plenty of opportunities for a walk. More information can be found here.
Chocolate at Maison Cailler
Around a 5 minute drive from Gruyères you find Maison Cailler. Here you can explore the story of chocolate through multimedia and interactive displays. At the end of the tour there is the opportunity to try the delicious chocolates. There is of course a shop which is worth a visit in order to take some chocolate home!
More details can be found on the Maison Cailler website
We left the chocolate factory in Switzerland around 1pm to head to Luxembourg for our overnight stay. This made it easy to visit the space centre early the next morning. There is a choice of routes. Taking the E25 is 1 hour faster, but the trip through the mountains is stunning if you have the time.
Luxembourg City
The old town of Luxembourg with it’s walled fortifications is a UNESCO world heritage site. We arrived in the early evening and after dinner took the opportunity for a quick walk around the city centre. This took in views of the cathedral, palace and three towers. Visiting in March meant it was dark at this time, but the flood lit city made it worth the walk.
Take the opportunity to extend your trip a full day on Luxembourg so you can visit The Bock Casemates. This is a subterranean defence system, made up of kilometres of tunnels. Initially they were carved in the 17th century, when Luxembourg was under Spanish rule.
The city is a good location to break in the journey and is a great overnight stop for an early start to visit the European Space Centre
More Science at the European Space Centre
An hour’s drive from Luxembourg you find the Euro Space Center. This is a great day out particularly if you have kids (of any age)who love science! Here you can enjoy a space tour, try a moon walk, experience a free fall slide, or relax in the planetarium.
Enjoy a good few hours here, before the just over 3.5 hour drive back to Calais. There is a café to grab a snack before you leave.
General Tips
This trip allows little time to rest but is worth every minute. There is a lot of driving but it was designed as an alternative to flying to Geneva to visit CERN. The stopping destinations on the way back as well as the beautiful drive through the Swiss mountains on day 3 means that only the first day feels like a lot of travelling if you are not used to road trips. We left around 4am on day 1 and returned around 10pm on day 4.
This trip can obviously be adapted for a week or more, by adding a stop on the way down in the Champagne region of France and/or a stop in the beautiful Colmar.
Geneva can be expensive, but we stayed in private rooms at the Youth Hostel, which made it cheaper. We did the same thing in Luxembourg.
For more information including ideas for planning a similar trip, please contact us.