Escaping the Swiss heatwave…in Andermatt

On my way home from meeting a friend on Monday, I saw a temperature sign of 39 celsius at a Petrol station. (That is 102 fahrenheit!) We have been sweating through a week-long heat wave in Zürich with temperatures in the high 90’s. While these temperatures do not seem that hot, air conditioners are illegal in Switzerland, so our flat is quite hot.

Our strategy has been to go to the badi and cool off with a swim. Then we started getting the mobile phone warnings to stay out of the sun and to stay indoors due to the UV levels and so on. One day we found respite in the Sihlcity Minicity, a brand new childcare drop off that is air-conditioned (gasp) inside the Sihlcity shopping center.

Sunday was one of the hottest days of the heatwave, so late Saturday night we looked at the Meteo Swiss map of Switzerland’s temperatures for Sunday to find what town would have the lowest temperature. We found that Andermatt would be 28 celsius, far lower than the expected 36 in Zurich. We set off for Andermatt at 8am on Sunday. We stopped at Cindy’s Diner for an American themed breakfast. We always see this shiny silver diner on the highway when we head south and finally stopped for a meal. There was so much American stuff in there! Oh, the contraband! Luckily we left unscathed.

An hour and 20 minutes later we arrived in Andermatt. It is a cute little ski town and a great place to hike in the summer. We walked around the town and then headed for lunch at Toutoune. They had fresh pressed green juices for the adults and fresh apple juice for the kids. We have not found many juice places in Switzerland, so this was a wonderful treat. I ordered the falafel wrap, which was actually amazing! The restaurant is very kid friendly, with a book nook and a children’s menu.

After lunch we drove up Oberalppass and Furka Pass. This is where all the Swiss cows are hiding! They scale the steep mountains near Andermatt! The two passes were full of cows, hairpin turns, and amazingly beautiful mountains with waterfalls. Bring cash with you as we found the little cafes and restaurants along the two passes only take cash. We stopped at the top of Furka Pass at Hotel Furkablick. The outside terrace is perched precariously on a steep cliff at the top of the Furka Pass. It is an absolutely amazing place to sit, have a drink, and take in the beautiful Swiss mountains. The cool breeze made the twists and turns of the pass worth it as we finally got some relief from the heat. The Furka Pass can be seen in James Bond’s Goldfinger as well as an episode of Top Gear.

The Hotel Furkablick at the top of Furka Pass. A great place to stop for a drink and enjoy the view.