Hidden Gem
13 stories
🇨🇭 Switzerland
Rolle: the Lake Geneva Town Everyone Passes Through
Only some regional trains stop here, and most people who do get off arrive by accident — for a festival, an event, a change of plan. Rolle takes barely two hours to see: a 13th-century castle at the water's edge, a flowering promenade, an artificial island with an obelisk, and one old street that feels like a step backwards in time. And yet it's the town you keep thinking about afterwards. Here's how to walk it, what to eat and drink, and the surprising history hiding behind those quiet façades.
🇨🇭 Switzerland
Trubschachen and the Kambly Experience: a day in the old Emmental
A 45-minute walk past 13 historic buildings, a heritage museum run by the villagers themselves, and a free tasting of around 100 kinds of biscuit — one Emmental village, one unhurried day, and a biscuit-painted train to get there. Everything worth knowing about Trubschachen and the Kambly Experience: what to see, when to come, and what is closed when.
🇨🇭 Switzerland
The Clay City in the Woods: Inside the Grande Citadelle de Monthoux
Half an hour from Morges, on the road up to the Marchairuz pass, a fantastical medieval metropolis rises out of the forest floor — gothic spires, bridges, dragons and hermits, all modelled by hand from river clay. It looks like AI-generated concept art. It is real, it is free to visit, and it is still growing.
🇨🇭 Switzerland
Kanderdelta: Thun's wild river mouth that most tourists never find
Just outside Thun lies the Kanderdelta: gravel bars, floodplain forest and a river that was moved on purpose in 1714 and never stopped rearranging its own shoreline. Rare birds, a natural beach, grey glacial mud — and almost no one there at sunrise.
🇫🇷 France
The Évian Funicular — A Free Ride Through 120 Years of Spa Town History
A funicular from 1907, closed for 33 years, nearly demolished, then brought back to life. Wooden carriages, a 140-meter tunnel, five tiled stations, and a ride that costs nothing but feels like time travel. Évian's best-kept secret.
🇫🇷 France
Évian-les-Bains — A French Day Trip 35 Minutes by Boat From Lausanne
Board a boat in Lausanne, step off in France 35 minutes later. Évian-les-Bains is a Belle Époque spa town where you can drink the world's most famous water for free, ride a funicular from 1907, and cross an international border without a single checkpoint.
🇨🇭 Switzerland
Medieval Spectacle Hinwil — Switzerland's Biggest Knight Tournament
A thousand knights, blacksmiths, and musicians take over a field near Zürich every spring. The Mittelalterspektakel in Hinwil is Switzerland's biggest medieval festival — jousting, fire shows, craft markets, and free entry for kids.
🇨🇭 Switzerland
Morges Tulip Festival — Switzerland's Free Answer to Keukenhof
Over 100,000 tulips on the shore of Lake Geneva, the Alps as a backdrop, and not a single ticket booth. The Morges Tulip Festival is Switzerland's best-kept spring secret — and it's completely free. A guide by Jojo.is...
🇫🇷 France
Fontaine-de-Vaucluse — the mysterious source of the Sorgue River
Fontaine-de-Vaucluse is home to the mysterious source of the Sorgue River — a powerful karst spring emerging from a deep cave. With crystal-clear emerald waters, dramatic cliffs, and hidden depths, it’s one of the most fascinating natural wonders in Provence.
🇨🇭 Switzerland
Beckenhof Park — a quiet retreat just 10 minutes from Zurich’s main station and bustling city center
A peaceful hidden gem just minutes from Zurich’s center, Beckenhof Park offers blooming flowers, historic charm, and a quiet escape from city crowds—perfect for relaxing, reading, and enjoying a serene garden atmosphere year-round.
🇨🇭 Switzerland
Rosengarten Bern — The Best Viewpoint That Most Tourists Miss
Rosengarten is a free viewpoint in Bern with a stunning panorama of the old town, the Alps, and the Aare River. How to get there, what to see, best time to visit. A guide by Jojo.
🇨🇭 Switzerland
The Musical Wonder of Zurich: The Carillon Kurz on Bahnhofstrasse
On Zurich’s Bahnhofstrasse, the Carillon Kurz delights visitors with a daily musical show of bells and moving Swiss figurines. Inaugurated in 1982, this 36-bell clock is a charming symbol of Swiss craftsmanship, tradition, and culture.