Instantly after exiting the train station, I was entranced with the quaint town of Bellinzona, Switzerland. The streets are filled with colorful buildings, markets, cafes and bakeries. While the town itself is adorable, the real magic of Bellinzona comes from its spectacular castles.

I am not a hiking enthusiast, so I was not sure that I would enjoy my time in Bellinzona, because of its reputation for mountainous walks reach the castles. However, while two out of the three castles involve hiking, I was pleased find out that no hiking was involved to reach Castel Grande.

Castel Grande is the most accessible of the three castles, with it only being an easy elevator ride up to reach the castle grounds. Also, it is the only castle that is free of charge, but the other two castles are only about 3CH to enter.

Castel Grande is one of Bellinzona’s three medieval castles. Built in the thirteenth century, Castel Grande is rich with history. It is been occupied by many groups of people since the thirteenth century including both the Milanese and the Swiss.

It amazed me that the structure still stands strong today as it is over 800 years old, almost 600 years older than the United States! While the stone structure itself was beautiful, what was truly breathtaking was the view from the castle grounds. If you are ever at Castel Grande, I would recommend climbing to the top tower. It is only a few flight of stairs and the view is brilliant. Once you reach the top there is a 360 view of the colorful town of Bellinzona and the stunning Swiss Alps, as well as the two other castles.

Bellinzona is a gorgeous and historic town that is a must-add on your Switzerland itinerary.   

Last weekend, my friends and I set out to do the impossible, Paris in a day.

We stayed at the Hotel Aida Opera, an artistic and unique Parisian hotel. If you are ever in Paris, I would highly recommend the Hotel Aida Opera. It was not too pricey, with it only being $160 for two nights split between the four of us. Also, all four of us felt extremely safe because there was a lock to get into the building.

We got our day started early, as we headed from our hotel to a cafe for breakfast. We ate at Cafe Brasserie Les Deux, an adorable cafe overlooking the Sainte-Chapelle Cathedral. Everyone knows that it’s a must to get croissants while in Paris, and Cafe Brasserie Les Deux, had the most buttery, delectable and over all best croissants I have ever eaten.

After breakfast, we departed on our sightseeing adventure. We headed over to Notre Dame. Due to the recent fire, you could not get nearly as close as you used to. It was still stunning, but seeing parts of the exterior covered in scaffolding really did tug at your heartstrings. After all, a large part of Parisian history did burn down.

Next we headed to another Parisian staple, the Eiffel Tour. When we went it was a hot, crowded afternoon. I would recommend going around dinner time to beat the heat and avoid the crowds. Also, Make sure to watch your purses and pockets around the Eiffel Tour, because it is a pick-pocketing hot spot.

My favorite part of the day was our ending. We watched the sun set over the Parisian skyline at Le Terrasse, Hotel Raphael’s rooftop bar. Le Terrasse has a 360 view of Paris; with one head swivel you could see both the Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower. It was quite pricey, with a single glass of champagne being €27, but it the price was worth it to watch the sunset an the skyline lit up. At approximately 22:00 the Eiffel Tour began to sparkle. I have never seen something more magical than the Paris sky line at night.

While I wish we had more time to explore one of world’s greatest cities, we truly made the most of our day in Paris.

The colorful and quaint town of Riva San Vitale, Switzerland is the perfect getaway from the fast paced European lifestyle. I am currently studying abroad in Riva, and have loved being able to explore this delightful village.

It is definitely a scenic town, with the gorgeous Lake Lugano and the towering Swiss Alps. Riva is truly beautiful, rain or shine. I expected gorgeous scenery, but what has surprised me most about Riva is its culture.

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Riva located in Ticino, the Italian Region of Switzerland. People in Ticino speak Italian; the architecture resembles an Italian village; and food in Ticino is Italian style.

With Riva being such a small town, most of the locals speak little to no english. However, everyone I have interacted with here, from the workers at Zodiac Gelato, to the bartenders at Bar Ticino, have been understanding, nice and accommodating even with the language barrier.

The architure of Riva San Vitale is breathtaking. Nearly every building pops out of the landscape with their bright colors. My favorite building is the City Hall, which is a bright white building complete with long columns, tall archways and charming teal doors. In the mixture of Riva’s colorful buildings there are many stunning historical sites built from stone dating back to the Roman Empire, including Switzerland’s oldest church.

My favorite aspect of Riva thus far has been the Italian food. I ate not only my favorite meal in Switzerland, but in all of Europe. My friends Kelly, Kim and I split a delectable Margarita pizza from Albergo Ristorante Svizzero. It was so good we had to order another! We finished our meal with a creamy Tiramisu. We split the check three ways and it ended up being the reasonable price of only 15 CF a person. If you are ever in, or nearby, Riva San Vitale I would highly recommend the pizza from Albergo Ristorante Svizzero.

If you need a place to rest, relax and recover from your European vacation, I recommend Riva San Vitale, Switzerland.