Grimentz, Switzerland: The Most Charming Place on Earth?
This little town way up in the Swiss Alps might be my favorite destination.
Don’t let the small size of Grimentz, Switzerland, fool you. It has a year-round population of 500, and an old town that’s about four blocks long. But this tiny Swiss village punches way above its weight when it comes to charm.
Famous for its chalets and geraniums, the town is tucked 1500 meters up in the Pennine Alps, surrounded by 4500-meter peaks in almost every direction. First settled a thousand years ago, Grimentz has a strict building code, which is a big part of the reason why visitors feel like they’ve been propelled back in time.
In the winter, it’s a ski town (the population swells to 6000), with two different gondolas taking you in opposite directions, to two different mountain resorts.
We visited in the summer. And while the hiking and mountain-biking are extraordinary, we were most taken by the town itself — from its gorgeous chalets, geranium-filled flower-boxes, and decorative water-wheels and fountains.
Take at look!