I recently sat down over a video call with Rolf Hebbel and Cassandra Liebermann of Pure Germany to start mapping out a family trip through Switzerland, Austria and Germany. I came away with such a good window into how this team thinks about the region that I wanted to share it with you, more or less in their own words.
People hear the name and assume Germany only. That is not the case.
“We do all three, Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and have offices in all three countries. In our business, you need to have the local expertise. If you can't get things 100 percent, 110 percent, 90, 95 is not good enough. So you need to have the local [touch].”
Rolf Hebbel, Pure Germany
He put it in terms any of us would recognize:
“I'm German, so it's like probably somebody from New York wants to get a business done in Miami, it doesn't work. So you need to have local expertise.”
The thread that ran through the whole conversation was avoiding the obvious crush. When we talked about excursions, Rolf was direct about it.
“Maybe if you do an excursion, don't do the regular ones. For example, we didn't put in the Glacier Express, because you will be in the train with 500 [people], and you will not feel happy, because it's like everyone during that time of year.”
Same idea with the marquee towns. As Rolf said:
“Lucerne is one of where everyone goes, but then maybe do something a bit outside.”
When I asked what Switzerland is really about, Rolf laughed and boiled it down.
“Switzerland, two things which you know about it. It's like, actually three, it's cheese, it's chocolate, and it's watches.”
Two of those three turn into experiences a child can enjoy. On the chocolate side:
“The chocolate workshop I always put in, nice because it's a family thing.”
And on cheese, Cassandra had a favorite day trip in mind:
“We could do a day trip to the Emmental region where we could visit the a dairy show, which is quite interactive for a four year old. And she can also try some cheese.”
Cassandra Liebermann, Pure Germany
She would build it into a fuller day in the countryside:
“It could be combined with a horse carriage ride to a local hut where they do the traditional sport in Switzerland, which is called Hornussen. You can also participate in that and try yourself, which is, of course, is fun with kids.”
Cassandra had just been to one of Vienna's signature sights and could not stop recommending it.
“I'm also wondering about the Spanish [Riding] school in Vienna. It's around one hour the performance. I was just there last week, and it was great to watch. It's really, really stunning.”
Rolf raised the level on it, with a fair warning about timing:
“Having a private tour behind the scenes of the Spanish [Riding] School is really cool. It's a question of getting a slot, because this is the most difficult thing to get, particularly June, July, August.”
In Salzburg the recommendation was immediate. When I mentioned the Rosewood there, Rolf said you should definitely use Rosewood and Cassandra agreed.
And because a trip cannot only be about the kids, they made sure to fold in something for the grown ups, from an apple strudel cooking class to a little wine tasting along the way. As Rolf put it, there needs to be some element for the parents.
What I appreciated most is that none of this was a fixed package. Rolf summed up the mindset early on:
“Holiday is something very specific for everyone. Everyone has an individual need.”
That matches how I like to travel, and how I think a lot of you do too. I told them I lean toward the small villages and the spots that are a little less under the radar, the places that are just as nice and just as authentic, where you have more of the country to yourself. With a team on the ground in all three countries, that is exactly the kind of trip Pure Germany is set up to build.
If Switzerland, Austria or Germany has been sitting on your list, this is a wonderful way to see it, at your own pace and away from the crowds. Reach out and we will start sketching something that fits the way you and your family like to travel.