Part of our planned Easter weekend activities was a short trip to Solothurn to meet up with my sister’s family on their way to Zurich. We hadn’t been in Solothurn until today, but heard from several people that it is a very beautiful town and from Zurich it only takes an hour by train to get there (1.5 from where we live), so we were very much looking forward to this trip.

Unfortunately, the weather put a spoke on our wheel. While it has been sunny and warm for most of the last four weeks, we were a bit shocked to suddenly see snow on the hill slopes when approaching Solothurn. It was windy and freezing and since we were not expecting temperatures like this we weren’t really dressed appropriately. Therefore, our visit turned out to be rather short. After a quick walk around the centre and a stop at the ice cream parlour (my nieces can always eat ice-cream even if it’s freezing), we warmed up at a toy store and then decided to take the next train back to Zurich and come back another day (preferably a sunny one).

It was a pity, because from what we saw, Solothurn is definitely worth a longer visit! Most of the city centre was built between the 16th and 18th century and as in many other Swiss towns, the centre is in a really good condition (one of the benefits of being a neutral country…). It’s not without reason that Solothurn is known as the most beautiful Baroque city of Switzerland. What’s more, a lot of small, charming shops and cafés are located in the centre and invite to stroll along the small alleys.

As the sky was grey and dull, it was not much fun to take pictures – therefore just a few (the one that are the least greyish). But we’ll be back!

Saint George, the dragon slayer

Market square

Market stall with beautifully painted Easter Eggs (with 50 CHF per egg unfortunately unaffordable for us although it would have been for a good cause)

Zeitglocken tower (oldest building in the city from the 12th century)

St. Ursus cathedral (with snow in the background)…