What’s All The Buzz About Switzerland’s Bee Campaign?
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1 month ago
Swiss hotels are spotlighting bees with an array of special activities
With its Bees & Friends campaign, Switzerland Tourism is turning the spotlight on the smallest – and perhaps most vital – hotel guests: wild bees, birds, hedgehogs and insects. Through charming mini-retreats, architectural innovation and a powerful sustainability message, nearly 50 Swiss hotels are showing how true hospitality starts at ground level.
Bees and Friends: How Switzerland Tourism’s Latest Campaign Champions Wildlife
Below we look at how Switzerland’s hotels are making room for nature’s most important guests, and how we can get involved through guided walks, honey tasting, beekeeping workshops and more.
In Focus
Game of Thrones actor James Faulkner has turned his attention to wildlife, lending his voice to Switzerland Tourism’s film on their latest international campaign, Bees and Friends. The campaign sees the launch of nine insect hotels, birdhouses and hedgehog shelters across the country to promote biodiversity and the diversity of Swiss hotels. The film shows the smallest inhabitants and their matching hotels – cleverly presented in the style of a nature documentary.
Take a Walk
On a stunning walk between Andeer and Cluginin in the canton of Graubünden, beekeeper Bruno Walder shares enthralling insights into bee life. Guests can then visit the beekeeper’s hut (complete with protective gear) and see the buzzing creatures at work.
BOOK: switzerland.com
Taste Notes
Hotfoot it to pretty Comano and sample some of the best honey in the Lugano region. Guide Oreste, who runs apiaries across Ticino – – will share his passion for bees and their precious produce. There are also special school and summer courses for children and teenagers.
BOOK: switzerland.com
Past Perfect
Take time out to visit the Swiss Open-Air Museum in Ballenberg. One of Switzerland’s largest museums, it gives a fascinating insight into the country’s everyday life and culture. This includes a beautiful apiary from Gwatt, Bern, dating back to around 1900. And it’s utterly charming, looking just like a doll’s house.
BOOK: switzerland.com
A Healing Touch
Kick back and relax with a honey-fascia massage at Hotel Schweizerhof Bern’s spa (the city’s only hotel spa), which uses honey from the three colonies of bees on the rooftop. The massage is a delicious stress-busting treatment, where the sticky honey is ideal for loosening the tissue using rolling movements of the hand.
BOOK: switzerland.com
A Room With a View
Grindelwald Youth Hostel has come up with a genius idea, doubling up their aviary as a bedroom for guests. Set in the spacious garden, the cosy wooden hut offers a double bed and use of the hostel’s facilities. The roof features a two sq/m oval glass pane, which is perfect for stargazing. There is also a barbecue, an outdoor hot tub and phenomenal views of the iconic Eiger’s north face.
BOOK: switzerland.com
Retail Therapy
You’ll find yourself spoilt for choice at this delightful beekeeping shop, Bergimkerei Guarda. The bee colonies sit in the Engadin mountains and the beekeepers work biodynamically, which means sustainably, organically and in keeping with nature. Apart from honey, you’ll also find bee pollen, beeswax candles and beeswax wraps.
BOOK: switzerland.com
Get To Work
Book a 45-minute beekeeping workshop at spectacular Alpina Gstaad. Join professional local beekeeper Stefan Neuhaus and discover the fascinating world of bees, the production of honey and what Alpina’s busy bees need to create this sweet treat. Protective clothing is provided.
BOOK: switzerland.com
3 Top Honeys To Buy
- Honegg honey: Delicious local honey is produced by thousands of industrious bees in their hives at Villa Honegg, around an hour from Zurich. Snap up a jar or two direct from reception – it’s also served as a breakfast staple. villa-honegg.ch
- Niesen honey: Along the route of the Niesen Railway, leading to the Berghaus Niesen Kulm, keep an eye out for the bright red bee hotel shaped like the iconic Niesen funicular. The honey is available to buy from the kiosk next door to the Berghaus. niesen.ch
- Hotel Eden Roc: High above Lake Maggiore sits Hotel Eden Roc with eight beehives. Guests can get up close to the bees, enjoy their produce at breakfast and buy jars of honey from the hotel to take home. tschuggen collection.ch
