Stepping out of the central railway station, we instantly noticed a slower pace and absence of crowds. Our room at the City Hotel, just metres from the station, felt palatial compared to the accommodations we had just left.
The tiny, Unesco-listed capital revealed itself as we explored on foot. Riding the free 71m-high panoramic lift was the perfect way to move between its two levels, and our jaws dropped as we took in views of deep valleys, steep cliffs and rippling rivers. Once darkness descended, we headed off to explore the Winterlights festival – a city-wide winter wonderland that was everything we hoped to find in Europe at Christmas.
The streets were decked out in lights. Trees dancing with fairy lights guided us from our hotel on Avenue de la Liberté and carried us along the main thoroughfare. We moved from one lit-up sculptural work to the next until we reached the closest market. Here we found delightfully decorated timbered stalls: snowmen carved from local trees adorned with hand-knitted beanies and scarves sat on counters, and giant giftboxes swung from eaves. Sellers smiled and beckoned us forward, keen to share their wares and chat about how far we had travelled. We took photos in Santa’s sleigh, bobbed our heads in time with a mechanical, red-nosed Rudolph and craned our necks to take in the endless lights strung above.
We whizzed between Winterlights’ five market locations on the free tram network. Queues were short or non-existent, and we easily gathered goodies to graze on. There were plenty of places to perch with local specialties, and while still mindful of our belongings, we didn’t experience the same edge of caution we’d felt elsewhere. The true joy though? Getting to experience it all without elbowing our way through crowds.
Catherine Boucher
