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A Business Insider reporter traveled to six European cities, and her favorite destination was a small town outside Zurich.Joey Hadden\/Business Insider<\/p>\n
During a two-week backpacking trip in Europe, I booked an Airbnb in a small town in Switzerland.<\/p>\n
Roggwil is a village filled with grassy fields, quiet neighborhoods, and mountain landscapes.<\/p>\n
The town turned out to be a hidden gem and my favorite destination on the trip.<\/p>\n
The last night of my two-week trip to Europe<\/a> was the best one. But it didn’t start that way.<\/p>\n Back in October 2022, I was staying in an Airbnb in Roggwil, a 1,910-acre village in the rolling hills of Switzerland<\/a> that’s about an hour west of Zurich by train. I chose this Airbnb rather than booking a hotel in the city to save some money.<\/p>\n Roggwil is west of Z\u00fcrichGoogle Maps<\/p>\n I thought Roggwil was a quiet, modest village with friendly families and a stunning mountain backdrop. When I crossed paths with people, I noticed they smiled \u2014 something I’m not used to seeing too much, living in New York City<\/a> \u2014 and little kids waved at me at the train station.<\/p>\n And though there isn’t as much to do as there is in a city, the village has some restaurants, a library, a swimming pool, and a go-kart race track, according to its website<\/a>. I didn’t get time to visit these, but I still enjoyed staying in the area and thought it was a good base outside Zurich.<\/p>\n Homes in Roggwil, Switzerland.Joey Hadden\/Business Insider<\/p>\n The area also appealed to me as a place that offered unique accommodation<\/a>. Not only was my Airbnb cheaper than options in Zurich, but it was also much more interesting.<\/p>\n For $200 a night, I slept in a wine barrel<\/a> converted into a tiny home<\/a> on a garden property, steps from the train station. From the garden, I had a sparkling view of the night sky. I doubt that I would have found a similar stay in Zurich.<\/p>\n The author’s Airbnb in Roggwil, Switzerland.Joey Hadden\/Business Insider<\/p>\n On my final night, I thought I’d enjoy a view of the night sky while cooking dinner on the fire pit provided by my Airbnb.<\/p>\n I planned to stop by the town’s grocery store on the way home from Zurich and grill some sausages, or “wurst.”<\/p>\n On my way back to Roggwil, my plan fell apart. I was three stops from the village when I searched Google and found that the store I was heading to had closed.<\/p>\n With no alternate plan, I ran off the train to find somewhere else to buy dinner. After scanning the internet, I found only one open store \u2014 a gas station that was a 25-minute walk away.<\/p>\n “Whatever they have, I’ll be grateful for it,” I thought.<\/p>\n The route led through some woods, and as the sun began to set, the path opened onto a wide-open field lined with houses beneath the mountains. I stopped in my tracks. The scene was so picturesque, and finding it by accident made me feel like I was in a fairy tale.<\/p>\n A sunlit field in Roggwil, Switzerland.Joey Hadden\/Business Insider<\/p>\n This was the most striking sight of my two-week adventure through four countries. I couldn’t help thinking that if I hadn’t booked that specific Airbnb, I never would have seen it.<\/p>\n About a mile later, I was thrilled to find that the gas station had a small grocery store inside selling sausages, hard rolls, and pickles \u2014 everything I needed for a fireside dinner.<\/p>\n As I cooked, ate, and looked up at the stars that I wouldn’t have seen from the city, I reflected on my trip and decided that booking a stay in Roggwil was the best decision I’d made.<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/6f9d45a15b79dbee1ebea07bd47d55b1.jpeg\"\/)
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