BEST OF SWITZERLAND
Price
Duration
Min People
Tour Type
Tour Code
TFL-EUCHE
Overview
All the Best of Switzerland with a side visit to Italy. What could be better? Your travels will take you to Lake Geneva for local wine, cheese and delicious desserts in Lavaux, Lord Byron’s enchanting Chillon Castle and the pretty town of Brienz for a masterclass in Swiss wood carving.
Included/Excluded
- An expert Travel Director and professional Driver
- Cherry-picked hotels, all tried and trusted
- All porterage and restaurant gratuities
- All hotel tips, charges and local taxes
- Breakfast daily and up to half of your evening meals
- Must-see sightseeing and surprise extras
- Audio headsets for flexible sightseeing
- Luxury air-conditioned coach with Wi-Fi in most countries or alternative transportation (such as rail journeys)
- Train from Tirano to Pontresina
- Optional Experiences and free time
- On occasion, hotels of similar standard and location may be utilised.
Day 1: Welcome to Zürich (Dinner)
- This afternoon, join a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience for a social impact guided walking tour of old town Zurich.
- This experience addresses SDG goals 10 & 12 – Reduced Inequalities & Responsible Consumption and Production.
- This evening, attend a Welcome Dinner to launch your Swiss experience.
Included Experience: Zürich Orientation and Walking Tour with a Local Change Maker
Day 2: Journey to Lake Geneva (Breakfast)
- We leave the bright lights of Zürich behind and stop in Bern with its Old Town, admiring its medieval streets, ornate fountains and arcaded walkways.
- Journeying to Lake Geneva, we arrive in the resort town of Montreux, set against the pristine backdrop of snow-covered peaks and vineyards.
- After lunch, consider joining an Optional Experience to cruise Lake Geneva, including a visit to the Charlie Chaplin museum in his former estate, Manoir de Ban.
Included Experience: Bern Orientation
Optional Experience: Chaplin’s World and Lake Geneva Cruise
Day 3: Onwards to Chillon Castle and Zermatt (Breakfast/Lunch)
- This morning, we visit Chillon Castle, immortalised by Lord Byron’s ‘Prisoner of Chillon’.
- For nearly four centuries, this water fortress was the residence of the Counts of Savoy and an important stop for traders.
- Our next stop is the Lavaux region, a charming wine village above Lake Geneva, where we’ll Connect With Locals over lunch at our Be My Guest experience.
- Continue your journey to the resort town of Zermatt, set against the backdrop of the snow-capped Matterhorn.
Included Experience: Enjoy the Flavours of Local Wine, Cheese and Breads at a local Vineyard Overlooking Lake Geneva and Chillon Castle Visit
Day 4: Zermatt Your Way (Breakfast)
- Spend a full free day soaking up Zermatt’s crisp mountain air and panoramic vistas.
- Relax in beautiful surroundings or consider an Optional Experience to the Klein Matterhorn for the most spectacular mountain views.
Optional Experience: Klein Matterhorn Excursion / Zermatt Dinner Experience
Day 5: Venture to the Italian Lake Maggiore (Breakfast)
- Departing Switzerland, we travel to the lakeside town of Baveno on Italy’s Lake Maggiore.
- Spend the rest of the day indulging in the laid-back lakeside atmosphere or consider joining an Optional Experience to Isola Bella, one of the lake’s Borromean islands, with its palazzo and exquisite gardens
Optional Experience:
- Discover The Borromean Island
- Dinner on Isola dei Pescatori
Day 6: Off to Alpine St. Moritz (Breakfast/Dinner)
- We travel through the scenic Italian countryside to the fortified town of Tirano.
- Here, we board the UNESCO World Heritage Listed Rhaetian Railway to cross the Bernina Pass and wind our way through scenic landscapes en route to the stylish resort town of St. Moritz.
- This evening, enjoy dinner with your fellow travellers.
Accommodation: Hotel Reine Victoria by Laudinella St. Moritz
Included Experience: Travel on the Bernina Express
Optional Experience: Roseg Valley by Horse and Carriage
Day 7: Journey to Lakeside Lucerne (Breakfast)
- Journeying through lush green landscapes, past Lake Zürich, we arrive in lakeside Lucerne.
- Pay tribute to the brave Swiss Guards, who lost their lives defending King Louis XVI at the Lion Monument, and admire the iconic wooden Chapel Bridge before strolling past the city’s colourful façades.
- Consider joining a cruise on the tranquil lake waters and then ride the world’s first double deck ‘CabriO’ cable car to the top of Mount Stanserhorn.
Accommodation: Grand Hotel Europe Lucerne
Included Experience: Lucerne Orientation
Optional Experience: ‘Swisstainable’ Mount Stanserhorn And Lake Cruise / Swiss Folklore Evening with Dinner
Day 8: Admire Scenic Brienz and Interlaken (Breakfast/Dinner)
- We travel to Interlaken at the heart of Switzerland, which lies in the shadow of the Jungfrau Mountain.
- Stopping in the village of Brienz en route, we’ll Dive Into Culture and gain insights into the centuries-old tradition of wood carving for which this village is so famous.
- Spend some time on your own and enjoy superb views of the peaks of the Bernese Oberland.
- This evening, we enjoy a Farewell Dinner with our fellow travellers and Travel Director toasting the highlights of Switzerland we’ve enjoyed along the way.
Accommodation: Grand Hotel Europe Lucerne
Included Experience: Visit the Jobin wood sculpture museum and discover Switzerland’s wood-carving heritage
Day 9: Homeward Bound (Breakfast)
- As our journey through the Best of Switzerland comes to an end, we bid our newfound friends a fond farewell.
Departure Transfer: Arrive at the airport at 08:00
- Day 1: Hyatt Place Zurich Airport The Circle
- Day 2: Eurotel Montreux
- Day 3 – Day 4: Le Mirabeau Zermatt
- Day 5: Hotel Simplon Baveno
- Day 6: Hotel Reine Victoria by Laudinella St. Moritz
- Day 7 – Day 8: Grand Hotel Europe Lucerne
- Discover Zürich and Lucerne
- Visit Bern, Chillon Castle, Montreux, Zermatt, St. Moritz, Interlaken and Brienz
- View the Chapel Bridge and Lion Monument in Lucerne, the Jungfrau and Matterhorn mountains (weather permitting), Lake Maggiore and Lake Como
- Scenic Train Ride from Tirano to Pontresina