Christmas & New Year in Switzerland

Day 1 – To Cologne

Lunchtime Eurostar from London to St Pancras to Brussels, then Thalys to Cologne for an overnight stay.

Day 2 – Interlaken

We travel via the classic Rhine route from Cologne via Basel to Interlaken. We stay at the Metropole Hotel for 4-nights.  We stay on a half board basis with special Christmas Eve and Christmas Day dinners included.

Days 3 to 5 – At Leisure to Explore

Free days based in Interlaken. Interlaken is located between Lake Thun and Lake Brienz and affords magnificent views of the Jungfrau, Eiger and Monch Mountains. Your Swiss Travel Pass covers trains, trams, post buses, boats and even entry to national museums, so there is something for everyone. Your experienced tour leader will offer an optional escorted excursion each day.  The precise details of the optional excursions may vary to make the best of the winter weather conditions however they are likely to include visits to traffic free resort of Wengen, the charming mountain village of Mürren, reachable only by cable car and offering unparalleled views of the Mönch, the Eiger and the Jungfrau and an excursion to the vibrant high alpine resort of Zermatt at the foot of the Matterhorn. A journey alongside lake Brienz to Meiringen, home of the meringue and famous for its Sherlock Holmes connection, then onward over the Brunig pass towards Luzern. We will supply prior to the holiday, a comprehensive excursion list to give you some suggestions to consider, should you wish to do your own thing.

Day 6 – To Lausanne

Leisurely half-day journey to Lausanne, arriving early afternoon and where we stay for 3-nights on a bed and breakfast basis. Lausanne has a charming medieval ‘old town’ and sits above the shores of Lake Geneva. You will enjoy wandering through its small alleyways with its many cafes and boutiques, or strolling along the lakeside with views along the Swiss Riviera and across to France.

Days 7 & 8 – Free Days or Escorted Excursions

Free days based in Lausanne with your Swiss Travel Pass. Again there will be an optional escorted excursion offered each day and destinations may include Montreux (for Chillon Castle), combined with a lake cruise if timetables permit. The picturesque and beautifully preserved medieval walled hill top town of Gruyères with its castle and nearby cheese making centre. Other possible excursions are the narrow gauge lines around Aigle and Bex.  Also Martigny and the lovely mountain line up to the French border at Le Chatelard.

Day 9 – Glacier Express

Travel along the Rhone Valley to Brig where we change for the Glacier Express to Chur for a 4-night stay on a bed and breakfast basis. Chur is Switzerland’s oldest city with a charming pedestrianised ‘Old Town’ and is ideally located for travelling on the UNESCO World Heritage Rhaetian Railways network, including the Bernina and Glacier Express routes.

Day 10 – Bernina Express

Today we offer a full day escorted excursion from Chur to Tirano travelling on the stunning Bernina Express route with its spirals and tunnels and reaching an altitude of more than 2000m – an unforgettable rail journey.

Days 11 & 12 – Rhaetian Railways

Free days to explore Chur and the surrounding area using the Rhaetian Railways network which boasts some of the most spectacular railway routes in the world, a marvel of railway engineering that winds its way through the Graubünden mountains thanks to man-made structures, viaducts and helical tunnels. There will be an optional escorted excursion offered each day. Excursions will endeavour to cover much of the RhB network including a journey from Samedan along the picturesque Engadine with its characteristic architecture, combined with a journey via Klosters and Davos.  Other excursions are likely to include the mountain resort of Arosa and also, by way of contrast, to the Appenzell region and St Gallen.

Day 13 – Return to Cologne

Leaving Chur after a leisurely breakfast we travel to Basle and connect with the ICE service on the high speed line to Cologne for an overnight stay.

Day 14 – Return Home

Morning departure on an ICE service to Brussels to connect with the Eurostar to London.