Itinerary

Day 1:
(Fri.) Board your overnight transatlantic flight.

Day 2:
Arrival in Zurich, Switzerland. (Sat.) Time to rest or to discover Zurich’s attractive historic center and lakeside promenade. At 6 p.m. meet your traveling companions for a welcome drink hosted by your Tour Director.

Day 3:
Zurich–Liechtenstein–St. Moritz. (Sun.) First an orientation drive through Zurich, Switzerland’s center of banking and commerce. Then east along Lake Zurich and Lake Walen to the tiny Principality of Liechtenstein. After a break in Vaduz ascend the Rhine Valley into the mountainous Grisons, a canton where three of the country’s four languages are spoken. The 7,504-foot Julier Pass, an important Alpine road since Roman times, leads to the Engadine. This valley is considered by many as the most beautiful mountain area in the world, with deep-blue lakes, airy larch forests that turn golden in the fall, mountain peaks exceeding 12,000 feet, and quaint villages with massive white stone houses in the characteristic Grisons style. Afternoon at leisure in ritzy St. Moritz. (BB,D)

Day 4:
St. Moritz–Lake Como, Italy–Lugano, Switzerland. (Mon.) A gradual change of scenery as you descend towards the enchanting shores of the Italian Lake Como and continue on to the southern tip of Switzerland. The vegetation south of the Alps is Mediterranean: chestnut groves, vineyards, and olive and fig trees make you forget that earlier today you were within walking distance of glaciers. Afternoon arrival in the popular subtropical resort town of Lugano allows time for shopping under the arcades of Via Nassa, an espresso on flower-festooned Piazza Riforma, or a stroll along the lake with a magnificent view of the Swiss Alps. (BB,D)

Day 5:
Lugano–Stresa, Italy–Zermatt, Switzerland. (Tue.) From Lake Lugano to the Italian shore of Lake Maggiore for a break in elegant Stresa. An optional boat ride to the enchanting Isola Bella can be arranged. On over the lofty Simplon Pass into the Swiss Valais, an area renowned for its excellent wines and great mountain resorts. To reach the most famous of them, leave the coach behind in Täsch and board a MOUNTAIN TRAIN, climbing the last few miles up to Zermatt, a picturesque cluster of rustic chalets beneath the Matterhorn. (BB,D)

Day 6:
Zermatt–Montreux–Gruyère Area. (Wed.) Morning at leisure. A suggestion: ride Europe’s highest rack-railway to 10,272-foot Gornergrat for a breathtaking panoramic view of the Alps. Next, motor through the vineyards and apricot groves of the lower Rhône Valley to the shores of Lake Geneva. Stop in Montreux of festival fame before continuing to the village of Gruyères to visit its FORTRESS. (BB,D)

Day 7:
Gruyère Area–Berne–Lucerne. (Thu.) Travel along an excellent highway through some of the country’s best farmlands to its stately capital, Berne. Sightseeing with a Local Guide starts at the popular BEAR PIT and then focuses on the monumental Federal Palace and the beautifully preserved medieval Old Town. Witness the hourly parade of painted figures at the Clock Tower and take your pictures of ornate, flower-adorned fountains. After lunch continue east through the verdant dairy country of Emmental. On the way, visit a CHEESE FACTORY to learn how one of Switzerland’s prime exports is made. Tonight you are in picture-book Lucerne. You may wish to sign up for a folklore party with yodeling and alphorn blowing for a first-hand impression of Alpine merrymaking and a fitting goodbye to Switzerland. (BB)

Day 8:
Lucerne. (Fri.) On your walking tour this morning, admire Thorwaldsen’s LION MONUMENT and ornate patrician houses of the walled Old Town, then cross the famous covered CHAPEL BRIDGE to the Jesuit church. Afterwards, shop for watches and choose from our optional activities: climb a mountain by cable car or take a cruise on the fjord-like lake. Tonight enjoy a farewell dinner to celebrate the success of your Swiss vacation. (BB,D)

Day 9:
Lucerne–Zurich Airport. (Sat.) Homebound flight. Morning transfer to Zurich Airport in time for homebound flights leaving no earlier than 10 a.m. Extra nights are available in Zurich, not Lucerne. (BB)

Dates & Prices

ZURICH
Welcome drink; orientation drive

LIECHTENSTEIN
Stop in Vaduz

LAKE COMO
Morning stop

TÄSCH-ZERMATT-TÄSCH
Mountain train

MONTREUX
Afternoon stop

GRUYÈRES
Visit the fortress

BERNE
Guided sightseeing, picture stop at the Bear Pit

EMMENTAL
Visit a cheese factory

LUCERNE
Orientation walk including the Lion Monument and Chapel Bridge; farewell dinner
 

Itinerary

Day 1:
(Thu.) Board your overnight transatlantic flight.

Day 2:
Arrival in Zurich, Switzerland. (Fri.) The day is free to rest or to start exploring Zurich’s attractive historical center and lakeside promenade. At 6 p.m. meet your Tour Director and traveling companions for a welcome dinner at your hotel. (D)

Day 3:
Zurich. (Sat.) This morning your orientation tour features a walk through the Old Town, the Fraumünster Church, and the Opera House. Afternoon at leisure; you may wish to join an exciting optional excursion to the spectacular Rhine Falls combined with dinner. (BB)

Day 4:
Zurich–Lucerne–Interlaken Area. (Sun.) The highlight this morning is a visit to picture-book Lucerne, originally built around the point where the Reuss River flows out of the lake. Orientation features a walk through the historical center to see the LION MONUMENT, and across the CHAPEL BRIDGE to the Jesuit Church. In the afternoon enjoy a scenic drive across Brünig Pass to the city of Interlaken. Take pictures of the Jungfrau Massif, with its group of three famous peaks: the Jungfrau, the Mönch, and the Eiger. Next, continue to your hotel in Grindelwald, the "Glacier Village," for your three-night stay. (BB,D)

Day 5:
At Leisure in Interlaken Area. (Mon.) A whole day to relax and enjoy the atmosphere of this picturesque area at the foot of the Eiger. Your Tour Director will have suggestions how to spend your day. Why not join a half-day optional excursion to the charming, traffic-free resort of Mürren and to spectacular Trümmelbach Falls? (BB)

Day 6:
Interlaken Area. Jungfrau Excursion. (Tue.) An unforgettable trip to the high Alpine wonderland of eternal ice and snow is the true highlight of a visit to Switzerland. At an amazing 11,333 feet, the Jungfraujoch is Europe’s highest railway station. Jungfrau’s (13,642 ft.) summit was first ascended in 1811, and in 1912 the rack-railway was opened. The roundtrip to the “Top of Europe” by MOUNTAIN TRAIN will take the larger part of the day. (BB)

Day 7:
Interlaken Area–Berne–Gruyères–Zermatt. (Wed.) Today glitters with Swiss charm. Stop in the capital, Berne, and meet your Local Guide for a sightseeing tour of the Old Town and a stop at the famous BEAR PIT. Then enjoy a special lunch at a WORKING FARM to get an insight into Swiss country life. In the afternoon, stop in the town of Gruyères before reaching the banks of Lake Geneva. Follow the Rhône River to Täsch, and board a MOUNTAIN TRAIN to climb the last few miles to Zermatt, a picturesque village of rustic chalets nestled beneath the famous Matterhorn. (BB,L,D)

Day 8:
Zermatt. (Thu.) Morning at leisure to ride the train up Gornergrat for a closer view of the Matterhorn. During your orientation, learn about mountain climbers who have attempted the Matterhorn, and visit the MATTERHORN MUSEUM. (BB)

Day 9:
At Leisure in Zermatt. (Fri.) Explore the many little shops or join exciting optional excursions: a cable car ride up the Klein Matterhorn, or a special dinner to try out local specialties. (BB)

Day 10:
Zermatt–Chur–Zurich. (Sat.) This morning board the first-class panoramic coach of the world-renowned GLACIER EXPRESS TRAIN. Journey through the Valais, a region known for its great mountain resorts and excellent wines, into the heart of the Alps. Admire thundering waterfalls, impressive peaks, glacial ice fields, and tiny villages. In Chur your coach will be waiting to bring you back to Zurich. On the way, admire vistas of the Rhine River, Lake Walen, and Lake Zurich. Tonight a farewell dinner with the friends made during your exciting Swiss vacation. (BB,L,D)

Day 11:
(Sun.) Your homebound flight arrives the same day. (BB)

Dates & Prices

ZURICH
Welcome and farewell dinners; orientation

LUCERNE
Orientation walk including the Lion Monument and the Chapel Bridge

INTERLAKEN AREA
Excursion to the Jungfrau by mountain train

BERNE
Guided sightseeing including the Bear Pit, a special lunch at a working farm

GRUYÈRES
Afternoon stop

TÄSCH-ZERMATT
Mountain train

ZERMATT
Orientation, visit the Matterhorn Museum

ZERMATT-CHUR
Glacier Express Train (first-class)
 

Itinerary

Day 1:
Board your overnight transatlantic flight.

Day 2:
Arrival in Vienna, Austria. Time to rest or start exploring the Viennese capital. At 6 p.m. meet your Tour Director and traveling companions for a special welcome dinner at your hotel. (D)

Day 3:
Vienna. Meet your Local Guide and start your sightseeing with vistas of Prater Park with its giant Ferris wheel, and the United Nations City on the banks of the Danube River. Then drive along Ring Boulevard, pass the State Opera House, the Jewish quarter, and stop at the Hofburg Palace, winter residence of the Austrian Imperial family. Marvel at the impressive courtyards and famous Heldenplatz and visit awesome ST. STEPHEN’S CATHEDRAL. Afternoon at leisure. Optional excursions to Schönbrunn Palace and the wine village of Grinzing are available. (BB)

Day 4:
At Leisure in Vienna. A full day to explore Vienna independently. Why not visit the imposing Hofburg Palace to see the precious Habsburg dynasty treasures? If you are interested in great paintings, do not miss the Museum of Fine Arts, with works by Jan Van Eyck, Rubens, Rembrandt, Raphael, and more. Later, you may want to join an optional excursion. (BB)

Day 5:
Vienna–Melk–Salzburg. This morning enjoy a leisurely DANUBE CRUISE. Afterwards, follow the Danube Valley to historic Melk for pictures of the Melk Abbey. No landscape is more typically Austrian than the Salzkammergut lakeland. A picture stop at the Parish Church in Mondsee, which was used for the wedding scenes in The Sound of Music, then continue to Salzburg. (BB,D)

Day 6:
Salzburg. A pleasant stroll with a Local Guide takes you through the historic center. Admire exquisite MIRABELL GARDENS, the Great Festival Hall, ST. PETER’S CHURCHYARD, the monumental Domplatz and take pictures of Mozart’s birthplace in the charming Getreidegasse. Afternoon at leisure with optional possibilities. (BB)

Day 7:
Salzburg–Innsbruck–St. Moritz, Switzerland. Morning visit to Innsbruck in the Tyrolean Mountains. Enjoy a pleasant walk through its quaint medieval lanes to Emperor Maximilian’s GOLDEN ROOF. Next, enter the Swiss Engadine, considered by many as the most beautiful mountain area in the world, with its deep-blue lakes, airy larch forests that turn golden in the fall, mountain peaks exceeding 12,000 feet, and quaint villages with massive white stone houses in the characteristic Grisons style. The rest of the day is at leisure in ritzy St. Moritz. (BB,D)

Day 8:
St. Moritz–Chur–Zermatt. Drive through exhilarating Alpine scenery. At Chur board the first-class panoramic coach of the world-renowned GLACIER EXPRESS TRAIN. Admire thundering waterfalls, impressive peaks, glacial ice fields, and tiny villages as you pass through the Valais, a region known for its great mountain resorts and excellent wines. This afternoon you are in Zermatt, a picturesque cluster of rustic chalets beneath the majestic Matterhorn. (BB,L,D)

Day 9:
At Leisure in Zermatt. An entire day at leisure to breathe the fresh mountain air and to catch up on your postcards. A suggestion: ride Europe’s highest rack-railway to 10,272-foot Gornergrat for a breathtaking panoramic view of the Alps. (BB)

Day 10:
Zermatt–Berne. Board the MOUNTAIN TRAIN to Täsch and motor through the vineyards and apricot groves of the lower Rhône Valley to the shores of Lake Geneva. Here enjoy a highlight visit to CHILLON CASTLE, the 12th-century water fortress immortalized by the poet Lord Byron. Evening arrival in Berne. (BB,D)

Day 11:
Berne–Interlaken–Lucerne. Sightseeing with a Local Guide starts at the popular BEAR PIT and then focuses on the monumental Federal Palace and the beautifully preserved medieval Old Town. Witness the hourly parade of painted figures at the Clock Tower and take your pictures of ornate, floweradorned fountains. Leisurely lunch break in Interlaken, beautifully situated beneath the towering Jungfrau. Over Brünig Pass to picture-book Lucerne. You may wish to sign up for a folklore party with yodeling and alphorn blowing for a first-hand impression of Alpine merrymaking. (BB)

Day 12:
Lucerne. On your walking tour this morning, admire Thorwaldsen’s LION MONUMENT and ornate patrician houses of the walled Old Town, then cross the famous covered CHAPEL BRIDGE to the Jesuit church. Afterwards, shop for watches and choose from our optional activities: climb a mountain by cable car or take a cruise on the fjord-like lake. Tonight a farewell dinner to celebrate the success of your Swiss vacation. (BB,D)

Day 13:
Lucerne–Zurich Airport. Homebound flight. Morning transfer to Zurich Airport in time for homebound flights leaving no earlier than 10 a.m. Extra nights are available in Zurich, not Lucerne. (BB)

Dates & Prices

VIENNA
Welcome dinner; guided sightseeing, visit St. Stephen’s Cathedral

DANUBE CRUISE

MELK
Picture stop at the abbey

SALZBURG
Guided sightseeing, visit Mirabell Gardens and St. Peter’s Churchyard

INNSBRUCK
Orientation including the Golden Roof

CHUR-ZERMATT
Glacier Express Train (first-class)

CHILLON
Guided visit of the castle

BERNE
Guided sightseeing including the Bear Pit

INTERLAKEN
Lunch stop

LUCERNE
Orientation walk including the Lion Monument and Chapel Bridge; farewell dinner
 

Itinerary

Day 1:
Board your overnight transatlantic flight.

Day 2:
Arrival in Frankfurt, Germany. Time to rest or to explore the bustling metropolis on the River Main. At 6 p.m. meet your Tour Director and traveling companions for a welcome dinner at your hotel. (D)

Day 3:
Frankfurt–Rothenburg–Munich. The day is dedicated to Germany’s Romantic Road leading from the flat country towards the Alps. Spend time in spectacular Rothenburg with its ramparts and towers, cobbled lanes, and 16th-century houses. From here it’s an easy ride towards the Danube Valley and Munich. Tonight you may want to tackle a stein of beer at the Hofbräuhaus. (BB,D)

Day 4:
Munich. Sightseeing with a Local Guide in Germany’s “secret capital” includes the Olympic Stadium, 1,000-foot-high Television Tower, Nymphenburg Palace, MARIENPLATZ with the Old and New Town Hall, and the gothic Frauenkirche. Afternoon at leisure. An optional excursion to Linderhof Castle and Passion Play town of Oberammergau is available. (BB)

Day 5:
Munich–Salzburg, Austria–Vienna. Through southern Bavaria to the Austrian border and on to Salzburg. Your walking tour with a Local Guide features the historic center of Mozart’s hometown, exquisite MIRABELL GARDENS, the Great Festival Hall, ST. PETER’S CHURCHYARD, and the monumental Domplatz. Evening arrival in Vienna, once the center of the mighty Habsburg Empire. Tonight you may wish to try out local specialties and a typically Viennese form of entertainment. (BB)

Day 6:
Vienna. Meet your Local Guide and start your sightseeing with vistas of Prater Park with its giant Ferris wheel, and the United Nations City on the banks of the Danube River. Then drive along Ring Boulevard, pass the State Opera House, the Jewish quarter, and stop at the Hofburg Palace, winter residence of the Austrian Imperial family. Marvel at the impressive courtyards and famous Heldenplatz and visit awesome ST. STEPHEN’S CATHEDRAL. Afternoon at leisure. Optional excursions to Schönbrunn Palace and to Grinzing for a taste of Heurigen wine are available. (BB)

Day 7:
Vienna–St. Veit. Scenic Semmering Pass, peaceful baroque crossroad towns in Styria, and then the mountains, lakes, and popular resorts of Carinthia are on today’s agenda. Overnight in St. Veit. (BB,D)

Day 8:
St. Veit–Italian Dolomites–Innsbruck. An unforgettable drive via the Iselsberg Pass to the Italian border and to Cortina d’Ampezzo, the Olympic skiing resort in the Dolomites. Then via Tre Croci Pass and Lake Misurina to Brunico and the Brenner Pass to Innsbruck in the Tyrolean Alps. Stroll through its medieval lanes to Emperor Maximilian’s GOLDEN ROOF. Why not join an optional Tyrolean song-anddance show? (BB,D)

Day 9:
Innsbruck–St. Moritz, Switzerland. From the Inn Valley into beautiful Swiss Engadine, see deep-blue lakes, airy larch forests, mountain peaks exceeding 12,000 feet, and quaint villages with massive white stone houses in the characteristic Grisons style. Afternoon free in ritzy St. Moritz. (BB,D)

Day 10:
St. Moritz–Lugano. Descend towards the Italian Lake Como and continue on to the southern tip of Switzerland to the popular subtropical resort town of Lugano, with plenty of time for an espresso on the flower-festooned Piazza Riforma and a refreshing walk in the shade of Parco Ciani’s magnificent old trees. (BB,D)

Day 11:
Lugano–Stresa, Italy–Zermatt. From Lake Lugano to the Italian shore of Lake Maggiore for a break in elegant Stresa. An optional boat ride to the enchanting Isola Bella can be arranged. On over the lofty Simplon Pass into the Swiss Valais, an area renowned for its great mountain resorts. To reach the most famous of them, leave the coach behind in Täsch and board a MOUNTAIN TRAIN to climb the last few miles up to Zermatt, a picturesque cluster of rustic chalets beneath the Matterhorn. (BB,D)

Day 12:
At Leisure in Zermatt. Full day at leisure to ride Europe’s highest rack-railway to 10,272-foot Gornergrat to explore the town on your own or to just simply relax. (BB)

Day 13:
Zermatt–Berne–Interlaken–Lucerne. Through the vineyards and apricot groves of the lower Rhône Valley towards the terraced vineyards on Lake Geneva and the verdant dairy country of Gruyère, to the Swiss capital, Berne. See the monumental Federal Palace and the BEAR PIT before continuing via Interlaken, a Bernese Oberland resort beneath the towering Jungfrau, and across Brünig Pass to Lucerne. (BB,D)

Day 14:
Lucerne. On your walking tour, admire Thorwaldsen’s LION MONUMENT and ornate patrician houses of the walled Old Town, then cross the famous covered CHAPEL BRIDGE to the Jesuit church. Afterwards, shop for Swiss watches and choose from our optional activities: climb a mountain by cable car, take a cruise on the fjord-like lake, or sign up for a folklore party with yodeling and alphorn blowing for a first-hand impression of Alpine merrymaking. (BB)

Day 15:
Lucerne–Heidelberg, Germany–Frankfurt. On the way back to Germany visit the thundering RHINE FALLS at Schaffhausen, a 70-foot cataract of the River Rhine. From here head north into the pine-clad hills of the Black Forest, and enjoy a WOODCARVING DEMONSTRATION on your way to Heidelberg, well-known for its red-walled castle. Tonight enjoy a farewell dinner with the friends gained during your exciting two-week vacation. (BB,D)

Day 16:
Your homebound flight arrives the same day. (BB)

Dates & Prices