BY RAIL
THE GRAND, GRAND SWITZERLAND RAIL TOUR
15 nights / 16 days From £ 3,935 per person
Bernese Oberland train
LAUSANNE • ZERMATT • ST MORITZ • LUGANO • LUCERNE • BERNESE OBERLAND • SAANENLAND • MONTREUX
This grand rail touring holiday of Switzerland encompasses stunning mountain vistas, serene lakes, and creaking glaciers on iconic railway lines. You stop in enchanting lakeside towns and small cities; and spend cosy evenings in quaint, chocolate-box villages beneath imposing mountains such as the Matterhorn.
DAY-BY-DAY ITINERARY
DAY ONE Arrive Geneva and train to Lausanne Travel by rail or by air from London to Geneva on your first day. Perhaps spend an hour or two exploring the city, home to fine watch-making, the headquarters of the UN, and the Jet d’ Eau fountain. From Geneva, catch a train along the northern shore of the lake to Lausanne, where you spend one night.
DAYS TWO AND THREE Lausanne to Zermatt From Zermatt you can be transported high up into the mountains, reaching 3000m above sea level, and the Glacier Paradise cable car transports you up to Europe’ s highest viewing platform. To extend both your experience of the railways of Valais and the mountains, take the Gornergratbahn up to the summit of the Gornergrat, from where you can bask in views of 38 mountain peaks including the Matterhorn.
DAY FOUR Zermatt to St Moritz on the Glacier Exporess Travel east from Zermatt to St Moritz on the iconic Glacier Express. Join the Bernina Railway Line as you cross the Landwasser viaduct, navigate the loops of the track, and travel through the Albula Tunnel. At 1856m above sea level, visitors to St Moritz are welcomed by stunning views across the lakes of the
Upper Engadine Valley. You spend two nights in St Moritz.
DAY FIVE In St Moritz Spend your time in St Moritz navigating the local peaks via railway, reaching the Piz Corvatsch, Chantarella, and Corviglia, where a cable car takes you up to Suvretta’ s most famous viewing point. If you have time, enjoy the water sports at the sublime Lake Sils and Lake St Moritz, or the windy Lake Silvaplana.
DAY SIX St Moritz to Tirano on the Bernina Express & Bernina Express PostBus to Lugano You depart from St Moritz on the journey across northern Italy from St Moritz to Lugano. Travel first through the Val Benina, then around the Montebello Curve, which allows you plenty of time to take in the views of the Morteratsch Glacier. After an hour in Tirano board the Bernina Express dedicated coach across to Lugano. You spend two nights in Lugano.
DAY SEVEN In Lugano Use your time in Lugano to explore this cultural lakeside town, which is quintessential of the Ticino region. The peak of nearby Monte Bre can be reached by funicular railway from Casserate, from where you can take in the sublime views, seek out the forested beauty spots, and embark on a hiking trail.
DAY EIGHT Lugano to Lucerne on the Gotthard Express You will next embark on a route shaped by the legend of the Swiss National Hero of Liberty: Wilhelm Tell. Begin this journey by catching a train to Fluelen, where you disembark the train and board the Gotthard Panorama Express steamboat or salon motorboat. Disembark from the boat at the lido of the Swiss Museum of Transport in Lucerne where you stay next. You spend two nights in Lucerne.
DAY NINE In Lucerne An essential visit on any stay in Lucerne is the Chapel Bridge, the city’ s main landmark and the most photographed monument in Switzerland. Enjoy lunch in a pavement café on the Kornmarkt Square, beside the colourful Pfistern Guildhall, the Hirschenplatz Square, or the Weinmarkt Square. To see some exemplary Swiss culture, visit the prestigious KKL Luzern gallery, the Rosengart Collection of works by Picasso and Klee, the Wagner Museum in Tribschen, and the Swiss Museum of Transport.
DAY TEN Lucerne to Bernese Oberland This touring itinerary takes you southwest from Lucerne into the Bernese Oberland. The train journey takes you along the western shore of Lake Lucerne, Lake Sarnen, Lake Lungern, and north around Lake Brienz. Change trains at Interlaken to take the steeper
82 To speak to our specialist rail holidays team telephone 01392 441250 or see www. expressionsholidays. co. uk