THE BEST OF SWITZERLAND
8 days from Zürich to Zürich
PACKAGE: 7 Nights/8 days
Summary
Detailed Itinerary
Day 01
Welcome to Zurich! At 6 pm, meet your Tour Director and traveling companions for a welcome dinner with wine at your hotel.
Day 02
Enjoy an orientation walk of Zurich’s well-preserved OLD TOWN with its medieval guild houses, and [LF] taste the traditional CHOCOLATE PRALINES at the famous Sprüngli Confectionery. Next, a scenic drive following Lake Zurich and Lake Walen through the high Alps to the tiny Principality of Liechtenstein. After a break in its capital, 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 arrival in ritzy St. Moritz
Day 03
A gradual change of scenery as you descend towards the enchanting shores of Italy’s 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 or an espresso on flower-festooned Piazza Riforma. To truly appreciate splendid Lake Lugano, an exciting optional boat ride is available, followed by dinner at a traditional “grotto” restaurant.
Day 04
From Lake Lugano to the Italian shore of Lake Maggiore for a break in elegant Stresa. An optional boat ride to enchanting Isola Bella can be arranged. Continue over 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 to climb the last few miles up to car-free Zermatt, a picturesque cluster of rustic chalets beneath the Matterhorn.
Day 05
A special treat: enjoy a GROUP PICTURE with the famous Matterhorn in the background. Then, you can join an exciting optional excursion to Klein Matterhorn for spectacular views of the surrounding Alps. Later, motor through the vineyards and apricot groves of the lower Rhône Valley, and arrive at beautiful Lake Geneva for your overnight stay.
Day 06
In the stately capital of Berne, your guided tour starts at the BEAR PARK, followed by a panoramic view of the city from the Rose Garden. Next, enjoy a walking tour through 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. The highlight of the day is a [LF] special lunch at a traditional Swiss WORKING FARM, to give you a chance to see how people in Switzerland live in the mountains. Continue to Interlaken and take pictures of the Jungfrau massif with its group of three famous peaks: the Jungfrau, the Mönch, and the Eiger. Over Brünig Pass to picturesque Lucerne. An optional dinner excursion to a folklore party with yodeling is available for a first-hand impression of Alpine merrymaking.
Day 07
On your walking tour this morning, admire Thorwaldsen’s impressive LION MONUMENT, dedicated to the Swiss Guards who protected the Royal House of France during the French Revolution, and ornate patrician houses of the walled Old Town, then cross the famous covered CHAPEL BRIDGE to the Jesuit church. Afterwards, another true Swiss experience: [LF] a trip to the top of Mount Pilatus, the “Guard of Lucerne,” where an ALPHORN DEMONSTRATION will be held. And you get a special SOUVENIR CAP to always remember this experience! Tonight, a special farewell dinner with wine awaits you at a local restaurant for a proper auf Wiedersehen
Day 08
Lucerne–Zürich Airport Morning transfer to Zurich Airport in time for homebound flights leaving no earlier than 10 am. Extra nights are available in Zurich, not Lucerne.
PACKAGE: 10 Nights/11 days
Time to rest or to start exploring the bustling metropolis on the Main River. At 6 pm, meet your Tour Director and traveling companions and leave the hotel for a special welcome dinner at Schwarzer Stern restaurant.
A special treat at the very start of your journey through Germany is a romantic RHINE CRUISE along the most scenic section of the Rhine River, with castle-crested hills, terraced vineyards, pretty wine towns, and the Lorelei rock. Disembark and drive to Cologne to visit the awesome gothic CATHEDRAL. Its twin 515-foot towers, five naves, splendid stained-glass windows, and the shrine of the Three Holy Kings are eloquent testimony to the quality of medieval engineering and craftsmanship. Afterwards, enjoy [LF] a beer at the Cölner Hofbräu Früh, one of Cologne’s famous breweries. Continue to charming Düsseldorf, the capital of North Rhine-Westphalia, for your overnight stay.
Ride the EUROCITY TRAIN to Berlin, capital of reunited Germany, where sightseeing with a Local Guide in the once-divided metropolis includes the elegant Ku’damm, the restored Reichstag, Charlottenburg Palace, a picture stop at monumental Brandenburg Gate and the Holocaust Memorial, and the 210-foot Victory Column in the vast Tiergarten park. Visit the KAISER WILHELM MEMORIAL CHURCH with its bomb-damaged tower, drive along Unter den Linden boulevard, and pass the State Opera House and Checkpoint Charlie
A full day at leisure gives you a chance to join one of our exciting optional excursions, like to nearby Potsdam.
On your way south through what used to be the “other” Germany, visit Leipzig, an important center since the Middle Ages. See the Thomaskirche, where J.S. Bach worked, and the Market Square with its fine renaissance buildings. Continue to Nuremberg, the town of children’s toys and gingerbread. Admire the impressive medieval ramparts and walk through the pedestrian area of the charming Old Town to St. Sebald Church, painstakingly reconstructed as a monument to peace from the rubble of near-total wartime destruction, and admire the Schöner Brunnen, a 14th-century fountain dedicated to the Holy Roman Empire. It is said that it brings good luck to spin the two brass rings. Then, have [LF] dinner at Bratwurst Röslein restaurant to taste the traditional Nürnberger Bratwürste.
Join the Romantic Road and arrive in medieval Rothenburg with its ramparts and towers, cobblestone lanes, and 16th-century houses. Hear how the town survived the Thirty Years’ War, and shop for Christmas ornaments, for which this pretty town is famous. Next is the Bavarian capital, Munich. Tonight, you may wish to join an exciting optional dinner outing.
Sightseeing with a Local Guide of Germany’s “Secret Capital” features the Olympic Stadium, built for the 1972 Olympics; the 1,000-foot-high Olympic Tower; and Königsplatz, used for Nazi rallies during World War II. Drive along the Ludwigstrasse, and see the Bavarian Arch of Triumph and Field Marshall Hall. Also visit lively MARIENPLATZ with the Old and the New Town Halls and the gothic Frauenkirche. In the late afternoon, drive to the romantic Passion Play town of Oberammergau, where you will stay for the next two nights
A full day at leisure. Choose from our optional excursions to make the most of your stay in this romantic area.
Day 09
Start today with a visit to King Ludwig’s magnificent NEUSCHWANSTEIN CASTLE, which inspired Walt Disney. Follow your Local Guide through this fairytale castle on its craggy outcrop high above a sparkling lake. Then, continue along the panoramic German Alpine Road to the sunny northern shore of Lake Constance, Europe’s largest freshwater reservoir. Visit the charming island of Lindau, then continue west and visit the baroque CHURCH at Birnau. Enter the lush Black Forest and enjoy an overnight stay at the family-owned Hofgut Sternen hotel.
Day 10
This morning, drive deeper into the Black Forest, then stop for [LF] a WOODCARVING DEMONSTRATION and Kaffee und Schwarzwaldkuchen (coffee and Black Forest Cake). Arrive in Heidelberg, Germany’s oldest university town, of Student Prince fame. Time to stroll around in the Old Town, then ride the FUNICULAR up the hill and visit the red-walled CASTLE where the GREAT VAT, a 58,000-gallon 18th-century wine cask, attracts particular attention. Return to Frankfurt, where a farewell dinner with wine has been prepared to say auf Wiedersehen!
Day 11
Your vacation ends with breakfast this morning.
THE BEST OF AUSTRIA & SWITZERLAND
PACKAGE:10 Nights/11 days
Welcome to Vienna! At 6 pm, meet your Tour Director and traveling companions for a special welcome dinner with wine at your hotel.
Start your guided sightseeing with a visit to magnificent SCHÖNBRUNN PALACE. Then, drive along the Ringstrasse, 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, famous HELDENPLATZ, and awesome St. Stephen’s Cathedral. Balance of the day is at leisure and you can choose from our exciting optional excursions to enhance your stay.
Enjoy a leisurely DANUBE CRUISE along the prettiest part of the river. Afterwards, catch glimpses of historic Melk Abbey, and continue through the romantic Salzkammergut lakeland, made famous in The Sound of Music movie. Stop in Mondsee to visit the PARISH CHURCH, which was used for the wedding scenes, and continue to Salzburg. Admire exquisite MIRABELL GARDENS, the Great Festival Hall, St. Peter’s Monastery, and magnificent RESIDENZ SQUARE, where some scenes of The Sound of Music movie were filmed. Also take pictures of Mozart’s birthplace in the charming Getreidegasse. [LF] A special dinner with wine and Salzburger Nockerl (sweet dessert soufflé) has been prepared for you at the famous St. Peter Stiftskeller restaurant
Today is your chance to join an optional excursion to spectacular Berchtesgaden and Hitler’s Eagles Nest.
Enter the Tyrolean Alps and stop in the capital of crystal, Innsbruck. Enjoy a pleasant walk through its quaint medieval lanes to Emperor Maximilian’s GOLDEN ROOF. Next, a scenic drive into 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.
Drive through exhilarating Alpine scenery. At Chur, [LF] board the first-class panoramic coach of the world-famous GLACIER EXPRESS TRAIN, which connects two of Switzerland’s most famous skiing areas: St. Moritz and Zermatt. Enjoy your first-class ride with panorama windows and 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. Lunch will be served on the train. This afternoon you are in Zermatt, a picturesque cluster of rustic chalets beneath the majestic Matterhorn.
An entire day at leisure gives you the possibility to join a spectacular optional excursion by cable car to the Klein Matterhorn at 12,740 feet, for breathtaking panoramic views of the Matterhorn and the Alps
Board the MOUNTAIN TRAIN to Täsch and motor through 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 poet Lord Byron. Arrive in Berne for your overnight stay.
Your guided tour starts with a stop at the Rose Garden for a panoramic view of the city. Walk through the beautifully preserved medieval Old Town, witness the hourly parade of painted figures at the Clock Tower and marvel at the ornate, flower-adorned fountains. Stop at the BEAR PARK, symbol for the name of the town. Next is Interlaken, where you can take pictures of the towering Jungfrau massif, then continue across Brünig Pass to picturesque Lucerne. An optional evening is available to a folklore party with yodeling and alphorn blowing for a first-hand impression of Alpine merrymaking.
On your walking tour this morning, admire Thorwaldsen’s impressive LION MONUMENT, dedicated to the fallen Swiss Guards who protected the Royal House of France during the French Revolution, 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 you may wish to join an optional excursion to Mount Pilatus. This evening, [LF] enjoy a PRIVATE BOAT CRUISE on the fjord-lake, followed by a special farewell dinner with wine at a local restaurant to celebrate the success of your Swiss vacation.
Morning transfer to Zurich Airport in time for homebound flights leaving no earlier than 10 am. Extra nights are available in Zurich, not Lucerne.