U.S.A. - Transatlantic Flight - Zurich, Switzerland

Depart your home city on Monday traveling to Zurich!  Flying overnight night, you will arrive and a private car with English speaking driver will be waiting for you at the airport and bring you to downtown Zürich to the hotel. After registration, you will have free time to acclimatize, rest from travel or start exploring the administrative and most touristic Swiss city. Take a walk through the Bahnhofstrasse (Train station Street) and get marveled with the magnificent Swiss watches and luxury shops.  After a short rest we will enjoy our first true Swiss experience, the Lindt Chocolate Factory!  Tonight we will meet for a welcome dinner at a local restaurant and get to know each other before we return to our hotel for the overnight.ht.

Zurich - Rhine Falls - Stein am Rhein

Today we will enjoy our included breakfast at the hotel before we meet our guide who will help us experience all the outstanding things Zurich has to offer in this singular sightseeing tour. Experience the town of this unique city tour with detailed commentaries of a local. Our route leads across the famous Bahnhofstrasse (the shopping street of Zurich) and the Banking Center to the lake with a view of the snowcapped mountains, part of the old town with its magnificent guild houses and the churches St. Peter, Grossmünster, and Fraumünster. After a picture stop at Lake Zürich, we’ll pass by the Opera House and experience a ride uphill by cogwheel train to one of the great viewpoints of the city to take in breath-taking vistas of the city, the lake, and the snow-capped Alps before cruising the University quarter with the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH).  We will see also the theatre and the art museum before reaching the charming Old Town and admire the town hall, Zürich's emblematic churches, and the medieval guild houses.  If all that isn’t enough, we will then enjoy an entertaining stroll while heading back along the picturesque Limmatquai.  We will have a short break for lunch and take a scenic coach journey along the route of the "Grand Tour of Switzerland" northwards.  We travel via charming farming villages and beautiful vineyards before we reach the mighty Rhine Falls – Europe’s biggest waterfall. We will enjoy spectacular views from the panoramic trail and feel the spindrift of the rumbling waters on an included boat ride taking us close to the falls. We continue to the medieval town of Stein am Rhein and learn about the well-preserved Old Town on a guided stroll. The half-timbered houses and distinctive historic buildings stun visitors with their exceptional frescoes.  After some time at leisure, we’ll drive back this evening to Zürich. There will be time to do dinner on your own tonight.  

Zurich - Lucerne

Today after breakfast we will check out of our hotel and travel by train to one of the most beautiful cities in Switzerland, Luzern. Upon arrival we’ll start exploring this magical city.  We start along the Reuss River and the Luzern Lake where we see the iconic Chapel Bridge (Kapellbrücke), a 204 m (669 ft) long wooden covered bridge originally built in 1333, the oldest covered bridge in Europe.  Inside the bridge we’ll see a series of paintings from the 17th century depicting events from Lucerne's history.  As we continue downriver, between the Kasernenplatz and the Mühlenplatz, the Spreuer Bridge zigzags across the Reuss. It was constructed in 1408, and features a series of medieval-style 17th century plague paintings by Kaspar Meglinger titled Dance of Death . The bridge has a small chapel in the middle that was added in 1568.  We will enjoy then the twin needle towers of the Church of St. Leodegar, which was named after the city's patron saint, the Bertel Thorvaldsen's famous carving of a dying lion and the small streets and interesting architecture that is so unique to this town.   We’ll enjoy a little free time for lunch and shopping before boarding a ferry to Meggenhorn, a grand 19th century castle with sweeping lake views before turning to the train station to board our train to our final destination today, Bern.   

Jungfraujoch Glacier - Lauterbrunnen

Today we will have a thrilling and unforgettable full-day excursion to Jungfraujoch Region and experience – Top of Europe! Listed by UNESCO as “World Heritage Site of the Swiss Alps” it is home to Europe’s highest train station (3500 m) and many other attractions! Today journey to Grindelwald for a cogwheel train ride via Kleine Scheidegg up to Jungfraujoch.  We’ll see the stunning views of the world-famous triple peaks of Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau as they accompany us along the way and as the imposing Eiger North Face seems to be within one’s grasp. Once on the top, we’ll be immersed in the fascinating high alpine wonderland of eternal ice, snow, and rock.  We’ll experience the adventure tour “Alpine Sensation” marking the 100-year anniversary of the Jungfrau Railway and visit the Sphinx Observation Terrace and Plateau with the most breath-taking panoramic views of snow-capped peaks, the neighboring countries and Europe’s longest glacier, the Aletsch Glacier.  We won’t forget to stroll through the tunnels of the Ice Palace located in the heart of the glacier – a once in a lifetime experience not to be missed!  Up here are restaurants available for lunch and refreshments.  When it’s time, our descent takes us to Lauterbrunnen, where we will enjoy time walking through the town and for those who’d like, hiking to see the iconic Stauback waterfalls.  Tonight, we will return to our hotel for the free evening in Bern.   

Bern- Zermatt - Matterhorn

After breakfast, we’ll take the train from Bern to Zermatt. The train covers this beautiful zone in around 3 hours.  After we arrive you’ll have a little free time for lunch and then we’ll have a half-day excursion to the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise!  The highest sightseeing point in Europe which is accessible only by cableway. The Matterhorn Express gondola will bring us to Furi where we change to the large cableway which takes us via the Trockener Steg to the Klein Matterhorn.  Finally, up here we take a lift to get to the highest sightseeing platform offering a panoramic view of the Alps including the 38 4,000-meter peaks (13,120+ ft) surrounding Zermatt.   At the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise, we’ll visit the Glacier Palace - 15 meters under the glacier's surface. Sparkling ice crystals and glittering ice sculptures enchant visitors to the glacier palace. A lift carries guests 15 meters below the surface of the glacier to a fairy-tale palace deep under the perennial snow. An ice tunnel leads through the glacier to sites such as a glacier crevasse and an ice toboggan run. Cozy furs adorn ice benches; ice sculptures evoke the world of the ice fairy tales. Ice sculptors regularly create new artworks. After this visit, we’ll come back to Zermatt with free time for shopping and for an included typical Swiss cheese-fondue restaurant before you come back to the hotel. Overnight Zermatt.  

Zermatt - Glacier Express - St Moritz Area

After breakfast, we’ll embark on a tour HIGHLIGHT, the Glacier Express Train, and enjoy an amazing ride along the Swiss glacier chain. The journey in what has been dubbed the world’s slowest express train takes its travelers across the Alps by passing through 91 tunnels and over 291 bridges. The Glacier Express train offers a journey for the senses with it’s special viewing car with high windows to see the most scenery as we travel.  We will make a lunch break in Chur to enjoy this town before finishing our journey to the St. Moritz area to have a free evening to relax and enjoy dinner on your own.

St Mortiz - Roseg Glacier - Zurich

Today after breakfast we’ll depart to the Roseg Valley and enjoy a beautiful ride by horse and carriage to the base of the majestic glacier with time for photos before returning again Zurich with a free time for last minute souvenir shopping or exploring before we meet for our final night and dinner together in Switzerland.  

Return to USA

Today will have a group transfer back to the airport at our set time for the flight home, with memories to last a lifetime.