Switzerland Encompassed

On arrival at Zurich Airport or the main train station, you’ll be met and transferred to your hotel. Check-in is available from 3 PM.

The rest of the day is yours to relax or explore at leisure. You may wish to stroll through the cobbled Old Town, browse the elegant shops along Bahnhofstrasse, or unwind beside Lake Zurich. In the evening, enjoy dinner at one of the city’s many welcoming restaurants.

Please note: All optional activities can be booked and paid for locally. All excursions depart at the exact times listed in the programme. Please meet your guide in the hotel lobby for included sightseeing.

After breakfast and check-out, we meet our Tour Leader in the lobby at 8:50 am. At 9 am, we set off on a guided city tour of Zurich, taking in Bahnhofstrasse, Lindenhof, Augustinergasse, the Fraumunster and Grossmunster churches and the Niederdorf quarter.

At 10:30 am, we leave for the Rhine Falls, arriving at 11:15 am to see the largest waterfall in Europe. We continue to Lucerne at 12:15 pm. On arrival at 1:30 pm, you have time for lunch.

At 2:30 pm, we begin a city tour of Lucerne, where historic landmarks and fine architecture greet you at every turn. Its signature sights, the Chapel Bridge, the Jesuit Church and the Dying Lion monument, rank among Switzerland’s best-known attractions. At 4:45 pm, we head for the Interlaken region, checking in to our accommodation at 6 pm. Your evening is free.

Today’s sightseeing after breakfast depends on the season, or you can choose to join the full-day excursion to Jungfraujoch instead.

November 2026 to 4 April 2027
We explore the Lauterbrunnen Valley, often called the pearl of the Bernese Oberland, where as many as 72 waterfalls tumble from sheer cliffs. The best known and most visited are the Staubbachfall and the Murrenbachfall. We then climb to the Giessbach Falls and explore the Sigriswil Panoramic Bridge.

5 April 2027 to 1 November 2027
We explore the Lauterbrunnen Valley, the pearl of the Bernese Oberland, and visit Trummelbach, Europe’s largest waterfall inside a mountain. We also see the Reichenbach Falls, which Arthur Conan Doyle made famous as the scene of Sherlock Holmes’s death, before passing through the Aare Gorge, a glacial ravine.

Full-Day Excursion to Jungfraujoch
Alternatively, you can opt for a full-day excursion to Jungfraujoch, Europe’s highest railway station at 3,454 metres, travelling up by guided train with a stop at Eismeer station along the way. This excursion costs CHF 300 per person, with a minimum of 4 people.

Your evening is free from 6 pm.

Following breakfast and check-out, we leave at 9 am for central Bern and a two-hour city tour.

At 2 pm, we travel on to the Gruyere region to visit the medieval town of Gruyeres, the La Maison du Gruyere cheese factory and the Maison Cailler chocolate factory in Broc, with entrance to both factories included. At 5:30 pm, we transfer to the Lake Geneva region and check in to our accommodation. Your evening is free from 6 pm.

You have a free day in the Montreux region. You might walk along the flower-lined promenade, regarded as one of Europe’s most luxurious, or visit Queen: The Studio Experience. Chaplin’s World is another option. Charlie Chaplin spent the last 25 years of his life on the outskirts of Vevey, and the modern museum beside his former mansion is among the most visited in Switzerland. You could also take a trip from Vevey on a classic steamboat, admiring the lakeside towns from the water with views of the Swiss and French Alps. Alternatively, you have the option to join one of the following excursions.

Day Excursion to France (Evian-les-Bains, Yvoire & Annecy)
From 8:30 am to 5 pm, you can opt to explore three French towns. Evian-les-Bains is France’s best-known spa resort and the birthplace of Evian mineral water. Yvoire, around 30 minutes’ drive from Evian and Geneva, is a medieval village on Lake Leman that has stayed unchanged for seven centuries and is listed among the most beautiful villages in France. Annecy, capital of the Haute-Savoie department and known as the Venice of the Alps, is a medieval town on a mountain-ringed lake, with cobbled lanes, flower-decked bridges over its canals, ochre facades reflected in the water, and swans, boats and yachts on the lake. This excursion costs CHF 150 per person, with a minimum of 4 people.

Day Excursion to Glacier 3000
From 9 am to 4 pm, you can opt to visit Glacier 3000, set at 3,000 metres, with easy slopes on the glacier and activities for non-skiers, all against a panorama of 24 peaks over 4,000 metres. The highlight is the Peak Walk by Tissot, the world’s only suspension bridge linking two mountain peaks. At 107 metres long and 80 centimetres wide, it joins the View Point with the main summit of Scex Rouge, 5 metres higher, and looks out over the Matterhorn, Mont Blanc, Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau. This excursion costs CHF 200 per person including cable car tickets, with a minimum of 4 people.

Day Excursion to Chamonix - Mont Blanc
From 9 am to 6 pm, you can opt to travel by coach through the Arve Valley to Chamonix, a mountain village at the foot of Mont Blanc, Europe’s highest peak. A renowned cable car climbs the Aiguille du Midi, a 3,842-metre rocky peak beside Mont Blanc, where a high-mountain site set up for visitors’ comfort and safety offers a 360-degree panorama of the Mont Blanc massif, the Chamonix Valley and the major peaks of the French, Swiss and Italian Alps. The summit comprises the Piton Nord, the Piton Central with its Mont Blanc gallery, and the Mont Blanc terrace. You also ride a little red train from Chamonix to Montenvers and the Mer de Glace, France’s largest glacier, ringed by the peaks of Les Drus, Les Grandes Jorasses and Les Grands Charmoz, where exhibits cover the glacier and Alpine nature. This excursion costs CHF 250 per person including cable car and train tickets, with a minimum of 4 people.

Evening Excursion to the Thermal Baths at Les Bains de Lavey
From 5:30 pm to 9 pm, you can opt to unwind at Les Bains de Lavey, where natural springs feed hot pools, underwater massage jets and eucalyptus hammams, followed by hot chocolate or mountain herb tea. This excursion costs CHF 85 per person including entrance, with a minimum of 4 people.

After breakfast and check-out, we set off at 9 am on a journey along the Swiss Riviera. At 9:15 am, we begin a walking tour of Montreux, including a visit to Queen: The Studio Experience, followed at 10:30 am by Chillon Castle, with entrance included.

At midday, we head to the Lavaux vineyards, then continue at 12:45 pm to the Olympic Park and Museum in Lausanne. At 1:45 pm, we travel on to Geneva for a city tour at 3 pm, before checking in to our accommodation at 4:30 pm. Your evening is free.

Once we have checked out after breakfast, we leave Geneva at 11 am for Lugano, checking in to our accommodation at 4 pm. Your evening is free, perhaps for a walk along the lakefront or dinner in the old town.

At 9 am, we set out through the Verzasca Valley, stopping at Lavertezzo, a village set on rocky mountain slopes, and the Verzasca Dam, also known as the Contra Dam, where James Bond made his 220-metre jump in GoldenEye.

At 1 pm, you have free time for lunch in the centre of Ascona, a resort on Lake Maggiore with palm trees, a Mediterranean feel and a mild climate. Shaped by history, art and culture, the town is known for its lake promenade.

At 2 pm, we head to the medieval town of Bellinzona, a draw for lovers of castles and historic sites. Its main attraction is the group of UNESCO-protected fortifications around Castelgrande. At 4:30 pm, we return to Lugano, where your evening is free.

You have a free day in Lugano. You could take a round-trip cruise from town, hop between stops along Lake Lugano by ferry, or sail to Gandria and walk back. The funicular from Lugano Paradiso climbs to a panorama that widens as you rise, stretching across the Ticino Alps from Monviso to Monte Rosa, the Bernina and Monte Legnone, and south to the Apennines.

Lake Como also makes a popular day trip from Lugano. Known for its grand villas and colourful lakeside towns, it is a favourite retreat of the wealthy. You can explore Bellagio, Varenna and Menaggio, cruise past lavish villas, wander through botanical gardens and stop at lakeside cafes.

Lugano – Zurich. After our final breakfast, at 8:00, we transfer to Lugano station for the 7:30 train north. The scenic journey brings us to Zurich Airport at 10:44 AM, perfectly timed for onward flights. Train tickets are provided in 2nd class, and your guide will hand them to you and explain the route in advance.

Please note: For early departures, we kindly request that you arrange a lunch box directly with the hotel reception instead of breakfast. The first train from Lugano departs at 05:26, arriving at Zurich Airport at 09:38 – we therefore recommend not booking flights with very early morning departures.