Swiss Glacier Express and the Bernina

DAY 1

Travelling by Eurostar from London, we change stations in Paris, continuing our journey to Basel, just across the Swiss border. We check into our hotel for the evening located next to the train station and enjoy our first evening meal together at a local restaurant.

DAY 2

This morning we enjoy free time to explore Basel, located on the banks of the Rhine and admire the contrasting modern and historic architecture. We can visit the Old Town, cathedral, town hall or art museums before we take the train to Neuchatel via Biel. We have a little time to explore before our afternoon Lake Neuchâtel cruise on a beautifully restored paddle steamer that dates back to 1912. Following our relaxing cruise, we continue by train to Lausanne and our hotel, the Best Western Plus Hotel Mirabeau, where our luggage is waiting for us.

DAY 3

Today is ours to spend at leisure in Lausanne. We may wish to visit the Olympic Museum and see exhibits from games throughout over 120 years of history. With an included Lausanne transport ticket, we can venture further into the city and visit one of the several other museums this city has to offer or head to Lausanne Cathedral, the choice is ours.

DAY 4

This morning we transfer to Montreux for some free time in Lake Geneva’s most celebrated resort. We then transfer to Château Chillon, perched dramatically at the water’s edge against a stunning mountain backdrop. We include entrance to the castle before continuing by boat cruise to Lausanne.

DAY 5

One of the great railway journeys of the world awaits today. First, we leave Lake Geneva by train, heading around the lake and through the mountains to Brig. Here we join the iconic Glacier Express, one of the world's great scenic railway journeys, connecting the Valais Canton with Graubünden. This is an amazing journey, and we enjoy it in style, with a 3-course lunch served to our seats. Known as 'the slowest express train in the world', take your time to marvel at the ever-changing mountain vistas outside your window, as the train follows the course of the River Rhône, then climbs through the Furka Base Tunnel en route to the Oberalp Pass, the highest point on the line at over 6,000 feet. The train then continues through the UNESCO World Heritage Albula Line, a masterpiece of railway engineering of tunnels, spirals, and viaducts, including the often-photographed Landwasser Viaduct, before reaching Pontresina in the Upper Engadin Valley, where we spend four nights at the Hotel Schweizerhof.

DAY 6

This morning we spend time in the stylish mountain resort of St Moritz, set amidst a splendid alpine backdrop, before continuing to Punt Muragl, the base station of the Muottas Muragl funicular. We enjoy a ride on the funicular and, at almost 2,500 metres above sea level, there are spectacular views to be seen of the entire Upper Engadin Valley.

DAY 7

Having sampled the Glacier Express, today is an equally impressive experience – the Bernina Express. Many aficionados rate this journey even better than the Glacier Express! From our base in the Engadin Valley, we climb high over the Bernina Pass and through hairpin bends on a journey towards the sunny south of the Alps on our way through the Italian-speaking region of Switzerland, finally crossing the border into Italy itself. We enjoy a little free time and maybe chance to enjoy an espresso in the Italian city of Tirano, before returning through the majestic Alpine scenery to Pontresina.

DAY 8

Today is free to spend at leisure. The included Engadin Card gives unlimited travel on local public transport as well as a number of cable cars and funiculars to transport us to the peaks of the area, affording stunning views.

DAY 9

Farewell to Pontresina, as we head across Switzerland to Basel. Travelling through France, we change stations in Paris to meet our Eurostar to London St Pancras.

B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner