Swiss Panoramic Round Trip St Moritz & - Glacier Express & Interlaken - Golden Pass Train & Montreux

Weekly Saturday departures 13th May – 26th August 2017 7 nights Independent Rail Journey

Day 1: Channel Islands to Zurich and St. Moritz From Jersey, clients will board their Flybe flight to Zurich with a stopover of 15 minutes in Guernsey where our Guernsey clients will board. Your flight is then direct onto Zurich. Your adventure will start here in Zurich as you take your first rail journey towards St. Moritz. Once in St. Moritz you will easily find your hotel located within a short walking distance of the train station. Welcome to !

Day 2: St Moritz - - St Moritz Breakfast at hotel. Today you will begin your trip in earnest and board the Bernina Express to take you over the Bernina Pass. The area along the train line has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site and you will go past mighty glaciers as well as over the highest point at 2,253m (7,391ft). The line then climbs down to the mountain village of Tirano () where, unexpectedly and beautifully, palm trees and oleanders thrive. You have around 2 hours in Tirano, plenty of time to visit the catholic cathedral of Madonna di Tirano or to experience some of the exceptional local cuisine on offer in the many cafés and restaurants before starting your return journey to St. Moritz. Overnight in St. Moritz.

Day 3: St. Moritz & Glacier Express - (Brig) - Interlaken After breakfast you will depart St. Moritz with the mighty Glacier Express and go on a thrilling ride to Brig then board a 'normal' train to Interlaken. This journey will allow you to take in some of the most dramatic scenery Switzerland has to offer. The journey is narrated (in English) explaining the amazing engineering feat of overcoming extreme altitude temperature variations and the challenges that constitute for building such a railway line.

As you gaze out at the stunning alpine panorama, you can choose from a range of culinary specialities and traditional dishes. All meals are freshly prepared on board and served at your seat. You can reserve lunch in as an optional extra with Bontour before you travel. Lunch can also be purchased on the train directly however we recommend that you book in advance to avoid disappointment as supplies are limited.  Glacier Express, Dish of the Day, 1 course lunch - £26pp  Glacier Express, 3 course lunch - £38pp. Late afternoon arrival in St. Moritz. Overnight in St. Moritz.

Day 4: Interlaken – Excursion to Breakfast at hotel. Full day excursion to the Jungfraujoch. The journey to the Jungfraujoch Station will take you up to 3,454 meters - Europe’s highest altitude railway station - and a highlight to every visit to Switzerland. The Railways is an extraordinary engineering masterpiece with the last section built inside the mountain itself. You will stop for views through the panoramic windows at the "Eigerwand" and "Eismeer" stations in the middle of the North Wall, a thrilling way to experience some spectacular scenery. Once at the top, you will be able to visit the Sphinx astronomical Observatory which one reaches from the Junfraujoch Station via a series of tunnels carved through the rocks. The tunnels are attractions in themselves with the 'Ice Palace', an ice-made corridor to slide along and the 'Alpine Sensation', a subway inside the rock which marks the centenary of the and links the Ice Palace to the Sphinx Observatory. Outside the Observatory viewing platform goes right above the Aletsch Glacier, a sight of sheer beauty.

Late afternoon return to Interlaken via Kleine Scheidegg pass and the world-famous glacier village of Grindelwald. Overnight in Interlaken.

Day 5: Interlaken - Jungfrau Region Breakfast at hotel. Full day at leisure. Interlaken is nestled between the two beautiful lakes of Thun and Brienz, a fantastic invitation for you to go on a lazy cruise with the most stunning views. A favourite way to get around is to combine a cruise on lake Brienz with a visit to the picturesque wood carving village of Brienz and a trip by the steam railway to the top of Brienzer Rothorn. Your included half fare card will give you 50% discount on this excursion. Overnight in Interlaken.

Day 6: Montreux - Interlaken & Golden Pass Line Breakfast at hotel. Board the famous Golden Pass train from Interlaken and relax as the train sweeps through the many vineyards and country estates on its way to Montreux. For a special experience, why not pre-book a VIP seat (at a supplement) affording you the train driver’s view on the stretch from Zweisimmen to Montreux. Overnight in Montreux.

Day 7: Montreux - free day on Lake Geneva Breakfast at hotel. Day at leisure in Montreux, the very heart of the Swiss Riviera. Visit the impressive Château de Chillon, one of the best-preserved medieval castles in Europe, take a cruise on Switzerland’s largest lake, Lake Geneva or enjoy a mountain excursion to the Rochers-de-Naye peaks for fantastic views of the lake and the surrounding French and Swiss . Overnight in Montreux.

Day 8: Montreux – Zurich – Channel Islands Departure by rail transfer to Zurich airport for your flight departure at 13:40.

What's included:

 Rail tickets in 1st or 2nd class for rail travel as per itinerary (Swiss Card includes half fare discount)  7 night accommodation in selected hotel category, standard rooms  7 x breakfasts  Local taxes  Golden Pass seat reservation  Glacier Express seat reservation in panoramic carriage  Bernina Express seat reservation in panoramic carriage  Jungfraujoch excursion (roundtrip via Wengen & Grindelwald)  Free transport on selected mountain railways in St. Moritz  Souvenir gifts in selected locations  Detailed travel itinerary and documentation.

What's not included:

 Meals not specified  Personal expenses.

Important information:

Montreux Jazz Festival The Montreux Jazz Festival will take place between 30th June - 15th July 2017. During the festival, rooms in Montreux are on request and an additional supplement might apply.

Accommodation: Choose between 3* and 4* accommodation - if the suggested hotels are not available alternatives will be offered at time of booking. Please be advised that double beds are unusual in Swiss hotels and double rooms will mostly have 2 single beds. Single occupancy supplements are based on single rooms with one single bed. Hotels are located within walking distance of the train stations. 5* accommodation available on request.

 3 * accommodation: - Hotel Helvétie – Montreux - City Hotel Oberland – Interlaken - Hotel Laudinella – St. Moritz

 4 * accommodation - Golf Hotel René Capt – Montreux - Hotel Metropole – Interlaken - Hotel Steffani – St Moritz

Glacier Express Lunch:

 It is highly advisable to pre-book lunch with us prior to departure to guarantee dishes availability:

 Glacier Express Dish of the Day £26 pp

 Glacier Express 3 course lunch £38 pp

Seat reservations and transport:

 Please note that seat reservations on the Glacier Express or the Bernina Express can only be confirmed about 90 days prior to the travel date. For earlier bookings we shall confirm all other services and advise the train reservations at a later stage

 Seat Reservation on the Bernina Express includes coach and train

 Free transport on selected mountain railways in St. Moritz is included

Rail Travel:

 2nd or 1st Class Rail Travel available

 Please request a "Family Card" at time of booking.

 FREE upgrade to 1st class rail travel in May and June