Itinerary

DAY 1

You are met on arrival at Zurich airport and escorted to the train station. Travel by first class train to Basel, where you are met and taken directly to your hotel. Located on the Rhine, adjacent to France and Germany, Basel offers a unique variety of art and culture, and this 2000‐year old city has a wonderfully preserved Old Town. Enjoy the rest of the day at leisure.

Hotel Les Trois Rois, Basel

DAY 2

Today, travel to Solothurn by train for a look of this enchanting Baroque town. Your private walking tour includes the old fortification; Cathedral St. Ursen, the first classicism church in Switzerland; the Baroque Jesuit church; and the fruit and vegetable market on Klosterplatz. Take time to explore and enjoy this “City of Museums,” before returning by train to Basel. (B)

Hotel Les Trois Rois , Basel

DAY 3

This morning depart Basel by first class train for Lucerne located in the center and heart of Switzerland. On arrival in this historical city on Lake Lucerne, you will be met and taken directly to your hotel. (B)

Hotel Palace & Spa, Lucerne

DAY 4

Start the day with a leisurely cruise on crystal‐clear Lake Lucerne bound for Alpnachstad. Here board the steepest (48% grade) cogwheel railway in the world going up 700 feet to Mt. Pilatus Kulm (elevation 6995 feet). Take in the breathtaking panoramic vistas of the Swiss Alps and Lucerne. Descend by aerial cable car from the summit to Fraekmuentegg, then continue your decent by four‐seat gondola, down through the flowering meadows and pine forests to the village of Kriens, a suburb of Lucerne. (B)

Hotel Palace & Spa, Lucerne

DAY 5

Today take an exciting train journey into the heart of the Bernese Alps. The first leg travels through Interlaken and the green Waterfall Valley. Change to a smaller gauge railway for a thrilling 2½ ride to Jungfraujoch, the highest railway station in Europe. En route pass through the 4.4‐mle long tunnel carved into majestic 13,000‐foot Eiger Mountain, rising amid eternal snowfields and glistening glaciers. At Jungfraujoch, visit the Ice Palace and the Sphinx Terraces, and take in the breathtaking view of the Aletsch Glacier, the largest river of ice in Europe. In the afternoon, travel to the mountain village of Grindelwald, a winter sports and mountaineering center,before continuing on back to Interlaken and Lucerne by train. (B)

Hotel Palace & Spa, Lucerne

DAY 6

Today board the William Tell Express paddle steamboat, for a morning cruise on Lake Lucerne. Enjoy lunch on board as you travel by the historic regions of Rütli and the Tellsplatte. Disembark in Flüelen, and board the train for a scenic ride by sheer cliffs, over bridges and through tunnels to Bellinzona. Your guide escorts you to visit three UNESCO World Heritage medieval castles. Later this afternoon drive to hotel in Lugano, a popular Swiss resort. (B,L)

Hotel Villa Principe Leopoldo, Lugano

DAY 7

This morning take a guided walking tour through the charming cobble‐stoned Old Town of Lugano. See the Via Nassa, the Monument of Independence, the Piazza Riforma, and the ʹSanta Maria degli Angioliʹ Franciscan Church. Next, take a private boat ride to the village of San Rocco. After some time to explore on your own, drive to the old fishing village of Morcote. Take a stroll through Scherrer Park, with its international art and crafts on view in a unique setting of cedar trees, Mexican pines, eucalyptus, palms, bamboo and more. Drive back to Lugano late this afternoon. (B)

Hotel Villa Principe Leopoldo, Lugano

DAY 8

It is a short drive to Locarno to board the first class Centovalli train to Domodossola. Ride past breath‐taking gorges, sparkling waterfalls, and through idyllic sleepy little villages. You are met on arrival in Domodossola, and driven to Lausanne, nestled on the shores of Lake Geneva beneath the snow‐capped Swiss Alps. (B)

Hotel Beau Rivage Palace, Lausanne

DAY 9

This morning drive along the shore of Lake Geneva to view the 19‐mile stretch of the Lauvaux Vineyard Terraces. Dating back to the 11th century, this UNESCO World Heritage Site, covers the lower mountain slopes between the villages and the lake. Continue to Montreux for a tour of the Old City, Vieux Montreux. Visit Chillon Castle, an impressive medieval stronghold immortalized by Swiss lore and poetry. Return to Lausanne for afternoon at leisure. (B)

Hotel Beau Rivage Palace, Lausanne

DAY 10

Today you are driven to Geneva airport for your flight home or on to your next destination. (B)

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