Itinerary

Day 1 – Meet us at Hotel Baur au lac in Zurich at 10:00 a.m. for transfer to Bern. We’ll check into 5-star Hotel Belleve Palace for four nights, where our rooms open onto views of the Jungfrau and the Bernese Alps. After lunch we’ll set out for a guided walk through 12th century Old Town, with its still-standing original wooden houses, 14th century patrician homes, and 15th century architecture, fountains, and gates. We’ve also arranged a special visit to the tower room of the town’s medieval clock as it chimes the hour, then depart for a late afternoon balloon adventure through the foothills of the Alps. Evening dinner party at our hotel.

Day 2 – Today we’ll board an old fashioned lake steamer for a two hour cruise on the Thunsee, viewing the many ancient lakeside villages as we enjoy lunch onboard. Then we’ll take the cog railway from Lauterbrunnen up through spectacular Alpine scenery to Kleine Scheidegg, the pass between the Lauterbrunnen and Grindelwald Valleys at the base of the North face of the Eiger. We’ll pass several majestic glaciers and will be half way to the top of the Jungfrau, Switzerland’s tallest mountain at 13,642 ft. Our late afternoon balloon adventure takes us through the charming farmlands of the Emmental, famed for its cheese, and we’ll close the day with a dinner party in Bern.

Day 3 – This morning our special excursion by helicopter takes us from the base of the Jungfrau through some of the most awesome mountain scenery in the world. For nearly half an hour, our helicopters will take us behind the Jungfrau for a closer look at the Aletsch, Europe’s longest glacier at 45 square miles, then past Kleine Scheidegg and up the North face of the Eiger (Ogre Mountain). We’ll explore dramatic glaciers and ice falls with blocks of ice the size of houses. After a glorious morning we’ll enjoy a cheerful luncheon at Interlaken’s luxurious Royal Victoria-Jungfrau Hotel. This afternoon our balloon pilots take us through dramatic valley canyons and summer pastures of the Emmental, with dinner at our 5 star hotel.

Day 4 – Morning drive to the Jungfrau Massif for an amazing experience at raging Trummelbach Falls. This captivating natural wonder which we’ll view from an interior walkway system is the point where melt water from the Jungfrau, Monk, and Eiger flows into the Trummelbach River, then rages to the valley floor, inside the mountain, in a thunderous crash of 20,000 liters of water per second. For lunch we’ll cable car through four stations to Piz Gloria, the revolving restaurant on top of the Shilthorn made famous in the James Bond movie, “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.” The restaurant with its panoramic display of rugged peaks and snow capped majesty sits at 9,744 feet, just above the charming mountain village of Murren. Enjoy our last late afternoon balloon adventure in the gentle farmlands and villages of the Emmental, followed by farewell dinner in Bern.

Day 5 – Depart at 10:00 a.m. for transfer to Zurich, arriving Hotel Baur au Lac approximately noon.

Extend Your Trip
Optional 3 Day Germany’s King Ludwig Castles Excursion
Let us drive you into the past as we make our way from Bern through pretty Bavarian countryside to the foothills of the German Alps. Our destinations are the three most fantastic fairytale castles built by the eccentric Bavarian King Ludwig; romantic Neuschwanstein which was the model for Cinderella’s castle at Disney World, exquisite Linderhof Palace, and majestic Herrenchiemsee Palace, intended to be an exact copy of Versailles and half completed when King Ludwig died in 1886. Each night will be spent in a different charming hotel in a storybook setting, the Jagerhaus Hotel in Schwangau, 5 star Residence Heinz Winkler in Aschau and Salzburg’s 5 star Schloss Fuschl. An exceptional trip of opulence and scenic beauty, with excellent cuisine and fine wine throughout, hosted by Buddy Bombard.

More information from Buddy Bombard's Europe:

• View trip on provider's website
  www.buddybombard.com/downloads/pdf/2011/BB_08_212_Swiss_Summe…
• Company profile, experience, and history
• View all of their trips