Switzerland

9 Days /8 Nights
1 night Transatlantic Flight,

1 night Zurich, 1 night St. Moritz, 1 night Lugano,

1 night Zermatt, 1 night Gruyere, 2 nights Lucerne
8 Breakfasts, 8 Dinners

Day 1: DEPARTURE CITY - ZURICH

Overnight flight to Zurich.
 

Day 2: ZURICH

Upon arrival we will transfer to our centrally located Hotel. After a brief rest join your Tour Director on a walking tour. Discover Zurich’s attractive historic center and lakeside promenade. Dinner and Overnight at the Hotel.
 

Day 3: ZURICH - LIECHTENSTEIN - ST. MORITZ
After breakfast enjoy a morning orientation walk of Zurich’s Old Town, Switzerland’s center of banking and commerce. Next, stop for a visit of an original Chocolate Factory before continuing to the tiny Principality of Liechtenstein. After a break in Vaduz, we ascend the Rhine Valley into the mountainous Grisons, a canton where three of the country’s four languages are spoken. The 7,504-foot Julier Pass, an important Alpine road since Roman times, leads to the Engadine. This valley is considered by many as the most beautiful mountain area in the world, with deep-blue lakes, airy larch forests that turn golden in the fall, mountain peaks exceeding 12,000 feet, and quaint villages with massive white stone houses in the characteristic Grisons style. Arrive in St. Moritz late afternoon. Dinner and Overnight at the Hotel.

Day 4: ST. MORITZ - LAKE COMO - LUGANO
After breakfast enjoy a gradual change of scenery as you descend towards the enchanting shores of the Italian Lake Como and continue on to the southern tip of Switzerland. The vegetation south of the Alps is Mediterranean: chestnut groves, vineyards, and olive and fig trees make you forget that earlier today you were within walking distance of glaciers. Afternoon arrival in the popular subtropical resort town of Lugano allows time for shopping under the arcades of Via Nassa, a gelato on flower-festooned Piazza Riforma, and a stroll along the lake.  Dinner and Overnight at the Hotel.
 

Day 5: LUGANO - STRESA - ZERMATT

Following breakfast, we will travel from Lake Lugano to the Italian shore of Lake Maggiore for a break in elegant Stresa. An optional boat ride to the enchanting Isola Bella can be arranged. On over lofty Simplon Pass into the Swiss Valais, an area renowned for its excellent wines and great mountain resorts. To reach the most famous of them, leave the coach behind in Täsch and board a Mountain Train, climbing the last few miles up to Zermatt, a picturesque cluster of rustic chalets beneath the Matterhorn. Dinner and Overnight at the Hotel.

Day 6: ZERMATT - MONTREUX - GRUYERE AREA

Breakfast. In the morning, we ride Europe’s highest rack-railway to 10,272-foot Gornergrat for a breathtaking panoramic view of the Alps. We then continue through the vineyards and apricot groves of the lower Rhône Valley to the shores of Lake Geneva. We stop in Montreux of festival fame before continuing to the Gruyère area, where you will visit a Cheese Factory and the picturesque town of Gruyeres. Dinner and Overnight at the Hotel.

Day 7: GRUYERE AREA - BERNE - LUCERNE

After breakfast we travel along an excellent highway through some of the country’s best farmlands to its stately capital, Berne. Sightseeing with a Local Guide starts at the popular Bear Pit and then focuses on the monumental Federal Palace and the beautifully preserved medieval Old Town. Witness the hourly parade of painted figures at the Clock Tower and take your pictures of ornate, flower-adorned fountains. Afterwards, we continue to Interlaken and take pictures of the Jungfrau massif with its group of three famous peaks: the Jungfrau, the Mönch, and the Eiger. Over Brünig Pass to picture-book Lucerne. Dinner and Overnight at the Hotel.

Day 8: LUCERNE

Breakfast. On your walking tour this morning, admire Thorvaldsen's Lion Monument and ornate patrician houses of the walled Old Town, then, cross the famous covered Chapel Bridge to the Jesuit church. Afterwards, shop for watches and choose from our optional activities: climb a mountain by cable car or take a cruise on the fjord-like lake. Tonight, enjoy a farewell dinner to celebrate the success of your Swiss vacation.  Dinner and Overnight at the Hotel.
 

Day 9: DEPARTURE

Transfer to the Zurich airport for your flight home.