Ffestiniog Travel
Switzerland’s Lake Lucerne
8 daysfrom $3,332
Planet Rail · Tailor-made rail holiday
Glacier Express and Scenic Switzerland in winter
Discover Switzerland's winter wonderland aboard the Glacier Express, with breathtaking alpine landscapes and cosy mountain towns.
Day by day
- Day 1railovernight: Montreux
By rail to Switzerland
From London St Pancras International take the Eurostar to Paris, then a private taxi across Paris for the high-speed TGV through France into Switzerland, along Lake Geneva to Montreux. Three nights at the Grand Hotel Suisse Majestic (4 star superior), directly opposite the station.
- Day 2railovernight: Montreux
Château de Chillon and free time
A free day in Montreux: perhaps the rack railway up Rochers-de-Naye for panoramic views and the 'Marmot Paradise', or the trolley bus to the historic Château de Chillon at the foot of Lake Geneva.
- Day 3railovernight: Montreux
Golden Panoramic to Interlaken & Jungfrau Railway to the 'Top of Europe' (supplements apply)
Optional excursion (from an additional £325 per person): regional trains south to Visp then up into the Bernese Oberland to Spiez and Interlaken, the spectacular Jungfrau Railway to the highest railway station in Europe at 11,333ft, a descent via Grindelwald, and the Golden Panoramic Express back to Montreux past Château d'Oex and Gstaad, with the option of dinner in the restaurant car (payable locally).
- Day 4railovernight: Chur
The Glacier Express
Travel south-east to join the Glacier Express, at its most dramatic in winter, climbing the Rhône Valley past frosted peaks and snow-bedecked hamlets, spiralling over the Oberalp Pass at 2,044m, with your included on-board lunch served at your First Class seat, before descending into the Rhine valley to Switzerland's oldest city, Chur. Three nights at the family-run Romantik Hotel Stern (4 star) in the old town.
- Day 5railovernight: Chur
The Bernina Express
Board the Bernina Express in Chur for awe-inspiring views from your First Class panorama car, across bridges and viaducts, through switch-back tunnels, looping down into the Engadine Valley and climbing to 2,328m at the Bernina Pass without rack-and-pinion, before descending to the Italian-speaking town of Poschiavo. Time to wander before the spectacular return journey to Chur.
- Day 6railovernight: Chur
A free day to relax or explore
A full day for historic Chur, from its 12th century cathedral to its cobbled streets, or optional trips by First Class rail to Lucerne, to Lake Constance and the Pre-Alpine Express with a stop at UNESCO-listed St. Gallen, or by mountain railway up the Schanfigg valley to Arosa.
- Day 7railovernight: Cologne
Switzerland to Germany by First Class train
Head north from Chur into Germany by EuroCity train, via Basel and along the scenic Rhine Gorge to Cologne. Overnight at the 4 star Hotel Mondial am Dom, directly opposite the station and near the Gothic cathedral.
- Day 8rail
Cologne to London by ICE and Eurostar - Homeward bound
Walk the short distance to Cologne Hauptbahnhof for the high-speed ICE to Brussels, then join the Eurostar to London St Pancras, with a meal and drinks served at your Standard Premier seat.
Included
- First Class rail travel (Standard Premier service on Eurostar)
- 7 nights' hotel accommodation with breakfast each day, including 3 nights in a double room at the Grand Hotel Suisse Majestic in Montreux, 3 nights in a double room at the Romantik Hotel Stern in Chur, and an overnight stay in a double room at the Hotel Mondial am Dom in Cologne
- Seat reservations on the Glacier Express and Bernina Express
- Lunch on the Glacier Express train
- Private taxi transfer across Paris
