Special Golden Round Trip to Switzerland – 8-Days

Program:

Day 1: Zurich Airport – Zurich

Meet our representative at arrivals hall at the airport. Transfer to Zurich hotel, check-in at the hotel and at leisure.

In the afternoon, Zürich city guided walking tour (up to 2 hours): Come face to face with Zurich’s past and present through a selection of buildings, stories and anecdotes. You too will be fascinated by the rich testimonies to bygone days which document the early international significance of the city.
Rest of the day free time to discover the city on your own.

Overnight: Zurich

RESTAURANTS & EVENING RECOMMENDATION in Zurich:

• If you are after new ways of serving and presenting food, then you must check this place out – Zur Verkstatt For local, more traditional cuisine: Stern Restaurant or Grottino with also Italian and Mediterranean cuisine.
• For wide wine selection we suggest Opus Restaurant and if you want to spend Swiss dinner evening with folk’s music visit Stadtkeller Swiss Folklore

Day 2: Day trip to Lucerne – Mt. Pilatus Golden round trip with steepest cogwheel train

Private transfer to Lucerne.  First, enjoy the Mt. Pilatus Golden round trip: Experience worlds steepest cogwheel train-cable car to enjoy the great views from the summit of Pilatus. On the top of Pilatus you’ll find several bars and restaurants, as well as a terrace to enjoy the views of Lake Lucerne and the Alps. Also there’s a ‘Dragon Path’ about the myths around this mountain, and several hiking trails to viewing points. Experience the assorted delights of Lucerne’s landmark mountain courtesy of the Golden Round Trip involving a boat trip, the cogwheel railway, aerial cable way and panorama gondolas.

Private Guided tour of Lucerne: Lucerne ranks amongst the world’s prettiest cities in Europe. Contributing to Lucerne’s cityscape alongside the world-famous Chapel Bridge and Water Tower are the Musegg Wall, the Jesuit Church, the Mill Bridge, the Lion Monument, the KKL culture and convention centre, and a host of other sites of interest.

Overnight: Zurich

Tip of the day OPTIONAL ACTIVITIES WHICH WE CAN ARRANGE ADDITIONALLY in LUCERNE:

• CHOCOLATE MAKING & TASTING: First an exclusive tasting, followed by a making in the sacred halls of chocolate atelier. Chocolate experts will take you on a journey into the world of cocoa and share their knowledge about the quality and ingredients of our chocolate treats with you. During the chocolate tasting, you will enjoy 6 – 7 seasonal treats and afterwards, you will be able to pour chocolate bars and stamp truffles yourself.
• MUSEUMS WORTH TO VISIT IN LUCERNE: Museum Sammlung Rosengart (Rosengart Collection) and Swiss Museum of Transport.

Day 3: Zurich – Grindelwald: Top of Europe and Aletsch Glacier Arena

Private transfer from Zurich, passing by Interlaken town with short stop and further to Alpine resort of Grindelwald.

After check-in at the hotel, Top of Europe trip. Enjoy a 2 hour cogwheel train ride through green meadows and the hard rock of the Mountain Eiger to Europe’s highest railway station at 11,333 ft: the famous Jungfraujoch (Top of Europe). Spend some time on top of Jungfraujoch which is covered by eternal ice and snow. You may visit the Glacier Palace with its ice sculptures, the Sphinx (weather station), and lookout platforms providing you with a breathtaking view of the glacier and the snow-covered mountain peaks.

Overnight: Grindelwald Alpine Resort

Tips of the day – OPTIONAL ACTIVITIES WHICH WE CAN ARRANGE ADDITIONALLY:

• FUNKY CHOCOLATE MAKING WORKSHOP: Funky Chocolate Club first opened in November 2014. Their love and passion for chocolate led them to this crazy idea – let’s open a meeting point for all chocolate lovers, let’s share secrets of Swiss chocolate with travellers from all over the Even though chocolate making is very serious business Funky Chocolate try to have as much fun as possible with all of their products.

OR

• TOP OF INTERLAKEN – HARDER KULM viewing platform. If Interlaken had a king, he would reside on the Harder Kulm. From the viewing platform at 1,322 metres above sea level he would graciously look down upon Lake Brienz and Lake Thun, or admire the Eiger, Mönch, and In fact, the Harder Kulm Panorama Restaurant is reminiscent of a castle.

Day 4: Grindelwald: First Cliff Walk 

After alighting the gondola at Grindelwald First, take a comfortable hike to the beautiful Bachalpsee (two lakes), admire the spectacular landscape and scenery before heading to the main attraction with breath-taking First Cliff Walk.

On the top of Mt. First – you descend down to Grindelwald in unforgettable way: FIRST FLYER: Up to four people can soar down into the valley at the same time on four, 800-metre-long, parallel (Tyrolean) steel cables, which form a continuous run from start to finish. The flight lasts 45 seconds and covers 200 metres from First to Schreckfeld. You ride downhill at heights of up to 50 metres above ground in a safe and securely constructed harness – similar to a paragliding rig – reaching a top speed of up to 84 kilometres per hour, before being brought to a halt by a sprung braking mechanism.
FIRST GLIDER: The latest First attraction really makes your mountain adventure complete. The ‘Eagle’ begins by carrying 4 passengers back up the mountain at 72 kilometres per hour, before returning once more to Schreckfeld at even higher speeds. The 800-metre-long flight path is thus travelled once in each direction – and you will soon discover that flying backwards is a lot of fun.

Overnight: Grindelwald Alpine Resort

Tip of the day – Instead of First Cliff Walk we can arrange visit the Lauterbrunnen Valley with following attractions:

• VISIT OF THE TRÜMMELBACH WATERFALLS: The Trümmelbach Falls are the world’s only glacier waterfalls that are accessible underground by lift, galleries, tunnels, paths and They are part of the Lauterbrunnen Valley’s 72 waterfalls, among them also the imposing Staubbach Fall. The hiking tour on mainly flat land leads from Lauterbrunnen to Stechelberg, past water gushing from vertical rock faces that are several hundred meters high. Ticket of 11 CHF/person payable on the spot!
• 007 SCHILTHORN CABLE CAR: On the opposite side of the valley is the holiday resort of Mürren, accessible from Lauterbrunnen and Stechelberg. The cableway from Stechelberg continues to the peak of the Schilthorn at 2971 m, famous for being the setting where the 007 classic, ‘On Her Majesty’s Secret Service’ was filmed.

OR

• ROYAL RIDE TO THE PEAK OF MÄNNLICHEN: ride on a balcony on the roof of the aerial cable way, starting from railway station in Wengen heading up to the peak of Männlichen. The Royal Walk and especially the summit platform in crown form improve the magnificent view even more. If you feel more active you can hike part of the route up or down!

Day 5: Grindelwald – Zermatt with mighty Mt. Matterhorn Glacier Paradise

After breakfast, check-out from Grindelwald hotel and private transfer to Zermatt village. Check-in at the hotel, followed by main highlight of this trip: CABLE CAR TO MATTERHORN GLACIER PARADISE: Ascend by cable car to the famous top of Matterhorn glacier, set on a high plateau and surrounded by mountains 13,124 feet high. Fantastic highest viewing platform in Europe (3883m) – one of the best views you will ever see in your life! During Summer you can hike or ski on the top of the glacier.

If you are not into high altitudes, you can see the Mt. Matterhorn from  Sunnega mountain: From Zermatt you can reach the Sunnegga family paradise by funicular in a few minutes. This suntrap at the heart of Matterhorn paradise is a magnet for explorers of all ages and an ideal starting point for the onward trip to Blauherd and Rothorn. Just some 20 min walk from the station there is one of the most famous restaurants in Zermatt – Chez Vrony, surely worth of a short walk. Rest of the day at leisure.

Overnight: Zermatt

Tips of the day – OPTIONAL ACTIVITIES WHICH WE CAN ARRANGE ADDITIONALLY:

• GORNERGRAT VIEW POINT: The Gornergrat railway is a mountain rack railway, it links the resort village of Zermatt, situated at 1,604 m above sea level, to the summit of the Gornergrat. Enjoy another fascinating viewpoint from Gornergrat (approx. 3 h without additional activities on the top, only view point). The Gornergrat (3,089 m) is one of those places that everyone should visit at least once in a The mountain panorama and the glorious view of the Matterhorn is unforgettable.

Day 6: Zermatt, Montreux with Chillon Castle and wine tasting in Lavaux near Lausanne by Geneva Lake

After breakfast, check-out and private transfer to Montreux.

Explore Montreux and visit Chillon Castle. Chillon Castle is located on a rock on the banks of Lake Geneva. The water castle is the most visited historic building in Switzerland. For nearly four centuries Chillon was the residence and profitable toll station of the Counts of Savoy.

After Chillon Castle, Guided tour of Montreux: Montreux has been around for centuries, but really got going in the 19th century, when it was favoured by the British and Russian nobility for winter retreats.  A Mediterranean-like micro-climate allows palms and flowers to flourish; a lakefront and alpine views are other draw-cards. Wonderful Chillon Castle is Switzerland’s most visited attraction and the three-week July Montreux Jazz Festival is one of Europe’s best music jamborees. The town’s lakefront setting, backed by vineyards and mountains, is gorgeous. A flamboyant statue of Freddie Mercury, bang slap on the waterfront in his trademark strutting pose, is a reminder that Queen recorded several albums in Montreux.

Private transfer further to Lausanne, check-in at the hotel and at leisure.

In late afternoon, wine tasting in Vinorama in Lavaux: A unique place, in this space both welcoming and informative, Lavaux Vinorama is the center for the discovery of the wines and terraced vineyards of Lavaux, an area registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Try the bottle of your choice, opt for the selection of the week, or let yourself be surprised and seduced by an enjoyable personal experience with one of our accompanied tastings: “Chasselas”, “Discovery”, “Red” or “Expert”.

Overnight: Lausanne by Geneva Lake

If you are not interested in Vinorama you can visit in Lausanne:

OLYMPIC MUSEUM: To experience the Olympics at close quarters and feel the Olympic spirit the way the athletes felt it, to study the history of the Games from antiquity to today – thanks to the latest computer technology and audiovisual media, all of this can be accomplished in the Olympic Museum in Lausanne. Entrance fee of 18 CHF/person is payable on the spot.

Day 7: Geneva Lake area – Culinary Day with Chocolate & Cheese in La Gruyere and Farewell Swiss Dinner with fondue cooking class & dinner

This day is dedicated for chocolate, cheese, medieval castle In Gruyere and great farewell Swiss Dinner with fondue.

In the morning first driver to Cailler: it has been making chocolate since 1825, and its entertaining factory tours take visitors on an extravagant twirl through chocolate history, made even sweeter by generous free samples.

Continue with visit the cheese production: the secret behind Gruyère cheese is revealed in Pringy, directly opposite to the Gruyères train station.  In the afternoon continue to Gruyeres, the picturesque medieval hill town. Built in the 11th century, the hilltop castle overlooks the 1,829-metre Dent de Broc: don’t miss out on HR Giger Museum from famous Hollywood movie Alien. And you have to visit Alien bar opposite to the museum.

Afterwards, return back to Lausanne.

…big conclusion of the trip: Farewell Swiss Dinner with dinner in Geneva (optionally fondue cooking class): Become Swiss for an hour or two. Around a fondue accompanied by a traditional live music… evenings at the Edelweiss restaurant are unforgettable. Our Chef teaches you the art of cooking cheese fondue, the Swiss national dish. Experience fondue cooking class with tasting & dinner included.

Cooking class, tasting & dinner

• Cheese fondue cooking class
• Tasting of your fondue as starter
• Main dish of your choice: (Meat fondue bourguignonne & French fries OR A « complete » Roesti with bacon, cheese & egg OR Perch filets with french fries and small salad)
• Dessert: Meringue and double cream from Gruyère
• 1 drink of your choice

Overnight:  Lausanne by Geneva Lake

Day 8: Lausanne – Zurich

In the morning individual departures to Zurich Airport or Geneva airport and flight back home. Farewell, Switzerland!