Synonymous with glamour, the prestigious resort of St Moritz also claims to be one of the first towns in Europe to popularise winter sports. The town grew around the church of St Maurice - also known as "the church of the springs'' - which became an important Christian pilgrimage site. But visitors only began to arrive in significant numbers from about the 1840s.
Johannes Badrutt, owner of the Kulm Hotel, kicked off the town's status as one of Europe's premier resorts in 1864. He offered a group of British tourists the chance to spend their winter on tour there; this was a very unusual prospect at the time. The tourists were so impressed that the concept of a winter tour - and therefore a winter resort - was born. St Moritz has been incredibly popular as a year-round resort ever since, and is known to attract many wealthy holidaymakers from all over the world.
Dramatic mountain scenery and beautiful lakes provide the setting for this magnificent tour, as we take the iconic Glacier Express through the Swiss Alps, staying in glamorous St Moritz, and Zermatt, where we enjoy breathtaking views of the Matterhorn.
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Stretching across much of mainland Europe, the wild and rugged Alps are home to some of the world's most magnificent landscapes. On this marvellous tour we discover the incredible attractions in three of the countries around the towering peaks - from the German city of Munich to the beautiful Austrian Lakes and Switzerland's superb mountain railways.
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Journey through the heart of the Alps on this grand tour of majestic Switzerland. Visit the picturesque cities of St Gallen and Lucerne, explore delightful Lugano and Bern and experience wonderful Swiss rail over and around the spectacular Swiss peaks.
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First class hotels and outstanding train journeys, in spectacular scenery. Perfect.
Everything went like clockwork. Weather was fantastic, blue skies every day. Hotels, train journeys and boat trips all up to the standard expected
Diavolezza
With a name meaning 'She-Devil', Diavolezza is 9,770
feet (2,978m) tall, and offers commanding views over the
surrounding area. The mountain is easily accessible by cable
car.
Segantini Museum
Renowned artist Giovanni Segantini lived the last five
years of his life in St Moritz, and whilst here he created a number
of celebrated paintings depicting the mountainous landscape. The
museum contains a number of his works, and is listed as a Swiss
Heritage Site of National Significance.
By Katie Shaw
13 April 2018
There’s something really quite special about the simple act of walking; heading out into the great outdoors and enjoying your surroundings at a slightly slower pace than usual.
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By Lorna Heatley
22 November 2017
Hiking is one of the most rewarding forms of exercise in the world, and what country is more made for this particular exercise than Switzerland?
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12 February 2016
Ever considered having a romantic meal in an altogether different setting? Set aside the notion of a slap-up dinner in a chain-pub, or an over-expensive boutique restaurant in the city centre, why not do it by rail?
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By Peter Liney
26 January 2016
It was with quite a lot of pleasure I recently spent five days in Switzerland as a guest of Swiss Tourism and was able to travel on three of the great iconic train journeys...
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A very good experience, from start to finish