Classic Jungfrau Express & Swiss Alps

Your scenic Swiss holiday begins today as you meet the Tour Manager and travelling group at London St Pancras. Boarding our Eurostar Plus carriages, we make our way to Paris, enjoying a light meal in our seats before arrival. In the French capital, we transfer to our First Class seats for a train journey through the scenic countryside of eastern France enroute to Basel in Switzerland.

This Swiss city is near the borders of France and Germany and sits on the River Rhine. Considered the country's cultural capital, Basel has a cityscape dotted with enchanting features, including Old Town's twin-spired Gothic minster, with its notable red sandstone walls and colourful roof tiles.

Our overnight hotel is just outside the station, not far from Old Town. After checking in, we gather in the hotel's restaurant this evening for our first dinner together.

• Eurostar Light Meal
• Dinner

Awaking in Switzerland, we take a short walk back to Basel station after breakfast. We settle into our seats as the efficient Swiss rail network takes us through increasingly dramatic scenery on the way to Interlaken. From Thun, the route skirts the shores of glistening Lake Thun as we plunge deep into the Bernese Oberland - a region of towering peaks, including the iconic Jungfrau massif.

We change trains in Interlaken, passing along the picturesque banks of Lake Brienz - a glacier-fed lake surrounded by imposing mountains. Our destination is Meiringen where, on arrival, we walk a short distance to the family-run hotel that is our home for the next six nights.

After checking in, there is an afternoon to relax and acclimatise to our new surroundings before we enjoy dinner in the hotel's traditional wood-panelled restaurant this evening.

• Breakfast, Dinner

Today is spent at leisure unwinding or exploring at your own pace. Meiringen is famed for its connection to Sherlock Holmes, and the nearby Reichenbach Falls was the location of the showdown between the sleuth and his nemesis, Moriarty. The top of the waterfall can be reached by funicular and rewards visitors with the spectacle of the thundering cascade.

In the town itself, a museum dedicated to author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's most well-known creation features artefacts relating to Holmes and information about Conan Doyle's connection to Meiringen. Alternatively, you might choose to visit the Aare Gorge, whose wooden walkway offers breathtaking views of the towering cliffs and rushing waters.

With your Swiss Half Fare Card offering 50% discount on travel, you could visit Interlaken. Nestling beside two lakes, the compact centre boasts excellent shops, a medieval monastery and a castle. Hopping on a funicular railway for a 10-minute trip to the top of Harder Kulm provides panoramic views across the Bernese Alps and Lake Brienz.

However you spend your day, rejoin the group for dinner at the hotel this evening.

• Breakfast, Dinner

Embarking on a highlight of our holiday after breakfast today, we begin a journey to Europe's highest railway station. We reach Kleine Scheidegg by rail, and here, we board the iconic Jungfrau Express for the final section of this renowned route.

Entering a tunnel that cuts through the mighty Eiger, the train pauses at the hand-carved viewing windows inside the tunnel so we can admire views of the valley. Trundling past the iconic Mönch and Jungfrau mountains and beside glacial lakes, we arrive at a place no other form of transport can reach.

At Jungfraujoch, the 'Top of Europe', the vistas from the Sphinx viewing platform are awe-inspiring. The brilliant white snow and craggy peaks sit against the ethereal Aletsch Glacier - a UNESCO-listed natural wonder that stretches as far as the eye can see. There is free time to marvel at the jaw-dropping panoramic vistas that surround us before making the return journey to Meiringen for dinner at our hotel this evening.

• Breakfast, Dinner

Taking a cruise from Brienz to Interlaken and back today is a peaceful and scenic way to cross the crystalline waters of Lake Brienz. Towering mountains and quaint villages surround the turquoise lake, and a cruise highlight comes as we pass the Giessbach Falls. As we cruise, breathe in the fresh mountain air from the deck or admire the alpine beauty from the cosy interior.

Once in Brienz, we hop on the historic Brienz Rothorn steam train* to climb up the mountain to a height of more than 7,300 feet above sea level. The steam engine chugs its way up steep tracks, offering increasingly stunning views of the lake and peaks. Passing through lush meadows dotted with wildflowers and grazing cows, the train presents increasingly expansive panoramas, revealing breathtaking vistas of the Alps from the top - the perfect spot for relaxation before heading back to Meiringen in time for dinner.

*Please note: the Brienz Rothorn Mountain Railway only operates as far as its mid-station for May departures and to the summit from June onwards.

• Breakfast, Dinner

A free day in this part of the world offers many outstanding options. You could opt to relax locally or, with your Swiss Half Fare Card providing a 50% discount on travel, explore further afield.

The pretty village of Lauterbrunnen, with its charming timbered chalets, contains the Staubbach Falls. Falling nearly 1,000 feet down the steep cliff face, this impressive waterfall can be seen from the village, but you can walk up to the base or behind the falls, too.

From the small town of Wilderswil at the base of the valley, you could board the cogwheel railway up to the Schynige Platte Alpine Botanical Garden to stroll through beautiful wildflower pastures with views over the region's mountains.

For a serene day, take to the water from nearby Interlaken on a cruise across Lake Thun to the 10th-century fairytale Spiez Castle. With flowers spilling from picturesque chalets, Brunngasse in Brienz is regularly considered one of Switzerland's most photogenic streets. Returning to Meiringen this evening, we gather for dinner at our hotel.

• Breakfast, Dinner

An unforgettable experience awaits today as we travel by train to the unspoilt hillside village of Mürren. With peaceful, chocolate-box surroundings, we board the cable car for a trip up to the summit of the Schilthorn.

At the top, we are greeted by breathtaking 360° views of approximately 200 mountain peaks, including the Jungfrau. However, the star attraction is the remarkable revolving restaurant, Piz Gloria. Made famous as a location in the 1969 James Bond film 'On Her Majesty's Secret Service', this mountaintop eatery contains a museum about the filming of the movie. We have free time here to either follow in the footsteps of George Lazenby's 007, view the exhibition or enjoy a memorable lunch in the restaurant.

With leisure time this afternoon, there is the option for people to stop off at the Trummelbach Falls on the return journey, where you can observe the glacial waterfalls that tumble through the mountain, creating a roaring sound until they burst into the valley. We return to the hotel for our final dinner together.

• Breakfast, Dinner

With a scenic location in the heart of the Swiss Alps, Meiringen has allowed us to explore some of the country's most famous sights. Surrounded by forested peaks and near the Reichenbach Falls, we have ventured out by rail to discover Europe's highest train station and the jaw-dropping views from the 'Top of Europe'. A cruise across Lake Brienz was followed by an ascent of the Brienz Rothorn mountain by steam train, while the impressive Schilthorn was conquered by cable car.

Saying farewell to this beautiful setting after breakfast, we travel by rail back to Basel. Here, we take our seats in First Class for a journey to Paris, changing to Eurostar Plus in the French capital. After a light meal, we arrive back in London, where your exploration of the Bernese Oberland and Jungfrau region comes to a close.

• Breakfast
• Eurostar Light Meal