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Glacier Express All Inclusive at New Year

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20242025
8 days From £2,299 £2,199 per person
4.5 stars(17 reviews)

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Discover a Swiss Winter Wonderland

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Save up to £200pp on Europe 2025 holidays when you book by 31st October 2024.

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Mobility Rating 3

2024 Tour code: 25TFN

About the tour

Discover the delights of Switzerland at New Year on this  all inclusive festive break. Travel through winter wonderlands on some of Switzerland's most iconic railways, explore elegant resorts, and soak up incredible snowy vistas.

Unforgettable Experiences

Celebrate New Year’s Eve aboard the Bernina Express
Celebrate New Year’s Eve aboard the Bernina Express
Travel through amazing snowscapes to Italy on one of the world’s most revered trains, the wonderful Bernina Express.
Experience the incredible Glacier Express
Experience the incredible Glacier Express
Journey through the sublime winter scenery of Switzerland on board the Glacier Express as it trundles through snowbound landscapes.
Spend time in glamorous St Moritz
Spend time in glamorous St Moritz
Enjoy a visit to the elegant resort of St Moritz, nestled in the snow-capped alpine mountains beside a gleaming lake.
Admire beautiful landscapes on a scenic journey to a lakeside mountain town
Admire beautiful landscapes on a scenic journey to a lakeside mountain town
Travel by rail past wintry meadows, forest and streams as you discover the Swiss winter on the Arosa Line to Arosa.

What’s included

Itinerary

Day 1 - London to Strasbourg

Travel from London St Pancras on the Eurostar to Paris, where you change trains and continue to Strasbourg. You spend the night in the city, which sits in the heart of France's Alsace region and offers a captivating blend of French and German influences.

Includes
  • Dinner
Day 2 - Strasbourg to Tiefencastel

We enjoy a morning to explore Strasbourg. The city boasts a wealth of fascinating medieval architecture, and as you walk along streets lined with half-timbered buildings and head down enticing, twisting lanes, you'll feel a little like you've stepped back in time. During the festive season, in particular, the city is a delight to discover.

This afternoon, you take the train to Tiefencastel in Switzerland, your home for the next five nights. With only a couple of hundred inhabitants, the small village retains its traditional Swiss charms, and is a unique place to spend New Year. 

Includes
  • Breakfast, Dinner
Day 3 - St Moritz

Spend your day discovering the luxurious resort town of St Moritz. Synonymous with glitz and glamour, St Moritz is famous for its winter sports and attracts wealthy holidaymakers from across the globe.

You journey through stunning Alpine scenery on the UNESCO-listed Albula Line on your way to St Moritz, where upon arrival you have some free time to explore the charming winter wonderland at your own pace.  Bedecked in its festive finery, charming Christmas light  displays and Christmas decorations line the streets, making strolling through the town an  experience in itself. Spend time window shopping at the incredible designer boutiques and  jewellers, or perhaps pause for a hot chocolate and a spot of lunch at one of the many chic cafés here.

Includes
  • Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 4 - New Year’s Eve on the Bernina Express

Enjoy a New Year's Eve to remember today, as you celebrate onboard the famous Bernina Express, travelling across the border to  Tirano in Italy.  This remarkable railway line is over 100 years old and has been awarded UNESCO World Heritage status. It's widely  recognised as one of the finest  rail journeys the world, and as you tunnel through snow-capped mountain ranges, cross spectacular canyons and valleys, and glide alongside frozen lakes, you'll soon  realise why.   

You enjoy a little free time in the Italian town of  Tirano; a fantastic opportunity to discover a whole new country at the most wonderful time of year. Tonight, back in  Tiefencastel, you  sit down to a delicious New Year's Eve gala dinner - a perfect way to ring in the new year.

Includes
  • Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 5 - Tiefencastel at leisure on New Year’s Day

Today, you're free to relax at your hotel or explore Tiefencastel, or indeed the rest of the region, further. At the confluence of the Albula and Julier rivers, the small village of Tiefencastel is surrounded by incredible scenery, while the church of St Stephen was expanded in 1650 by Capuchin monks and contains intricate wood carvings. Having a train station located on the routes of the Glacier Express and Bernina Express, there are many great rail journeys to take. The premier mountain resorts of Davos and Klosters, a favourite of the Royal family, are within easy reach.

Includes
  • Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 6 - Chur & the Arosa Line

You enjoy a journey on the pretty  Arosa Line today, climbing to the charming lakeside town of  Arosa. Take in the rocky, wintry scenery of the Graubünden canton en-route, winding through wild and dramatic landscapes before arriving in  Arosa, where you're met with stunning vistas across the icy waters of Lake  Obersee. After some free time, continue by train to Chur, Switzerland's oldest settlement with a history dating back over 5,000 years. 

You have some time to explore this quintessentially Swiss town. You could head to the quaint Old Town, which boasts  fantastically-preserved medieval town walls and buildings and is entirely traffic-free, making it the ideal place to explore on foot. At this time of year, Christmas decorations adorn the buildings, adding an extra touch of magic.

Includes
  • Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 7 - The Glacier Express

A highlight of your holiday awaits you today, as you bid farewell to Tiefencastel and enjoy a journey on the world-renowned Glacier Express, travelling to Brig. Known affectionately as the 'world's slowest express train', the Glacier Express gently makes its way through the glorious scenery, affording you a front-row view of some of the best of Switzerland's natural beauty. During the winter months, the striking vistas are transformed into a picture-postcard landscape of snowy meadows, frozen waterfalls and white mountaintops. On board, a handy audio guide narrates your journey, letting you know when a particularly scenic or interesting spot is coming up, so you don't miss a moment of the views. On arrival in Brig, you change trains and head to Basel for an overnight stay.

Includes
  • Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 8 - Homeward bound

Your festive adventure comes to an end today. Leaving Basel, you join the TGV train to Paris this morning. Here, you connect with the Eurostar to London St Pancras.

Includes
  • Breakfast

Additional information

Please note

Please note that while every departure of this tour will feature the same excursions, the order may differ from that shown above.

Departure times

Provisional departure and return times, where available, can be found together with our dates and prices by clicking on the 'Prices & Availability' button. We write to all booked customers approximately 10 weeks prior to the start of their tour to advise the exact departure and return time for their particular group.

Mobility information

Due to the nature of our tours they are generally unsuitable for those with restricted mobility. If you’d like to discuss any particular holiday with us in this respect, then please don’t hesitate to call us.

Hotel

Hotel Albula & Julier, Tiefencastel

Hotel Albula & Julier, Tiefencastel

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Trains

Bernina Express
Eurostar
The Glacier Express
TGV

Enhance your holiday

Upgrades

Upgrade to Standard Premier Class on Eurostar
London Hotels
UK rail connections
Door to door luggage service

Reviews

4.5 stars4.5 / 5 · 17 reviews

  1. 5 stars
    (11)
  2. 4 stars
    (4)
  3. 3 stars
    (2)
  4. 2 stars
    (0)
  5. 1 star
    (0)

K Brown

5 stars

Submitted 11/Jan

.It was a wonderful tour, scenery was stunning, my 5 th tour overall with the Glacier Express, says it all, the Hotel at Tiefencastel was up to its highest Standard, our Tour Mgr was excellent, produced a lovely booklet which covered the whole tour in extroadinary detail which was brilliant. Overall I give this tour 5+. I am a gold Customer and will travel again in the near future.

from Great Rail Journeys
Dear K Brown, Thank you for taking the time to leave a review and for being one of our Gold Customers! That is wonderful to hear! I am very glad that everything was excellent. I will make sure to pass your lovely praise across to your Tour Manager. We look forward to seeing you on our tours again in the future! Kind regards, Sophie.
Dear Sophie, This year will be my 30th Rail Journey in April, with Rail Discoveries/ Great Rail As a gold customer I fully recommend your company for any Rail travel and I have been 100 percent happy will the tours that have been arranged. I am on another tour at the end of April to Catalonia (My 4th tour). I remain a continious customer with you and advertise you with my friends etc.
2 comments

Collected by Trustpilot

D Hymers

5 stars

Submitted 11/Jan

Excellent trip. All worked smoothly.

from Great Rail Journeys
Dear D Hymers, Thank you for your review. That is brilliant to hear! Kind regards, Sophie.
1 comment

Collected by Trustpilot

customer

5 stars

Submitted 17 Jan 2023

It was a wonderful experience at a very special time of the year.

Collected by Trustpilot

J Archer

4 stars

Submitted 17 Jan 2023

The train trips were excellent but the New Year Eve was disappointing. No music, no fireworks. Seven course meal good. Not a venue for New Year.

Collected by Trustpilot

Rebecca

5 stars

Submitted 16 Jan 2023

Lovely holiday

Collected by Trustpilot

J Courtney

5 stars

Submitted 16 Jan 2023

Lovely trip and guide

Collected by Trustpilot

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