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Interlaken and the Jungfrau Express at New Year

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3.6 stars(5 reviews)
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Small Group

Experience the ‘top of Europe’ and celebrate the New year in perfectly located Interlaken.

7 days From £1,995 per person

2023 Tour code: LNN24

About the tour

Celebrate an unforgettable New Year with a breathtaking ride on the Jungfrau Railway to the highest train station in Europe, a spectacular ascent of the Schilthorn through snowy Alpine peaks, and a visit to charming Mürren.

Highlights

What’s included

Itinerary

Day 1 - London and Cologne

From London St Pancras, we travel on the Eurostar to Brussels. Here, we change trains and continue to Cologne for the night.

Includes
  • Dinner
Day 2 - Interlaken

We journey into Switzerland along the scenic Rhine Gorge. This wonderful stretch of German railway line runs through frosty valleys and alongside the gentle Rhine River as it winds its way between fairytale castles, steep cliffs and deep, wintry forests. Our destination is Interlaken, in the heart of the Bernese Oberland - one of the most beautiful regions in the Swiss Alps. This remarkable town is uniquely nestled between Lakes Thun and Brienz, sitting peacefully in a beautiful valley that's watched over by the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau mountains. On arrival, we check into our hotel for five nights.

Includes
  • Breakfast, Dinner
Day 3 - Mürren and The Schilthorn

Travelling by train to the picturesque mountain village of Mürren, we continue into the mountains by cable car, ascending to the peak of the mighty Schilthorn. Once at the summit, soak in the superb views of the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau mountains as we enjoy a complimentary drink, then perhaps visit Piz Gloria, an impressive rotating restaurant made famous by the 1969 James Bond film, 'On Her Majesty's Secret Service'. We return to Mürren and enjoy some free time to wander through the charming streets or bask in the marvellous mountain views, before returning to Interlaken.

Includes
  • Breakfast
Day 4 – Interlaken

Enjoy a free day to explore Interlaken. You could take a boat ride across one of the lakes, including the shimmering turquoise waters of Lake Thun, before warming up at one of the cosy cafés or perhaps wrap up and head out on one of the many nature trails that start in the town. Interlaken's history can be traced back to a monastery built here in the 12th century, while the surrounding landscapes provide a gateway to the Bernese Oberland, a region home to over 45 mountain railways and aerial gondolas that you can discover using your Swiss Travel Card.

Includes
  • Breakfast
Day 5 - New Year's Eve in Grindelwald

We make our way by rail to the snow-bound Alpine village of Grindelwald, a delightful town nestled at the foot of the imposing north face of the Eiger. Take some time here to admire the attractive wooden chalets and town squares which combine the old comforts of classic Alpine architecture with more contemporary winter sports facilities. Back at our hotel, we sit down to celebrate the coming of the New Year with a fantastic gala dinner.

Includes
  • Breakfast, Dinner
Day 6 - The ‘Top of Europe’ on New Year’s Day

On New Year's Day we enjoy what is undoubtedly the highlight of our stay in the Bernese Oberland - an excursion to the summit of the Jungfrau. We begin on the Bernese Oberland Railway to Lauterbrunnen. Here, we change trains to reach Kleine Scheidegg, joining the Jungfrau Railway itself. Rising higher from Kleine Scheidegg, the distinctive string of red and yellow carriages disappear into the tunnel through the Eiger mountain, making stops at the observation windows hewn out of solid rock, before emerging at Jungfraujoch. The 360° views from the highest train station in Europe are utterly spellbinding. The Mönch and Eiger dominate, while the Aletsch glacier - the longest in the Alps - winds past spectacular peaks. We have time here to soak up the dramatic scenery before making the return journey down the mountain.

Includes
  • Breakfast, Dinner
Day 7 – Interlaken and London

As our spectacular seasonal holiday draws to a close, we leave delightful Interlaken on a train bound for Basel, before transferring to the onward service to Paris. After boarding the Eurostar to London St Pancras we can take time to recall the majestic views from the 'Top of Europe' and idyllic lakes that have provided such breathtaking views and unforgettable memories on this incredible trip to the winter wonderland that is Switzerland.

Includes
  • Breakfast

Additional information

Please note

We want to make sure any holiday you book is right for you. One of the excursions on this tour is at high altitude. If you have any medical conditions or concerns, we recommend you seek medical advice and talk to us.

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 Metropole Interlaken, Interlaken

Hotel Metropole Interlaken, Interlaken

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Trains

Eurostar
Jungfrau Railway

Enhance your holiday

Upgrades

Inclusive Luggage Upgrade
Upgrade to Standard Premier Class on Eurostar
Extending your European holiday in Cologne
London Hotels
UK rail connections

Reviews

3.6 stars3.6 / 5 · 5 reviews

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

Andrew Reynolds

4 stars

Submitted 11/Jan

This was booked as a surprise special birthday trip for my wife and was on the whole a great experience. However there were a few issues that didn't quite make it a 5 star rating. Firstly I fully understand that this is a rail trip and on the whole was ok, but the journey out was not fully explained as the first 2 days was taken up with traveling to Interlaken via Brussels with an overnight in Cologne then there was an 8hr train journey from Cologne to Interlaken, which we considered a waste of a day as there are quicker routes which would have only taken a day which the return journey route was taken. Secondly the tour manager was a lovely, friendly lady, but was lacking in experience of the locality and could have done some more research around what was available to do in around Interlaken especially on our one free day we had. Talking to other guests on this trip, when they asked her for advise she could only direct them to the hotels reception staff who were very helpful. She also seemed lacking in confidence around train times and facilities on board and often panicking when arriving at stations as to where to go next to either exit the station or where the connecting train was, which wasn't really rocket science as the train announcer was very clear and spoke very good English as do most of the Swiss people we came in contact with and very helpful. Thirdly the hotel was comfortable and clean, facilities were basic, but pricing was very expensive i.e single measure of whiskey £19 no tea or coffee making equipment in the room there was a mini bar which was hideously expensive i.e. small bottle of water £5, however there are various shops local to the hotel where these items can be purchase a lot cheaper. As mentioned above on the whole the experience was amazing and would definitely return, but would choose to fly in and only use local trains, which were excellent, clean, always on time and reasonably cheap, the British rail service could learn a lot from the Swiss train service.

Collected by Trustpilot

Steve Moorhouse

4 stars

Submitted 10/Jan

An excellent, value-for-money, well organised New Year Trip to the 'top of europe'

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D Vass

4 stars

Submitted 9/Jan

Good. Gd range of trips:Cologne hotel excellent; Interlaken hotel less so with cramped single accommodation. Mixed meals, New Year’s Eve gala dinner superb spread for starter course, almost too much available, so the fillet beef for the main course could not be enjoyed. Routine menu unexciting. Charming tour guide, but needs training in communication. frightened of her own voice and did not know when to use her microphone and when to talk directly to individual smaller groups, e.g when talking to the whole group on the station platform talked without microphone whilst in the dining room where there were tables of 4 people used a microphone aimed at three tables at a time. Also inadequately briefed and did not find out from the hotel what the New Year’s holiday activities in Interlaken and how the hotel itself would be different from normal. When uncertain of the various transport timings etc shared her doubts with the group, “wittering” constantly.

Collected by Trustpilot

L Trueman

3 stars

Submitted 9/Jan

I planned he journey as a gift for my husband a James bond fanatic and the day was spoilt by the event being cancelled

Collected by Trustpilot

Mr C Verney

3 stars

Submitted 19 Jan 2020

The holiday was great but the hotel let us down badly. We had a mcu smaller room than others in the Group even though we paid extra for an upgraded room with an even smaller bathroom with just a a shower .We specifically requested a bath as my wife has osteoporosis and needs to soak.

Collected by Great Rail Journeys

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