Traditional Glacier Express

To ensure you get to London St Pancras in time for our early departure, we recommend an overnight hotel in Kings Cross. After meeting, we then board the Eurostar for Paris, continuing by rail to Strasbourg for the night.

Please Note: For departure 13/06/23 you will overnight at the Mercure Dijon Centre Clemenceau Hotel in Dijon.

For departures 09/05/2023 and 03/10/23 you will overnight at the Hotel Du Parc in Mulhouse.

• Dinner

With a free morning to look around Strasbourg, you could take some time to explore the historic Old Town, dominated by the spectacular Notre Dame Cathedral with its famous astronomical clock. The Cathedral has remained unchanged since the Middle Ages, and clustered around it you'll find an impressive choice of museums, cafés and restaurants. The Grande Ile is a UNESCO World Heritage site in the midst of the River Ill and is the ancient heart of the city, with the vast main square, Place Kléber, at its centre. In the afternoon, we continue our journey to Switzerland, travelling by train firstly to Basel, then onwards to Chur - our base for three nights.

• Breakfast, Dinner

Enjoy a free day in historic Chur and the surrounding region. The wild landscapes of the Graubünden region are waiting to be discovered, with superb railway journeys available from Chur using your Swiss Travel Card (for a 50% discount on local trains, boats and many mountain railways) taking you around one of Switzerland's most attractive cantons. Or you could explore Chur itself, which, as the first settlement in Switzerland, has a wealth of history to uncover. Enjoy a stroll through the medieval Old Town, following the twisting streets up to the cathedral, maybe stopping for a while at a quaint café.

• Breakfast

Today's excursion is a journey in spacious First Class on the panoramic Bernina Express along the Bernina Line, passing mighty glaciers, rushing mountain streams and Alpine meadows. The line has UNESCO World Heritage status, a testament to the incredible civil engineering required to create it, and to the breathtaking scenery surrounding it. Travelling south through tunnels hewn from rock and over 196 bridges, including the incredible Landwasser Viaduct, the track clings to the mountainside as we wind above deep ravines and past idyllic waterfalls. We emerge from the Albula Tunnel and traverse the mighty Bernina Pass, arriving in Poschiavo in the Italian-speaking region of Switzerland. There's free time in this picturesque town before our return journey.

• Breakfast, Dinner

We make our way to Valais, travelling First Class on the iconic Glacier Express - 'the slowest express train in the world' - through the craggy landscapes of the Graubünden canton. The entire journey is accompanied by panoramic views for which Switzerland is famous; sloping meadows, majestic mountains and dense forests rising upwards to towering, snow-capped peaks. We travel along the beautiful Rhine Valley, climbing steadily, then steeply as we travel over the Oberalp Pass - the highest point of the route - then descend into the flourishing Rhône Valley, where vineyards line the hillsides. Arriving in Brig, we travel by local railway to Kandersteg. This resort town is surrounded by incredible mountain scenery and is one of Switzerland's unspoilt gems. We stay here for three nights.

Please Note: For departure 06/05/2023 you will stay at the Hotel Alfa Soleil in Kandersteg.

• Breakfast, Dinner

We visit the charming resort of Zermatt, travelling firstly to Brig, where we join a narrow-gauge train that takes us alongside the River Rhône to Visp. Here, we board the mountain railway, passing picture-perfect vistas as we travel through eight tunnels and across 42 bridges. Finally, we reach Zermatt, nestled below the peak of the Matterhorn. With free time here, you could visit the fascinating Matterhorn Museum - there is no entry charge with your Swiss Travel Pass. Or you may like to travel to the summit of the Gornergrat by funicular railway, a six-mile journey on the highest open-air railway on the continent, with fabulous views of the Matterhorn.

• Breakfast

We travel by cable car to pristine Oeschinen Lake, cradled in the Oeschinen Valley. This vast glacial lake is fed by several brooks from surrounding mountain peaks, and the area is a joy to explore. Here you have a choice to wander at your own leisure or join a guide for a hike with a chance to learn more about the local flora and fauna. Or you could simply find a peaceful spot to enjoy the sound of cowbells, clear mountain air and pretty Alpine flowers.

*Lake Oeschinen cable car does not operate until mid-May. Departures before 14 May will enjoy a day trip to Interlaken by rail.

• Breakfast, Dinner

Our holiday draws to an end today as we leave Kandersteg, travelling by rail to Brig and Lausanne, where we change trains for Paris. Here, we board the Eurostar back to London St Pancras

• Breakfast