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13-Nights Country Roads of Switzerland - Classic Group

Switzerland/Italy
13-Nights Country Roads of Switzerland - Classic Group
Switzerland/Italy
Insight Vacations
Vacation Offer ID 1470364
Reference this number when contacting our travel specialist.
Overview

Insight Vacations

Country Roads Of Switzerland - Classic Group
See Switzerland in all its natural splendor during this 2-week guided tour that whisks you from snow-capped mountain peaks to floral valleys. Outside Lucerne, complete with wooden bridges and baroque churches, zip to the top of Mount Stanserhorn, a pinnacle so tall you can see France and Germany. Take in beautiful Bern and its Catherdrals with a Local Expert followed by a stop in Gruyères. Glide along the Glacier Express, a glass-topped train that will carry you through the Oberalp Valley and to Grindelwald, an idyllic alpine village set to the backdrop of winding rivers and towering waterfalls. In St. Moritz, a mountain railways pass will allow you to traverse the alpine village’s cable cars, funiculars and chairlifts. Then taste the freshest cuisine in Switzerland during an intimate farm-to-table dinner experience, including cheese.


Dining Summary
  • 3 Dinner with Wine (DW)
  • 13 Breakfast (B)
  • 2 Dinner (D)
Additional Included Highlights
  • Personal radio headsets give you the freedom to wander during visits to famous highlights, without missing any of your Local Expert's fascinating commentary.
  • Hotel and restaurant tips are included - you'll never have to worry about how much to give, nor search for foreign currency. We also include all taxes and porterage charges at hotels.
  • We carry your bags for you and promptly deliver them to your hotel door.
  • From time to time, your Travel Director will delight you with an Insight Flourish, which is a local specialty representing the destination.
  • Stay connected with friends and family with our complimentary coach and hotel Wi-Fi (where available).
  • If your arrival and/or departure flights are as per the itinerary start and end dates, then transfers are available at scheduled times. If your flights are outside these times, or you have booked additional nights accommodation with Insight Vacations, you may purchase transfers or make your own way from/to the airport.
Authentic Dining
  • Lucerne: Join your Travel Director and fellow travelers for your dinner served with wine.
  • Zermatt: Choose between fine local restaurants for your Dine-Around evening, with the chance to indulge in traditional fondue.
  • Zürich: Raise your glass and enjoy a delicious dinner featuring Swiss classics at a local restaurant.
Insight Experiences
  • Lake Geneva: Visit Chillon Castle with the Head of Collections to discover the artefacts, treasures and history of the chateau.
  • Bellinzona: Explore the stunning town of Bellinzona with your Local Expert. Julie will passionately share with you her insights into the three marvelous castles, and her personal stories about how she fell in love with this city and decided to move to the area.
Make Travel Matter
  • Stanserhorn: Journey to the top of Mount Stanserhorn on a panoramic, open-top cable car powered by solar energy, and enjoy spectacular views from the summit. Walk along beautiful scenic pathways, keeping an eye out for marmots and other native animals, with the chance to hear a conservation talk by a Swiss ranger, to learn about local wildlife and flora. Your visit directly supports United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 7 & 15: Affordable and Clean Energy & Life on Land.
  • Lake Geneva: Visit a family-run winery overlooking Lake Geneva. Enjoy a tasting, and learn how the family is preserving the estate for future generations. Savor delicious farm-to-table fare, made from locally sourced produce. Alongside using sustainable agricultural practices, they source majority of their good locally. They have strict procedures about waste reduction and any waste from the production is being re-used as fertilizer or food for their animals. This experience advances UN Sustainable Development Goal 12: Responsible Production and Consumption.
Top Rated Highlights
  • Stanserhorn: Journey to the top of Mount Stanserhorn on a panoramic, open-top cable car powered by solar energy, and enjoy spectacular views from the summit.
  • Lucerne: See the emotive Lion Monument, Jesuit Church and Chapel Bridge.
  • Bern: Your exploration with a local historian through Switzerland's capital includes seeing the floral displays, Cathedral of St. Vincent, Federal Palace, clock tower and Ogre Fountain.
  • Gruyères: Travel along valley floors covered with rich meadowland, to the pretty town of Gruyeres. Your Travel Director leads an orientation tour where you will see the main street and 13th century castle.
  • Montreux: At the foot of the Alps this town boasts one of the most beautiful walks along Lake Geneva, join your Travel Director for an orientation before there is free time to explore.
  • Geneva: With your Travel Director you'll discover the Jet d'Eau and the Floral Clock.
  • Lake Geneva: Enjoy first-class seats as you cruise on the serene waters of the King of Lakes, inspiration to the early Romantic movement.
  • Martigny: View the Roman Amphitheater during your orientation.
  • Sion: Your Travel Director will show you the two fortress-churches, the cathedral and Old Town Hall.
  • Zermatt: Ride the shuttle trains of the Matterhorn Gotthard Railway up to the traffic-free Alpine resort. Should weather permit, you may even see the majestic peak of the Matterhorn.
  • Zermatt: Your Travel Director will lead you on an orientation of this picturesque village, high in the mountains.
  • Baveno: During your orientation with your Travel Director see the cobbled streets and 16th century square.
  • St Moritz: See the spa quarter and glacial lake of this charming alpine resort.
  • St Moritz: If you think there's no such thing as a free ride, you'd be mistaken! With your inclusive pass, travel on 13 cable cars, funiculars, chairlifts and select

    Featured Destinations

    Zurich

    Zurich

    Zurich is often referred to as the "garden city on the lake". A stroll through the fascinating city will soon explain the reason for this. Zurich is one of the richest cantons in the country and home to the famous and very beautiful shopping street, Bahnhofstrasse. It is a bustling metropolis with many new buildings and modern architecture. Age-old landmarks and examples of unique design and artistic styles proliferate the city; the oldest and best preserved are most densely distributed in Neumarkt. The famous Grossmunster with its two tall towers is most dominant. Visit the late 15th century Wasserkiche and the Rathaus, a graceful town hall built in renaissance style. Famous for its traditional festivals and holiday celebrations, Downtown Niederdorf is the center of activities. From jazz clubs to restaurants & bars to cultural pursuits including galleries, museums and exhibitions, there is something interesting all year. To really get familiar with Zurich, experience it from the Lake of Zurich. The perspective of the city and its romantic surrounds from this vantage point is unique and not to be missed.
    Destination Guide
    Grindelwald

    Grindelwald

    Grindelwald, Switzerland, is a good base for both winter and summer activities in the mountains, about 50 mi/80 km southwest of Lucerne. In winter, this town in the Jungfrau region has good skiing; during other seasons, there are plenty of opportunities for hiking and more adventurous pursuits, such as canyoning. Be sure to visit one of the nearby glaciers; the higher one, Obergletscher, is the best.

    Visiting the town via the train from Interlaken is recommended. From Grindelwald, you can also continue on the train to Kleine Scheidegg, at the base of the famous north face of Eiger mountain. In Kleine Scheidegg, you can transfer to another train that takes you to Jungfraujoch. The train travels through the Eiger tunnel to the Eigerwand and Eismeer stations, making a five-minute stop at each one, before finally reaching the Jungfraujoch station, the highest railway station in Europe.

    On clear days (there's no point in taking the expensive trip if the skies aren't clear) you can see as far as the Vosges Mountains in France and the Black Forest in Germany from the Sphinx Observatory. The Great Aletsch Glacier begins near the station. But don't expect to have the place all to yourself: It is usually very crowded.

    One of the many tourist amenities is the Ice Palace, which has several ice sculptures carved in the glacier. There are also a ski and snowboard park, sled rides and pricey restaurants.

    Destination Guide
    St. Moritz

    St. Moritz

    The snow-clad mountains of St. Moritz are loved by ski enthusiasts from all over the world. Outstanding accommodations and nightlife are just the trimmings for a winter playground of superlative quality. Oberengadin's mineral springs are also a major drawcard. St. Moritz is the most famous ski resort in the world: chic, elegant and grand with a very cosmopolitan ambience. It lies in a beautiful setting around the lake in the Engadin valley. The 'sparkling dry champagne climate of St. Moritz' is legendary: its famous sun shines 322 days of the year. The famous health springs have been in use since the Bronze Age and a modern spa complex complements their soothing properties. St. Moritz is the birthplace of winter tourism and modern winter sports in the Alps and is Switzerland's only Olympic host resort. It literally offers 'snow how' at its best: skiing - downhill and cross-country - the Cresta and Bob runs; horse races, polo and golf on the frozen lake, plus a consummate nightlife, gala events, shopping fashion shows and much more.
    Destination Guide
    Baveno

    Baveno

    Baveno is a town perched on the shores of Lake Maggiore, in northern Italy. Baveno is known for its historic villas and castles, beautiful gardens, peaceful location, and perhaps best of all, its spectacular views of the lake and the Borromean Islands.
    Zermatt

    Zermatt

    Friendly, welcoming Zermatt, with its grandiose panoramas of snow-capped peaks that include the legendary Matterhorn, boasts the longest winter season in Europe and the highest skiiing area. Horse-drawn carriages in summer and snow sleighs in winter add further ambience to Zermatt's quaint Walliser houses and the elegant, often world famous hotels. The absence of cars has helped bestow an elite status on Zermatt. The picture perfect streets and snow-lined pathways are clean, pristine and romantic in atmosphere. In the summertime, walking and climbing enthusiasts can enjoy the unlimited scope of the magnificent mountains and glaciers, while skiing devotees enjoy the seemingly endless pistes in wonderful powder snow. Zermatt attracts tourists, not only for its fresh and clean mountain air, but also for its excellent restaurants, bars and nightclubs; the tempting, exclusive shops and boutiques and the friendly hospitality of the local residents.
    Destination Guide
    Montreux

    Montreux

    It is easy to see why Montreux, with its magnificent scenery reflected in the shimmering waters of placid Lake Geneva, has acquired the title 'The Pearl of the Swiss Riviera'. Situated on the shores of Lake Geneva and surrounded by the majestic Swiss and French Savoy Alps, the region is blessed with a particularly mild climate. Take a pleasant stroll along the banks of the lake where exotic flowers grow in proliferation and white swans glide gracefully past. Or enjoy a sumptuous meal of fresh lake fish and delicious local wine, in one of the many terrace restaurants overlooking the lake. Small secluded beaches and picturesque marinas with yachts and old steamboats afford a picture-perfect view of vineyards and quaint old stone-housed villages.
    Destination Guide
    Lucerne

    Lucerne

    Without a doubt one of the prettiest towns in Switzerland, Lucerne lies in the heart of the country on famous lake of Lucerne. Dotted with Renaissance and Baroque fountains, colorful paintings on the gables and commanded by the exquisite wooden bridge, the Kapellbrücke and Wasserturm, the 13th century octagonal water tower, Lucerne's character is pure charm. Spectacular views and sights abound from almost every vantage point in and around Lucerne. The Old Town Hall is a fine example of a Renaissance building while the City Wall, built between 1350 and 1405 stands proud above the city. A stroll along the quay leads past the modern health resort and onto the largest, most important Transport Museum in Europe and the only Planetarium in Switzerland. The famous Lion Monument and Glacier Garden make for remarkable viewing as do the mountain peaks surrounding the city. A short drive from town takes visitors to some of the most breathtaking landscapes on earth, and a short drive from Viewaldstätter Lake leads to nearby winter resorts and many more lakes.
    Destination Guide

    View Full Itinerary

    Valid Date Ranges

    September 2024
    09/22/2024 10/05/2024 $7,268 per person
    Trip prices are per person, land only, based on double occupancy and reflect applicable discounts. Trip prices and discounts are subject to change. Airfare is additional. Tour prices, dates and itineraries are correct at the time of the website going live, however are subject to confirmation at the time of booking. Other restrictions may apply.

    All fares are quoted in US Dollars.