Highlights of Central Switzerland

Itinerary

DAY 1 — U.S.A / ZURICH
Departure from USA to Zurich by sched­uled ser­vice (air­fare not includ­ed in package).

DAY 2 — ZURICH / LUCERNE
Upon arrival at Zurich air­port, you will col­lect your lug­gage and take the esca­la­tors down to the train sta­tion and board your train to Lucerne. Transfer to your select­ed hotel. The remain­der of the day and evening are at your leisure to rest or explore on your own.

DAY 3 — LUCERNE
Following break­fast at your hotel, you will join a 2‑hour sched­uled morn­ing walk­ing tour of Lucerne. On the walk, you will learn impor­tant, humor­ous and inter­est­ing facts about Lucerne’s his­to­ry, church­es, bridges, nar­row streets, tow­ers, squares and, of course, Lucerne’s trade­mark, the Chapel Bridge with the Water Tower. Following the tour, you might explore some of the restau­rants along the lake for a taste of the local cui­sine. The remain­der of the day and evening are free for shop­ping or explor­ing on your own.

Note: November-March, walk­ing tour oper­ates on Wednesdays and Saturdays only.

DAY 4 — BERNESE OBERLAND
Following break­fast at your hotel, board your train to Interlaken for a full day of activ­i­ties. If you are feel­ing adven­tur­ous, you can board the train to Jungfraujoch, known as the “Top of Europe” at 3,454 meters. See the high alpine world, the ice palace and the Aletsch Glacier, a UNESCO World Heritage site. For those who choose to vis­it the quaint town of Grindelwald, a 20-minute bus ride take s you up to the moun­tain for a stroll through the village.

DAY 5 — MOUNT PILATUS OR MT. RIGI
Today, you can choose from two excit­ing excursions.

Option 1, Mount Pilatus: After a leisure­ly cruise across crys­tal-clear Lake Lucerne to Alpnachstad, ascend the moun­tain­side via the steep­est cog­wheel rail­way in the world to Pilatus Kulm, 7000ft high. On top, you have time to walk up to the vista point and to admire the breath­tak­ing scenery of the Swiss Alps and Lucerne. Then, descend by aer­i­al tram to Fraekmuentegg; change to a small­er tram that sweeps over pine forests and moun­tain mead­ows to the vil­lage of Kriens. Return to Lucerne by pub­lic bus.

Note: The excur­sion to Mount Pilatus may also be oper­at­ed in the oppo­site direc­tion. The cog­wheel train oper­ates only from mid-May to late November, depend­ing on the snow conditions.

Option 2, Mt. Rigi: Dubbed “The Queen of the Mountains”, Mr. Rigi was a favorite spot of author Mark Twain. The excur­sion begins from Lucerne by boat, where you can observe the many inter­est­ing sights on the shores, such as the Richard Wagner Museum, and Mt. Bürgenstock. In Vitznau, you take the cog­wheel train to climb Mt. Rigi, using the old­est moun­tain rail­way track in Europe. “My aim is to enable peo­ple to view the beau­ty of our glo­ri­ous land from up high,” declared its engi­neer, Nicklaus Riggenbach, in 1863. There is plen­ty of time to enjoy the beau­ti­ful scenery, stroll along one of the many trails and to breathe the pure Swiss air. Descend to Weggis by aer­i­al cable car, (a 10 minute ride) and return to Lucerne by boat or pub­lic bus.

Note: This excur­sion may also oper­ate in the oppo­site direc­tion. This excur­sion is avail­able year-round.

DAY 6 — LUGANO
Following break­fast at your hotel, board the train to Lugano, pass­ing through val­leys dot­ted with water­falls and cross­ing the famous St. Gotthard Train Tunnel into the Ticino, an Italian-speak­ing region of Switzerland. This is a land of con­trast, from the untamed wilder­ness of high Alps to a val­ley framed by orchards. Traveling through the val­ley of the Northern Ticino, you’ll find that Ticinese peo­ple have stayed true to their own tra­di­tions. At the foot of the peaks of Monte Bré and Salvatore is Lake Lugano, and you’ll have plen­ty of time to explore the city of Lugano on your own with its many attrac­tive shops and out­door cafes.

DAY 7 — ST. GALLEN
Following break­fast at your hotel, board the train to St. Gallen, a 2 hour and 20 minute jour­ney. St. Gallen, a metrop­o­lis of Eastern Switzerland, is just­ly proud of its pres­ti­gious past. The city’s name and ori­gin can be traced back to about 612 AD, when the monastery was found­ed by Gallus, a wan­der­ing Irish monk. You’ll encounter the past with every step as you stroll through the attrac­tive old town. Many of the building’s facades are dec­o­rat­ed with wrought-iron signs and carved and paint­ed wood­en oriel win­dows. Discover the charm­ing nar­row lanes and live­ly squares with invit­ing street cafés.

The impos­ing cathe­dral and Stift Abbey Library are under UNESCO pro­tec­tion as a World Cultural Heritage Site, and are famous through­out the world. The restora­tion and rebuild­ing of today’s baroque Cathedral began in 1755; the pul­pit was cre­at­ed in 1786, fol­lowed in 1809–1810 by the clas­si­cal high altar and gallery. Famous artists and mas­ter builders were com­mis­sioned to car­ry out the pres­ti­gious task. Today’s library hall dates from 1758–1767, and is renowned as the most exquis­ite Rococo hall in Switzerland. Housing more than 150, 000 vol­umes, its unique col­lec­tion of ear­ly medieval man­u­scripts con­tribute val­ue and inter­na­tion­al sig­nif­i­cance of the library.

Note: The walk­ing tour of St. Gallen oper­ates January – April: Saturdays only; May – October: Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays; July & August: daily.

DAY 8: ZURICH / U.S.A
Today, you’ll board the train to the Zurich air­port in time to board your flight.

Pricing

Price per per­son based on dou­ble occupancy

 Includes

• 6 nights accom­mo­da­tion in Lucerne, includ­ing dai­ly buf­fet break­fast, ser­vice charge, taxes
• Day 2 – Train from Zurich Airport to Lucerne
• Day 3 – Regularly sched­uled walk­ing tour of Lucerne
• Day 4 – Roundtrip train from Lucerne to Interlaken
• Day 5 – Tickets to Mount Pilatus
• Day 6 – Roundtrip train from Lucerne to Lugano
• Day 7 – Roundtrip train from Lucerne to St. Gallen
• Day 8 – Train to Zurich Airport