Grand Tour of Switzerland by Rail

After enjoying complimentary airport lounge access, fly to Zurich and transfer to the Hotel Marktgasse, a 15th century building in the midst of the picturesque old town, close by to the river Limmat, Lake Zurich and the main train station. Spend the rest of the day admiring the lake and mountain views, or perhaps take an optional sightseeing tour with a private guide and driver.

Stay: Hotel Marktgasse or similar, Zurich (Superior)

Take the morning train to Lucerne before boarding the Golden Pass railway to Interlaken. Leaving Lucerne, the Golden Pass train skirts the Pilatus mountain and two lakes (the Sarnersee and Lungernsee) before climbing to the Brünig Pass at 1,008m. A 413m descent on a cogwheel track brings you down to Meiringen, from where you follow the Hasli valley to serene Lake Brienz and Interlaken for a two-night stay.

Stay: Superior Hotel, Interlaken

After breakfast, your journey continues with the GoldenPass Line, which brings you past Lake Thun and the village of Zweisimmen, reaching Gstaad before continuing through the wild and romantic Pays d'Enhaut, with scenic villages along the shore of Lake Geneva. Finally, you'll reach your overnight stop, descending to Montreux on a dramatic, sinuous track that offers wonderful views of the lake and valley.

During your stay, enjoy a trip on the vintage cog railway to Rochers de Naye, the highest point overlooking Montreux, with views of the Swiss and French Alps, from the Eiger to Mont-Blanc and down to Lake Geneva.

Stay: Superior accommodation Montreux

Breakfast at your hotel is followed by travel from Montreux to Zermatt. Zermatt lies at the foot of the Matterhorn and offers plenty of things to explore. Enjoy The Gornergrat Bahn, the world's first fully electrified cog railway reaching 3,100 metres above sea level with constant views of the Matterhorn with mountains and glaciers as far as the eye can see.

Stay: Superior accommodation, Zermatt

Today, take the world-famous Glacier Express for a thrilling ride in a panorama carriage to St. Moritz. Enjoy some of the most spectacular scenery Switzerland has to offer on an eight-hour journey which passes through 91 tunnels and across 291 bridges. Tracing the magnificent Rhone valley, the train travels through a fascinating part of the Alps, taking in such highlights as the The Oberalp Pass – the highest point on the line at 2,033 metres – the Rhine Gorge with its sheer cliffs and spectacular rock formations, and the Landwasser Viaduct, an imposing, 65-metre-high viaduct, which forms part of the UNESCO World Heritage Rhaetian Railway line. The journey is also narrated, offering a fascinating insight into the line's construction. 

Stay: Superior accommodation, St.Moritz

After breakfast, board the narrow-gauge Bernina Express at St.Moritz station and enjoy one of the most impressive scenic rail journeys of Switzerland. Climbing over the spectacular Bernina Pass to more than 2253 metres, you pass snow-covered mountain peaks and glaciers to descend to Poschiavo. The journey takes 3 hours 30 minutes each way. Upon arrival in southern Tirano in Italy. Change to the Bernina Express bus which takes you onwards to Ticino.

Stay: Superior accommodation: Lugano

After breakfast, join the Gotthard Panorama Express which travels from Lugano on the Italian border, back into the traditional heart of alpine Switzerland. It's another spectacular route, as you take in Rütli meadow – a mountain meadow above Lake Lucerne, picturesque Schillerstein with its giant boulder and plunging waterfalls, and the 19th-century Tell's chapel, adorned with four magnificent frescoes by the Basel artist Ernst Stückelberg. From Fruelen you'll have a boat ride over Lake Lucerne. On arrival in Lucerne board the "World's steepest train" to Pilatus.

Stay: Continental Park Hotel, Lucerne

Breakfast at the hotel, then join the Voralpen Express for a 2.5 hour journey which connects Central and Eastern Switzerland reaching St. Gallen

Stay: Superior accommodation. St Gallen

Board the morning train to Paris Gare du Lyon, then transfer to Gare du Nord for the evening Eurostar to London.