Grand Tour of Switzerland by Rail

After enjoying complimentary airport lounge access, fly to Zurich, Switzerland's biggest city and transfer to your accommodation, 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, you will meet the rest of the group and guide in the evening.

Stay: Hotel Crowne Plaza, Zurich or similar (Superior)

Take the morning train to Lucerne, where you will have a short time to explore the city, before boarding the Lucerne-Interlaken Express skirting the Pilatus mountain and two lakes (the Sarnersee and Lungernsee) before climbing to the Brünig Pass at 1,008m, and past the romantic waterfalls to Interlaken.

Next day your have a day at leisure to explore all that Interlaken has to offer.

Stay: Grand Beau-Rivage, Interlaken (Deluxe) / (05 Sep departure Hotel Krebs (Superior))

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: Grand Hotel Suisse Majestic, Montreux or similar (Superior)

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. Maybe 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: Hotel Sonne, Zermatt or similar (Superior)

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: Art Boutique Hotel Monopol, St Moritz or similar (Superior)

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: Hotel De La Paix, Lugano or similar  (Superior)

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 perhaps board the "World's steepest train" to Pilatus.

Next day your final day is at leisure in Lucerne

Stay: Waldstatterhof Swiss Quality Hotel or similar (Superior)

Head back to Zurich airport by regional train to board your flight back to the UK