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13-Nights Country Roads of Switzerland - Small Group from $9,595
Insight Vacations
OFFER ID 1700816
Country Roads Of Switzerland - Small Group
See Switzerland in all its natural splendor — from snow-capped peaks to flower-filled valleys — with your Small Group. Ride an open-air cable car up Mount Stanserhorn for sweeping alpine views, then glide through the mountains on a scenic train journey to Andermatt. You’ll discover medieval marvels on a guided tour of Chillon Castle and enjoy a Farm-to-Table dinner with local wine in Montreux. A MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience will bring Switzerland’s wild beauty into focus, before your journey ends beside Zürich’s tranquil lake.
Dining Summary
- 4 Dinner (D)
- 13 Breakfast (B)
- 1 Lunch (L)
- Enjoy the comfort of Insight's luxurious, air-conditioned, 40-seat coach with double the standard legroom and onboard washroom. Our customized luxury coaches are sanitized before the start of your tour and are maintained to very high standards. Physical distancing measures have been implemented on our customized luxury coaches.
- Hand sanitizer is freely available on board for you to use throughout the day.
- 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.
- Lucerne: Join your Travel Director and fellow travelers for your dinner served with wine.
- Zürich: Raise your glass and enjoy a delicious dinner featuring Swiss classics at a local restaurant.
- 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 15: 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.
- 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.
- Gruyères: Travel along valley floors covered with rich meadowland, to the pretty town of Gruyeres. Your Travel Director will lead the way with an orientation tour where you’ll see the main street and 13th-century castle.
- Montreux: Set on the shores of Lake Geneva at the foot of the Alps, Montreux offers one of Switzerland’s most scenic lakeside promenades. Join your Travel Director for an orientation before enjoying free time to explore this elegant resort town.
- Lake Geneva: Enjoy first-class seats as you cruise on the serene waters of the King of Lakes, inspiration to the early Romantic movement.
- Geneva: Join your Travel Director to see Geneva’s iconic Jet d’Eau and the colorful Floral Clock, set within the city’s lakeside gardens.
- 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.
- Martigny: Uncover Martigny’s ancient past as you view the remarkably preserved Roman amphitheater during your orientation of this historic town.
- Zermatt: Join your Travel Director for an orientation of this car-free alpine village, where wooden chalets and snow-dusted peaks frame every view.
- Sion: Join your Travel Director to explore the twin fortress-churches that crown the town, along with the cathedral and Old Town Hall in Sion’s medieval hear.
- Lugano: Explore this Italian-speaking Swiss city by the sparkling lake with your Travel Director.
- Lugano: Ride up Monte Brè, boarding the compact funicular for the short climb above Lugano. At the top, enjoy an easy hike to the best viewpoints with your Travel Director, and spend time exploring the artists’ village of Brè, before enjoying a relaxed lunch showcasing Ticinese flavors.
- St Moritz: Take in the elegant spa quarter and the sparkling glacial lake of this chic alpine resort, famed for its high-altitude glamour.
- 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 public transport options (when available). The crisp alpine air is included in the deal.
- St Moritz: Travel alo
13 nights from $9,595 per person
Insight Vacations: Country Roads of Switzerland - Small Group
Day 1 - Welcome to Lucerne
Arrive in Zurich and transfer to your hotel in Lucerne, where storybook charm meets alpine splendor. This evening, settle into your hotel before joining your Travel Director and fellow small group travelers for a relaxed dinner at a local restaurant.
Accommodations: Astoria Lucerne
Meals: Dinner
Day 2 - Ascend the summit of Mount Stanserhorn
Rise to crisp mountain air as you board an open-top cable car powered by solar energy on a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience. Catch views of jagged alpine peaks, rolling meadows and, on a clear day, glimpses of France and Germany beyond the horizon of as you glide up Mount Stanserhorn. Up top, breathe in the scent of wildflowers as you wander peaceful trails and meet a Swiss ranger who shares stories of marmots, birds of prey and the fragile mountain ecosystem. Back in Lucerne, step into the pages of history as you cross the covered Chapel Bridge and pause at the poignant Lion Monument. You’re free to spend your afternoon at leisure.
Accommodations: Astoria Lucerne
Meals: Breakfast
Day 3 - Bern, Gruyères and Montreux
In Bern join your Travel Director for a city orientation to see the grand Cathedral of St. Vincent and the Federal Palace Nearby, the curious Ogre Fountain adds a touch of folklore to the floral-filled streets. Afterwards, you’ll travel through the lush valleys of the Vaud Alps before arriving in Gruyères, a fortified hilltop town wrapped in vineyards and alpine meadows. Explore its cobbled streets and 13th-century castle at your own pace before heading to your hotel in Montreux.
Accommodations: Fairmont Le Montreux Palace
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 4 - Lake Geneva and the Swiss Countryside
Step into a medieval world with a special tour of the Chillon Castle — once home to the Dukes of Savoy and brought to fame by Byron’s Prisoner of Chillon. Wander stone courtyards and echoing halls and be on the lookout for the poet’s rumored etching. Afterwards, head to a winery and enjoy a tasting of tantalizing, local wines with a Farm-to-Table light dinner, made with locally sourced produce, and learn how the family is preserving the estate for future generations on this MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience.
Accommodations: Fairmont Le Montreux Palace
Meals: Breakfast
Day 5 - Geneva and Scenic Lake Cruise
Follow the lakeshore to elegant Geneva, where your orientation reveals the soaring Jet d’Eau, the colorful Floral Clock and rows of diplomatic buildings. Later, step aboard a sleek boat and drift past vineyards and grand villas during a first-class cruise on Lake Geneva. Back in Montreux, enjoy a free evening by the water — the perfect setting to take in the surrounding landscape and connect with your fellow travelers.
Accommodations: Fairmont Le Montreux Palace
Meals: Breakfast
Day 6 - Martigny, Sion and Zermatt
Journey through the Rhône Valley, stopping in Martigny to see a Roman amphitheater. Next, continue on to Sion and admire twin fortresses perched high above the medieval Old Town. Finally, you’ll complete your journey via cogwheel train to the car-free mountain resort of Zermatt.
Accommodations: Resort Alex, Zermatt
Meals: Breakfast
Day 7 - Zermatt at Leisure
Zermatt in the summertime offers many leisure possibilities: try swimming, hiking or relaxing in the fresh alpine surrounds. Perhaps take a trip to the Klein Matterhorn, see the Matterhorn from the church bridge or sample the delicious cakes known as Kuchen?
Accommodations: Resort Alex, Zermatt
Meals: Breakfast
Day 8 - The Italian Lake District to Lugano
Travel to Täsch for a scenic drive to Brig, then ascend over the Simplon Pass — taking in magnificent views over the Alps from the 2,005-meter summit. You’ll stop in the Italian town of Stresa for time at leisure to enjoy lunch and explore. Afterwards, continue to the beautiful town of Lugano for the evening.
Accommodations: De La Paix, Lugano
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 9 - The Glamour and Glitz of St. Moritz
Head up Monte Brè, riding the historic funicular, first opened in 1908, up to Switzerland’s sunniest mountain with views over Lake Lugano and the surrounding peaks. At the top, enjoy an easy hike to the best viewpoints with your Travel Director, and spend time exploring the artists’ village of Brè, before enjoying a light lunch featuring local Ticinese specialties, served with wine. Then continue through the Grisons Region, traveling via San Bernardino and the town of Tiefencastel, as you follow the Rhine River. Finally, you’ll head east towards the Julier Pass and the glamorous resort of St. Moritz, set in the Engadine Valley with the majestic Grisons Alps towering above.
Accommodations: Crystal, St. Moritz, Steffani, St. Moritz
Meals: Breakfast
Day 10 - Leisure Time in St. Moritz
Enjoy a day at leisure with your small group in this elegant resort or perhaps take a train ride over the Bernina Pass. To help you make the most of your day, your Travel Director will provide you with a mountain railways pass, offering free travel on all cable cars, funiculars and chairlifts (when available) in Engadine .
Accommodations: Crystal, St. Moritz, Steffani, St. Moritz
Meals: Breakfast
Day 11 - Board a Train to Andermatt and on to Grindelwald
Enjoy a scenic rail journey across the Landwasser Viaduct and into the Oberalp Valley. Rejoin your coach to descend through the dramatic Schöllenen Gorge and Devil’s Bridge. Marvel at the Wetterhorn Peaks as you travel along the Grindelwald Valley. You’ll follow the sparkling Lütschine River to Lauterbrunnen, at the head of the Valley of Waterfalls, and see the Staubbach Falls plunge 300 m (984 ft) from the plateau above.
Accommodations: Sunstar Grindelwald
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 12 - Grindelwald at Leisure
Enjoy a full day at your leisure to explore Grindelwald, a charming village nestled in the Bernese Alps. Perhaps take a cogwheel train ride to the summit of the Jungfraujoch Mountain, known as the “Top of Europe” to marvel at the panoramic views of the surrounding Alps and a chance to explore the Ice Palace and the Sphinx Observation Deck. Alternatively, hike one of the many trails that wind through the lush valleys and up into the high mountains, where the diverse flora and fauna are a delight for nature enthusiasts. If you prefer a more relaxed pace, spend your day shopping in the quaint village shops or simply soaking in the serene beauty of the area.
Accommodations: Sunstar Grindelwald
Meals: Breakfast
Day 13 - Rural Switzerland to Zürich
Take in the spectacular lake views, as you journey to Brienz, famous for its woodcarving traditions. Here, you’ll visit the Jobin Swiss Woodcarving Center to trace the history of the trade back to the early days of the 19th century, before continuing over the Brünig Pass alongside the lakes of Lungern and Sarnen. Return to Zürich, where your Travel Director will give you a brief orientation of the Bahnhofstrasse, Grossmünster, River Limmat and Frauenmünster. Later, join your travel companions at a local restaurant for dinner and wine — raise your glass to toast to your adventures.
Accommodations: Hyatt Regency Zurich Airport
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 14 - Depart Zürich
Say a fond farewell to Switzerland and your newfound friends at the end of an unforgettable journey. Your final hotel is located at the airport, just a short walk from the terminal.
Meals: Breakfast
Vacation Details
* This departure has been designated a guaranteed departure by the operator, meaning that the minimum number of guests has been met, although still subject to weather and other conditions.
Fine dining, on-site bars or lounges and room service with extended hours are characteristic of deluxe establishments. Guest services usually include valet parking, concierge services, baggage assistance and laundry services. Other on-site facilities often include shops and boutiques, full service spas, full fitness facilities with pools and tennis courts. Business amenities may include available up-to-date technology and support staffs available for services. Attention to detail is apparent in the guestrooms which typically have stylish furnishings, quality bedding and bath products and often provide an evening turn down service.
All fares are quoted in US Dollars.
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