Alpine Switzerland
8 Day Package

Price Per person double occupancy

Dates
Request a quote or call 800-322-0788 for more information.

Price Includes: Round-trip Air Fare, transfers, 4 excursions, 6 breakfasts, 1 lunch, 5 dinners, 6 nights Alpine hotel, taxes and meal gratuities, porterage.

Deposit Required: $300 per person will reserve your place. A $100 service fee will be charged for cancellation at any time in addition to our normal payment and cancellation policy.

Day 1: Departure

We leave today for our overnight flight to Zurich, Switzerland.

Day 2: Zurich - Meiringen

We arrive in Zurich and are transferred by motorcoach to our home during our Switzerland visit in the beautiful alpine village of Meiringen. The Alpin Sherpa Hotel is owned and operated by our Swiss hosts, Nils and Matthias Glatthard. Even with its modern amenities such as the garden terrace restaurant, hairdresser, sauna and more, the Alpin-Sherpa is well known for its quality old-fashioned service and personal touch. Within easy walking distance from the village, the local trades people will welcome us and be happy to answer any questions we may have. With its colorful history and gorgeous countryside, Meiringen is well-worth knowing.

Day 3: Life in Switzerland

Come with us as we learn about the daily lives of the Swiss people. We'll hear of the day to day routine of the citizens of this friendly land. and we will have a glimpse of what it is to be Swiss. Sit back and prepare for a visual feast as we travel through the countryside that is Switzerland. We'll travel past dairy farms, and rural chalet villages. Each hill and turn in the road brings breathtaking visions that must be experienced personally in order to fully appreciate its majesty and grandeur. From the green meadows to the snow white mountain tops, this is Switzerland in all its glory. We'll enjoy a picnic lunch during our tour. Dinner tonight is on our own in Meiringen.

Day 4: Emmental Valley & Bern Market

Day to stock up on those souvenirs for folks back home or investigate those wonderful fragrances coming from the bakery! (Optional excursions are available).

Day 5: Time to Explore

Today we are on our own and have several options open to us. Perhaps you'd enjoy a stroll to the Magisalp Gondola or a visit to Meiringen's 300 year old church. This may be a gooch cheese makers, village smiths, weavers and even roof-shingle makers as they ply their trade. Then it's on to the majestic Geissbach Falls. We start with a view from the top, then ride the Funicular down the mountain to view the falls as they cascade into Lake Brienz. Once we have reached the "cleanest lake in Switzerland" we are treated to a nostalgic paddle-steamer cruise. As we view the rugged mountain slopes on one side and the gentle Alpine meadows on the other, we will surely agree that the lake basin is an area of “unparalleled beauty!” Then come with us as we visit the famed woodcarvers of Brienz. Watch as the craftsmen use skills passed down through the ages to create treasures we can take with us today! We end this exciting day with a ride aboard the one of a kind steam train, back up the Rothorn as far as the ice will allow! The ascent takes us through peaceful forests and lush pastures to a panoramic view of truly breathtaking grandeur.

Day 6: Lucerne

Our tour begins with a scenic motorcoach ride northward to the city of Lucerne. The passage of 800 years has succeeded in blending old world grace with today's modern conveniences. This city of lights is surrounded by charming countryside and well worth the visit. [Note: For additional $15, the group could experience the Swiss Transport System by taking the train roundtrip to Lucerne.]

Day 7: Lake Brienz & Ballenberg

This morning we watch Switzerland's history come to life as we tour the open-air museum at Ballenberg. Over 70 original Swiss farmhouses were moved here from all over the country to give us a typical view of early life in Switzerland. Surrounded by meadows and farmer's gardens, Ballenberg is busy as the everyday life of early Switzerland is reenacted. Our Postal Bus will take us through the Emmental Valley, famous for it's dairy farms! In an area surrounded by lush alpine meadows and farmland we will see Swiss farm houses dating back to the 17th and 18th centuries. Nestled between the Niesen and Stockhorn chains, the Emmental is one of the mildest, most fertile and longest of all the valleys in the Bernese Oberland. Then it's on to the capital of Switzerland, 800-year-old Bern is the Heart of Switzerland and a city of many faces. Its romantic, medieval streets with their 6 kilometers of arcades are the longest shopping promenade in the world. The art, culture, schools, museums and theaters, not to mention the gardens, flowers and world famous Clock Tower make this the personification of everything Swiss. Known for its market and gardens, Bern has been voted "Europe's Most Beautiful City of Flowers."

Day 8: Home

After a final delicious Swiss breakfast we are transferred back to Zurich for our flight home with arrival by mid-afternoon.