Scenic Switzerland
9 Day Package

Price Per person double occupancy

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

Price Includes: Services of a professional tour director. First class hotels, taxes, service charges, and tips for baggage handling. 7 buffet breakfasts, 5-three course dinners. Private air-conditioned motorcoach with emergency washroom. Admission charges where applicable. Carry-on Travel Bag.

Not Included: Airfare from USA (bulk rate fares available nationwide), airport taxes, tips to drivers and escorts, and travel insurance.

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: Depart USA

Today you depart from your gateway city for an overnight flight to Zurich.

Day 2: Arrive in Zurich, Switzerland

Take some time to rest or to discover Zurich's attractive historic center and lakeside promenade. At 6 p.m. meet your traveling companions for a welcome drink hosted by your tour director.

Day 3: Zurich-Liechtenstein-St. Moritz

Zurich-Liechtenstein-St. Moritz. First an orientation drive through Zurich, Switzerland's center of banking and commerce. Then east along Lake Zurich and Lake Walen to tiny Liechtenstein. After a break in Vaduz climb into the Rhine Valley in the mountainous Grisons, a canton where three of the country's four languages are spoken. The 7,504-foot Julier Pass, an important Alpine road since Roman times, leads to the Engadine. This valley is considered by many as the most beautiful mountain area in the world: deep-blue lakes, forests that turn golden in the fall, mountain peaks exceeding 12,000 feet, quaint villages with massive white stone houses in the Grisons style. Afternoon at leisure in St. Moritz.

Day 4: St. Moritz-Lugano

A gradual change of scenery as you spiral down towards the enchanting shores of the Italian Lake Como and continue on to the southern tip of Switzerland. The vegetation south of the Alps is Mediterranean: chestnut groves, vineyards, olive and fig trees make you forget that earlier today you were within walking distance of the glaciers. Lunchtime arrival in the popular subtropical resort town of Lugano leaves the afternoon free for shopping under the arcades of Via Nassa, an espresso on flower-festooned Piazza Riforma, and a walk through Parco Ciani's.

Day 5: Lugano-Zermatt

From Lake Lugano to the Italian shore of Lake Maggiore for a break in elegant Stresa. Weather permitting, an optional boat ride to the enchanting Isola Bella will be arranged. On over the Simplon Pass into the Swiss Valais, an area renowned for its excellent wines and great mountain resorts. To reach the most famous of them leave the coach behind in Täsch and board a mountain train climbing the last few miles up to Zermatt, a picturesque cluster of rustic chalets beneath the Matterhorn.

Day 6: Zermatt-Lake Geneva

Morning at leisure. A suggestion for those with strong hearts: ride Europe's highest rack-railway to 10,272-foot Gornergrat for a breathtaking panoramic view of the Alps. In the afternoon motor through the vineyards and apricot groves of the lower Rhône Valley to the shores of Lake Geneva. Here visit Chillon Castle, the 12th-century water fortress by the poet Lord Byron.

Day 7: Lake Geneva-Lucerne

Travel along an excellent highway through some of the country's best farmlands to its stately capital, Berne. Sightseeing with a local expert starts at the popular Bear Pit and then focuses on the monumental Federal Palace and the beautifully preserved medieval Old Town. Witness the hourly parade of painted figures at the Clock Tower and take your pictures of ornate, flower-adorned fountains. After lunch continue east through the verdant dairy country of Emmental. On the way visit a Cheese Factory to learn how one of Switzerland's prime exports is made. Tonight you are in picture-book Lucerne.

Day 8: Lucerne

Medieval heritage every step of the way. See the impressive city walls, the famous covered Wooden Bridge, ornate patrician houses lining cobbled streets, and Thorwaldsen's masterful Lion Monument. Afterwards shop for watches and choose from our optional activities: climb a mountain by cable car; take a cruise on the fjord-like lake; sign up for a folklore party with yodeling and alphorn blowing for a first-hand impression of alpine fun and a fond farewell to Switzerland.

Day 9: Lucerne-Zurich

Morning transfer to Zurich Airport in time for homebound flights leaving no earlier than 10 a.m.