GoldenPass, Mont Blanc & Jungfrau Express

 Your Swiss tour begins as your plane touches down at Geneva's airport. Make your way to the railway station located at the airport and board the train for an hour-long journey to Montreux. Sit back and relax as you are treated to your first look at Switzerland's magnificent scenery.  

On arrival in Montreux*, walk to our lakefront hotel and check in for three nights. Montreux is a cultural town, with many actors and musicians having chosen to live nearby along the shore of Lake Geneva. Two of its most famous residents were Charlie Chaplin and Freddie Mercury, and there is a statue of the Queen frontman on the shoreline walk. Our hotel is located on the promenade, just a short walk from the station, and boasts uninterrupted views across Lake Geneva to the French Alps.   

  Return to the hotel this evening to meet the Tour Manager and your travel group, and then we enjoy our first dinner together - a three-course meal in the hotel. Overnight Montreux.

*Please note: on the 4th and 18th May departures, we will stay at the 5-Star Lausanne Palace hotel in Lausanne instead of Montreux.

• Dinner

 After breakfast, the morning is at leisure to get acquainted with Montreux. A park separates our hotel from the convention center that hosts the world-famous Montreux Jazz Festival, while the promenade provides a relaxing glimpse into the town's cultural history. Alternatively, our hotel has spa and wellness facilities, including a pool. 

  This afternoon, a trolleybus ride along the shore sees us arrive in Veytaux, where a local English-speaking guide takes us on a tour of the beautiful Château de Chillon. This fairytale castle appears as if it is floating on Lake Geneva and was formerly occupied by the influential House of Savoy. 

  After free time to explore, we board a Belle Époque paddle cruiser for a trip across Lake Geneva, sailing on crystal-blue waters surrounded by mountains. We visit the colorful lakeside village of St-Gingolph on the border with France before the elegant boat gently glides back across the lake to Montreux. 

  Dining independently tonight, Montreux has a wide range of restaurants serving various cuisines. Overnight Montreux.

• Breakfast

 A trip highlight awaits today as we travel across the Alps to France by train. From Martigny, we join the Mont Blanc Express as it clings to mountainsides above dramatic gorges. Entering France, the jagged peaks of the snow-covered mountains drift into view as the route approaches the resort of Chamonix, backed by Mont Blanc.   

With free time to explore the "mountaineering capital of the world," many options are at your disposal. A gentle walk round Chamonix's scenic town center could be combined with a French lunch at one of the town's restaurants, or you could head up to the Mer de Glace (Sea of Ice) glacier by cogwheel railway. This incredible journey through dense pine forests takes you up the mountainside to an otherworldly landscape of piercing, snowy peaks and plunging valleys. It is this spectacular scene that inspired Mary Shelley during the writing of her most famous novel, "Frankenstein."    

In the late afternoon, we leave Chamonix, returning to Montreux in time to enjoy dinner at our hotel. Overnight Montreux.

• Breakfast, Dinner

 Boarding the panoramic carriages of the GoldenPass Express, an incredible journey takes us from palm trees to snow-capped mountains. This route is a feat of engineering that was more than 100 years in the making and uses innovative technology that allows the train to adapt its gauge, negating the need to change trains.   

This excellent rail journey is currently less well known than Switzerland's other famous trains, but it won't be for long. Leaving Montreux, the train winds up the hill with Lake Geneva and vineyards in the background. The untamed forests and rolling mountains of the Swiss Highlands are dotted by picturesque villages and alpine meadows before we reach the upscale mountain resort of Gstaad. The last stretch sees the GoldenPass Express glide down towards Lake Thun. Our panoramic carriages mean we get better lake views than from other trains.     

We arrive in Interlaken, a compact and attractive town set between lakes Thun and Brienz and the peaks of the Bernese Oberland, where there's a free afternoon to explore after checking into our hotel. Dinner is at our hotel this evening. Overnight Interlaken.

• Breakfast, Dinner

 An unforgettable experience is in store today as we journey to the "Top of Europe." Traveling by train to the alpine village of Grindelwald, we join the Eiger Express gondola for a 20-minute ride to Eigergletscher station.   

This modern gondola with panoramic windows allows us to admire the north face of the Eiger during the four-mile trip. From here, the Jungfrau Express takes us to Jungfraujoch - the continent's highest train station. With year-round snow, the vistas are truly awe-inspiring. At the summit, we're close to the Aletsch Glacier, which stretches as far as the eye can see. We have free time to marvel at this UNESCO World Heritage wonder from the Sphinx Observatory or have lunch at one of the indoor restaurants.     

We descend via the Jungfrau Express. Through tunnels with viewing windows, we travel under the Mönch and Eiger Mountains before re-emerging at Eigergletscher and twisting down to Kleine Scheidegg. From here, we take the train back to Interlaken via Lauterbrunnen, arriving in time for dinner at our hotel. Overnight Interlaken.

• Breakfast, Dinner

 Enjoy a full free day to explore as you wish. After breakfast, you could unwind amid the views from our hotel's roof terrace or uncover Interlaken. The historic castle with its Gothic cloister and 12th-century monastery is nearby, while the adjoining town of Unterseen is also worth visiting. For those wanting a bird's-eye view of Interlaken and surrounding areas, you could take a ride on the steep Harderbahn to Harder Kulm for panoramic vistas of lakes Brienz and Thun, and the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau Mountains.   

There also are many excellent destinations within easy reach, and your Swiss Half Fare Card offers 50% discounted fares on rail, boat and most mountain railway journeys. In Mürren, you could also travel on the Schilthorn cableway to the Piz Gloria revolving restaurant that appeared in the James Bond film "On Her Majesty's Secret Service."   

Alternatively, explore Lake Brienz by traveling by train to Brienz, where you can join the steam-hauled Brienz-Rothorn Railway or marvel at the picture-perfect Brunngasse - a winding street lined by old wooden chalets decorated with beautiful flower boxes. Overnight Interlaken

• Breakfast

  A short walk to the station after breakfast sees us join a train to Thun. This typical Swiss town is dominated by its picturesque 12th-century castle, and there is time to explore at leisure. With a charming medieval center and covered wooden bridges, Thun is a rewarding town to explore. There is time to grab lunch independently before we head to the boat terminal.   

Our journey back to Interlaken is onboard a vintage lake boat, enjoying a scenic and relaxing cruise along the full length of Lake Thun. Gliding across the glacial waters, villages with Romanesque churches look on from the shore while forested alpine slopes and impressive peaks, such as the pyramidal Niesen or the Niederhorn, protrude into the lake. One of the highlights of any cruise on Lake Thun is passing Spiez Castle, a 10th-century fortress that juts into the water, shielding a pretty marina.     

The boat moors directly adjacent to the platform at Interlaken West, meaning it is only a short walk to our hotel for our final dinner together this evening. Overnight Interlaken. 

• Breakfast, Dinner

From elegant Montreux to idyllic Interlaken, this Swiss vacation has shown us the best of this mountainous nation by train, boat and even cable car. Whether cruising Lake Geneva on a vintage paddle steamer or marveling at the Swiss Highlands from the GoldenPass Express, we have embarked on many astonishing journeys. Reaching the Bernese Oberland, we then traveled to the "Top of Europe" by cable car and cogwheel railway before sailing across the glacial waters of Lake Thun - a wonderful way to round out our time in Switzerland.   

Our journey comes to a close this morning, as after breakfast, we walk to Interlaken station to board the train to the largest city in Switzerland, Zürich. Your Swiss vacation concludes here, and you are free to continue your onward travels home.

• Breakfast