Eight days in the Swiss Alps are a dream-come-true for those with a taste for amazing scenery and cool mountain air in June. Wander the beautiful medieval towns of Bern and Lucern. Visit Interlaken and stay in Lauterbrunnen, the prettiest valley in the Alps. Hike to overnight stays in alpine huts watching the sun set on the Eiger, the Monch and the Jungfrau. White water raft exhilarating rapids, horse ride through meadows, hike beside a glacier and toboggan down mountains. Marvel at Swiss engineering as cog railways and cable cars haul us up steep inclines while we watch waterfalls tumble down from snow capped peaks. Cuckoo birds, cow bells and the odd train are the only sounds in the Alps. Who knew an adventure vacation could be so peaceful?
De N (NZ) “I adored Switzerland! I loved hiking along hearing the cow-bells ringing. Roberta was such an inspiration. She showed us all that even at 72 the fun never ends. Thanks for an amazing experience.”
Fri
Fly overnight to Zurich, Switzerland from whichever airport is convenient for you.
Sat
Assemble at Zurich Airport at 8.30am. Load van and drive two hours to Thun near Interlaken. We’ll take a short tour of this 800 year-old castle and see armor, weapons, furnishings and dungeons. There are great photos to be had from the towers. We’ll lunch outdoors next to the lake. There will be a couple of hours free to explore the shops in the beautiful town of Interlaken. About 3pm we’ll ride a cable car up to Niederhorn. Check into our mountain hut lodging. Our easy two-hour hike will take your breath away and we many even spot the elusive ibex! There are plenty of opportunities to just sit and soak in the majesty of the snow-capped Bernese Alps dominated by the Jungfrau at 13,600’. Dine at the mountain restaurant.
Sun
Return by cable car down to our waiting van. We’ll drive to the capital city, Bern and walk the cobbled-stoned streets of this beautiful 16th century town. The Aare River snakes through the medieval city and offers beautiful views from a myriad of vantage points. We’ll discover Bern’s ornate fountains, monuments, cathedral and clock tower on our walking tour of the city. Enjoy lunch at an outdoor café then return to Interlaken. At 3pm we’ll mount beautiful Swiss horses for a relaxing two-hour ride through fields and forests to Thuner See. Drive up to the Lautebrunnen Valley set in a beautiful hanging valley. Dine on the balcony of our charming hotel.
Mon
After a sleep-in and a lazy breakfast we’ll visit nearby Trummelbach, which is a series of glacier waterfalls inside a mountain. Climbing through this mountain, you’ll be amazed by tunnels carved out by water and gravity. Lunch is easy at a bakery in town. Change into hiking boots and ride a cable car to 5000’. We’ll hike through woods and pastures to the alpine hut called Lobhornhutte at 6,500’. This is a two-hour hike through forest and meadow and we take our time and go at a pace that suits our least capable participant. Sometimes we have the opportunity to see cheese being made in mountain barns and sometimes we hear the cuckoo bird calling in the fields! Your hard work is rewarded by the views from the hut across at the sunset on the Eiger, the Monch and the Jungfrau. Dinner is a typical hearty Swiss mountain stew and dessert. Our dorm room has plenty of blankets so we are plenty cozy. There are no showers this evening.
Tue
Hike back to the cable car and return to Lautebrunnen where we’ll order a late breakfast. Drive to Kandersteg and board the vehicular train taking us through the mountain to Goppenstein. The wonders of Swiss engineering never cease! Drive to the hot mineral pools of Leukerbad for a soak and lunch. It’s great to relax after our big hike the day before. Drive to Tasch and board a train for a short ride to Zermat. Check into our accommodations. You’ll have time before and after dinner to shop and explore this town of the rich and famous, lying at the base of the Matterhorn.
Wed
This morning we’ll take a cog-rail train ride up to Gornergrat offering us sweeping views of not only the magnificent Matterhorn but also Gorner Glacier and Monte Rosa, the highest mountain in Switzerland. These world-class views vistas make for indelible travel memories. If it’s a clear day we’ll see 29 of Switzerland’s 35 highest summits. We’ll lunch back in Zermat and have an hour or two free before returning by train to Tasch. It’s a short van ride to our cozy hotel in another car-less village in Saas Fee.
Thur
After breakfast, walk through the sleepy village to ride the cable car up to Spielboden, 8000’. We’ll hike up beside Feegletscher Glacier to Langfluh, 9,400’ in awe of the surrounding snow-covered peaks. We’ll lunch at an outdoor café high on the mountain and return to Saas Fee by cable car. This afternoon we head east through the heart of the Alps. We’ll climb twisting mountain roads over high passes and see glaciers and tumbling falls. Drive along picturesque valleys right out of Heidi, with cows at peace in the fields. There will be stops for irresistible pictures along the way. Our destination is Laax where we’ll stay in a charming country hotel. Dinner will be at our hotel.
Fri
Today we’ll raft the Inn River in the Engadine Valley. This three-hour river rafting experience begins in mild waters and runs through 6 km of great rapids. Then we enter the Giarsun Gorge located between Susch and Ardez. Again, it has a gentle start but soon it morphs into a crashing mountain Our guide expertly steer the boats into the waves and safely get everyone to the end of the 4 km run. Later that day we drive to Lucern, the most beautiful city in Switzerland. This is a free evening to wander the streets, explore the old town and the famous lion statues, cross the covered bridges and to eat when and where you choose.
Sat
Our adventure to 8000’ Mt Pilatus, offering panoramic views of Lucern, involves five different forms of transport. We’ll take a two-hour ride on a steamer across Lake Lucern to Alpnachstad. This is so relaxing and affords great photographic opportunities. Next we’ll board the cog-railway with an impossibly steep track all the way to the top of Mt Pliatus. Likely there will be locals entertaining up there with the famous alphorns. This is a perfect place to lunch outside. Sometimes the cloud swirls in and minutes later, poof, its gone! Later, we’ll take the cable car down to Frakmuntegg. Here we’ll ride Switzerland’s longest toboggan (luge) track. It takes us through tunnels and we can go as fast or as slow as we like. It’s great to be a 10 year old again! An ingenious pulley system hauls us slowly back up to the start and its fun to pass only feet away from cows clanging their bells as they munch grass. Then we cable car down to Kriens and catch a bus back to Lucern. It’s a two-hour ride back to Zurich where we check in at our hotel near the airport. Farewell dinner at our hotel. Tour ends.
Sun
Use the hotel shuttle to transfer to the airport. Board flights back to USA.
Hello Susan, this is Lois. I had a great time on the Alps trip. Cheryl always does a fantastic job - makes you feel like you haven't missed a thing, and you haven't! We drove through some beautiful clean country, rafted, cruised on a lake and para-glided. We rode in ski-lift cars to the top of a mountain and heard beautiful yodeling and the huge horns. We rode horses and hiked. The feeling of accomplishment when we reached our destination was exhilarating - the flowers, the icy streams, snow covered mountain peaks, the sun coming out to shine on the peaks just before setting - all this because you pushed a little harder and made the climb!If you can make the trip, don't miss it. Cheryl is as flexible as time and customer endurance allows. She does not miss a single detail so you don't have to do anything but show up. Her trips are well planned and she is a very caring, supportive person who encourages you to try. One thing I will complain about - she does not schedule much time for shopping. Can you imagine!
 |
|
 |
