Switzerland at a slower pace: the Glacier Express and the Bernina Express

1. Day 1: Arrive in Zurich, the Lindenhof, on to Lucerne

   Zurich Airport to the Lindenhof in Zurich's old town, then by road to Lucerne

   • Drive about 1.5 h
   • Welcome dinner
   • Stay in Lucerne
   Day 1 details

   Fly into Zurich Airport (ZRH). A driver meets you in the arrivals hall, loads your case and drives you to Lucerne, so there is no train or ticket machine on the day you land. On the way the driver stops for about 30 minutes in Zurich's old town: a short, gentle lane leads to the Lindenhof, a tree-shaded terrace with benches above the Limmat. Then it is about an hour on to Lucerne. The vehicle stops at the hotel door, and the hotel has a lift to every floor. Rooms are often ready by mid-afternoon; if yours is not, the hotel keeps your bags and there is a cafe on the lakefront a few minutes away. In the late afternoon your See Sight Tours guide meets the group in the lobby for a short, level stroll of about 30 minutes along the lake promenade to the Chapel Bridge, the covered wooden bridge across the Reuss, with benches along the water. On the way the guide explains how the week runs: two nights in each base, the trains we have reserved and how your bags travel. Then we sit down together to a welcome dinner in an old-town restaurant.

   Included

   • Pick-up at Zurich Airport (ZRH) and drive to Lucerne
   • Short stop at the Lindenhof terrace in Zurich's old town
   • Evening stroll on the lake promenade to the Chapel Bridge with your guide
   • Trip briefing
   • Welcome dinner

   Free time: Free until the late-afternoon stroll

   Activity: About 1.5 km on foot over the day, level or gently sloping, with benches at the Lindenhof and on the promenade. Skip the Lindenhof stop and go straight to Lucerne if you are tired after the flight.

   

2. Day 2: Lucerne and a lunch cruise on the lake

   Lucerne old town, then a lunch cruise on Lake Lucerne

   • By boat
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Lucerne
   Day 2 details

   Breakfast is unhurried and we meet at about 9:30. Your guide walks the group across the Chapel Bridge, first built in the 14th century and rebuilt after a fire in 1993, past its painted gable panels and the stone Water Tower, then along the river to the Spreuer Bridge with its Dance of Death paintings. After a coffee stop in the old town we take the vehicle for the short ride to the Lion Monument, carved into the rock face in 1821 for the Swiss Guards killed in Paris in 1792, where there are benches facing the pond. Just before noon we board a lake boat at the pier by the station for a lunch cruise of about two hours: lunch is served at the table while the boat runs out between the wooded shores, with Rigi on one side and Pilatus on the other. We are back on the quay by about 2:30, and the afternoon is free: a rest at the hotel, the Swiss Museum of Transport, or a seat on the promenade.

   Included

   • Lucerne walk with your guide: the Chapel Bridge, the Water Tower and the Spreuer Bridge
   • The Lion Monument, by vehicle from the old town
   • Lunch cruise on Lake Lucerne, about two hours

   Optional experiences

   • Rigi or Pilatus by cogwheel railway or cable car in the free afternoon (price shown at booking)

   Easier option: Skip the old-town walk and meet the group at the Lion Monument by vehicle, or wait at a lakeside cafe and join at the boat.

   More active option: In the free afternoon, climb one of the Musegg Wall towers that open in summer for the view over the roofs to Pilatus; the towers are stairs only.

   Free time: Afternoon free in Lucerne

   Activity: About 2.5 km on foot over the morning, mostly level cobbles, with a coffee stop and benches at the Lion Monument.

3. Day 3: By rail to car-free Zermatt

   Lucerne to Bern and Visp by train, then up the Matter valley to Zermatt

   • By train
   • Breakfast, lunch and dinner
   • Stay in Zermatt
   Day 3 details

   No early start: we leave the hotel at about 9:30, and the vehicle takes the group and the bags to Lucerne station. The journey to Zermatt is about three and a half hours in reserved first-class seats, with two changes, at Bern and at Visp after the Lötschberg Base Tunnel. Your guide handles every case at both changes and tells you in good time which side of the platform to wait on, so there is no rush. From Visp the red trains of the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn climb the narrow Mattertal past waterfalls and larch woods. Zermatt is closed to ordinary cars, so electric taxis take the bags to the hotel while we sit down to a late lunch in the village. The rest of the afternoon is for settling in. Before dinner, those who like walk about ten minutes on the flat to the Kirchbrücke, the bridge over the Vispa where the Matterhorn rises above the rooftops when the cloud allows. Dinner is together: raclette or fondue.

   Included

   • Reserved first-class trains from Lucerne to Zermatt, with changes at Bern and Visp
   • Luggage handled at every change, with electric taxis for bags in Zermatt
   • Late sit-down lunch in Zermatt
   • Short walk to the Kirchbrücke for the Matterhorn view
   • Raclette or fondue dinner

   Easier option: Stay at the hotel after lunch; the Kirchbrücke is also a short electric-taxi ride.

   Free time: Late afternoon free in Zermatt

   Activity: Zermatt sits at about 1,600 m. About 1.5 km on foot today, on gentle village slopes. There are two or three steps up into each train.

4. Day 4: Gornergrat and lunch with the Matterhorn

   Zermatt to Gornergrat by cogwheel railway, then down to Riffelberg and back

   • By train
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Zermatt
   Day 4 details

   We take a Gornergrat Railway train in the middle of the morning, once the first rush of walkers has gone up. The cogwheel line, open since 1898, climbs for about 33 minutes from the village station to 3,089 m, and you stay in your seat the whole way, so sit on the right for the Matterhorn. At the top the terrace faces the Matterhorn, the Monte Rosa massif and the Gorner Glacier below; your guide names the peaks while you take it slowly in the thin air, with the summit restaurant behind you for a warm drink. Then we ride back down a few stops to Riffelberg for a sit-down lunch on the terrace with the mountain in view, and the train returns to Zermatt by early afternoon. The rest of the day is free: the Matterhorn Museum and its story of the first ascent in 1865, a rest at the hotel, or a seat at a cafe on the Bahnhofstrasse. If the summit is in cloud in the morning, your guide checks the webcams and moves the ride to the afternoon.

   Included

   • Gornergrat Railway, return, with your guide
   • Time on the Gornergrat terrace at 3,089 m
   • Sit-down lunch at Riffelberg

   Optional experiences

   • Matterhorn Glacier Paradise cable car to 3,883 m (price shown at booking)

   Easier option: Stay on the train from Gornergrat straight down to Zermatt, or wait at Riffelberg after lunch while others walk.

   More active option: Get off at Rotenboden on the way down and walk about an hour to the Riffelsee, which holds the Matterhorn's reflection on still days, and on down a rocky path to Riffelberg for lunch.

   Free time: Afternoon free in Zermatt

   Activity: Under 1 km on foot unless you take the active option. Gornergrat is at 3,089 m: move slowly, drink water and bring a warm layer even in July.

5. Day 5: The Glacier Express to St. Moritz

   Zermatt to St. Moritz on the Glacier Express, over the Oberalp Pass and the Albula line

   • By train
   • Breakfast, lunch and dinner
   • Stay in St. Moritz
   Day 5 details

   Today is the headline and the one long day of the trip: about eight hours on the Glacier Express from Zermatt to St. Moritz. The morning departure is set by the timetable, so this is our only earlier start; electric taxis take the bags to the station. It is long because the train is the sightseeing, and you are seated throughout in a reserved first-class panorama seat, with toilets on board, a three-course lunch served at your seat and room to stretch along the carriage. The line crosses more than 290 bridges and runs through about 90 tunnels: down to Brig, up the Goms valley, over the Oberalp Pass at 2,033 m, through the white limestone of the Rhine gorge, the Ruinaulta, and across the Landwasser Viaduct, 65 m above the river, before it climbs through spiral tunnels to the Engadine. Your guide points out each landmark in good time. We reach St. Moritz in the late afternoon, the vehicle takes us up to the hotel, and dinner is included so nobody needs to go out again.

   Included

   • The Glacier Express from Zermatt to St. Moritz, in reserved first-class panorama seats
   • Three-course lunch served at your seat
   • Luggage handled by your guide, with electric taxis in Zermatt and our vehicle in St. Moritz
   • Dinner in St. Moritz

   Activity: About eight hours seated on the train, with very little walking. Bring a book and a light layer: the panorama windows warm up in the sun. Tomorrow is a short morning.

6. Day 6: Muottas Muragl and the Engadine lakes

   St. Moritz to Punt Muragl by road, the funicular to Muottas Muragl, and back

   • Drive about 18 min
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in St. Moritz
   Day 6 details

   A slow morning after yesterday's long ride: we leave the hotel at about 10. The vehicle drives a few minutes to Punt Muragl, where a funicular, running since 1907, climbs to Muottas Muragl at about 2,450 m in around ten minutes, seated. From the terrace the chain of Engadine lakes runs south-west from St. Moritz towards the Maloja Pass, with the snow peaks of the Bernina range to the south, and the view is as good from a chair as from the path. Lunch is included on the terrace of the mountain restaurant. Those who want to stretch their legs can follow the near-level path along the slope for 15 minutes and back. We ride down at about 2 pm, and the afternoon is free: the flat path along Lake St. Moritz, with benches every few hundred metres, the Segantini Museum and its paintings of these valleys, or a rest at the hotel. Your guide suggests restaurants for dinner and is around for anyone who wants company.

   Included

   • Muottas Muragl funicular, return, with your guide
   • Lunch on the Muottas Muragl terrace

   Easier option: Stay on the terrace with a coffee while others take the path.

   More active option: Walk the panorama path from Muottas Muragl to Alp Languard above Pontresina, about 2.5 to 3 hours, and ride the chairlift down; the vehicle collects you.

   Free time: Afternoon and evening free

   Activity: Under 1 km of included walking. Muottas Muragl is at about 2,450 m; take a warm layer.

   

7. Day 7: The Bernina Express to Tirano, then Lake Como and Lugano

   St. Moritz to Tirano on the Bernina Express, then by road past Lake Como to Lugano

   • Drive about 2.5 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Lugano
   Day 7 details

   After a mid-morning start our vehicle sets off over the Bernina Pass with all the bags, and we board the Bernina Express with only a day bag. The ride to Tirano takes about two and a half hours in reserved first-class seats. The line climbs without a cogwheel to Ospizio Bernina at 2,253 m, beside the milky water of Lago Bianco, then drops past Alp Grüm, where the Palü Glacier hangs across the valley, through the chestnut woods of the Val Poschiavo and round the stone spiral viaduct at Brusio. The Albula and Bernina lines have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2008. In Tirano, in Italy, the vehicle is waiting and we sit down to lunch near the station. Then it is about two and a half hours of driving, along the Valtellina to Lake Como, plus a coffee stop on the lakefront at Menaggio, and over the hill to Lake Lugano. We reach the hotel in the late afternoon, and the evening is free.

   Included

   • The Bernina Express from St. Moritz to Tirano, in reserved first-class seats
   • Bags carried over the pass by our vehicle
   • Sit-down lunch in Tirano
   • Drive to Lugano with a coffee stop at Menaggio on Lake Como

   Free time: Evening free in Lugano

   Activity: Tirano and Menaggio are in Italy: carry your passport. Sit on the right-hand side leaving St. Moritz for Lago Bianco; the guide points out the Palü Glacier at Alp Grüm, and your guide calls out the big views so those on the other side can look across. Very little walking today.

8. Day 8: Locarno and Lago Maggiore

   Lugano to Locarno by road and back, with the funicular to Madonna del Sasso

   • Drive about 2 h
   • Breakfast, lunch and dinner
   • Stay in Lugano
   Day 8 details

   A morning on Lago Maggiore, whose surface, at about 193 m, is the lowest point in Switzerland, and a free afternoon in Lugano. We leave at about 9:30 and the vehicle takes us over the Monte Ceneri to Locarno, about 50 minutes. Your guide leads a level walk under the arcades of the Piazza Grande, where the film festival screens under the stars every August, with a coffee in the square. Then we ride the funicular up the hill to the Madonna del Sasso, the sanctuary founded in the 15th century on a rock above the town, with the lake and the mouth of the Maggia spread out below, and ride it back down rather than taking the stepped lane. Lunch is a sit-down meal by the water. We are back in Lugano by about 2:30. The afternoon is yours: the flat lakefront gardens of Parco Ciani, a lake boat to Gandria, or a rest before the farewell dinner together in the evening.

   Included

   • Locarno walk with your guide: the Piazza Grande and the old-town arcades
   • Funicular to the Madonna del Sasso and back
   • Sit-down lunch by the lake in Locarno
   • Farewell dinner in Lugano

   Easier option: Stay in Lugano for the whole day: a slow morning by the lake, with the group back by mid-afternoon.

   More active option: Walk down from the Madonna del Sasso to Locarno by the old stepped pilgrim lane, about 20 minutes, and meet the group at lunch.

   Free time: Afternoon free in Lugano

   Activity: About 2 km on foot in Locarno, level apart from the optional stepped lane.

   

9. Day 9: Lugano to Zurich and home

   Lugano by train through the Gotthard Base Tunnel to Zurich Airport

   • By train
   • Breakfast
   Day 9 details

   A last breakfast by the lake and no rush to leave. At about 9:30 the vehicle takes the group and the bags to Lugano station, which sits above the town, so nobody climbs the hill with a suitcase. We take a reserved train north to Zurich Airport, about two and a half hours. The line runs up the Leventina valley and through the Gotthard Base Tunnel, 57 km long and opened in 2016, so the Alps pass in about twenty minutes, then along the shore of Lake Zug or Lake Zurich depending on the train. Your guide travels with you, handles the bags at any change and sees you to the check-in hall at Zurich Airport (ZRH) at about 12:30 before saying goodbye. Book a flight from Zurich leaving after about 3:30 pm. If you are flying home from Milan instead, tell us when you book: Milan Malpensa is about an hour from Lugano by road, and we can arrange the transfer.

   Included

   • Transfer from the hotel to Lugano station
   • Reserved train from Lugano to Zurich Airport (ZRH) with your guide

   Optional experiences

   • Transfer to Milan Malpensa instead of the train to Zurich (price shown at booking)

   Activity: Book a flight from Zurich leaving after about 3:30 pm; the train reaches the airport at about 12:30.

Wildlife and weather: Summer brings long days and open passes, but cloud can hide the Matterhorn for a day at a time, so the Gornergrat ride moves between morning and afternoon inside the Zermatt stay. Ticino is warmer than the Alps and Lugano can be hot in July and August, which is why the Lugano days end at lunch.

• Lucerne2 nights
• Zermatt2 nights
• St. Moritz2 nights
• Lugano2 nights