SAMPLE ITINERARY

Day 1: London to Lausanne

Leave London midmorning on the Eurostar service to Paris, where you will change to the TGV to Lausanne. On arrival here at about 7.30pm check in to your hotel, where you will spend two nights.

Day 2: In Lausanne

Spend the day at leisure in Lausanne, making the most of the Swiss Pass which entitles you to unlimited rail travel, as well as boat trips.

Perhaps travel across Lake Geneva by boat to Evian or Montreux, enjoy a scenic journey on the Golden Pass Line, take a day trip on the Chocolate Train or visit nearby Geneva for the day.

Day 3: Lausanne to Chur, on the Glacier Express

Leave Lausanne just after 9am and travel to Visp, where you will board the Glacier Express for the beautiful journey through the mountains to Chur in the Rhine Valley.

As you pass through Brig, look out for Stockalper Castle, which is the largest private 17th century building in Switzerland and the emblem of Upper Valais. Enjoy views of the onion domes, monastery and Old Town.

Continue on through Fiesch and through the Furka tunnel, part of the Furka Steam Railway that links Realp to Oberwald. This 2 hour stretch weaves its way through vast mountainside panoramas, passing wooden chalets, ice caves near the Rhone Glacier, wonky houses with moss-covered roofs and light stone walls, and the quaint river and bridge of Oberwald itself.

Your next stop will be Andermatt, nestled in the indomitable Gotthard Pass, initially avoided by the Romans but conquered when the Schollenen Ravine, an important north-south connection, was established. Zig-zagging roads are dug into and supported above the craggy rocks, overlooking flat agricultural plains and clusters of white houses.

To get from Andermatt to the next stop in Disentis, the Glacier Express takes you over the Oberalp Pass; a network of tunnels, viaducts, and winding roads and railway tracks. At its highest point, the Pass reaches 2,044m above sea level, affording passengers in the panoramic carriages unforgettable, breathtaking views of undulating green countryside. Disentis itself sits in the upper half of the Anterior Rhine, the Surselva. A large Benedictine monastery crowns the town, which is dominated by snow-capped chalets, mountain views, and is distinctive due to its proximity to the source of the Rhine in Tomasee.

From here, travel through the Ruinaulta, or Rhine Gorge, taking in one of the most picturesque landscapes in the Alps, which makes for a sensational experience. The winding river changes altitude beside the railway tracks, passing sheer white cliffs, hilltop towers and slinking under arched viaducts. Check in to your hotel in Chur for two nights.

Day 4: Chur to Tirano, on the Bernina Express

Today take a day trip on the iconic Bernina Express, allowing you to enjoy one of the world’s most spectacular rail journeys, whilst travelling to Tirano and back. The journey takes you around and through sheer rock faces, alongside crystal clear lakes and through switchbacks, as you negotiate the stunning terrain.

The first stop on the journey is at Tiefencastel, which has ochre-fronted houses and stunning narrow stone bridges. It is crowned by a solitary tower. The line splits here, bringing passengers to join the train from Davos which is beautiful both when covered with snow and when graced with summer sunlight. It lies on a flat area of land between domed mountains. Small chalets sit beside modern buildings, winter resorts and the tall narrow spire of its church.

The Bernina Express will then take you through the Domleschg region, the area with the most castles and palaces in Switzerland. Some areas of this lush region resemble fairytale English countryside, with paths sheltered by trees and shady groves. One of the highlights of this stretch is the towering curve of the Landwasser Viaduct, built in 1901. This route takes you on through Filisur towards Bergun, where you may wish to stop to visit the Bergun Railway Village, home to the Albula Railway Museum and the Railway Adventure Trail. Ensure you take in the sight of the crystal clear blue waters that run in the rivers.

From Bergun, the train continues on to Samedan, a small town hemmed in by lakes and the lower verdant banks of the mountains. Hurtle on towards St Moritz, passing the Cresta Run in Celerina, one of the St Moritz area’s most famous attributes. At 1,856m above sea level, visitors are welcomed by stunning views across the lakes of the Upper Engadine Valley and the refreshingly dry and clear Alpine climate.

Navigate the local peaks via railway, reaching the Piz Corvatsch, Chantarella, and Corviglia, where a cable car takes you up to Suvretta’s most famous viewing point. If you stay overnight in St Moritz during the summer, you may wish to enjoy water sports at the sublime Lake Sils and Lake St Moritz, or the windy Lake Silvaplana. Less than 10km from St Moritz is Pontresina, the next stop on the rail route. It sits on a sloping mountainside terrace at the entrance to the Val Bernina, which adds to the village’s quaint majesty.

The next leg of the journey passes two exceptional sights: the Montebello Curve and the Morteratsch Glacier. The curve itself has a minimum radius of 45m, turning a total of 180 degrees, and remains one of the most photographed sections of the track. After this brief descent, the Bernina Express gains higher ground - the highest ground, in fact, of the Rhaetian Railway, reaching 2,253m above sea level at Ospizio Bernina, your next stop. This secluded station is a beautiful sight, with soft light stone walls and distinctive red shutters on its windows. During the winter months, the building is often cloaked in a blanket of snow.

From here, move on to perhaps the most unique stop on the Bernina Express route: Alp Grum. This restaurant is the only restaurant that is exclusively accessed by rail. As a result, the dining experience is equally exclusive, with unrivalled views of the Val Poschiavo all the way to the Bergamo Alps. If you wish to dine here, this is best done on a day trip from St Moritz.

The journey then takes you on to Poschiavo itself, a town surrounded by rich, deep green vegetation, with a serene lake on one side. Then the train will stop in Le Prese, a small village captured in a bubble of peace and quiet. Next, the Bernina Express takes you through to Brusio. Though not a stop, this particularly unique viaduct stretch has a novel way of negotiating the changing altitudes. After coming along the mountainside, the track spirals back on itself, allowing passengers plenty of time to take in the views before they descend under the viaduct they have just passed over.

The Bernina Railway ends across the Italian border in Tirano, after passing orchards and vineyards, where the influences of Italy can already be seen in the architecture of the townhouses lining the riverside. You have time for a brief stop in Tirano, before taking the Bernina Express back to Chur where you spend a second night.

Day 5: Chur to Innsbruck by train

Leave Chur midmorning on a train to Innsbruck, changing in Sargans on the Swiss side of the border. The high mountains, the roof of Europe, loom in the distance.

Suddenly reaching Feldkirch you are in Austria, and after Bludenz the train climbs up along the Arlberg. As cars disappear into the road tunnel below, the train continues to climb, ducking in and out of tunnels for the last part of the climb, until you emerge at St Anton.

After the descent into the Inn Valley, it is definitely the Austrian Tyrol – with traditional haystacks, onion-domed churches and wayside chapels. From the Oetztal station, the road heads south to Obergurgl and the Timmelsjoch high Alpine road into Italy. The train continues along the Inn Valley, passing lush pastureland and Tirolean villages, including Stams that is famous for its monastery. The Olympic ski jump at Igls on the right of the train indicates your imminent arrival in Innsbruck.

You will arrive in Innsbruck in the afternoon, with the rest of the day and the evening free to explore the city and its array of architectural gems from the Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque and Neoclassical periods. You spend one night in Innsbruck.

Day 6: Innsbruck to Salzburg by train

After breakfast at your hotel, board a direct train to Salzburg where you will arrive in under 2 hours. As you leave Innsbruck, ski slopes are visible in the distance, and the winter resort of Kitzbuehel is off to the south-east.

At Kufstein the train crosses temporarily into Germany and the landscape flattens slightly, with fields and forests, and the Chiemgau Alps in the near distance. The train travels to the south of the Chiemsee and then into Austria once more.

There is a spectacular although fleeting moment as the train crosses the Salzach River, and on the right you are dazzled by the spires and turrets of the old city of Salzburg and its hilltop fortress on the horizon. Check in to your hotel for two nights.

Day 7: In Salzburg

You have a full day in Salzburg to discover this compact and very attractive city. Famous for being the birthplace of Mozart, and the location for “The Sound of Music” film, there are numerous gardens and intricate architecture to enjoy, including notably striking Baroque churches and buildings designed by Fischer von Erlach.

The piercing green-grey waters of the Salzach River flow through the city, with the Old Town on its left bank. Here you can find the Hohensalzburg Fortress, an 11th century castle which sits upon the Festungsberg. Other places of interest include the Mirabell Palace Gardens – a UNESCO World Heritage Site – and Mozart’s birthplace, which has a museum that tells the compelling story of his life, relationships and musical inspirations.

The Salzburg Festival is held in July and August each year, offering an array of opera, music and drama.

Day 8: Salzburg to Vienna by train

After a leisurely breakfast in Salzburg, board a direct rail service to Vienna, where you will arrive in under 2.5 hours.

After Salzburg the countryside becomes a patchwork of arable fields and large farmhouses, before the more built-up stretch between Wels and Linz. It is at Linz that you meet the Danube and cross from Upper Austria into Lower Austria, leaving the trail of the Danube to meander further north, cutting its own gorge above the Wienerwald. Check in to your hotel in Vienna for three nights.

Days 9 & 10: In Vienna

You have two full days to explore Vienna. Situated on the banks of the Danube River, it has been at the heart of central European history since Roman times and was the focal point of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Vienna never fails to impress and satisfy the visitor eager for historical and cultural references. ‘Dream and reality’ still resonate and your days in Vienna can be filled with a mixture of galleries, museums, opera, concerts or eating and drinking in a ‘heuriger’ (tavern) in the Vienna Woods.

The history of Vienna can be witnessed in the Roman Museum, the Neidhart frescoes dating from the 1400s, the medieval Basiliskenhaus, Imperial Palace and the numerous Jugendstil buildings, and of course in the City of Vienna Museum. The Hofburg contains numerous national collections, from the Crown Jewels to the Imperial Armoury.

On your second day in Vienna, perhaps explore the city’s inextricable link with music. Take time to listen to the Mozart Orchestra playing in the Musikverein, and enjoy coffee and cake at Demel’s. A fun way to see the sights of the city is to take a tram around the Ringstrasse, hopping off and on as often as you want.

Day 11: Vienna to Cologne by sleeper train

Spend the day at leisure in Vienna, before boarding an overnight sleeper train to Cologne at about 8pm. We include a two-berth sleeper.

Day 12: Cologne to London

Arrive in Cologne just before 9am and change trains for Brussels. In Brussels transfer to the Eurostar for the final leg of your journey back to London St Pancras, arriving in the late afternoon.

PRICING

Price is based on two adults sharing en-suite accommodation on a bed and breakfast basis. This price includes second class rail travel, with supplement for first class of about £700 per person.

We offer a choice of hotels at different prices, so please discuss your requirements with us. All hotels are subject to availability.

Before your departure, you will receive personalised holiday information, including full directions and suggestions on places to visit, to help you get the most from your trip.

It is essential that you have personal holiday insurance. The FCO should also be consulted.