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Trains and Lakes of Switzerland and Italy
Join us on this exciting tour through Switzerland and Italy. Visit picturesque medieval towns, taste some delicious cheese and Swiss Ccocolate, enjoy cruises on famous lakes such as Lake Thun or Lake Maggiore and participate in a train ride through the Alps.
Suggested Programme
Day 1
Arrival in the Bern/Spiez/Thun/Brienz area and overnight.
Day 2
Free time to explore the area. We recommend a visit to the well-known picturesque medieval town of Gruyères, situated at the foot of the Alps, which has given its name to the area and to its delicious cheese you can taste at the local cheese factory, La Maison du Gruyère. Why not add a visit to Maison Cailler in Broc, to learn more about Swiss chocolate? Not too far, in Corsier-sur-Vevey on the banks of Lake Geneva, Chaplin’s World awaits, a museum dedicated to Charlie Chaplin and housed in the villa he lived in from 1953 to his death in 1977. On the way back, you can also visit Bern, Switzerland’s beautiful de facto capital, or Fribourg, a very diverse town offering visitors the medieval splendour of its historic old town, the buzz of the modern-day city, a dynamic student community, a thriving arts scene and a breath-taking surrounding landscape.
Alternatively, the famous town of Interlaken, nestled between the lakes of Thun and Brienz, is also well worth a visit.
Day 3
Enjoy a cruise on Lake Thun before boarding the “Green Train” that takes you through the Alps and across the Italian border to Domodossola. Continue on to your hotel in the Baveno/Lake Maggiore area.
Day 4
Explore Lake Maggiore today with a private boat and tour guide. Visit the magnificent Isola Bella, well-deserving of its name “beautiful island”. Admire the Borromeo family’s palace with its wonderful art collection and its spectacular garden. Continue on to Isola dei Pescatori, “fishermen’s island”, with its charming little streets. Afterwards return to the mainland and head to the elegant town of Stresa, full of impressive palaces and little boutiques.
Day 5
Day at leisure.
Optional excursion to Lake Orta:
With your private tour guide explore Lake Orta, the jewel of Piedmont. Enjoy the beautiful landscape on a boat trip from Pettenasco to Isola San Giulio (St. Julius Island). There you can visit the basilica and walk through the silent streets. Continue by boat to the town of Orta San Giulio and visit the town centre. In the afternoon, take the boat back to Pettenasco and head to a nearby winery for a guided tour and a tasting of typical local products – including the wine, of course!
Optioinal excursion to Centovalli:
With your private tour guide make your way to Domodossola. From here, the little Centovalli Train will take you over 83 bridges and through 31 tunnels through the picturesque area on the border of Italy and Switzerland. Your journey will take you through Vigezzo Valley and past the basilica of Madonna del Sangue and the town of Santa Maria Maggiore. Continue through Centovalli to Locarno for a guided tour before you return to the hotel.
Day 6
Leave Lake Maggiore and make your way past beautiful Lake Como to the town of Tirano. Enjoy some free time for lunch and to explore, before boarding the famous Bernina Express which will take you along one of the world’s most scenic train routes via Poschiavo and St. Moritz to Chur. Transfer to the hotel in the Flims/Chur area.
Day 7
Departure.
Optional add-on: Glacier Express
Want more trains and spectacular views? Why not add the Glacier Express to the itinerary? Board the famous Swiss train in Chur and make your way through the Swiss Alps to the village of Andermatt. Afterwards head to Interlaken for some free time and then on to your hotel in the Bern/Spiez/Thun/Brienz area for the final night.
Included Services:
- 2 nights incl. HB and local tax in a middle-class hotel in the Bern/Spiez/Thun/Brienz area
- 1 x Boat tour on Lake Thun
- 1 x Train Thun/Spiez – Domodossola (one-way, 2nd class)
- 3 nights incl. HB in a middle-class in the Baveno/Lake Maggiore area
- 1 x Private English speaking tour guide for full day tour on Lake Maggiore incl. Isola Bella, Isola dei Pescatori and Stresa
- 1 x Private boat on Lake Maggiore (excl. disembarkation tax)
- 1 x Admission to Borromeo Palace and garden on Isola Bella
- 1 x Bernina Express Tirano – Chur (one-way, 2nd class)
- 1 night incl. HB local tax in a middle-class hotel in the Flims/Chur area
Not Included:
- Local tax in Italy (approx. EUR 1.50-2.00 per person per night), payable on the spot
- Disembarkation tax on Borromean Island (approx. EUR 0.50 per person per island), payable on the spot
Optional Extras:
- Admission to La Maison du Gruyère
- Admission to Maison Cailler
- Admission to Chaplin’s World
- Excursion to Lake Orta incl. English speaking tour guide, boat trip on Lake Orta (from/to Pettenasco) and a visit to a winery incl. tasting
- Excursion to Centovalli incl. English speaking tour guide and ticket for the Centovalli Train (Domodossola – Locarno, one-way, 2nd class)
- Add-on Glacier Express incl. ticket for the Glacier Express (Chur – Andermatt, one-way, 2nd class) and 1 night’s accommodation incl. HB and local tax in a middle-class hotel in the Bern/Spiez/Thun/Brienz area
Note:
The tour can also be arranged in the opposite direction, i.e. starting in the Flims/Chur area and ending in the Bern/Spiez/Thun area.
Contact
Eurotours Ges.m.b.H.
Kirchberger Str. 8
A-6370 Kitzbühel
Phone: +43 (0)5356 606 0
gruppenreisen@eurotours.at
Membership
Member of VERKEHRSBUERO
