Christmas Markets: Swiss Tour

Flight departs from the US. Schedule your flight to arrive by 9:00 AM on December 1st.

You will be met at the airport and transferred to our hotel in Zürich. After checking into the hotel and group orientation we will spend the remainder of the day in Zürich. We will take in Europe’s largest indoor Christmas Market and afterward take a tour of the historic heart of Zürich. Then it’s off to dinner and back to the hotel for a good night's sleep.

We will hop on a train and head to Switzerland third largest city Basel, but our first stop will be the charming city of Baden. Nestled along the Limmat river this city is a great morning stop on our way to Basel. We will then take the train from there to Basel which borders both Germany and France with the beautiful Rhine River crossing through the city. Basel’s Christmas Market will have a noticeable French and German influence. We will spend much of our day in Basel’s old marketplace and visit the nearby cathedrals. Basel offers several different markets throughout the city along with museums and Cathedrals. It will make for a really great day!

Today we will head to Eastern Switzerland to the city of St. Gallen with it's quaint old town and historic abbey and library. After our morning in St. Gallen we will leave the country of Switzerland for the rest of day and head to Konstanz, Germany. This beautiful city is nestled along the lakeshores of Lake Konstanz. The large outdoor Christmas Market will be sure to take your breath away. We will stroll through the market and take the sounds, sights, and smells of this traditional German Christmas Market. In the evening we will head back to Zurich for the night.

Today we will travel along Lake Zurich with our first stop at the Lindt Chocolate Factory. We will then head up into the enchanting village of Einsiedeln. The world famous monastery towers over the church square is the perfect backdrop for one of Switzerland's best Christmas markets. After enjoying our time in the market and viewing the monastery and church we will hop on a train toward the lake village of Rapperswil, here we will enjoy dinner and views of Lake Zurich.

Today we say goodbye to Zürich and hello to the spectacular Berner Oberlands. We will start our day with a morning Temple session at the Berne Temple. We will then head into the capital of Switzerland to the city of Bern. Here we will take in the incredible sights of this medieval city. With its sandstone cover arcades and towering cathedrals you feel as though you walked back in time. We will see the Parliament Building, Zytglock Clock Tower, and 3 different Christmas Markets. After visiting the markets in Berne we will head to our hotel and enjoy an evening meal together.

We will start our day with morning church in the Interlaken Ward. After church we will head to the city of Thun, nestled on a lake with the Berner Oberland Alps surrounding it. We will enjoy lunch here and take in the city and their Christmas Market. We will then visit the city of Interlaken and take in some of the shopping that is offered there. After our group dinner we will head back up to our hotel

We will spend the day visiting the charming villages of Murren, Lauterbrunnen, and Gimmelwald. We will travel to Lauterbrunnen Valley, known for its 72 cascading waterfalls off the valley cliff sides. Here we will take a cable car up to the cliffside villages of Murren and Gimmelwald. Our views of the big three Alps Eiger, Monch, and Jungfrau will be breathtaking. We will enjoy lunch here and take in the spectacular view. We will then take the cable car back down the cliff side and board the Wengernalpbahn train up the mountain side, this will take us to the village of Wengen. This car-free village perched atop the cliff side offers commanding views of the Lauterbrunnen Valley with its steep cliff sides and cascading waterfalls. We will enjoy a lovely dinner in the village that evening.

Today will be our last full day as a group. We will climb aboard one of Switzerland's classic scenic trains, the GoldenPass Line. This 2-hour train ride along Lake Brienz and the surrounding alps will be one of the most amazing train rides you will ever have. Our final destination will be the city of Luzern, nestled beneath the Alps and along the shores of Lake Luzern. We will explore the Christmas Market along with several cathedrals, the wooden bridges, and the famous Lion’s Monument. We will then head to Zurich to check into our hotel and have our final dinner together. We will share all our wonderful memories we have created as a group and prepare for our journey home on the next day

Say our goodbyes to Switzerland as we catch a morning shuttle bus to the airport.