Best of Switzerland

Flight departs from the US. Schedule your flight to arrive by 9:00 AM on July 29th.

Upon your arrival into Switzerland we will be there at the airport to ensure you find your way to the hotel. After checking into our hotel in Zurich we will have a brief orientation and then hop on a train headed for the city center. You will see the beautiful city of Zurich which is the largest city in Switzerland. We will start this day with a ferry ride down the River Limmat, the ferry will glide down the river that winds through the city and out onto Lake Zurich. After our ferry ride we walk from the lake into the city where we will see 3 major cathedrals; Grossmunster, Fraumunster, and St. Peters. We will head up to the top of Lindenhof hill where we can take in the views of the city. The quaint back streets of Zurich will offer us a glimpse into the local life of Zurich. We will end our day with dinner together and stroll down the famous Bahnhofstrasse. We will do our

Friday July 30 : After our morning breakfast we will hop on a train headed for Eastern Switzerland and Konstanz, Germany. Our first stop will be the beautiful Unseco World Heritage city of St. Gallen. Here we will stroll through the amazing city center rich with history. We will visit the famous Abbey Library of Saint Gallus with a treasure of books dating back to the 8th century. After our visit to St. Gallen we will head to the historical city of Konstanz, Germany. This lakeside city gives us a chance to cross the border for the day and take in some real German culture. Konstanz is rich in historic significance for Europe and boasts one of the largest Old Towns considering the size of the city. We will visit several Cathedrals and view the beautiful art that is found throughout the city. After our full day in Germany we will head back to Zurich for dinner.

We say "goodbye" to the big city of Zurich and then make our journey into the Alps with our first stop at the city of Thun. It is here where we will walk along the Aare river that runs through the city. We will cross wooden covered bridges and explore the quaint old town with its towering castle. After time spent in the city Thun we will then go to our Alpine village and check into the hotel. Free time will given to the group before our evening dinner.

After attending church in the Interlaken ward we will visit the beautiful village of Grindelwald. Here we will stroll through this quaint Alpine village offering views of the Eiger, Pfingstegg, Wetterhorn, and two large glaciers. You can decide to finish up any souvenir shopping you may have or for a little more adventure you can either go down an Alpine Slide, ride a trotti bike, or take a Zip line down a mountain side. We will explore this beautiful valley and all that it has to offer. We will then head to Interlaken to take in the Swiss National Day Parade and events. Dinner will be back at the hotel tonight where we will watch fireworks and join in on the celebrations.

Village of Zermatt & Matterhorn. We are off to one of the most famous Swiss Alps known world wide, Matterhorn is our place of destination. We will leave early in the morning on a train heading through the beautiful mountain pass south towards Italy. We will arrive in the village of Zermatt, set at the foot of the mighty Matterhorn. We will board the famous cogwheel Gornergrat train that will take us slowly up the mountain side and offers unparalleled views of the Matterhorn. From the top viewing deck we enjoy lunch and try to take in the beautiful surrounding scenery. We will again board the Gornergrat Cogwheel train and head back down into the village of Zermatt. Along the way down will be an option for hiking for those who would like a little added adventure! Once back in the village we will walk through Zermatt and learn more about this old farming village and its rich history of becoming one of the world's most sought after vacation resorts. We will enjoy a tasty Swiss dinner that night and marvel over what we saw today! If the weather is not cooperating and Matterhorn is peaking out from the clouds we will replace our day trip to Zermatt with the famous train ride up the Schynige Platte.

Today we will head to the Swiss National Capital city of Bern. Our first stop will be Zollikofen, Switzerland and the Temple. After our session in the Temple we will head into the city of Bern. We will be busy on this day taking in all the sights of the Capitol. From the Parliament building, Kindlifresser Fountain, Switzerland's largest Cathedral, Zytglock, the Aare river, and the Bear viewing area. We will then board a train and head back to our Alpine village for the evening dinner.

TToday will be spent on Lake Thun with our first stop in the beautiful lakeside city of Oberhofen. Here we will visit the Castle Oberhofen on the water. We will have time to explore the castle and have lunch. We will then board a ferry across the lake to Spiez to visit another Castle there on the lake. We will continue working our way down the lake with its many beautiful sights before heading back to the village of Wengen. We will return to the village a little earlier today to do some souvenir shopping and to pack our bags for tomorrow's departure back to Zurich.

Today we say goodbye to the Berner Oberlands as we make our way back to Zurich via the city of Luzern, Switzerland. Considered one of the most beautiful cities in Switzerland, Luzern is certain to take your breath away. This charming Swiss city is found in the heart of Switzerland. We will take the famous Golden Pass Train from Interlaken to Luzern, this two hour train ride will be sure to take your breath away. After arriving in Luzern we will stroll down the Chapel Bridge, visit the Lions monument, enter several Cathedral, and lastly take in the beauty of Lake Luzern. We will end our day with dinner and reminisce about all we saw and did in Switzerland together.

Say our goodbye to Switzerland as we catch a morning Shuttle bus to the airport.