Swiss Christmas Holiday

Your tour commences this evening in Zurich.  The shopping is excellent, and there is so much to see including Zurich’s Christkindlmarkt at the main train station.  One of the largest indoor Christmas Markets in Europe, they are famous for their massive, illuminated Christmas Tree.  If you have time prior to the tour commencing, we recommend you visit them!  Join us tonight for a welcome drink before dinner. This is an ideal chance to meet, and get to know, your Tour Manager and fellow travellers.

After a leisurely start we will board a train to begin our journey deep into the Bernese Oberland.  At Interlaken we change trains and ride into the mountains and up to the classic ski resort town of Wengen, where we spend the next 6 nights over Christmas. Wengen is a world-renowned ski resort town, with a main pedestrian street lined with shops, bars, cafes and restaurants. Wengen makes a great base for our adventures over the next five days, and our excellent hotel is superbly located in the heart of town and directly beside the massive mountain rail and cable car system. You will be astounded by the sheer grandeur of the mountain scenery that surrounds you over Christmas in Wengen. The hills are alive with the sound of people playing in the snow. Funicular trains and aerial cable cars whisk pedestrians as well as avid skiers to mountain restaurants and viewpoints all over the snow laden paradise. During your stay in Wengen, we have included a 5-day mountain pass which will give you unlimited access to a host of cable cars and mountain train rides all through the immediate region.  

What a day in the mountains! Let’s start with the big stuff – the Jungfraujoch.
Boarding a funicular train, we climb through dramatic scenery high up into the soaring mountains to Kleine Scheidegg, which sits astride a mountain ridge shadowed by some of Europe’s highers peaks. Changing trains, we soon enter a 7 km long tunnel which takes us deep into the mountains, up through the inside of the north face of the Eiger, and on up to the Jungfraujoch – the highest rail station in Europe. At 3,454 metres (11,332 ft) the views down onto the Aletsch Glacier are magnificent. Named ‘The Top of Europe’, you will find several restaurants, an Ice Palace and the Lindt Swiss Chocolate Heaven display. There is a fascinating mountain museum, and you can also take a lift another 100 metres higher to the dramatic Sphinx lookout point. The views are stupendous. On the way back you can stop and explore the ski hub of Kleine Scheidegg, before descending in your own time back down to pretty Wengen. Here’s a tip – At Kleine Scheidegg you will find the classic Hotel Bellevue des Alpes, a grand nineteenth century hotel, with a huge panoramic terrace facing the infamous north face of the Eiger. There is no greater pleasure than to sit there with a hot chocolate and a steaming apple strudel taking in mountain views that go on forever. What a classic day! The rest of your day is ‘My Time’ to relax and enjoy the stunning scenery which surrounds you.

Today is entirely free for you to and do as little or as much as you want to do.   Remember we have included a mountain pass and so why not join your Tour Manger for a fantastic day exploring the superb snow drenched mountains and resorts that surround you. From Wengen we will take the cable car up the sheer cliff face to the Männlichen, with its magical mountain top restaurant complex.  From there the new 6.2 km long express cable car will whisk you down – it takes 19 minutes! – to the other side of the valley to the famous ski resort town of Grindelwald. Filled with hotels, cafes and shops, it makes a great stop.   If you want you can also catch another cable car up the other side of the mountain to ‘First’ to enjoy the cliff hanging lookouts. Your pass also includes the ‘First Flyer’, where you swoop down the valley in a giant eagle shaped, mountain zip line. It is very easy and so much fun! There is so much more you can do, and your Tour Manager will be on hand to help you.

This morning we catch the train to Interlaken. Nestled between two lakes, and surrounded by beautiful countryside, Interlaken makes a great place for some last-minute Christmas shopping. This evening we have included a special Christmas Eve Dinner in our hotel in Wengen.

A leisurely start here in ‘our’ picturesque ski village of Wengen. First, we don snowshoes and, splitting into smaller groups, we enjoy a guided snowshoe walk into the snow laden fields. It’s so easy to do, and it is a magical mountain experience as you walk over the top of thick banks of snow. Later, we visit the ice-skating rink to try your hand at the fun sport of Ice Curling!  Your afternoon is completely free - ‘My Time’ to relax in pretty Wengen. This evening dinner is included in your hotel.

Passing through the delightful village of Lauterbrunnen, flanked by 300 metres (1,000 ft) high, sheer cliffs, we take the cable car from Stechelberg up the rockface to the pretty village of Mürren. Here we take the incredible cable car up to the glass floored observation deck of the Birg restaurant. Around the entire peak is the Skyline Thrill Walk – a metal walkway suspended over a sheer drop below. Thrilling indeed! Then onwards and upwards by cable car to the Piz Gloria, a revolving restaurant set on top of the Schilthorn summit. With astonishing 360-degree views we have included a buffet lunch. This was also the setting for the evil Blofeld’s secret mountain hideout in the James Bond film ‘On Her Majesty’s Secret Service’. Make sure you visit Spyworld and the ‘Walk of Fame’ that pays tribute to the cast and behind-the-scenes contributors to the iconic movie.  Back in Murren, at the far end of the village, we catch a little mountain train to Grutschalp, then a cable car back down to Lauterbrunnen, and then on home to Wengen. What else would you possibly want to do on Boxing Day?

On your two-hour train ride to Luzern you will experience some spectacular Swiss scenery through large panoramic windows.  The journey will take you along the shores of crystal-clear lakes (no less than five!), past romantic waterfalls and over the magnificent Brünig mountain pass. Arriving at Luzern we will have a brief walking tour of the old city with its covered wooden bridges, before enjoying an afternoon at leisure. ‘My Time’ in an iconic Swiss lakeside town. Tonight, we enjoy a farewell dinner.  

Your Christmas tour comes to a close and it is time to say farewell. Why not join us for New Year in  Germany, Italy or Austria? Our exciting New Year tours have been specially designed to start as this Christmas Holiday ends.