Day 1: Following your early morning taxi pick up, we join our platinum executive tour coach and head to Kent for our short sea crossing to France. Upon our arrival we continue our journey through the French countryside to our overnight hotel, the Mercure Hotel Saarbruken Sud on a dinner, bed & breakfast basis.
Day 2: This morning we depart our overnight hotel and continue our journey through France passing through the Alsace region and breaking our journey in the popular wine town of Riquewihr, a medieval town right in the heart of the Alsatian vineyards, classified as one of the most beautiful villages in France. For centuries this magnificent town has managed to combine the quality of its architecture with the quality of its world-famous wines, from where it gets its nickname “The Gem of the Alsace Vineyards”.
After some free time we continue our journey crossing the border into Switzerland and the little village of Fluelli- Ranft, where we find our hotel for the next 3 nights, The hotel Paxmontana, on a dinner, bed & breakfast basis.
Day 3: Today we take a leisurely drive to the lakeside city of Lucerne. This compact city sits amid snow-capped mountains on the banks of beautiful Lake Lucerne. The colourful Altstadt (Old Town) has many historic houses with frescoes lining the picturesque squares and surrounded by the 14th century ramparts. The famous centrepiece of the city is the medieval, covered Kapellbrücke (Chapel Bridge), this wooden bridge, said to the oldest in Europe, and links the Old Town to the right bank of the River Reuss. You will have some free time to explore before we board our boat which will take us to the foot of Mount Pilatus. From here we take the worlds steepest cogwheel railway to the summit of Mount Pilatus with its fantastic views over the whole region. After some free time to admire the views, we descend the mountain and make our way back to the hotel.
Day 4: More picturesque scenery today as we drive into the Bernese Oberland, Switzerland’s Alpine Paradise. Leaving our hotel we drive over the Brunig Pass to Brienz, on the banks of the Lake bearing its name, where you can enjoy some free time to look around the town or relax by the blue waters of the lake.
We then drive along the shores of Lake Brienz to Interlaken and Wilderswil where we join the Schynige Platte Railway. With its restored carriages, it is hauled up the mountain by vintage train engines. Enjoy the views as we scale the mountain and see some of Switzerland’s most iconic mountains including the Eiger and the Jungfrau.
Day 5: This morning we depart the Glacier Hotel and we head to Brig for the highlight of the tour, a ride on the famous Glacier Express. Whilst we are onboard, we will enjoy one of the most scenic experiences, as the ‘slowest express train’ travels over the Oberalp and Furka mountain passes, and delves into the Rhine Gorge. The panoramic carriages provide a front row seat to the ‘Swiss Grand Canyon’, as we see waterfalls, ravines and dazzling views. After a journey of roughly 3.5 hours, we arrive in the charming town of Chur, where we re-join the coach and travel to Feldkirch and our hotel for the next 3 nights - The Weisses Kreuz on a dinner bed and breakfast basis. On our arrival we are greeted with a welcome drink while our luggage is taken to our rooms.
Day 6: After a traditional breakfast we take a short local bus ride to join our guide in the centre of Feldkirch for a leisurely guided walking tour. Feldkirch is an enchanting town on the border between Austria, Liechtenstein and Switzerland and is the second largest town in the Vorarlberg region. The history of this amazing medieval town dates back to the 1200’s with the creation of Schattenburg Castle and the town has seen numerous battles including the Battle of Feldkirch in 1799 between the Austrian and French military. Several remaining sections of the city walls and guard towers can still be seen, and the Katzenturm is one of the finest and most complete examples. This defensive tower stands at over 8 stories high and was built during the Habsburgs reign between 1491-1507 by King Maximillian I as part of the towns fortifications. At the top of the tower hangs the huge 8573kg Katzenturm bell which was added in 1857 and is still rung once a week to this day.
After our guided tour we include entry to Schattenburg Castle Museum. Originally a residence of the Earls of neighbouring Bregenz for over 200 years, the castle then changed ownership to the mighty Habsburg leaders who ruled over the estate until the late 1700’s. The beautiful building with its white walls and brown tiled roofs stands out in Feldkirch and the museum and restaurant inside are of particularly good quality. The museum is split into several different themed rooms, all of which have been restored and feature historical furniture and architecture. After your visit the afternoon is free in Feldkirch.
Day 7: Today we have a full day excursion through the Bregenzerwald. We drive through the Gross Walsertal before we arrive in Bregenzerwald which was nominated as a World’s cultural heritage by UNESCO. Whilst here we have a visit to a traditional cheesemaker. After our visit you have some free time where you may wish to take a ride on the cable car up to Diedamskopf (not included) before our visit to a Schnapps Distillery, where you will see and taste the processing of local fruits. We then continue our journey to Schwarzenberg where you can see the this beautiful village with its spectacular wooden houses, before we enjoy traversing the breath-taking Bodelpass. Where you will get marvellous views over Lake Constance.
Day 8: This morning we bid farewell to our hotel as we head back through Switzerland, where we make a brief stop at the Rhine Falls in Schaffhausen. The Rhine falls are one of the most powerful waterfalls on the main land in Europe. Visitors can walk around the basin, cross the bridge above the Rhine Falls to the 'Känzeli' observation platform, a most spectacular viewpoint built directly beside the water. We then continue our journey crossing into Germany, and making our way through the Black Forest, back into France as we head for our overnight hotel.
Day 9: This morning we continue our journey back home with our crossing to Dover, before heading back to Norfolk where our door to door taxi service will be waiting to take you home.
Holiday Information:
8 Nights Dinner, Bed & Breakfast
Price: £1972pp
Single Supplement: £250
Tour Reference: EUR1897
Deposit Required: £70pp
Balance Due: 10 weeks prior to departure
This tour will be undertaken in one of our Platinum luxury executive coaches. You will have extended leg room, airline style seats with adjustable headrests and USB charging points, along with all the facilities present on our executive touring vehicles.