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Swiss Alps & Lakes

This Grand Tour of western Switzerland leads you on a tour of discovery through this fascinating country, one of Europe’s most beautiful. An outstanding route takes you through some of the country’s most stunning regions, with spectacular views from amazing mountain passes and scenic routes. Discover vibrant cities, charming villages, gin-clear lakes and stunning mountain views. A magnificent holiday and driving experience – and a concentration of all things Swiss.

Switzerland may be small, but it packs a lot into its land-locked, peaceful borders. The country is as famed for its independence and neutrality as it is for its chocolate and cheese, and as renowned for its astonishingly beautiful scenery as for its cleanliness, clockwork efficiency and welcoming, friendly, hospitable people. But Switzerland is, of course, synonymous too with its towering Alps and mighty glaciers. Iconic mountain slopes give way to gentler valleys with green pastures dotted with tiny chalets, where the only sound is the soft tinkling of cowbells. Water torrents plunging down to valley floors turn into winding streams that flow through rich, flower-filled meadows. Wherever you go, the scenery is truly magnificent.

Tour Highlights

  • Drive stunning alpine passes including the Tremola, Susten, Furka and Grimsel passes
  • Stay in exquisite hotels – all luxurious, unique and very special
  • See the beautiful lakes of Neuchatel, Murten, Gruyères, Thunersee, Brienz and Geneva/Leman, among others
  • Gaze upon the incredible Swiss Alps, including the peaks of the Matterhorn, Eiger and Mont Blanc
  • Visit the famous cheese-producing areas of Gruyères and Emmental, among others
  • Taste the perfect cheese fondue
  • Visit the fabulous Maison Cailler world of chocolate
  • Travel to Europe’s highest train station at Jungfraujoch
  • Explore the medieval hilltop village of Gruyères
  • Discover Hallwyl Castle, one of Switzerland’s most important moated castles
  • Fascinating, historic cities of Neuchâtel, Fribourg, the capital Bern, Luzern/Lucerne, and Lausanne
  • Drive through the enchanting vineyards and wine-growing villages that border Lake Geneva
  • Explore the famous alpine resorts of Gstaad, Zermatt & Villars

 

Tour Map

Itinerary

Day 1:  Arrive in Neuchatel, Switzerland

This tour starts in Switzerland. Arrive in Neuchatel, a town at the foot of the Jura Mountains on the French border, on the shores of its eponymous lake. Stay overnight in a fabulous hotel, which is on the very edge of the lake, and rooms are built out over the water, affording superb views of the lake and the Alps beyond, stretching from the Eiger to Mont Blanc. Enjoy a fabulous dinner in the excellent restaurant overlooking Lake Neuchatel.

Day 2:  Gruyeres Cheese & Cailler Chocolates

80 Miles

Drive across to Murten, a beautiful medieval town on the shores of Murtensee. Enjoy a stroll around the old walls, under the decorated arcades, or a coffee by the lake.  Continue along the lake edge to Avenches, famed for its Roman Amphitheatre.

Indulge yourself at the fabulous Maison Cailler chocolate factory, to see how chocolate is made. Then visit the beautiful medieval hilltop town of Gruyeres, which is also famed for its delicious cheese. Continue into the Alps to the beautiful village of Rougemont. Stay for the next two nights in a fabulous chalet-style hotel.

Day 3:  A circular tour from Rougemont

62 Miles

There are two journey options today, both the same distance.

The first option is to Gruyeres then traverse the Jaunpass, descend to Zweisimmen and along the valley to the chic mountain resort of Gstaad.

The second option includes Chateau d’Oex and then go over Col des Mosses and descend to the town of Aigle. The route then follows the famed Ollon-Villars hill-climb up to the alpine resort of Villars. Enjoy driving the passes of Col de la Croix to Les Diablerets followed by the Col du Pillon back to Gstaad and then Rougemont.

Day 4:  Bern & Emmental Cheese

93 Miles

Another scenic drive to Lake Thun and the town of Interlaken.

Drive along the north shore of Lake Thun to the Swiss capital of Bern and explore this delightful small city.

It’s a short distance to the Emmental Valley. Emmental is the world-famous ‘cheese with holes’ and there is the chance to see how the cheese is made at the demonstration dairy. Stay overnight in a beautiful 16th-century village hotel located in the scenic Emmental valley.

Day 5:  Visit Lucerne

129 Miles

Drive to the beautiful small city of Lucerne. Stroll along the world-famous Chapel Bridge and see the picturesque Old Town with its cafes and boutiques.

Wind around the north shore of Lake to the idyllic resort of Vitznau. Stay overnight in a beautiful lakeside hotel.

Day 6:  Swiss Army Knives & Andermatt

115 Miles

Drive along the lake shore to the town of Brunnen, home of the famous Victorinox Swiss Army knife. Discover the Visitor Centre and see how the knives are made.

Head up the Muotathal Valley to take a trip up the world’s steepest funicular railway.

It’s then a scenic drive around the mountains, past alpine farms, small villages and historic towns and over the Klausen Pass. Climb up to the town of Andermatt, where you will spend the next two nights in one of the world’s most luxurious hotels.

Day 7:  Superb Alpine Passes

100 Miles

After an incredibly indulgent breakfast enjoy a sensational circular drive taking you over some of Switzerland’s most fabulous mountain passes.

Day 8:  Furka Pass to Crans-Montana

123 Miles

Leave Andermatt and descend the incredible Furka Pass, immortalised by the car chase scene from James Bond’s Goldfinger.

Continue along the Rhone Valley, past the amazing Aletsch glacier, the longest glacier in the Alps at 23km long, to the beautiful and chic resort of Crans-Montana, where you will stay for two nights in a beautiful, five-star, traditional-style alpine hotel.

Day 9:  A Day to Relax in Crans Montana

A day at leisure to spend as you wish. Either relax in the village or maybe enjoy a walk around the area. There are some wonderful hikes in the alpine meadows above the town.

Day 10:  Lake Geneva, Montreux and Lausanne

89 Miles

Head down the valley to the historic town of Martigny, renowned for its Gallo-Romano remains, and also the Gianadda Foundations, a cultural centre which showcases over 50 classic and oldtimer cars.

Along the valley, in Aigle, there is another classic car museum, or continue to the lakeside town of Montreux. Here you can visit the medieval Chateau de Chillon, one of Switzerland’s most photographed subjects, or explore a museum dedicated to the legendary rock band, Queen, as this is where they created a major portion of their most successful albums.

Drive alongside Lake Geneva/Lac Leman to the gorgeous town of Vevey. Continue through the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Lavaux and its vineyards to Lausanne.

Stay for two nights in a sensationally luxurious lakeside hotel.

Day 11:  A day off to explore Lausanne

Enjoy a day off, exploring the lovely city of Lausanne. The town is built on a hill surrounded by vineyards, and it slopes down to the lake. On the opposite side of the French lake, are the impressive Savoy Alps.

The Old Town of Lausanne has imposing buildings dating back to the Middle Ages, and the beautiful Gothic Notre-Dame Cathedral. Or discover the Flon district, a former industrial area and now a meeting places full of cool bars, restaurants, galleries and trendy boutiques.

Day 12:  Drive along the Jura Mountains

104 Miles

From Lausanne drive along the lake then over the Jura Vaudois Natural Park, which is dotted with forests, jagged limestone rocks, glades, open pastures and lakes, and punctuated with gorges and mountains. The road leads to Le Sentier, which is a cradle of Swiss watch-making, especially grand complication watches. See the Clock & Watch Museum to discover this incredible craft and technology.

It’s then back to Neuchatel, where the tour started, for a final night at the amazing five-star lake-side hotel.

 

Day 13:  Depart for Home

Depart for home after breakfast. For those heading back to the UK there will be route options for both the quick motorway journey and for a longer, more scenic route to Calais.

Where we'll stay

We have hand-picked some sensational, beautiful and luxurious hotels that you’re going to love. There’s a modern and funky lake-side hotel, quintessentially traditional Swiss chalet hotels, a historic 16th-century castle, grand belle-epoque palaces, and exquisite mountain retreats. Each one is individual, unique, luxurious and fantastically memorable. Most of the hotels on this tour are five-star and truly exceptional.

Suitable parking is a feature of each hotel, although it’s not always covered or garage parking.

What's included

Requirements

Requirements

  • All passports must be valid for six months after the end of the tour. You will also need your vehicle registration documents, driving licence (a photo-card licence or international permit is best), and international insurance cover.
  • Please check with your travel and motor insurers that you are covered for travel in the required countries.
  • You are also required to carry a warning triangle, first-aid kit, two fluorescent jackets, set of replacement bulbs and a national identification sticker.
  • Each person must have a passport (and any necessary visas for non-EU passport holders) valid for Switzerland.

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