Switzerland for First Timers - 4 Star (Tour code: 13003)
Montreux
Highlights
Visit either Mount Rigi, the Queen of the Mountains, or Mount Pilatus, the Dragon Mountain, as part of our included Freedom of Choice activity.
Stroll through the Old Town of Lucerne with its charm, culture and beautiful designed buildings. The Old Town is very easy to walk through with plenty of restaurants and cafes.
Journey along the Golden Pass route, a panoramic train route over the Brünig Pass to Interlaken.
Interlaken is the gateway to the Jungfrau Region. Enjoy a self guided excursion to the Jungfraujoch, Europe's highest railway station where snow and ice awaits.
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Discover the heart of Switzerland on this exhilarating, 8-day rail package. Lucerne is a picturesque town located on the banks of Lake Lucerne. Explore the town’s popular landmarks including the Chapel Bridge, one of Europe’s oldest wooden bridges. From Lucerne, enjoy a visit to Mount Rigi, the ‘Queen of the Mountains’ or Mount Pilatus, the ‘Dragon Mountain’. Your epic journey continues as you board the Golden Pass en route to Interlaken.
From Interlaken, journey to Jungfraujoch by rail, Switzerland’s crowning jewel. Enjoy Lake Brienz, set amid spectacular mountain scenery or Schiltorn where you can see the finest views of Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau!
Your Golden Pass itinerary continues to Montreux, a charming resort town located on the shores of Lake Geneva. Visit the famous landmark, the Chillon Castle or soak in the panoramic views at Rochers-de-Naye.
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Inclusions
Our Freedom of Choice program offers flexibility, by allowing you to choose from different options on pre-selected days.
Our per person price includes one tour on each Freedom of Choice day, as follows:
- One "Freedom of Choice" tour on day 2
- One "Freedom of Choice" tour on day 5
- One "Freedom of Choice" tour on day 7
Expand the itinerary below for more details.
Please note, if more than one room is selected during the booking process, our team will contact you afterwards to discuss options.
Itinerary
Day 1 Lucerne
Arrival in Switzerland. Individual arrival in Lucerne by train.
Lucerne is quintessential Switzerland – the town, the lake, the mountains. A charming unique town where avant-garde architecture and historic monuments stand side by side and hidden paths of the Old Town suddenly open up to reveal the beauty of famous Lake Lucerne itself.
Depending on arrival late afternoon stroll through Lucerne.
Overnight stay in Lucerne in a 4-Star Hotel.
Day 2 Lakes & Mountains
Breakfast at your hotel and enjoy your pre-seletced Freedom of Choice tour.
Overnight stay in Lucerne in a 4-Star Hotel.
Freedom of Choice Options
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Mount Pilatus self guided excursion:
A visit to Lucerne’s house mountain, Mount Pilatus, the ‘Dragon Mountain’. By boat across the lake to Alpnachstad and on to the world’s steepest cogwheel railway to Pilatus Kulm. Enjoy the overwhelming mountain panorama whilst soaking up the rays on the sun terrace. Explore the dragon trail or flower path and return by a set of gondolas back down to Lucerne and by bus back to the centre of Lucerne.
OR
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Mount Rigi self guided excursion:
A visit to Mount Rigi – 'Queen of the Mountains’. From Lucerne board a vintage paddle steamer (summer) to Vitznau, where you will be taken to Rigi Kulm via the cogwheel railway. The mountain is perfect for walks and mountain hikes with well sign-posted routes. The wonderful Alpine flora and magnificent views will delight. Return by train via Arth Goldau back to Lucerne.
Day 3 Golden Pass Route Interlaken
Breakfast at your hotel.
Journey along the Golden Pass Route. The panoramic journey over the Brünig Pass to Interlaken with its beautiful views will make 2 hours fly by. Enjoy the views from the comfort of your seats through panorama windows.
Afternoon – time for a stroll through this famous resort.
Our tip: Away from the popular main road - discover the quieter more historic part of Interlaken called "Unterseen’.
Overnight stay in Interlaken in a 4-Star Hotel.
Day 4 Jungfraujoch Excursion
Breakfast at your hotel.
Famous Jungfraujoch Excursion. Interlaken is the gateway to the Jungfrau Region characterised by flower strewn meadows, crystal clear mountain lakes, the sound of cow bells and snow covered mountain peaks.
Enjoy your flexible, self-guided excursion to the Jungfraujoch, Europe’s highest railway station at 3,454m where snow and ice await. We recommend planning in a full day. In the summer – at the top – you can join the snow fun park (supplement), you are also able to stop in the picturesque villages on the way up or down. There is also the choice of going up by train all the way (2 changes) or take part of the journey with the brand new (opening Dec 2020) V-Cableway from Grindelwald to station Eigergletscher.
Overnight stay in Interlaken in a 4-Star Hotel.
Day 5 Interlaken
Breakfast at your hotel. A day of adventure awaits with your pre-selected Freedom of Choice tour.
Overnight stay in Interlaken in a 4-Star Hotel.
Freedom of Choice Options
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James Bond Schilthorn self guided excursion:
It has been over 50 years since the iconic James Bond movie ‘On Her Majesty’s Secret Service’ was filmed on the Schilthorn, but the memories are still alive. Experience the 2,970 m high mountain with its 360-degree panoramic views, James Bond memorabilia and interactive displays. Enjoy a spectacular cable car ride to the top, lunch at the revolving restaurant, 007 Walk of fame and interactive indoor attractions. This excursion can easily be combined with at a stop at the spectacular Trümmelbach glacier falls (sup. Payable locally) in the Lauterbrunnen Valley.
OR
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Jetboat on Lake Brienz self guided excursion (Apr-Oct):
Take a seat in Switzerland’s first commercial jetboat, offering an exhilarating ride on the turquoise blue Lake Brienz with a backdrop of snow-covered mountain peaks. See the majestic 500m Giessbach Waterfalls and learn some stories of the regions from your driver. (April - October)
Day 6 Golden Pass Belle Epoque Montreux
Breakfast at your hotel.
Continue on the GoldenPass from Interlaken via Zweisimmen to Montreux.
The highlight of the Golden Pass route will take you along the crystal blue lake of Thun and through the green rolling hills of the Simmental before slowly winding down through golden green vineyards to the shores of Lake Geneva. Experience the ‘golden age’ of travel in special carriages decked out in belle époque style.
Overnight stay in Montreux in a 4-Star Hotel.
Day 7 Montreux
Breakfast at your hotel. Enjoy your pre-selected Freedom of Choice tour.
Overnight stay in Montreux in a 4-Star Hotel.
Freedom of Choice Options
-
Chillon Castle self guided visit & Wine Tasting at Chexbres:
The Swiss Riviera has much to offer but a visit to this region would not be complete without visiting its famous landmark ‘Chillon Castle’ and to taste some of the delightful wine grown in this area. The Swiss famously do not export their wines as their production just about covers the needs of the local population.
We recommend visiting Chillon Castle in the morning, taking the lake steamer to Vevey and continuing by train to Chexbres in the late afternoon for the wine tasting.
OR
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Rochers-de-Naye self guided excursion:
Rochers-de-Naye, Montreux’s local mountain stands at 2,042m above sea level and offers spectacular views over Lake Geneva and the Alps, a species rich Alpine garden with beautiful examples of Alpine flora and a Marmot’s Paradise where you can obvserve these shy creatures. Half day excursion.
Our Tip: Have lunch on the way down at the middle station Haut-de-Caux at restaurant Le Coucou– a typical rustic Swiss mountain restaurant in a chalet-style building with open fire place.
Day 8 Montreux
Breakfast at the hotel.
Today your journey ends. Individual return to your ending point in Switzerland.
Optional Extras
Upgrade to 1st Class Rail
Upgrade your rail ticket to 1st Class.
Prices are dynamic based on travel dates. Please proceed to Book Now or Contact Us for details.
Additional information
- We work with a selection of hotels in each location. All bookings are subject to availability, which means our team will confirm your specific hotels upon confirmation and payment of deposit. The package price is based on 4-star accommodation.
- Blackout Dates: 25 June 2023 - 11 July 2023
- Swiss Travel Pass in 2nd class covers unlimited travel by train, bus and boat from days 1-8
- This is a self-guided/independent package.
Excluded
- International airfares and taxes
- Domestic airfares and taxes, unless otherwise specified in our holiday package
- Visa expenses, processing and issuance fees
- Meals other than as specified in our holiday package
- Travel Insurance or expenses of a personal nature (mini-bar, phone call, laundry, etc.),
- Tips or gratuities to guides, drivers, porters, hotel, restaurant or boat staff, etc.
- Or any other travel expense that has not been included in our holiday package
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In some cases, we are the sole representative in Australia for the overseas travel operator. In other circumstances the product developed has been exclusively built for Entire Travel Group and can’t be found elsewhere.
What’s unique about Entire Travel Group Holiday Packages?
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Look for packages with our Peace of Mind Booking Plan logo on the website.
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What is Freedom of Choice?
At Entire Travel Group we understand that our customers have their own personal tastes and interests - so throughout our packages look for “Freedom of Choice” which gives you the ability to tailor your holiday from the various experiences offered on selected days. Like a sommelier matching wine to a meal, we have used our experience to carefully select and offer the right experiences in each location.
The Freedom of Choice options are included in the package price, and the price remains the same regardless of the choice you make on each day.
Our Freedom of Choice program offers flexibility, by allowing you to choose from different options on pre-selected days in the itinerary.
- Our per person price includes one tour on each Freedom of Choice day in the itinerary.
- The price of the package remains the same regardless of the choice you make on each day.
For more details please visit - Freedom of Choice | Entire Travel Group
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On some Islands Holiday Packages (e.g. Fiji), it is practical to include flights, so where we have done this it is indicated by the plane icon.
However, on the majority of our Holiday Packages, we do not include international flights.
We found that many customers may prefer to:
- Travel on a specific airline of their choice
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- Select flight dates that may be different to our Holiday Package start/end dates
- Use a Travel Credit already held with the airline
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We are able to assist with flights on any Holiday Package, so please just notify us during the Book Now process or contact our team.
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Travel insurance is strongly recommended. During the Book Now process please confirm you require assistance, and our team will be in contact with you.
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