BEST OF THE WEST
On this exciting five day round trip you will experience the best that western and central Switzerland has to offer. Get close to some of the most iconic and popular mountains of the Swiss Alps like the Matterhorn and the Eiger. Stroll through Switzerland’s capital and the medieval town of Gruyère while enjoying the taste of original Swiss chocolate and cheese.
Overview
Travel type: Comfort
Fitness Level: Easy
Visa: Switzerland
What is included?
Stay in typical Swiss or historic hotels.
Single bedroom on demand
Easy walks and hikes for nearly every fitness level.
Transport via car, train or cable car
Transport
Hotels incl. breakfast
Guide
Tripdescription
Day 1: Geneva → Les Diablerets
We start the day with a guided city walk through Geneva before the minibus takes us to the UNESCO world heritage site Lavaux, 830 hectares of terraced vineyards. After that we head to Montreux where you will have some free time for lunch and a stroll through this famous town, before we make our way to the medieval Chillon castle. We spend the first night in a small village in the middle of the Alps.
Day 2: Les Diablerets → Zermatt
No matter what time of the year, this day starts with an average temperature of 18° celsius in the Bex Salt Mines, a vast underground labyrinth. After a quick stop in Sion to visit the Castle of Tourbillon and the Valère Basilica we make our way to the car-free town of Zermatt, located at the foot of the Matterhorn. Here you can choose between some leisure time, an easy guided hike to the beautiful Gorner gorge or you can explore the Matterhorn via helicopter (optional).
Day 3: Zermatt → Lauterbrunnen
The peak lift takes us up to the 360º viewing platform on Europe’s highest mountain station 'Klein Matterhorn', from where you can see 38 four-thousand-meter peaks and 14 glaciers. A must-see is also Zermatt’s glacier paradise. Our Minibus then takes us into the valley of the 72 waterfalls, the Lauterbrunnen valley. To round off this ‘mountain day’ we take the cable car up to Männlichen to enjoy the stunning view of the famous Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau.
Day 4: Lauterbrunnen → Gruyères
We leave Lauterbrunnen behind us while we pass the beautiful Lake Thun and continue towards Bern. The bear is not only the symbol of the capital, bears actually live in the city. At lunch time you can enjoy leisure time where there are many things to do like visiting the Parliament, one of many museums, the Einstein House or the Rose Gardens. Before we head to our last overnight stay in the medieval town of Gruyère we visit the Cailler chocolate factory, not only to learn more about the history of this Swiss tradition, but we will of course also taste some original Swiss chocolate.
Day 5: Gruyères → Geneva
Our last day starts with a visit of a typical alpine cheesery. Watch how cheese is made and taste this Swiss speciality. One more time you will get deep into the mountains by taking one of Switzerland's most scenic railways - the Golden Pass - back to Montreux from where we head to our last stop, the Chalet de la Combe Gelée. Here you get the best view on the Lac Leman and the Alps and enjoy one last dinner before we head back to Geneva.