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| 7
Days Swiss Vista | 14
Days
Enchanting Switzerland | Tour
Schedule & Booking | Is this tour
for me? |
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10
Days / 9 Nights Swiss Spring
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Highlights
- Discover:
Zürich or Schaffhausen, Davos, Bellinzona, St Moritz, Engadin
village, Valley of Müstair, Appenzell, St. Gallen (or alpine
resort), Maienfeld, Feldkirch (Austria), Vaduz (Liechtenstein).
- Attractions:
- strawberry-picking in an organic orchard
- highest city in Europe
- lunch at a restaurant that was once an arsenal
- prettiest small town in Switzerland
- authentic & traditional Swiss town
- queen of the north-eastern Swiss Alps for a splendid view of 5
countries (optional)
- horse carriage ride through the villages in the picturesque
countryside (optional)
- mountain visit for a 360° panorama vista of the Swiss Alps in
Graubünden or view of 1000 summits (optional)
- Saturday morning market
- lunch picnic at a UNESCO World Heritage medieval castle compound
- Heidi village
- lunch in the knights' or hunters' room of a 600-year-old castle
- 6th smallest country in the world
- Top of Switzerland mountain visit to see the highest ice-packed
mountains in the Eastern Alps & glacier (optional)
- only duty-free oasis in Switzerland
- various outdoor & indoor alpine mountain spring mineral
thermal
pools (optional)
- 'balcony of Italy' - to see the highest & lowest points in
Switzerland, southern Swiss Alps & lake districts below
- factory outlet shopping with 160 factory stores, including
international designer labels
- unique UNESCO World Heritage library (optional)
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| Day
1 |
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Arrival
and pick up at Zürich airport / Zürich main train
station /
hotel in Zürich. Proceed to a charming medieval town in the
northern part of Switzerland, also known as 'the prettiest small town
in Switzerland' situated at the River Rhine. Walk along elegant
Bahnhofstrasse - a shopping stretch - and visit a very pretty
chocolate-cum-confectionery shop and a very well-known chocolate
boutique-cum-café. After that, walk through narrow lanes in
the
Old Town area where the largest clockface in Europe awaits you just
around the corner. Then take a walk up one of the twin towers of the
Grossmünster and have a bird's-eye view of the city of
Zürich
(optional).
A scenic drive along the Lake of Zürich, Lake Walen and the
majestic Churfirsten mountain range to the Holiday Corner of
Switzerland. Welcome to the land of 150 valleys, 615 alpine lakes and
937 mountain peaks. Pass the Heidi World, THE Pinot Noir region of
Switzerland and the oldest city in Switzerland. Continue to drive
through Graubünden, the most diversified and largest but the
least
densely populated canton of Switzerland, known for her widely untouched
landscapes and home to three of the four cultures of Switzerland.
Drive into the valley of castles & fortresses before checking into
your
hotel embedded at the foot of an inner alpine valley, also known as the
‘Orchard of Graubünden'. Here, in the geographic
heart of
the Alps, is the crossroads of the high and ancient alpine passes.
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(Note:
If you have been to Zürich, it might be
replaceable with Rhine Falls (largest waterfall in Europe) and
Schaffhausen where you discover the rare beauty and cultural diversity
of this charming town with its delightful countryside, situated along
the River Rhine next to Germany. The houses of the Old Town are richly
decorated with 171 oriels and valuable murals. Narrow streets invite
the visitor to stroll and shop, and the weather is warm enough, the
streets of the car-free town centers are transformed into pocket-size
Parisian boulevards. These historical treasures date back to the Middle
Ages. Optional: a visit to a majestic 16th century fortress.)
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| Day
2 |
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Appenzell: visit this lovely
canton known not
only for her beautiful countryside landscapes but also for her
specialties like cheese, milk, sausages, beer etc. The town is
yours to admire - typical Appenzeller houses that are beautifully
painted. (Optional: A gondola ride to the queen of the north-eastern
Swiss Alps, for a spectacular view of the Alps in 5 countries
or a
breath-taking vista of a sea of clouds over the valleys. Or visit
another nice nearby mountain. All depending on weather conditions.)
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| Day
3 |
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Take a
scenic drive along Lake Lugano. On a clear day, if the snow-capped
Monte Rosa group of mountains of the Alps can be seen, including the
highest mountain in Switzerland, Dufourspitze, we make a photo stop.
Then either visit Lugano,the largest city in the Italian-speaking
canton of Switzerland and third most important banking &
financial
centre in Switzerland. Here is where the fashionable go to see and be
seen. OR 2) visit a large shopping centre with 160 factory outlet
stores which includes international designer labels and 250 important
brands. And/or try your luck at a casino with 150 slot machines in the
next building.
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| Day
4 |
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Visit
Lucerne in the heart of Switzerland. See the Chapel Bridge or walk
along the Musegg Wall to have a bird's eye view of this picturesque
city. Swiss cultural show (optional). Collect your free souvenir. Visit
Mt Titlis if the weather permits (optional).
OR
Bellinzona
- capital of the
Italian-speaking canton Ticino in the
southern part of Switzerland, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site
for its city walls and 3 famous castles enclosing a picturesque
vineyard. Experience the Saturday morning market and feel a different
ambiance. Next, visit the castle(s) or do some shopping. If the weather
permits, have a lunch picnic at the castle compound. Then visit the
famous medieval bridge in a valley where the opening scene of James
Bond 007 ‘Goldeneye’ was filmed or go to a
beautiful
lakeside town situated at the foot of the southern Swiss Alps.
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| Day
5 |
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The
story of the little girl, Heidi, originates from a village in the Swiss
countryside. Visit Heidi village to see the Heidi house with Heidi's
room, attic, living room, cellar, kitchen etc like it was over 125
years ago. Then go across the nearby border to Austria to the city of
Feldkirch. Next, hop across another close-by border to Liechtenstein
and visit the capital city of Vaduz. A good range of cuckoo clocks is
available here. If you are interested in alpine nature (e.g. alpine
animals etc) or history, the Liechtenstein National Museum is worth a
visit.
OR
If weather permits, we do an optional tour: a panorama
train
ride on the Bernina Express
which got inscribed on the UNESCO
World Heritage List on 7
July 2008 for being a
masterpiece of engineering
amidst panoramic landscapes and
cultural diversity. Enjoy riding the most famous train in the Alps on
board the Rhaetian Railway panorama coach whose north alpine route is a
145-km stretch that cuts through Graubünden, boasting the most
beautiful railway routes in the world. During the trip over the Bernina
pass, the train reaches an altitude of 2.253 m (7.390 ft) and masters
gradients of 70%. The Bernina Express runs without cogwheels, on the
highest long-distance railway transversal in the Alps over up to more
then 200-metre long and 90-metre high bridges, through winding tunnels,
past raging mountain torrents, glaciers and a rich array of alpine
flowers to southerly Valposchiavo, over the spiralling viaduct at
Brusio and on to Tirano in Italy.
Note: If the weather is not suitable for train ride today, you still
have the opportunity to do it another day.
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| Day
6 |
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Today we
visit the eastern part of Switzerland, St. Moritz, in the Upper Engadin
Valley where the wealthy go to enjoy their riches and where the Alpine
Ski World Championship 2003 as well as the Winter Olympics 1928
&
1948 were hosted. The town is yours to explore. Optional: A visit to
one of the mountains in the eastern Swiss Alps for a very impressive
360° view of the Alps including a close view of the Bernina
range,
the highest mountain range in the Eastern Alps. On a clear day,
depending on the sun's rays, 7 or 8 layers of mountain ranges can be
seen from here! Graubünden has the most number of mountain
peaks
in the Alps exceeding 3000 m, making it the highest region in the Alps
and earning it the name 'the roof of Europe'. Quaint village stay.
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| Day
7 |
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Go to
the easternmost village of Switzerland to see a 1200-year-old UNESCO
World Heritage church from the Carolingian era.. Then go to the
German-speaking part of Italy on the Reschen Pass to see the church
tower which sticks out of a lake. Next, enter into Switzerland again
and go to the only duty-free oasis in Switzerland. Next, take dips in
various outdoor & indoor mountain mineral spring thermal pools
(optional) or take a walk in an Engadiner village quaint village in the
Lower Engadin Valley to see typical Engadiner sgraffito-painted houses
with huge doors and sunken in funnel-like windows decorated with
flowers. Quaint village stay.
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| Day
8 |
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If the
alpine passes are open,
Either
1) Visit the highest city in Europe. This is where 2000 of
the world's most elite people (politicians, business leaders,
celebraties etc) go to attend the World Economic Forum (WEF) every
winter.
OR
2) Drive over an alpine pass which cannot be driven over by coaches.
Take a hike around a lake
which is said to have a second lake
beneath it. If weather
permits, have a lunch picnic by the
lake.
Otherwise,
drive over the Julier Pass, mentioned by travel magazines as one of the
most beautiful passes in the world.
Then take a drive back to your hotel embedded in the holiday
corner of Switzerland and the rest of the day is yours.
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| Day
9 |
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Visit a
chocolate factory. Then go to St. Gallen city - the metropolis of
Eastern Switzerland is justly proud of its prestigious past which
you'll encounter with every step as you stroll through the attractive
old town. Discover the world-famous oriel windows, narrow lanes and
lively squares with inviting street cafés. The prestigious
past
has given way to a blossoming present. St. Gallen is a modern and
cosmopolitan city, watched over by the imposing baroque Cathedral in
the heart of the stunning 'Stift' district. This beautiful district has
been awarded World Cultural Heritage Status and is under the protection
of UNESCO.
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(Note:
If you have been to St Gallen, it might be
replaceable with a visit to a winter & summer sports resort
where
ex-British Prime Minister, Mrs Margaret Thatcher, took her twins to
learn skiing. Here, you have various optional tours to choose from: (1)
Horse carriage ride through the villages in this picturesque
countryside, passing by lakes where families go to enjoy the summer
with their children (2) cable-car/chairlift ride up to one of the
mountains of the largest and highest canton of Switzerland,
Graubünden, for a stunning 360° panoramic
view of the south-eastern Swiss Alps or a view of 1000 summits (3)
rodel tobogganing on the world's longest toboggan run on rails at 3.1
km long. Decide your own speed! If in season and time permits, go to an
organic strawberry farm.)
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| Day
10 |
| Hotel
check-out. Scenic
ride to Zürich airport / Zürich main train station /
hotel in
Zürich. Please do NOT schedule your flight to depart
Zürich
airport before 10:45 am. |
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Note
1) As we would very much want our travellers to get the most out of our
tours, the sequence and/or parts of the content of the above itinerary
are subject to changes depending on weather conditions, forthcoming
special events and unforeseen circumstances.
2) Some tours are included as optional tours because travellers MUST
have the choice not to choose them in case of bad weather. In
Switzerland, views from the summit of mountains are not always
visible. Sometimes there is ZERO visibility due to low or
heavy
clouds. If the optionals are included in the tour
price,
then the mountain visit is a must-do even when the weather is not
suitable for a mountain visit. This would be unfair to the
unaware traveller and it would be a wasted
trip. We always
check the weather one day before and advise our travellers
if the
scheduled mountain visit would be good or
not.
Otherwise, we either shuffle the itinerary and do the mountain visit
another day when the weather is good (as per forecast) or advise them
not to do it at all when the next days are not suitable for mountain
visits. For other optional tours like horse-carriage rides, thermal
pools, etc, some travellers might not want to do them for some reason
or some may have done them before.
3) It might be possible to change above itinerary to an all-Switzerland
holiday. Please write to us at switzerlandtours @ hotmail.com.
4) If you have been to a few of the above-mentioned places but would
like to visit other not-to-be-missed places or experience some
interesting activities, we might be able to do some alteration. Do
write to us.
What's included:
- Transfer to and fro Zürich
airport / Zürich main train station / hotel in
Zürich.
(Transfer to Zürich on last day not included for budget tours.
Top-up applies.)
- 9 nights hotel accommodation in
countryside town and quaint villages.
- 9 Swiss buffet breakfasts. (Not
included for budget tours)
- 9 Swiss dinners. (Not included for
budget tours)
- 1
driver-guide.
- 1 tour guide.
- 1 touring vehicle.
Tour
Schedule & Booking |7
Days Swiss Vista
| 14 Days
Enchanting Switzerland
Is
this tour for me?
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