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10
Days / 9 Nights Scenic Switzerland
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Highlights
- Discover:
Zürich or Schaffhausen, Heinzenberg, Appenzell, Maienfeld,
Feldkirch (Austria), Vaduz (Liechtenstein), Mendrisio, St. Moritz or
Engadin villages, Bellinzona, Lucerne or St Gallen/Constance,
Lenzerheide, Davos.
- Attractions:
- lunch at a restaurant that was once an arsenal
- prettiest small town in Switzerland
- authentic & traditional Swiss town
- lunch picnic at and/or swimming in an alpine lake
- alpine hiking
- queen of the north-eastern Swiss Alps for a spectacular view of 5
countries (optional)
- Heidi village
- lunch in the knights' or hunter's room in a 600-yr-old caslte
- 6th smallest country in the world
- 'balcony of Italy' to see the highest and lowest points in
Switzerland plus splendid view of the southern Swiss Alps and its lake
districts below
- factory outlets shopping with 160 factory stores, including
international designer labels
- Top of Switzerland to see the highest ice-packed mountains of the
eastern Alps & glacier (optional)
- quaint village stay
- Saturday morning market
- swimming in a lake which is the lowest point of Switzerland
- eating at a grotto (where people from the region stored food before
the refrigerator was invented)
- summer toboganning on the world's longest toboggan run on rails
(optional)
- horse carriage ride through villages in the picturesque countryside
(optional)
- mountain visit for an impressive 360° panoramic view of Swiss
Alp / view of 1000 summits (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. Next, go to Zürich.
After lunch, 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 & ruins 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. Complimentary welcome drink during dinner.
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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 if 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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Picnic
and/or swim at an alpine lake.
Lie, read or simply relax by the lake while the more energetic and
adventurous take a short hike (approximately 45 min) to a nearby hill
which overlooks the beautiful Safien valley. Opportunity to see
enchanting alpine flowers of various shapes, sizes and colours,
including the much-loved dandelions. Next, visit a remoted hamlet to
see how a Swiss alpine organic farmer makes a living in the high-up
countryside.
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| Day
3 |
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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
4 |
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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 100 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), 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
5 |
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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/or try your luck at a
casino with 150 slot machines in the next building. Optional: take a
cog-wheel train ride up to one of the mountains in the southern Swiss
Alps for a gorgeous top-down view of the Italian-speaking part of
Switzerland and on a clear day, even to Milan in Italy (optional).
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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'.
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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 Reschenpass 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 stroll in a
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.
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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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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 here. Next, visit the
medieval castle(s) or do some shopping. A choice of a lunch picnic at
one of the castles or at the lowest point of Switzerland, where people
go to with their private boats. 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. For
dinner, go to a grotto* to try south-eastern Swiss cuisine. (* where
people from the Swiss south valleys stored their foodstuff before the
refrigerator was invented)
OR
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
souvenirs. Visit Mt Titlis if the weather permits (optional).
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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 customers 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 the 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 a
countryside town and quaint villages.
- 9 Swiss buffet breakfasts. (Not
included for budget tours)
- 8 Swiss dinners. (Not included for
budget tours)
- 1
driver-guide
- 1
tour guide.
- 1 touring vehicle.
Tour
Schedule & Booking | 7
Days Swiss Discovery | 7
Days Swiss Hiking |
10 Days Swiss Mountain Explorer
| 10 Days
Swiss
Graubünden Special | 14
Days Swiss Experience
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