The Glacier Express is the most famous railway in the world. It travels from Zermatt to Davos or St. Moritz in around seven hours. It is a day trip through untouched mountain landscapes, glamorous health resorts, deep gorges, delightful valleys, 91 tunnels and across 291 impressive bridges..
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Paris [D]
Friday, Dec 28th:
Settle into our 4 star Left Bank Hotel. Meet your fellow tour members for Welcome Drinks and Dinner. [D]
Paris [B]
Saturday, Dec 29th:
Every day on a Great Trains of Europe tour begins with a full buffet breakfast [B]. Our morning sightseeing includes the Arc de Triomphe, Champs Elysees and Notre Dame, ending up at the Louvre to say hello to Mona Lisa. An afternoon optional excursion is available to the Verasailles Palace of Louis XIV.
Paris & Day Trip to Somme Battlefields[B]
Sunday, Dec 30th:
Museums? Department stores? Fashion boutiques? A very long lunch? Choices, choices. There is an optional excursion offered today to the Somme Battlefields of World War I. Here we visit sites sacred in Australia's (and NZ's) national history.
Paris [B]
Monday, Dec 31st:
A final free day in every true romantic's favourite city. Join the crowds tonight on the Champs Elysees to celebrate the dawning of the New Year.
Interlaken - Swiss Alps & Lakes [B][D]
Tuesday, Jan 1st:
Farewell Paris this morning. We begin our love affair with the Great Trains of Europe on her fastest - the French TGV - at 300kph towards the Alps and Interlaken, with stunning views of the Eiger and Jungfrau. This is our home for 4 nights. Interlaken hosts a huge street party on New Year's Day, culminating in spectacular fireworks.
Interlaken - Swiss Alps & Lakes [B]
Wednesday, Jan 2nd:
Enjoy a late and leisurely brunch before deciding whether to do nothing or to do very little. Your Tour Director will have suggestions for some mountain railway or cable car rides to the peaks of the surrounding Alps.
Interlaken - Swiss Alps & Lakes [B]
Thursday, Jan 3rd:
Today we take what is truly one of the Great Rail Journeys of the World on the Jungfrau Railway. We climb and tunnel through the Eiger to Jungfraujoch, Europe's highest railway station - an unbelievable 11,333 feet above sea level. Superlatives fail when one tries to describe the view across the roof of the world. After coffee (try the hot chocolate!) we retrace our path back down to Interlaken, stopping off for a stroll through the beautiful Alpine village of Grindelwald.
Interlaken - or Glacier Express[B]
Friday, Jan 4th:
A quiet day in the spa, or on the slopes. There is an optional excursion offered today, on another of the world's great train journeys - the tiny red Glacier Express. Enjoy the breathtaking views from the panorama carriage, and enjoy lunch in the restaurant car. Have your cameras at the ready for stunning Alpine vistas. We are back in our Interlaken hotel this evening.
To Prague [B][D]
Saturday, Jan 5th:
Another of Europe's great rail journeys today. The Swiss-Italian Cisalpino takes us through the Alps, past the Northern Italian lakes, via Milan and on to the City of Canals, Venice, another of Europe's truly romantic cities. Our 4 star hotel overlooks the Grand Canal. Settle in as our luggage arrives and watch the lights come on as the waterbuses chug past.
Venice [B]
Sunday, Jan 6th:
This morning we begin to explore the art and history of Venice. Byzantine St Mark's is considered by many to be the most beautiful church in the world and the historic Doge's Palace and its Bridge of Sighs are “must sees.” Venice is best taken slowly, wandering along her canals and bridges.
Venice[B]
Monday, Jan 7th:
There is time for a visit to an outer island - Burano for exquisite lace, Murano for world-famous Venetian glass. Art lovers will want to see the Tintoretto paintings in the Scuola di San Rocco, the Titian in the Friary Church, and the collection of Venetian Renaissance art in the Accademia Gallery. Your Tour Leader is on hand to guide. Save the gondola ride for late afternoon. The true romantics will take their gondola ride under the Bridge of Sighs at sundown as the bells of the Campanile ring.
To Innsbruck [B][D]
Tuesday, Jan 8th:
Farewell Italy, as we head back towards the Alps. This morning we join our Eurocity train for Innsbruck, as our luggage is taken on ahead. We are not staying in downtown Innsbruck, but in the beautiful Alpine Village of Igls, perched 15 minutes above. Thaw out with a glass of gluhwein in front of the roaring log fire. This is our home for 4 nights.
Innsbruck[B]
Wednesday, Jan 9th:
Choices today. Skiing? You may choose to ski or join your Tour Leader in an exploration of Innsbruck, the Imperial city of the Hapsburgs. We commence by riding a tramcar through snow decked forests down to Innsbruck below. Explore the mediaeval quarter and take a ride up the Hungerberg rack railway for a panorama of the Alps.
Innsbruck or a Day Trip to Salzburg [B]
Thursday, Jan 10th:
Today, you may choose to ski, to potter about the village, to sit in front of the log fire, or to take the tram back down into Innsbruck to the shops. There is an optional excursion by Austrian InterCity train to Mozart's birthplace, Salzburg. There is plenty of time to wander the narrow cobble-stone streets or visit Mozart's house, now a museum.
Innsbruck [B]
Friday, Jan 11th:
Another quiet day in our Alpine haven - a good book in front of the log fire? Alternatively, your Tour Leader will assist you if you wish to make a visit to nearby Munich or the fairytale castle of Neuschwannstein.
Prague[B][D]
Saturday, Jan 12th:
Our luggage is collected and taken on ahead as we bid farewell to the Alps and join a EuroCity train for another of Europe's great romantic cities - Prague. Our hotel is in the historic centre.
Prague [B]
Sunday, Jan 13th:
Today there is a visit to Prague Castle, perched high on the hill overlooking the city. Here is also the cathedral church of St Vitus, incorporating the chapel built on the spot where Good King Wenceslas was murdered a thousand years ago. Crossing back over the Charles Bridge, we visit Prague's historic Jewish Quarter. A free afternoon for the shops or to enjoy the music.
Prague or Day Trip to DRESDEN [B]
Monday, Jan 14th:
A free day to continue your exploration of this fabulous city. The Old Town Square, left intact through all the wars of the twentieth century, has at least one building from every century from the twelfth to the twentieth. Prague is rich in Mozart associations. Bohemian crystal is world-famous. Alternatively, you may wish to join an optional excursion to Dresden, one of Europe's cultural wonders now emerging from the ashes of World War II bombing and 44 years of Communism.
Prague [B][D]
Tuesday, Jan 15th:
Enjoy a last free day in magical Prague. You understand why Mozart loved it so much. Crystal and garnet are popular with shoppers. Our Farewell Dinner tonight.
The Traditional Grand Tour, departing December 28th 2012 also includes:
Twin share accommodation with buffet breakfast in centrally located First Class (European 4 star) hotels with private facilities and heating.
Restaurant dinner (3 courses plus wine or beer) on one night in each new city in Europe. This is usually the first night. In Prague this is on the second night (later train arrival, dine on the train); in Paris it is on the final night and takes the form of a farewell dinner.
First Class rail travel in reserved seats on many of Europe's great trains - Glacier Express, German ICE, Eurocity, French TGV. (Second class seats only available on some sectors).
Luggage handling between cities.
The TOUR COST does NOT include:
Hotel incidentals (eg. mini-bars, telephone calls, laundry),
airport and departure taxes, local transport in any city,
optional excursions listed or meals other than breakfast and the one restaurant dinner in each city - the first night in each new city, except Prague where it takes the form of a farewell dinner. On other nights, the Tour Leaders are available to accompany group members to local, authentic restaurants.
Why not enjoy a White Christmas in a beautiful Swiss Alpine village (with opportunities to visit Christmas markets) before embarking on the Winter Wonderland Tour?
On your arrival at either Zurich or Geneva Airport on December 21st, there is a transfer to the picturesque Swiss Alpine village of Grindelwald, nestled under the North Face of the Eiger.
Settle in to the traditional chalet-style hotel which has been run by the same family for generations. Our hostess, current manager Gabriella, has been taking care of the Great Trains of Europe White Christmas Tour members for a number of years now. All have spoken very highly of her warm welcome, personal care and attention to detail.
There is a beautiful church 50 metres away with a midnight service on Christmas Eve, should you wish to attend (pictured right).
Grindelwald is a snow sports fan's heaven. But if you are not a snow bunny, there are a million other things to do. Grindelwald is a hub for the Swiss mountain train networks, and there are many gondolas and cable cars to the Alpine peaks all around. It is an easy train ride to the cities of Berne, Basel and Zurich with their Christmas markets. The village itself offers excellent shopping and a wide variety of restaurants and coffee shops for lingering lazy lunches, before returning to the hotel to read or snooze in front of the log fire./p>
On December 28th (is it all over so soon?) you are escorted on the rail journey to Venice to commence the Winter Wonderland Tour.
White Christmas Add-On Cost: $AUD$2,250 per person twin share. Single supplement $AUD600
INCLUDES:
7 nights' accommodation in a superior standard room with private facilities in a 3 star hotel in the Swiss village of Grindelwald.
7 buffet breakfasts, 7 four course dinners including a Special Christmas Dinner on Christmas Eve.
Transfer from Zurich or Geneva Airport to Grindelwald on Dec 21st; escorted rail transfer from Grindelwald to Paris on Dec 28th to commence the Winter Wonderland Tour.
Winter Wonderland Tour 2012 Optional Excursions: ^ Top ^
Somme Battlefields Tour Add $275
Jan 14th:
Departing our Paris hotel at 7.30am, we are in the province of Picardy, in North Eastern
France for morning coffee before beginning our visits to the major battle
fields and cemeteries associated with the horror of the first day of the Battle of the Somme.
On that one day, July 1st 1916, 60,000 Allied soldiers fell. We visit the Newfoundland Memorial at
Beaumont Hamel, the British Memorial at Thiepval and the Australian Memorials at Pozieres
and Villiers-Brettoneux. Lunch in an atmospheric French country bistro is included.
Glacier Express Add $275
Jan 3rd:
In even the shortest list of the world's great train journeys, the tiny red Glacier Express is
featured. It is a long day, so we need to leave the hotel by 7.15am.
Travelling by Intercity train via Berne and Zurich, we arrive in Chur. Here we board the
Glacier Express for a never to be forgotten journey through a Winter Wonderland across
the roof of the world - the watershed between the Rhine and the Danube River systems.
Lunch is available in the Restaurant Car if you can drag yourself away from the panorama
windows. In the afternoon we arrive in Brig and take a local train home to Interlaken,
arriving by 5pm.
Salzburg Add $275
Jan 10th:
This excursion includes the two hour rail journey from Innsbruck. On arrival in Salzburg
we taxi into the old town and ride the rack railway to the top of the Hohensalzburg
fortress for a panoramic view over the city. We explore the 12th century castle and upon
our descent visit Salzburg cathedral where Mozart's father was organist and where the
young genius first played. The Altstadt (old city) is very compact and an all-pedestrian zone.
Mozart's birthplace is now a museum worth a visit.
Dresden Add $125
Jan 6th:
Departing Prague after breakfast, our EuroCity train has us over the German border and to
Dresden in a little over two hours. Dresden was said to be Germany's most beautiful city
until carpet-bombed by the Allies in 1945. The baroque city is now re-emerging from the
ashes. The restoration of the truly unique bell-shaped Frauenkirche cathedral has recently
been completed. This is the home of Meissen porcelain, and Dresden boasts a Porcelain
Museum as well as a magnificent collection of Old Masters in the Zwinger Gallery. Dresden
is also home to the Semper Opera House. The city centre is quite compact and today's
sightseeing is largely on foot.
Optional Excursions offered subject to a minimum of 12 persons.
1st day:
Arrival in St. Moritz by train 2nd class from
the Swiss border or any Swiss airport.
Overnight in St. Moritz.
2nd day:
Today you board the Glacier Express Premium
which is one of the greatest train
journeys in the world. You travel from
St.Moritz to Zermatt. A 7.5 hour railway
journey across 291 bridges, through 91
tunnels and across the Oberalp Pass at
2'033 metres in altitude. Travel in comfort
through the unspoilt natural beauty of a
landscape rich in ancient, fragrant moun-
tain forests, peaceful Alpine meadows,
rushing mountain streams and mountain
valleys, soaked in tradition and centuriesold
culture. (Optional lunch - if required,
please indicate on the booking request).
Overnight in Zermatt.
3rd day:
Return to Swiss border or airport or continue
your stay in Switzerland at your own
request.
What you get?
Swiss Card Glacier Express (3 transfers)
in 2nd class from/to Swiss border
or airport
Seat reservation Glacier Express Premium
1 night in St. Moritz, room, bath or
shower/WC, breakfast
1 night in Zermatt, room, bath or
shower/WC, breakfast
Any additional tickets for optional excursions
to travel by rail, boat, postalcoaches
and cable cars can be purchased
at 25-50% of the regular fares
Experience the stunningly beautiful mountain scenery of the Swiss Alps on a spectacular train ride from the Valais to the Engadine or vice versa. The journey will take you past some of Switzerland's best loved tourist attractions: through lush valleys and over snow-capped mountains, past rugged cliff faces, romantic villages and picturesque castles. And after the Glacier Express has made its way over mountain passes and viaducts, through tunnels and gorges and you are at last at your destination, you're sure to agree that the Glacier Express really is a once-in-a-lifetime experience!
Attraction
Two UNESCO World Heritage sites (Jungfrau-Aletsch-Bietschhorn and Albula/Bernina)
Oberalppass at 2033 m above sea level
Catering concept with meals served at your seat
The Rhine Gorge - Switzerland's very own
Panorama cars in both 1st and 2nd class
Passenger information system with headphones
Important information
Offer valid: 12 December 2010 to 30 April
Rail ticket (30%), single journey on a Glacier Express panorama train (30%) Zermatt-Brig-Chur-St. Moritz or vice versa
The RailAway voucher entitles you to a CHF 2 reduction on today's special or the 3-course meal.
Lunch reservations mandatory: Tel. 081 300 15 15
Seat reservation/surcharge: to be paid separately (CHF 13.- p./P.)
There are two things which people cannot do without: eating and drinking. During your 7-hour trip onboard the Glacier Express from St. Moritz to Zermatt (or reverse), you will also be pampered. You will enjoy a 3-course menu in the dining car or the dish of the day at your seat. Important information: A reservation is always necessary. All trains have a Railbar. Snacks, sweet and drinks will be served to you. We know the feeling: travelling makes you hungry.
You will experience Switzerland practically from within a single train. Setting off from Zermatt, the leisurely internationally-renowned spa town at the foot of the Matterhorn, your journey will take you to the glamorous holiday village of St. Moritz. From the Valais into the Engadine, the train passes through deepest Switzerland at the Gotthard Pass. The hidden sources of two European 'giants' - the Rhone and the Rhine - lie here.
They tower majestically into the skies. The Matterhorn, the mountain of all mountains. The Dom, at 4545 metres, the highest mountain to lie entirely on Swiss soil. The Piz Bernina, as the sole four-thousand metre peak (4049 m) in the eastern Alps, bearing the pride of an entire region. Train travellers are also "mountain climbers". The Glacier Express travels across the Oberalp Pass, which, at 2033 metres, is the highest point of the trip.
The Swiss National Park in the canton of Graubunden was established in 1909 from a private initiative. Animals are not hunted, trees are not felled and meadows are not cut in the Swiss National Park. It is practically still the same untouched landscape that people would have encountered five thousand years ago. The World Heritage Committee of Unesco has also conferred "UNSESCO World Heritage" status on the "Rhaetian Railway in the Albula/Bernina Landscape" - only the third railway in the world to receive such a listing.
A trip onboard the Glacier Express is also a journey through unique flora and fauna. Admittedly though, the discovery of "Edelweiss" or Leontopdium alpinum and "Pinnate-leaved ragwort" or Senecio abrotanifolius from the panoramic viewing cars is just as elusive as discovering a marmot, ibex, red deer, golden eagle or bearded vulture. But it's good to know that the natural world here remains largely intact.
A trip onboard the Glacier Express is also a journey through unique flora and fauna. Admittedly though, the discovery of "Edelweiss" or Leontopdium alpinum and "Pinnate-leaved ragwort" or Senecio abrotanifolius from the panoramic viewing cars is just as elusive as discovering a marmot, ibex, red deer, golden eagle or bearded vulture. But it's good to know that the natural world here remains largely intact.Mountain bikers and cyclists will not encounter any boundaries. Be it in Zermatt, in the Goms, in Davos or in the Engadine - from an adrenaline rush through to a relaxing tour for the entire family: every need is catered for. Like a chamois up steep serpentine climbs. With feline sleekness on a single track. Cool as a marmot on his post-meal amble. As daring as a swooping golden eagle on downhill routes. No matter where you venture, you'll feel as elated as your suspension forks.
Hundreds of kilometres of trails lie at your feet. Well-marked paths, routes alongside glaciers, mountain lakes, through vineyards and larch forests, across meadows - up and down. And always with breathtaking views ahead. From a family hiking excursion through to trekking tours lasting several days: walking is the healthiest and safest mode of locomotion for man. And one that offers the greatest scope for joyous discovery en route. Step-by-step, an experience for all the senses.
A trip onboard the Glacier Express is also a journey through unique flora and fauna. Admittedly though, the discovery of "Edelweiss" or Leontopdium alpinum and "Pinnate-leaved ragwort" or Senecio abrotanifolius from the panoramic viewing cars is just as elusive as discovering a marmot, ibex, red deer, golden eagle or bearded vulture. But it's good to know that the natural world here remains largely intact.Mountain bikers and cyclists will not encounter any boundaries. Be it in Zermatt, in the Goms, in Davos or in the Engadine - from an adrenaline rush through to a relaxing tour for the entire family: every need is catered for. Like a chamois up steep serpentine climbs. With feline sleekness on a single track. Cool as a marmot on his post-meal amble. As daring as a swooping golden eagle on downhill routes. No matter where you venture, you'll feel as elated as your suspension forks.Dive into a seemingly endless white splendour, breathe in the fresh cold air, leave your own trail behind with your skis or board. Swing turns full of passion - whether in deep snow or on smoothed pistes. Experience and float, sometimes with grace, sometimes with verve. Starting in December, the ski regions of Zermatt, St. Moritz and Davos will entice skiers with chill-out pistes that are unique in the world. It's where relaxation, enjoyment and slow driving come foremost.
A trip onboard the Glacier Express is also a journey through unique flora and fauna. Admittedly though, the discovery of "Edelweiss" or Leontopdium alpinum and "Pinnate-leaved ragwort" or Senecio abrotanifolius from the panoramic viewing cars is just as elusive as discovering a marmot, ibex, red deer, golden eagle or bearded vulture. But it's good to know that the natural world here remains largely intact.Mountain bikers and cyclists will not encounter any boundaries. Be it in Zermatt, in the Goms, in Davos or in the Engadine - from an adrenaline rush through to a relaxing tour for the entire family: every need is catered for. Like a chamois up steep serpentine climbs. With feline sleekness on a single track. Cool as a marmot on his post-meal amble. As daring as a swooping golden eagle on downhill routes. No matter where you venture, you'll feel as elated as your suspension forks.Gliding through valleys covered in deep snow; skating across frozen lakes. Why does the world's second-largest ski marathon take place in the Engadine? And Davos is also a regular venue for the cross-country skiing World Cup. Even the professionals are in the know when it comes to longer and more scenic trails for cross-country skiers. Assured of snow and blessed by the sun is how the Goms presents itself. Cross-country ski trails as far as the eye can see. Immerse yourself in a winter landscape full of poetry and beauty.
