Summer Itinerary 2008 - May - October

Day 1 - Arrival in Zurich
We will meet at our Zurich hotel for general information briefing.

Day 2 - Zurich The Unofficial Capital of Switzerland
A day without a car. Today we will walk and use public transportation (daily free card) and visit the Bahnhofstrasse, the park on the lakeshore, the old city with stop at a one of Zurich's significant churches, and The National Museum (Landesmuseum). We will take the train up to the Uetliberg and descend by foot in the direction of Zurich where we will return to our hotel for an overnight stay.

* It may be possible to arrange for night-time entertainment in a restaurant or pub with a folklore show.

Day 3 - Northeast Switzerland - The vineyards and waterfalls
We will leave Zurich by bus travelling north. We will visit the Rheinfalls, the largest falls in Europe. From the falls we will continue to a small picturesque village on the edge of the Rhein River, Stein am Rhein, where we will make a stop for a walk along the river. We will continue from our river stop through the Canton of St. Gallen to the Canton of Appenzell where we will stop for a walk in it's small and charming capital. Afterwards, we will drive in the direction of the East side of Lake Zurich, to the leisure town of Rapperswil located on the lakes' shore. Rapperswil has a lovely old quarter and an impressive medieval castle. In the early evening we will return to our hotel in Zurich for another overnight stay.

* It may be possible to arrange dinner in a restaurant serving typical local dishes.

Day 4 - Swiss Cultural Heroes (Heidi, Willhelm Tell)
We will drive from Zurich along the western side of Lake Walen to "Heidiland", the area where one can find the mineral springs of Bad Ragaz. The author of the "Heidi" story, Johanna Spyri once spent her holidays here and it was here that she found the inspiration for her tale. We will continue to the neighbouring village of Maienfeld for a walk through vineyards and apple orchards to the little wooden hut, the museum of Heidi. Upon returning to our vehicle we will drive to the canton of Glarus, located in the narrow valley of the river Linth, which leads to the Glaronese Alps and to the Klausen-Pass (approx. 2,000 meters above sea level). From there we will descend to the canton of Uri and it's capital, Altdorf where we will view the famous sculpture of Willhelm Tell, Switzerlands famous hero who was responsible for the start of the Swiss liberation war. From here we will continue along the shore of Lake Lucerne to Lucerne, the capital of the canton bearing the same name, where we will stay for the night.

Day 5 - Lucerne, the pearl of Switzerland - A day without a car
After breakfast we will take a walking tour of downtown Lucerne; we will visit the Lion's monument, and we will walk on the old city wall into the old city with its narrow streets, its market and the famous Chapel Bridge. Afternoon at free disposal and overnight.

* It may be possible to arrange a fondue dinner in a local restaurant.

Day 6 - Towards the Bern Heights (Berner Oberland)
After breakfast we will leave Lucerne and drive over the Brunigpass to the North side of Lake Brienz to the town of Brienz, known for its generations old wood carving tradition. From here we will continue to Meiringen, located next to the impressive Aare Gorge where we will take a walk in the canyon. From Meiringen we will drive along the shore of Lake Brienz to Interlaken, where we will take the cable car to the great viewpoint Harder-Klum with its beautiful views of Eiger, M?nch, and Jungfrau. We will descend by foot and will then drive along Lake Thun to Bern for an overnight stay.

Day 7 - Gastronomy and Culture
After breakfast we will drive to Emmental where we will visit a cheese factory to gain some insight into the production of this valley's famous cheese. We will continue on to the town of Thun for a short visit to the medieval castle and for a walk in the old city. We will then drive through the beautiful Simmental with its classical Swiss landscape to the area of Gruyere, an area also famous for its cheese as well as for its sausages. Here we will visit the charming Chateau Gruyere and then continue accross the Canton of Fribourg to the little town of Murten which is located on the shore of Lake Murten. Here we will stop for a brief look at the architecture which has been maintained over hundreds of years. A short drive from the lake will bring us to the town of Kerzers, located in the heart of the Swiss "capital" of vegetable cultivation. The town is surrounded by hundreds of fields where we will take a short walk. Afterwards we will drive back to Berne for an overnight stay.

Day 8 - Bern, the Swiss Capital
The old city stretches between the modern train station and the river Aare. The Swiss parliament is also located here. In the square in front of the parliament there is a traditional market that we will visit. We will also visit the famous clock tower, and pass by the prisoners tower. We will see the beautiful city hall, the fountains and of course the bears which the city is named after. At the end of our walk we will drive to Zurich to the hotel or for flight departures.

Rate per person in double room: CHF 1.590,00 (minimum 10 participants)
Single supplement: CHF 390,00

Includes:
- Modern comfortable Maxi Wagon (15 seater Van)
- English speaking driver and guide
- Overnight and meals according to above itinerary
- 20% reduction for child (02-12Y) sharing parents room
We do not recommend taking children under the age of 8 years on this tour.

Excludes:
- Personal travel insurance
- Drinks and personal expenses
- Tips
- Cancellation fees
* Additional fee on basic rate (see general conditions)

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