Highlights of the Glacier Express in Winter

Your wonderful winter adventure gets under way at London St Pancras this morning, as you meet the Tour Manager and travelling group. Boarding the Eurostar, we make our way under the English Channel and into France. In Paris, we switch to the high-speed service direct to Strasbourg. Blending traditional French and picture-book, half-timbered German architecture, this attractive city in Alsace is dotted with grand squares and pretty waterways. Our hotel is on the Grande Île, the historic centre of Strasbourg. After checking in, we head out to a local restaurant to enjoy our first dinner together and savour the region's cuisine.

• Dinner

There's a leisurely morning after breakfast to explore Strasbourg. You could wander amongst the cobbled streets and half-timbered houses of La Petite France. This charming UNESCO World Heritage site bustled with tanners, millers and fishermen in the Middle Ages but now attracts tourists to its picturesque canals and historic buildings.

In early afternoon, we board the train to Basel. From here, we join the superb Swiss railway network and make our way to Chur. The route provides a great introduction to Switzerland's breathtaking scenery as we climb higher into the snow-capped mountains, past glistening lakes to our destination.

On arrival, we check in to our hotel in Chur's delightful Old Town. The 16th-century building reflects traditional Swiss architecture, and the family-run hotel is popular with our customers for its warm hospitality. This evening, we enjoy a three-course dinner at a local restaurant.

• Breakfast, Dinner

Your day is free to explore historic Chur and the surrounding region. With more than 5,000 years of history, it is Switzerland's oldest town. Take time to stroll through the medieval cobbled alleyways and squares of the Old Town to visit the 12th-century cathedral, a blend of Gothic and Romanesque styles.

Today is also a superb chance for you to discover the area by mountain railway using your included Swiss Card for 50% fares. The wild, wintry and rugged landscapes of the glorious Graubünden region are waiting to be discovered. Superb railway journeys are available from Chur to take you across the dramatic valleys that make this one of the most attractive cantons in Switzerland. A journey on the Arosa Line to lakeside Arosa, surrounded by dramatic snowy peaks, is a popular option. Alternatively, you could head to the nearby mountain resorts of Davos, Klosters or even St Moritz to soak up the atmosphere.

Dining independently tonight, you could look for local specialities include hearty pizzoccheri and röstis, or traditional Swiss dishes such as fondue and raclette.

• Breakfast

Dubbed the rail experts' best-kept secret, the UNESCO-listed Bernina Express is a highlight of any holiday to the Swiss Alps.

After breakfast this morning, we board this remarkable train at Chur station for a spellbinding journey. This 100-year-old route twists and spirals its way south through the rugged landscape of the Engadine Valley, across the curved Landwasser Viaduct and looping its way through tunnels as it climbs the Albula Line. As we reach the summit at Ospizio Bernina, we can admire views of snow-blanketed lakes and alpine peaks. After pausing to view the captivating Palü Glacier at Alp Grüm, we wind our way down to Poschiavo. There is free time to explore this valley town in the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland. Pastel-coloured buildings line the pretty squares and appealing eateries provide many options for lunch on your own.

The opportunity to marvel at the striking scenery as we make the return journey to Chur, where we have a three-course dinner tonight.

• Breakfast, Dinner

We leave Chur after breakfast, enjoying an unforgettable trip on the iconic Glacier Express - the 'slowest express train in the world'.

Our journey is accompanied by views for which Switzerland is rightly famous; snow-covered pastures and frosted forests rising up the hillsides beside the track towards towering, sugar-frosted peaks. We travel along the beautiful Rhine Valley, climbing steadily and steeply as we make our way up and over the Oberalp Pass, the highest point on the route. The descent is lined by cosy looking villages nestled in the foothills of the surrounding mountains, before we enter the Furka Base Tunnel and into the Rhône Valley. On the final part of our journey, we pass expansive vineyards draped across surrounding hillsides as we approach the small town of Brig.

Here, we take a local train to Kandersteg, a picturesque alpine town and our home for the next three nights. Our hotel here has been family-run for five generations. With wooden, chalet-style architecture and a mountain backdrop it looks every bit the picture-perfect Swiss hotel.

Please Note - For departures 12/01/25, 02/02/2025 and 16/03/2025 we will stay at the Seiler's Vintage Hotel in Kandersteg

• Breakfast, Dinner

The charming mountain town of Zermatt is our destination after breakfast this morning. Travelling by rail to Brig, we change trains for a journey along the dramatic Matter Valley. Views of snow-covered meadows and rugged mountains accompany us all the way as we make our approach to beautiful Zermatt.

Nestled below the snowy pyramidal peak of the instantly recognisable Matterhorn, you're free to explore the car-free resort. To get closer to the iconic peak, you could take a ride on the scenic Gornergrat Mountain Railway. Reaching an elevation of more than 9,000 feet, enjoy panoramic views of the Matterhorn and its glaciers, as well as the Monte-Rosa range. In Zermatt itself, you could visit the Matterhorn Museum, a state-of-the-art museum which traces the town's history. Strolling along the historic streets, you could admire the age-old wooden chalets of Hinterdorfstrasse before soaking up the atmosphere in a welcoming café.

You are free to return to Kandersteg independently, and Zermatt has many inviting restaurants for dinner this evening.

• Breakfast

Today you're free to explore Kandersteg, renowned for its breathtaking views and scenic trails. You could take the cable car up to the stunning Oeschinen Lake, often frozen in winter, for stunning views across the Alps.

If you'd prefer, you could explore the wider region using your Swiss Travel Card for discounts of 50% on rail fares. One recommendation is to travel along the Rhône Valley to Montreux. A chic town on the Swiss Riviera, you can enjoy a cruise on Lake Geneva here or turn it into a stunning round-trip by boarding the GoldenPass Express to Interlaken. Closer to Kandersteg are Spiez and its fairytale castle sat on the shores of beautiful Lake Thun, or the Baroque Stockalper Palace in charming Brig. Alternatively, board the handy local post bus to the renewed mountain resort of Adelboden for free with the Kandersteg Visitors Card.

Kandersteg itself is a classic Swiss village dissected by the babbling Kander River. In this perfectly positioned village, you won't be stuck for inspiration before returning to the hotel for our final dinner as a group.

• Breakfast, Dinner

Snow-covered mountain peaks twinkling in the sun, atmospheric fairytale towns, warm hospitality and iconic trains ploughing through stunning scenery - Switzerland in winter puts on a sparkling show. From the charming towns of Chur, Kandersteg and Zermatt, spellbinding landscapes were experienced during two of the world's greatest rail journeys. Whether marvelling at glistening glaciers on a trip across the Alps aboard the Bernina Express or relishing a front-row seat to uninterrupted views of snow-bound meadows on the Glacier Express, this wonderful winter holiday has showcased Switzerland's natural beauty. Free time has also afforded the opportunity to see this country your own way, while our idyllic hotels provided warm welcomes and charming bases from which to explore.

After breakfast this morning, we begin our journey home. From Kandersteg to Brig and on to Lausanne, we can enjoy final glimpses of the spectacular scenery. Continuing on to Paris, we board the Eurostar in the French capital back to London, arriving back this evening where your tour comes to a conclusion.

• Breakfast