Swiss Alps
| country: | France, Switzerland |
| trip type: | Introductory walking holidays |
| departures: | This trip is no longer running |
| price: | From £1178 (8 days) including train from the UK, from £1056 excluding train |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
the amazing things you'll be doing
A classic journey combining a number of famous cog railways of the Alps as well as various walks in the area. Grade A, easy - with morning or afternoon walks generally lasting for a few hours to Zmutt village, Findeln, Oschinensee Lake and Stechelberg, this is an ideal way for the occasional walker to explore this region and discover the delights of the Alps.
Cog railways and Alpine villages
After arriving in Chamonix, we experience the first of three included cog railways on the tour, the Montenvers, which at 1900m gives great views of the Alps. We also visit the Mer du Glace glacier where you can venture inside the glacier itself. We then travel to Zermatt with a lovely walk to the village of Zmutt, which is dominated by views of the Matterhorn. The following day takes us on a journey on the Gornergrat Railway, which was completed in 1898 and is the highest open air cog railway in Europe at 3100m. A further walk to the hamlet of Findeln in the afternoon allows for great views of the alpine scenery.
Kandersteg and Oschinensee Lake
We leave Zermatt and head down to the quaint Alpine town of Kandersteg which is dotted with Swiss chalets and cut by a rushing river with stunning mountain scenery. A short chairlift ride brings us to Oeschinensee Lake - a glaciated alpine lake at 1580m and spectacularly set beneath sheer rock-walls and great snow-clad peaks in a hollow beneath the mountains.
Wilderswil and views of the Bernese Oberland
We then travel by local train to Wilderswil where we venture on the historical rack and pinion railway to the peak of the Schynige Plate at 2076m. The outstanding views over the Bernese Oberland and of the Eiger are breathtaking and it is no surprise that this is one of the most celebrated viewpoints in the entire region. There is also an Alpine garden, laid out over 60 years ago with 500 flowering plants and ferns. The final day includes a journey to the Lauterbrunnen Valley - a UNESCO World Heritage site famous for its classic glaciated steep sides and where the cog train to the Jungfraujoch can be taken (optional).
Cog railways and Alpine villages
After arriving in Chamonix, we experience the first of three included cog railways on the tour, the Montenvers, which at 1900m gives great views of the Alps. We also visit the Mer du Glace glacier where you can venture inside the glacier itself. We then travel to Zermatt with a lovely walk to the village of Zmutt, which is dominated by views of the Matterhorn. The following day takes us on a journey on the Gornergrat Railway, which was completed in 1898 and is the highest open air cog railway in Europe at 3100m. A further walk to the hamlet of Findeln in the afternoon allows for great views of the alpine scenery.
Kandersteg and Oschinensee Lake
We leave Zermatt and head down to the quaint Alpine town of Kandersteg which is dotted with Swiss chalets and cut by a rushing river with stunning mountain scenery. A short chairlift ride brings us to Oeschinensee Lake - a glaciated alpine lake at 1580m and spectacularly set beneath sheer rock-walls and great snow-clad peaks in a hollow beneath the mountains.
Wilderswil and views of the Bernese Oberland
We then travel by local train to Wilderswil where we venture on the historical rack and pinion railway to the peak of the Schynige Plate at 2076m. The outstanding views over the Bernese Oberland and of the Eiger are breathtaking and it is no surprise that this is one of the most celebrated viewpoints in the entire region. There is also an Alpine garden, laid out over 60 years ago with 500 flowering plants and ferns. The final day includes a journey to the Lauterbrunnen Valley - a UNESCO World Heritage site famous for its classic glaciated steep sides and where the cog train to the Jungfraujoch can be taken (optional).
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Eurostar train London to Paris then overnight train to St Gervais les Bains and local train to Chamonix. |
| Day 2: | Travel on Montenvers cog railway; PM free. |
| Day 3: | Train to Zermatt; PM walk to Zmutt. |
| Day 4: | AM Gornergrat railway; PM walk to Findeln. |
| Day 5: | Train to Kandersteg; walk to Oschinensee Lake. |
| Day 6: | Train to Wilderswil; PM take cog railway to Schynige Platte; walk to the Alpine garden or optional boat ride on Lake Thun. |
| Day 7: | Train to Lauterbrunnen Valley; walk to Stechelberg; PM free to ride the Jungfrau railway (optional). |
| Day 8: | Train from Wilderswil to Geneva; fly UK. |
small group cultural tours
Typically you will be sharing your experiences with between 4-20 like minded travellers (depending on the trip, operator and how many others are booked on the trip) and you'll have a group leader with you. Whether you are travelling alone or with friends it's good value, and a great way to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of privacy. This trip will appeal to travellers of all ages who enjoy meeting new people as well as experiencing new cultures.award winner
This tourism business won an Award in our 2008 Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards - organised by responsibletravel.com in association with The Daily Telegraph, World Travel Market, Geographical Magazine, of the Royal Geographical Society and BBC World News.Since 2004, the Awards has recognised individuals, companies and organisations in travel making a big commitment to the culture and economies of local communities and helping to conserve biodiversity.
how this holiday makes a difference
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Environment
Through all the debate over the relative environmental merits of different forms of transport, it is generally accepted that rail travel is a lower carbon option than flying. Conscious of our impact on the environment, our rail tour eliminates internal flights completely from the itinerary. Furthermore, by opting to travel on public trains we are drastically reducing the reliance on privately chartered transport within our tour. All travel has impacts. We are confident this tour keeps those to a minimum. We also aim to minimise our impact on the environment through our tour operation. We and our suppliers work to the strict environmental guidelines laid out in our Responsible Tourism policy, governing how we deal with waste and operate walks to minimise our impacts. All leaders are trained in responsible tourism matters too and take the lead in this key area. Community Train travel is a great way to meet local people at get a more personal experience of travel in their country. This is an excellent opportunity to get chatting, so we do encourage you to try a few words of the local lingo! Ensuring that local people benefit from tourism is core to our philosophy and relevant to all countries, regardless of the level of development. We use local guides, locally owned transport and hotels and try to spread our custom to a variety of local restaurants. It’s not just good for the local communities; we believe you get a better experience as a result. As well as the above, we support a variety of charities and projects worldwide which support vulnerable communities and habitats including Friends of Conservation, Hope Worldwide and Send A Cow. We are also actively engaged with UK travel industry bodies which promote best practice in responsible tourism, such as Tourism Concern, The Travel Foundation and AITO. Our commitment to responsible tourism is not limited to our overseas operation and we have measures to ensure our UK office operates according to our responsible tourism policy. Carbon offsets for all flights booked with us are included in the tour cost. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |