Swiss Alps Scenic Adventure Week

September 19-28, 2010
With included day trip excursion to the Northern Italian Alps/Lakes region
 

      


(Above – scenes of the famed Matterhorn Mountain and Lake Geneva, Switzerland)

 

Join us for a picture postcard scenic escape to one of the most beautiful countries in the world.  Switzerland has it all – Breathtaking mountains, picturesque lakes & quaint villages.
We will enjoy visits to the lakefront towns of Geneva and Lausanne. We will enjoy three nights in the wonderful “car free” town of Zermatt, at the base of the famed Matterhorn Mountain, where visitors can enjoy the opportunity to stroll Zermatt’s streets laden with shops and restaurants, overlooking magnificent Matterhorn views, plus enjoy a full day’s tour of the Matterhorn. 
Next it’s on to witness the equally gorgeous mountain side views in the town of Interlaken at the base of the Junfraujoch Mountains before we finish our escapade with a final night in world class Zurich.
An excursion from Zermatt across the border to visit the quaint villages of the Italian Alps, along Lake Maggiore and a chance to visit the Boromean islands, make this tour a must see for anyone who loves the mountains and the beauty of nature.

Daily itinerary:
 
Sunday Sept. 19th – Depart at 7:35pm from New York JFK on our nonstop flight aboard Swiss International airline to Geneva Switzerland.
Monday Sept. 20th – Arrive Geneva at 9:40am. Upon arrival, after clearing customs, we will be met by our local Swiss tour manager and escorted to our awaiting private coach and transferred to our 1st class hotel, the NH Rex Hotel.
The NH Rex with its charming French garden is located in the centre of Geneva, close to Lake Geneva, to the UN, the Place de Bourg-de-Four, and the Place Neuve and to Carouge.

A luxurious, elegant and enchanting ambience decorated in the glorious style of the 19th century, all combined with a touch of French lifestyle surrounds you from the moment you enter the NH Rex. The hotel features a business centre and a 24-hour front desk for your convenience
All Rooms have Individually-Controlled Air-Conditioning, Flat-Screen TV, Mini Bars, Safes, hairdryers and Wi-Fi Internet Connections.

This afternoon we will enjoy a guided panoramic tour of scenic Geneva including the sights along picturesque Lake Geneva. 
Lake Geneva is the largest Alpine lake, lying on the Swiss-French border, flanked by the huge Alps. Besides its stunning location, it boasts a Mediterranean climate and many atmospheric coastal towns where passing time and enjoying the scenery is a wonderful pastime

Panoramic Lake Geneva

 
The popular Jet d’ Eau fountains along Lake Geneva

The evening is at leisure to relax or explore the local restaurants.  With more than a thousand restaurants in the city, you can eat and drink your way around the world in Geneva.
The city’s excellent Swiss restaurants are somewhat overshadowed by a plethora of French places, drawing on influences from haute-cuisine Lyon just 160km away, but the Old Town in particular (around the Place du Bourg-de-Four) has a host of atmospheric Swiss eateries. Carouge is a foodie’s paradise

Tuesday September 21st – Today we will enjoy our private coach ride along scenic Lake Geneva to Lausanne, its sister city across the lake.  Lausanne is just 63 kilometers (just 38 miles) from Geneva. 

Upon arrival, we will enjoy a guided tour of Lausanne.

ABOVE: A panoramic view of Lausanne, Lac Léman, and the French Alps.

Lausanne may be the capital of Vaud, but it isn't your typical cantonal seat. This picturesque, hilly city of 125,000 has vied with Geneva as the intellectual and cultural center of French-speaking Switzerland for centuries.
The Cité, or old town, is uphill from the train station. It's packed with fine buildings--among them, Switzerland's largest cathedral, which has been Protestant since the 15th Century. Other landmarks include the 17th Century Hôtel de Ville (city hall), the Palais du Rumine (occupied by several museums), the Château St-Maire (a former bishops' castle), and the Ancienne-Académie (the University of Lausanne's former home).
After our city orientation tour, the balance of the afternoon is at leisure to explore at your own pace.
You can walk or take public transport to the lakeside port-resort of Ouchy. This former fishing village, now a part of Lausanne, is a great place to stroll along the shores of Lac Léman (a.k.a. Lake Geneva.
Lausanne has two main sightseeing areas:

The Upper Town, or Haute Ville, runs uphill from the main railroad station and includes the medieval old town. Bring your walking shoes and be prepared to climb hilly streets and steps if you want to visit the cathedral, the St-François church, and see other old-town attractions such as the Château Saint-Maire (a former Episcopal palace) and the Tour de l'Ale (a watchtower dating to 1340 that was once part of the city walls). Flon, a trendy warehouse district turned nightlife quarter, is just to the west of the old town and the Place de l'Europe.

The Lower Town, or Haute Basse, more commonly known as Ouchy (the name of the fishing village that once stood on the shoreline), is a district of parks, lakeside promenades, elegant 19th Century resort hotels such as the Beau-Rivage Palace, and a handful of museums such as the world-famous Olympic Museum Lausanne.

ABOVE: Lausanne's 13th Century cathedral is on a hill above the Haute Ville or old town.

ABOVE: The Rhone and other vessels of the Compagnie Générale de Navigation sur le Lac Léman connect Lausanne to sights along the lake--among them, the Castle of Chillon.

We will return to Geneva and enjoy another evening at leisure.
For those interested in a very traditional Swiss dining experience, join us for an optional Swiss fondue Dinner outing tonight.

Wednesday Sept. 22nd – Today we will coach to Taesch, where we will pick up a short, but most scenic Swiss train experience, taking us to the quaint village of Zermatt.
Zermatt is located at the base of the awe inspiring Matterhorn, one of the most famous of all single mountains in the world.
Zermatt is a car free town, which means everything is within walking distance, for easy strolls from any of Zermatt’s hotels to quaint restaurants with amazing views of the Matterhorn.
We will check in to our hotel for the next 3 nights, the first class hotel Alex.
The ambiance of the 'Alex' reminds one of a luxurious cottage: The classic chalet offers an utmost attractive world of surprises: Well-turned furniture, rich curtains, velvet cushions, exquisite wood-carved works and valuable paintings of the Matterhorn as well as a bunch of playful details which create a passionate atmosphere of coziness and comfortableness. The vast Alex lounge-bar with its niches 'Highlander' and 'Scottish Corner'is the right place to enjoy the impressive choice of cocktails.
    
Rooms at the Hotel Alex                    View of the Matterhorn from town
 
Dream on……
Each room is artistically and individually designed.  Rooms offer hairdryers, in room safes and turn down service.
Hospitality at its best: Come in and let us spoil you in this fairy tale wonderland.

Drift away and let us pamper you

Escape from the stress and hustle and bustle of everyday life, allow yourself to just drift away and let us pamper you. Here at Hotel Alex the wellbeing of our guests is our absolute priority. So we have created a comprehensive range of wellness facilities with you in mind. At Hotel Alex we have:

• three massage rooms
• separate women’s and men’s saunas
• a Finnish sauna
• a tepidarium
• a sanarium
• a massage chair
• a tropical shower

Our many wellness facilities are complemented by a selection of massage and beauty treatments – all designed to make you feel wonderful from head to toe.

Exercise and relaxation

At Hotel Alex you’re spoilt for choice when it comes to exercise options. Our guests can use our fitness room with its state-of-the-art equipment, including the Powerplate and rowing machines. Or you can have fun testing your fitness in one of our tennis and squash courts. Why not take a swim in our grotto swimming pool and give your muscles a good workout. Or just lie back on the water and go with the flow. And if its relaxation and revitalization you’re after, why not treat yourself to one of our wonderfully soothing massage treatments or an invigorating sauna.

To help you enhance your feeling of wellbeing even further, we also offer classes in:

• Yoga
• Pilates
• Water aerobics

But don’t just take our word for it – come and experience our superb sports and fitness facilities for yourself
Thursday Sept. 23rd – This morning we will enjoy a guided tour of the Matterhorn, including a ride on the cable car that will take us up to its observation deck. 
The ride up the cable car lasts 30 minutes and offers amazing views along the way.
Upon reaching the observation deck we will enjoy even more breathtaking panoramic views.
We will be escorted for a guided tour of the Glacier Palace, located alongside the observation deck.

A view of the Matterhorn and surrounding mountain scenery from its cable car

It is hard to describe just how spectacular the approach by cable car to the mountain top is. Once at the top there is a very pleasant restaurant, a view to a huge expanse of glacier and snow, a tremendous view of mountain peaks and a lift which takes you to the very peak where you can stand on a viewing platform at 12,700 feet. The view on a clear day is just awesome.
There are very few mountains in the world that can compare in magnificence with the Matterhorn. Such an exalted view is experienced because of the location of the mountain and its solo position.
                                                                      

This evening is at leisure to explore the many dining options in Zermatt

Friday September 24th – Today we will enjoy a full day excursion to Northern Italy, visiting the scenic shore of Lake maggiore in the Italian Alps. .
We will coach to scenic Lake Maggiore, just across the Swiss/Italian border to visit the scenic shore the gorgeous lakefront town of Stressa.  After a brief orientation of Stressa, we will enjoy a free afternoon to explore its many shopping & sightseeing opportunities or enjoy an optional afternoon excursion to visit the exquisite gardens on its islands of Isla Bella
 & Isla Madre.
 
 Scenes of Lake Maggiore’s village of Stressa

Lake Maggiore, or Lago Maggiore, is part of the stunning Italian Lakes region, situated on the edge the Italian Alps.
Maggiore is one of the most popular of the Italian lakes and has a number of very popular towns crossing the border between Italy and Switzerland.
Like all the other Northern Italian lakes it is a deep glacial basin fed by rivers   
Anyone who reads Hemingway will know this lake and its forested shores from A Farewell to Arms. That's just the sort of place Lake Maggiore is -- a pleasure ground that's steeped in associations with famous figures (Flaubert, Wagner, Goethe, and many of Europe's other great minds seem to have been inspired here)

Read more: http://www.frommers.com/destinations/lakemaggiore/0741010029.html#ixzz0WohPRjRn
The most popular town along Lake Maggiore is Stressa.
Strolling and relaxing seem to be the main activities in Stresa. The action is at the lakeside promenade, running from the center of town north past the grand lakeside hotels, including the Iles des Borromees, where Hemingway set A Farewell to Arms.
The walk in the town takes you past many villas and sculpture gardens.

Classic architecture along Lake Maggiore and the chic town of Stressa

Stressa is the best known resort town along chic Lake Maggiore. Located on the western shore on the peaceful Borromean Bay in Northern Italy, Stressa is well known for its eye popping architecture and lively ambiance. It is also noted for its great Italian hospitality with plenty to see and do. Shopping in the old cobbled streets is also a definite must, filled with exciting Italian goods to get your hands on.

With museums, galleries, historical sites and old squares as well as enticing shopping, you are sure enjoy a visit to Stressa.
After a brief orientation of Stressa’s highlights with our local Swiss tour manager, we will enjoy free time for lunch at our leisure.
Following lunch, passengers will have the option of a relaxing free afternoon to explore the many shops and sights along Stressa’s grand walkways and waterfront, or to join us on an optional excursion across the lake to the Borromean islands of Isola Bella and Isola Madre.
The ferries from Stressa to the Borromean islands leave every half hour and cost only11 Euros, covering all 3 islands (although only the above listed 2 are truly worth visiting).
The ferry from Stressa to Isola Bella takes only 5 minutes and once on this island, passengers can visit for free, the exquisite 17th century gardens along 10 luxuriantly planted terraces. 
There is also an impressive palace BUILT IN 1632 that is still today occupied by the family of the late count Borromeo that you can visit for a small admission fee.
 
  The palace of Count Borromeo on Isola Bella

The ferry ride then on to Isola Madre takes 30 minutes and offers an opportunity to see exotic flora and exotic, colorful birds. (This visit has an admission cost of an additional 8 Euros however.)
The villa’s gardens have exotic flora and fauna including a flock of white peacocks and various other flamboyantly plumed birds that guard the 200-year-old Cashmir Cyprus.

After our return ferry back to Stressa, we will again rejoin those that have enjoyed the afternoon at leisure in Stressa and together we will return across the Swiss border to our cozy accommodations at the hotel Alex in Zermatt.
Upon our return, join us for a small party in the hotel Jacuzzi, or just explore the quaint surroundings of Zermatt one final evening.




Scenes of the chic village of Stressa, along Lake Maggiore, Italy
Saturday Sept. 25th – Today will leave Zermatt and coach to the quaint little Swiss town of Grindelwald (a short 2 hour ride along fantastic mountain scenery).
Grindelwald is among one of Europe's oldest mountain resorts and lies in a valley situated in the beautiful Bernese Oberland on the northern side of the Alps. Grindelwald is surrounded by the spectacular mountain trio "Eiger, Mönch & Jungfrau

           
        The mountain ranges that surround Grindelwald                      

We will enjoy a guided tour of Grindewald today, exploring its quaint walkways and breathtaking scenery of 3 awe inspiring mountains.
From Grindewald we will continue our short coach ride to the town of Interlaken, only 11 miles away, where we will spend the next two nights.
We will check in to our hotel, the hotel Metropole. 
The Metropole Hotel is a modern 4-star business and leisure hotel with 95 rooms; most of them with a splendid view to the Jungfrau mountain range. The hotel is ideally located in the heart of the town, approx. 10 minutes walking distance from both Interlaken railway stations, and a variety of local restaurants.

The facilities at the Hotel Metropole include: the specialty restaurant "Bellini" which offers Swiss cuisine with fresh, local products; the panorama restaurant "Top o'Met" with a terrace on the 18th floor where guests enjoy magnificent views during an unconventional lunch as well as a tasty cake with a coffee; and the Metro-Bar and Lounge offering various cocktails, and in the evenings the cozy atmosphere is accompanied by live piano music. Additional amenities at the Hotel Metropole include the wellness area with an indoor pool, a sauna, a solarium and the sun terrace

  All rooms feature cable-TV, radio, direct-dialing telephone, wireless Internet connection, hair dryers  and a mini-bar.
The balance of the day and evening are at leisure to relax and enjoy the surroundings.
Sunday Sept. 26th – Today is a full free day at leisure to explore. 
If you wish a unique experience, take a ride on the Junfrau railroad, which takes you to the highest point in Europe
The Jungfrau Railway - Taking a trip to the Top of Europe
Switzerland's 5,000 kilometre (3,000 mile) railway network - much of it over mountainous terrain - is an engineering marvel by any standards. And among the most impressive accomplishments of all is the spectacular Jungfrau Railway in the beautiful Bernese Oberland. The railway took 16 years to build and was opened in 1912, operating from Kleine Scheidegg to the Jungfraujoch - at 3,454 metres (11,333ft) still the highest-altitude station in Europe.
The route to the Top of Europe covers 12 kilometres (5.8 miles). It runs through open terrain for only the first two kilometres (1.2 miles) from the Kleine Scheidegg to the Eigergletscher (Eiger Glacier) station. From then on it climbs through a tunnel hewn out of the Alpine rock. Two observation windows offer breathtaking vistas of the Alpine landscape. 
From the Eigerwand (North Wall) Station at 2,865 metres (9,400ft), passengers can look down to the Grindelwald Valley, the Kleine Scheidegg and beyond Interlaken to Lake Thun. From the Eismeer (Sea of Ice) station at 3,160 metres (10,368ft), the landscape is one of eternal ice and rock. 
The summit itself is a glacier-and-grotto world. Visitors are afforded excellent views of the Aletsch Glacier, at 22 kilometres (14 miles) the longest in the Alps. On clear days, you can even see beyond Switzerland's frontiers to France's Vosges mountain range and the Black Forest in Germany. 

Among other attractions are the Sphinx observation terrace, Ice Palace, audio-visual show and high Alpine research exhibition. The Jungfraujoch complex also includes restaurants, a souvenir shop and a post office, for those wishing to send a card or letter commemorating their visit to “The top of Europe”
Equally impressive, is the rail ride to the top of the Schilthorn, offering equally astounding views along the way and from its peak.
        At the top of the Schilthorn, there is a revolving restaurant and an observation deck.  Some film buffs may recognize this sight from the early james bond movie “on her majesty’s secret service”
As the longest aerial cableway in the Alps, the Schilthorn provides some of the most unimpeded panoramic views of the Alps.  Over 200 mountain peaks in a spectacular landscape, the world's first revolving mountain top restaurant slowly turns and gives you a 360° alpine view.  It is on Schilthorn that the James Bond 007 movie 'On Her Majesty's Secret Service' was filmed in the late 1960's

The revolving restaurant at the top of the schilthorn
There are many popular hiking trails in the Junfrau mountains, easily accessible from Interlaken, offering breathtaking views at every turn.  Our local Swiss tour manager will be happy to suggest the best trails for anyone interested. The Junfrau mountains are some of the most spectacular in Switzerland and offer both stunning views, as well as fantastic hiking or walking trail opportunities.
Trummelbach Falls - are unique, in that seven of its 10 cascades are inside a mountain. A lift takes you up inside the mountain, and you start climbing up to the cascades
 If you prefer to relax, there are many opportunities to explore the town of Interlaken, or the nearby town of Murren (at the base of the Schilthorn) and their many local shops and sights.
Those looking for a more adrenaline pumping day can try canyoning, which offers a combination of rappelling, ziplining, hiking and water sliding.
The full day and evening is at your leisure to enjoy as you wish.

Monday September 27th – Today we leave Interlaken and coach to Zurich, less than 2 hours journey.  Enroute we will pass through the scenic town of Lucerne, where passengers will have free time to explore at leisure, before we continue on to Zurich.

Upon arrival in Zurich we will enjoy a guided tour of this world class city.
Following our tour, we will check into our 4 star hotel for our final night’s stay, The Hotel Senator.
The hotel is just 2 kms (1.2 miles) from the city center of Zurich and close to many shopping and dining opportunities.
Rooms have hairdryers, mini bars and in room safes. Wi-Fi access is also available in the hotel.
The hotel restaurant serves Swiss, French and international cuisine in an informal setting for ease of all guests.