Christmas and New Year in the Swiss and Italian Alps 18

Your Tour Manager will be happy to advise you about attractive options and specific connections. (B D)

Sunday 25th December Festive Lake Lucerne steamboat cruise with Christmas lunch For Christmas Day, the memorable highlight is a gala cruise on the vintage 1901 paddle steamer ‘Uri’. A festive 4-course Christmas meal will be served to you in the ornate Belle Epoque salon of the ship, as you cruise over stunning Lake Lucerne with Mount Pilatus and Mount Rigi in full view. Watch the big steam engine push the bright red paddle wheels, as the steamer gently glides over the water. After the cruise, you’ll have free time in Lucerne to explore this elegant city. Then you could use your Swiss Pass to travel back to Bern and Brig on a different railway route than in the morning, either travelling through the Emmental or over the Brünig Pass. In the evening, a light dinner will be served at the hotel. (B L D)

Monday 26th and Tuesday 27th December Freedom of Switzerland with First Class Swiss Travel Pass For the next two days you have total freedom to discover all that Switzerland has to offer. Aside from attractions like the nearby Bernese Oberland or Lake Geneva, you can explore the less-famous railway lines in the serene Gruyere region or make a side-step to Chamonix, France on the Mont Blanc Express, all offering iconic ‘little trains’, towering viaducts and mountain views. Excursions over the Oberalp Pass to the Rhaetian Railway are also possible. Each night, dinner is served at the hotel in Brig. (B D)

Wednesday 28th December Mountain magnificence in the Bernese Oberland Today you may join your Tour Manager for a guided excursion to the world famous Bernese Oberland. After arriving to Interlaken by SBB service, you can explore the countless ‘Little Trains’ of the region and travel by scenic train to such famed mountain villages as Grindelwald, Wengen, Lauterbrunnen and Mürren, where you will be rewarded with the most amazing views of Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau. In case you would like to follow in the footsteps of James Bond, you can make the optional excursion to the summit of Mount Schilthorn, the filming location of “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service”. (B D) Thursday 29th December Journey on the Centovalli Railway in Northern Italy, Lake Maggiore in Locarno and Ascona; Arrive in Lugano The time has come to venture further south to Italy as well as Ticino, the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland. While your luggage is directly forwarded by SBB’s excellent transfer service from hotel to hotel, you take a direct EuroCity train along the legendary Simplon Railway south to Italy. You change trains in Domodossola and then take the stunning Centovalli narrow gauge railway past 100 valleys and over numerous towering viaducts to Locarno. After ample time to explore Mediterranean Locarno with its spacious piazza and a side-step to the adjacent lakeside village of Ascona, you take an SBB train to nearby Lugano in Ticino, Switzerland’s Italian speaking canton. Check-in to your centrally located hotel, where you will stay for the next three nights. On arrival, dinner is served in the hotel restaurant. (B D)

Friday 30th and Saturday 31st December Railways and Funiculars of Ticino; along the Gotthard Railway and Swiss Riviera in Locarno and Lugano The mountain railways of Ticino are particularly exciting, as are the lakeside cities of Locarno and Lugano with their Mediterranean flair. For all railway enthusiasts, the busy border station of Chiasso is also a must. You first make a group visit to the Madonna del Sasso funicular, for spectacular views from this Italianate basilica high above Locarno. Then you are free to travel the length and breadth of the Ticino railway network for the next two days, including the Gotthard summit route with its winding horseshoe curves, the Ponte Tresa narrow gauge railway or the main line along Lake Lugano towards Italy. You could even make good use of the 57 km long Gotthard base tunnel and make an easy day-trip to the Mount Rigi rack railway at Arth-Goldau. On both evenings you have dinner at the hotel in Lugano. On New Year’s Eve, complimentary drinks are included with your dinner to celebrate the New Year. (B D)

Sunday 1st January 2023 Return to London After your exhilarating Christmas holiday you return to London via Paris by TGV and Eurostar services. (B)

Tour Summary

Tour price £2695 Single supplement £295 Ground only £2400 (Brig – Lugano)

Price includes:

• 11 nights half board at centrally located quality hotels in Brig and Lugano • First Class rail travel from London to

Switzerland and back (seats are reserved in standard premier carriages on Eurostar services) • A 15-Day Swiss Travel Pass national rail rover in First Class • Gornergrat mountain railway excursion • Festive Lake Lucerne Christmas Day

Cruise with 4-course meal • SBB luggage transfer from Brig to Lugano • Train tickets in Italy for excursion on

Centovalli Railway • New Year’s Eve 3-course dinner with drinks included • All seat reservations and transfers (except on free days) • The services of a tour manager

Optional Schilthorn excursion £35. All prices shown are per person based on two persons sharing. Meals included each day are shown as: B = Breakfast - L = Lunch - D = Dinner

December 2022

Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun 28 29 30 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 1

Highlights of Germany, Harz Mountains, Saxony and Baltic Coast

Tuesday 10th January to Tuesday 24th January 2023

Journey through a genuine Winter Wonderland on our ever-popular tour to Eastern Germany. Timber-framed houses, fairy-tale castles and romantic steam trains all add to the enchantment of this seasonal holiday. • Discover first-hand the charm and culture of Central, Eastern and Northern Germany, staying in such fine cities as Erfurt,

Dresden, Görlitz, Stralsund and Rostock. • Ride on the famed ‘little trains’ that circulate on the renowned narrow-gauge networks of the Harz Mountains, Saxony and along the Baltic Coast. • Visit iconic locations such as Drei Annen Hohne and Mount Brocken. • Experience legendary German ‘Plandampf’ on eight different narrow-gauge steam railways, all with their own unique character. • Enjoy private charters on wonderful heritage tramways in the historic cathedral cities of Halle and Görlitz, and a trip on the 1901 ‘dingle-dangle’ mountain monorail in Dresden.

Tuesday 10th January London to Erfurt Travel by Eurostar, Thalys and ICE high speed services from London St Pancras via Brussels and Frankfurt to Erfurt. On arrival check into your quality, centrally located hotel in the heart of Erfurt’s Old Town, where a welcome dinner will be served. (D)

Wednesday 11th January Historic Erfurt and Heritage Tramways in Halle Located in the heart of Germany, Erfurt has countless spacious squares, proud Burgher Houses, old bridges and pedestrianised alleys. This morning you explore its sights before an early afternoon service train trip to the nearby Cathedral city of Halle on Germany’s newest high speed railway line. Here you enjoy a private charter trip on a heritage tramway replete with photo stops. You’ll have an opportunity to see the landmark cathedral and beautiful main market square with its characteristic spires before returning to Erfurt by service train in the late afternoon for dinner at your hotel. (B D)

Thursday 12th January Steam in the Harz Mountains from Norhausen to Mount Brocken This morning you take a DB service train from Erfurt to Nordhausen before departing Nordhausen steam-hauled north to the junction station of Drei Annen Hohne. You travel steam-hauled over the long trunk line of the Harz narrow gauge network before a different steam locomotive takes over for the ascent up Mount Brocken. Following refreshments and photo opportunities at the summit, you descend back to Drei Annen Hohne and then return to Nordhausen, completing over 130 km of steam travel for the day. Once back in Erfurt, dinner will be served at your hotel. (B D)

Friday 13th January On to Dresden; Sightseeing by Vintage Tram, Historic Funicular and Mountain Monorail

This morning you take a DB Intercity Express (ICE) service from Erfurt to Dresden, where you check in to your 4-star hotel. Here you’ll receive a complimentary public transport rover ticket, valid for the duration of your stay. You embark on a sightseeing tour of the city by privately chartered vintage tram, concluding at the ‘Blue

Wonder’ Loschwitz Bridge. You then ride the ‘dingle-dangle’ mountain monorail from 1901 before taking the adjacent 1895 funicular to the Weisser Hirsch summit terminus. From there a direct tram line takes you back to the city centre. The rest of the afternoon is for leisure in Dresden, before dinner is served at your hotel. (B D)

Saturday 14th January Steam to Radeburg with a Saxon VII K locomotive and Leisure in Dresden After breakfast, you visit the local narrow-gauge railway at Radebeul, where a 2-10-2 Saxon VII K tank locomotive takes you down the 16.5 km long line to Radeburg, pausing at Moritzburg Castle. The train returns to Radebeul by midday, from where you return to Dresden Hbf on a DB service train. You can then explore Dresden at your own pace and make good use of your complimentary public transport rover ticket to ‘bash’ the extensive tram network. (B)

Sunday 15th January Steam at the at the Weisseritz Valley Railway to Kurort Kipsdorf Today you have a morning excursion to the recently re-opened narrow-gauge Weisseritz Valley Railway. You’ll be steam-hauled through Saxony’s ‘canyon landscape’ from FreitalHainsberg via Dippoldiswalde to Kurort Kipsdorf, along the river Weisseritz. Enjoy the panoramic views from the open balconies of your vintage carriage. You return to Dresden in the early afternoon, with time to further explore its many attractions. (B)

Monday 16th January Steam in the Ore Mountains from Cranzahl to Oberwiesenthal You travel on DB service trains from Dresden to Cranzahl, and board a steam train to travel over the iconic Fichtelbergbahn for the journey to Oberwiesenthal, the ‘St Moritz of Saxony’. After free time in this resort town and photo opportunities with steam trains passing over the railway viaduct by the station, you return from Oberwiesenthal to Cranzahl by steam train in the afternoon and from there continue to Dresden on DB service trains. (B)

Tuesday 17th January Vintage Tramways in Görlitz After morning leisure in Dresden, a service train takes you over the scenic line via Bautzen to Görlitz, Germany’s easternmost city, a popular location for major film productions. Görlitz also boasts a pocket-sized tram network and you’ll explore the city on a privately chartered 1920s heritage tram. In the evening, a buffet dinner will be served at your comfortable hotel, located in an historic building near the station. (B D)

Continued overleaf.

Tour Summary

First Class £2275 Standard Class £2075 Single supplement £295 Ground only £1970 (Erfurt – Rostock)

Price includes:

• High Speed train travel from London to

Erfurt and from Rostock to London • 10 dinners and 2 lunches • 14 nights accommodation with breakfast • All seat reservations and transfers • Public rover rail ticket • Interrail Global Pass Flex • The services of a tour manager

All prices shown are per person based on two persons sharing. Meals included each day are shown as: B = Breakfast - L = Lunch - D = Dinner

January 2023

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Wednesday 18th January Steam in Zittau Today you travel from the city of Zittau on the 12.2 km narrow-gauge branch line to the resort town of Kurort Oybin. You’ll receive a daylong rover ticket to explore both lines and film the exciting double departure from Bertsdorf. Impressive 2-10-2 tank engines run every day on the Zittau network and the historic town centre of Zittau is also worth a visit. In late afternoon you return by service train to Görlitz, crossing twice into Poland along the way. Another buffet dinner is served at your hotel tonight. (B D)

Thursday 19th January Steam at the Muskau Forest Railway and Pückler Park Visit Today you have an exciting private steam charter on the 600mm gauge Muskau Forest Railway near the Polish frontier. You’ll cover the two different branch lines to Bad Muskau and Kromlau, with run-pasts along the way. At lunch time, there’s time for refreshments in the namesake town of Bad Muskau with its charming local chateau and the famous UNESCO World Heritage Pückler Park. In late afternoon you return from Weisswasser by train to Görlitz (B L D).

Friday 20th January Via Berlin to Stralsund on the Baltic Coast This morning you transfer cross-country to north-eastern Germany on secondary railway lines. From Görlitz you take a regional train to Cottbus, changing onto an electric double-decker for the fast run into Berlin. At Berlin’s main station you can use your validated Interrail ticket travel day on the city’s elevated Stadtbahn or Ring Railway on DB S-Bahn services. Alternately you can sightsee the nearby Reichstag and Brandenburg Gate. In mid-afternoon you continue on a DB Regional Express service to Stralsund, arriving by late afternoon. On arrival at your centrally located hotel a buffet dinner will be served. (B D)

Saturday 21st January At leisure in historic Stralsund; or individual discovery of the Baltic Coast with a Rail Rover

You relax today in Stralsund, with the option of visiting the nearby university city of Greifswald or using your complimentary rail rover today to travel over the entire standard gauge network on the island of Rügen. Alternately, you can travel to the island of Usedom and cover the branch lines to Peenemünde and Swinoujscie, Poland. Your Tour Manager will be happy to advise on options. In the evening, a buffet dinner is served at the hotel (B D).

Sunday 22nd January Steam on the Island of Rügen German Plandampf is centre stage today as you travel by service train to Putbus and then experience the island’s famous narrow-gauge ‘Racing Roland’ railway. The 24 km long line runs via Binz to the seaside terminus Göhren. After lunch you return to Putbus behind a different steam locomotive and continue by regular service train to Stralsund. Dinner is once again served at your hotel. (B L D)

Monday 23rd January Steam at the Molli Railway along the Baltic Coast Today you visit the 15.4-kilometre-long resort railway ‘Molli’. Famous for its street running section in Bad Doberan, this 900 mm gauge railway boasts lots of rugged German tank engines. You’ll have reserved seats for the northbound journey to Kühlingsborn on the Baltic Coast, before returning to Bad Doberan to film the street running there. In the afternoon you continue to nearby Rostock for a final night at a centrally located hotel. (B)

Tuesday 24th January Return to London From the convenient, more westerly location of Rostock, you catch a mid-morning DB Intercity train directly to Cologne. From there it’s high speed rail onward to London St Pancras via Brussels. (B)