Swiss Bernese Oberland 18

Saturday 17th June Excursion to Jungfraujoch and the ‘Top of Europe’ A real tour highlight awaits today on a trip to the famous Jungfraujoch and the ‘Top of Europe’. You’ll travel on a WAB train to Kleine Scheidegg before joining a JB train en route to the highest railway station in Europe. The train stops twice at points where there are large windows in the rock face for passengers to admire the views. The ‘Top of Europe’ itself is a high-altitude building connected to the underground Jungfraujoch Railway Station by a tunnel. There’s a choice of restaurants in which to take lunch, and a permanent exhibition about the Jungfrau Railway and the Alps. For the return back to Wengen you can either travel the same route by train from Kleine Scheidegg to Wengen or travel from Kleine Scheidegg on to Grindlewald at your own leisure, then make your way back to Wengen via Lauterbrunnen. On your return dinner will be served at the hotel. (B D)

Sunday 18th June Bern Steam Tram; Cruise on Lake Thun Today you travel by train to the Swiss capital, Bern, for a two-hour tour of the city by legendary steam tram. The metre gauge 0-6-0 tramway locomotive pulls a classic wooden carriage with open-ended balconies. You’ll pass many of Bern’s historic landmarks, including the famous Zytglogge clock tower. In the afternoon there’s time to visit the shops along the arcaded walkways, or the famous Bear Park and nearby River Aare. Later, you’ll take a service train to Thun to board a boat for the onward journey. Cruising along Lake Thun you have uninterrupted views of famous mountain peaks like the Niederhorn, Niesen, and Jungfrau. You then disembark at Interlaken West Railway Station and return by train to Wengen via Lauterbrunnen. (B D)

Monday 19th June Free day to use your Regional Pass; Optional visit to the Schilthorn Today is free to use your Regional Pass. Your first option is a trip to the summit of the Schilthorn, overlooking the valley of Lauterbrunnen and reached by a cable car from the village of Mürren. At the summit there’s a panoramic revolving restaurant, Piz Gloria, once the location of a James Bond film, and free entrance to the Bond World interactive exhibition. A mountain excursion surcharge is payable for this trip but if booked in advance you can take advantage of our special discounted price. The second option is a visit to Lucerne. The city is located on Lake Lucerne, in sight of Mount Pilatus and Mount Rigi in the Swiss Alps. You’ll get to Interlaken using WAB and BOB trains from where metre gauge Zentralbahn express trains go direct to Lucerne, a great experience in itself. The route follows the scenic Brünig Line beside Lake Brienz and the River Aare to Meiringen, where the train reverses and climbs over the Brunig Pass using a rack system. The terminus station at Lucerne is opposite the landing stage from which passenger boats, including paddle steamers, serve lakeside communities. The Chapel Bridge is a landmark of Lucerne and the oldest wooden covered bridge in Europe. Other places of interest include the Old Town of Lucerne, the Lion Monument, and the Swiss Museum of Transport. (B D)

Tuesday 20th June Excursion to Schynige Platte Today you enjoy an excursion to the Schynige Platte mountain area, famous for its wildflower gardens and views of the majestic mountain scenery. You travel by WAB train to Lauterbrunnen and BOB train to Wilderswil, the junction for the 800mm gauge Schynige Platte Railway from 1893, one of Switzerland’s pioneering lines. The cog train climbs at a sedate 12 kph up to Schynige Platte, passing many panoramic viewpoints overlooking Lake Thun and Lake Brienz, eventually revealing the glistening giants of the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau mountains to the south. (B D)

Wednesday 21st June Return to UK After breakfast in the hotel it is time to say your farewells and take local trains to Lauterbrunnen and Interlaken. You then travel by express train from Interlaken to Basel before changing trains and continuing to Paris Gare de L’Est via Strasbourg. There you transfer to Paris Gare du Nord and take a Eurostar service back to London St. Pancras International. (B)

Tour Summary

Tour price £1795 Single supplement £115 Optional extra £45 Mountain excursion surcharge to visit ‘The Schilthorn’

Price includes:

• 7 nights half board at Sunstar Hotel including complimentary beverages from the minibar (beer, mineral water, soft drinks, refilled daily) and free use of hotel facilities including WiFi, swimming pool, sauna and steam bath • First Class rail travel from London to

Switzerland and back (seats are reserved in standard premier carriages on Eurostar services) • A Standard Class Regional Pass valid for days 2 to 7 for travel around the

Bernese Oberland • All rail, tram and boat trips as detailed in the itinerary • All escorted visits as detailed in the itinerary • All seat reservations and transfers (except on free days) • 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

June 2023

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Georg Trueb Georg Trueb

Cruising around the Austrian Lakes

Wednesday 28th June to Wednesday 5th July 2023

Paddle steamers, steam trains, mountain railways and, best of all, fantastic Alpine landscapes all feature on this wonderful holiday tour of the Austrian Lake District. • Conveniently based in Salzburg throughout, you’ll enjoy a truly relaxed and refined tour itinerary, with ample time for personal leisure and travel exploration in the city included. • Experience no less than six of Austria’s finest and most tranquil mountain lakes on private charter cruises featuring genuine paddle steamers, vintage motor vessels and elegant salon ships. • Enjoy a fantastic river cruise aboard the Danube’s last operational paddle steamer, the majestic ‘Schönbrunn’ from 1912. • Combine scenic journeys by water with mountaineering excursions on steam-powered rack railways, steep funiculars and panoramic gondolas, taking you to some of Europe’s most spectacular peaks. • The iconic ‘little trains’ of Austria feature prominently on this holiday, and journeys on the idyllic Taurachbahn and

Zillertalbahn narrow-gauge railways let you sample both ‘Plandampf’ and private charter travel with plenty of run-pasts and photo stops.

Wednesday 28th June Arrive to Salzburg; leisure in the city with rover ticket After a direct morning flight from London to Salzburg you arrive in the birth city of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart by mid-day. After a quick transfer to your comfortable centrally located hotel, you enjoy a light lunch and receive a Salzburg Card local transport rover ticket, allowing full access to the city’s local train and trolleybus network, as well as the popular fortress funicular and vertical elevator to the top of the Mönchsberg, from where you can enjoy some of the fine views of the spires and rooftops of this UNESCO World Heritage site, as well as the nearby mountains. The rest of the afternoon and evening are yours to spend at leisure before returning to your hotel for a welcome dinner.(L D) Thursday 29th June Paddle cruise on Wolfgangsee and steam at the Schafberg rack railway After breakfast you transfer by coach to Wolfgangsee, for an enchanting charter cruise on this serene Alpine lake aboard the historic 1873 paddle-wheeler Kaiser Franz Josef. You then ascend to the summit of nearby Mount Schafberg by steam locomotive on its famed rack and pinion railway, the steepest steam-powered rack railway in Austria. From the top you’ll have stunning views of a myriad of glistening lakes and distant glaciers. You descend back down the mountain by steam train and then return to Salzburg in the afternoon, where dinner is served in the hotel restaurant. (B L D) Friday 30th June Private charter cruises on the Mondsee and Hallstättersee More cruises on tranquil lakes await today, as you venture south from Salzburg to the so-called Salzkammergut region. You first have a cruise on the idyllic Mondsee, including lunch aboard the ship, before venturing to Hallstatt for a private cruise on the namesake Hallstättersee. With its tall church spire and colourful houses, Hallstatt is a picture-perfect mountain village, probably the most-photographed small town in Austria. You get the best of views of Hallstadt from the boat, but also have time to look around the town centre of this UNESCO World Heritage site. In late afternoon you return to Salzburg with a scenic drive over pretty mountain roads. Dinner is served tonight in the hotel restaurant. (B L D)