Swiss Bernese Oberland 32

Saturday 8th July 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 9th July 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 10th July 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 11th July 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 12th July 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

August 2023

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Georg Trueb Georg Trueb

Highlights of Germany in Summer –Steam in Berlin and the Harz Mountains

Monday 14th August to Thursday 24th August 2023

Enjoy a late summer holiday to Germany for relaxing river cruises, vintage transport in the vibrant capital Berlin and the famed steam trains of the Harz Mountains. • Enjoy steam by land and water, as you first cruise on the river Havel in Potsdam aboard the vintage 1908 steamboat

“Gustav”, then storm up Mount Brocken on the iconic 2-10-2 tank engines to the highest point in Northern Germany. • Take a steam train journey at the Wulheide Park Railway in Berlin, travel on the heritage tramway in Woltersdorf and sample five different river cruises at scenic locations around the capital, including Berlin Mitte, Köpenick, Potsdam,

Brandenburg and Szczecin, Poland. • The short sidestep to Poland with a daytrip rail excursion to the historic port city of Szczecin (Stettin) with a cruise on the

River Odra adds geographic variety to the holiday. • This relaxed holiday takes place after the peak period of the German school holidays, when the Harz Mountains are less busy, but still have the most intensive ‘Plandampf’ steam timetable in operation. • Spend 3 days in the Harz Mountains with an unlimited 3-day rover ticket, valid on all the famed “Plandampf” steam services.

Monday 14th August London to Berlin by high-speed rail With Eurostar and ICE services via Brussels and Cologne. Accommodation at a centrally located 4-star hotel in Berlin. Meet your fellow travellers for a welcome dinner in the hotel restaurant. (D)

Tuesday 15th August Berlin Technical Museum, Time at leisure, Museum Island Sunset Cruise After a leisurely breakfast, you collect your complimentary multi-day public transport rover ticket, which allows you full flexibility and individual travel in the city. You then visit the Technical Museum in western Berlin, which has one of the finest collections of old locomotives, aircraft, cars and stationary steam engines in Europe. The museum is built around an old freight yard and two former roundhouses. The guided excursion there will allow you to get familiar with Berlin’s layout and public transport network. Following the visit, you will have free time to discover the city at your own pace. In the evening you rejoin the group for a sunset dinner cruise with complimentary drinks on the River Spree in the city centre, passing all the major landmarks and the famed museum island on a vintage ship. (B D) Wednesday 16th August Woltersdorf heritage tramway and Köpenick cruise Today you take an overground S-Bahn service to Woltersdorf, a charming village on the eastern edge of Berlin, which is noteworthy for its heritage tramway that leads to a small lake. You have a private charter tram ride on a classic tram dating from 1913, which unusually has no enclosed cabs, allowing the driver to stand on the open balcony. You visit the tram depot, before enjoying time at leisure in Berlin. You then depart on another evening dinner cruise, along the Eastside Gallery, Ostbahnhof, famed turret bridge at Warschauer Strasse to the