Swiss Bernese Oberland 36

Saturday 9th September 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 10th September 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 11th September 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 12th September 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 13th September 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

September 2023

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Georg Trueb Georg Trueb

The Black Sea Express

Thursday 14th September to Sunday 24th September 2023

Travel in style on the Royal Train from Sofia to the Black Sea and back on this luxury steam tour in magical Bulgaria. This is an ideal holiday tour both for rail enthusiasts and those wanting to experience steam travel and tourism in a country that remains one of Europe’s hidden gems. A light lunch with drinks is provided when on the Royal Train. • The Royal ‘Corona Express’ Train hails from the time of King Boris III, and your luxurious coaches will be hauled by a variety of powerful locomotives as you travel to the coast in style. • Enjoy overnight stays in top class hotels in Sofia, Veliko Tarnovo, Velingrad, Bansko and Burgas on the Black Sea Coast, with a crossing over the high Balkan Mountains. • Experience two days of steam on the scenic narrow-gauge Rhodope Mountains line hauled by the impressive 2-10-2T loco 60976 and visit the Rila Monastery, the most famous monastery in Bulgaria. • Travel a total of 870 km steam hauled by FIVE iconic locomotives, including the 2-8-2 Swiss-built loco 01.23 and the 2-100 16.27, as well as the world’s largest working tank engine 46.03! • Enjoy visits to the famous old town of Veliko Tarnovo or the Gorna Orjahovitsa loco depot and Asenovo Steam Reserve, and a sightseeing tour of Sofia before discovering the Black Sea Coast on a day trip to the sea resort of Nesebar, the ‘Pearl of the Black Sea’.

Thursday 14th September Fly to Sofia; private tram tour You fly from London Heathrow early morning with British Airways direct to Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. You check in to your city centre hotel before enjoying a private tram tour of the sights. Marvel at the onion-domed churches, Ottoman mosques and Red Army monuments in a city that boasts many of Bulgaria’s finest museums, galleries and restaurants. A welcome dinner will be served at your hotel this evening. (D)

Friday 15th September Suburbs of Sofia tour by Royal Train Today you experience the Royal ‘Corona Express’ train for the first time, consisting of specialized cars and historic carriages of King Boris III (1894 –1943), today hauled by the recently restored 0-8-0 freight locomotive 26.26 (Henschel 1908). After a circuit of the outer Sofia suburbs you take the short branch line to Bankya, a small town located on the outskirts of the city, returning to Sofia after a short break. Dinner and accommodation are at your hotel this evening. (B D)

Saturday 16th September Steam with the Royal Train to Gorna Orjahovitsa; bus transfer to Veliko Tarnovo

Today you travel in the Royal Train from Sofia to Pleven Zapad behind the 2-8-2 No 01.23 locomotive (made in Switzerland in 1935), before the powerful 2-10-0 16.27 (WLF 1948) takes over to haul you to Gorna Orjahovitsa, the biggest railway centre in Northern Bulgaria. From here you have a short bus transfer to your hotel in Veliko Tarnovo, where you stay for the next two nights. (B D)

Sunday 17th September Tour of Veliko Tarnovo OR visit the Gorna Orjahovitsa depot and Asenovo Steam Reserve

Today you have two options, the first being a guided walking tour of the old town of Veliko Tarnovo. Discover the medieval capital of Bulgaria, with houses in the old town over 200