Must-Sees and Hidden Gems: Crafting the Ideal Swiss Travel Itinerary
“We’d like a tour that’s a bit more “off-the-beaten-track” but that still includes some of the highlights that everybody asks for”
This is a phrase which we hear a lot at Swiss Tailor Made. When talking about rail holidays in Switzerland, most people will mention the Glacier Express, and rightly so. It’s a fantastic journey from one side of the country to the other and one which I have enjoyed in both directions many times. But it’s also something that has featured in Switzerland-based rail itineraries since the very beginning.
On a recent trip to visit a partner of ours in Geneva, instead of returning straight home that evening to Wengen, I broke the journey up in order to visit one of our partner hotels in the Simmental, the 5* Lenkerhof Gourmet Spa Resort. In doing so, it allowed me to travel the more scenic way home (via Bern is quicker but, in my view, not as scenic) which in turn got the creative juices flowing.
Switzerland is not short of scenic rail journeys with plenty to choose from but my particular favourite is the Golden Pass Line, stretching from Luzern in central Switzerland down to Montreux on the shores of Lake Geneva. My journey from Geneva to Lenk mentioned above incorporated some of this journey, just in the opposite direction. The overall journey starts in Luzern on the Luzern-Interlaken Panoramic Express passing countless lakes before heading up over the Brunig Pass, the other side of which offers incredible views over Lake Brienz. Onwards to Interlaken where you change trains before heading via the shores of Lake Thun and down the Simmental to Zweisimmen. From here, the journey continues via Gstaad and over the “Röstigraben” into French-speaking Switzerland before a final descent overlooking Lake Geneva to Montreux. The scenery is spectacular along the entire route.
Were you to alight in Zweisimmen (as I did on my recent trip back from Geneva), you would then be able to take an additional and equally scenic trin ride to Lenk, where you would find the Lenkerhof Gourmet Spa Resort. Not only is the Lenkerhof a fantastic hotel, but the location in relation to the route of the Golden Pass Line gives you easy access to all the highlights along the route. Furthermore, unlike some of the more well-known villages in the Berner Oberland, Lenk is much quieter and has retained a lot more of its original alpine charm and it’s certainly more “off-the-beaten-track”. The same can be said for several of the other hotels in our portfolio. In all cases, we have partnerships with hotels that are just slightly away from the “hotspots”. For example, instead of Luzern, try the Kurhaus in Flühli. Instead of St Moritz, try the Waldhaus in Sils Maria, or the Jufa Hotel in Savognin. And for all the highlights of Zürich and the surrounding area, not to mention easy 15-minute direct access by train to the airport, try the Park Hotel in Winterthur.
As well being able to establish direct relationships between tour operators and all of our partners, we also offer a comprehensive tour design service which not only allows us to provide you with the right products for your Switzerland programs, but also allows you access to our extensive local knowledge, which is particularly important when trying to create something that little bit different. For more information on how we can can help you with your Switzerland programs, please get in touch.
