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Take off on a discovery tour of the magnificent scenery of the mountains & lakes of Switzerland and Northern Italy…spend a delightful summer evening on lovely Lake Geneva and then head into the area known as the « hundred valleys » on your way to Italy’s flavorful Piedmont region… sample the rich and hearty cuisine with its risotto, truffles, and Barolo wines… meander along scenic shorelines and through lovely mountain passes…visit the magnificent lakeside villas and gardens…enjoy scenic lake cruises on both Lake Lugano and Lake Como… discover the Alpine villages and stunning mountain…experience the thrill of the Glacier Express and the majesty of the Alps…hop aboard a romantic steamer in Lucerne and marvel at the beautiful fjord-like cliffs… … settle in to romantic and elegant hotels where gracious hospitality and sublime comfort await.
Day 1
Transfer from the Geneva airport to Lausanne
Welcome to the Continent! Your driver will meet you at the exit of customs and off you go to Lausanne where you’ll check in at the lovely Beau Rivage Palace located on the shores of Lake Geneva. You might visit Lausanne’s Olympics Museum or just relax and enjoy the views.
Overnight: Beau Rivage Palace
Day 2
Sightseeing transfer from Lausanne to Lugano via Centovalli
Enjoy the sightseeing transfer from Lausanne to Brig, then over the Simplon Pass down into the Centovalli Valley, then over the Monte Ceneri and on to Lugano. The center, or better yet, the hub of the Centovalli region is Intragna: it overlooks the fertile Piedemonte countryside and stands guard over the entrance to Centovalli, the hundred valleys. The majestic and famous 17th-century bell-tower is a prototype of the architecture favored by the region’s rustic gentry. The ingenuous stone edifices with arches and columns sometimes resemble small fortresses.
Necessity forced many people to emigrate; they worked as chimney-sweeps, grill-cooks, knife-vendors and above all as dock workers in the port of Livorno, Italy. Today one can still catch a pleasant hint of Tuscan Italianin the speech of the elderly; set into the iron of a balcony in Palagnedra, one can see the emblem of the Medici family - just to mention two reminders of that adventurous past. The splendid ornamentation of Palagnedra church also has its story to
tell. Here a wandering, early-16th-century painter, Antonio da Tradate, lavishly decorated the choir and at the feet of the apostles portrayed the rural activity of the months of the year. We then cross back into Switzerland and follow the shoreline of upper Lake Maggiore and then head down to Lugano.
Overnight: Villa Principe Leopoldo
Day 3
Car and driver at disposal
Private Lake Lugano Cruise
Thanks to its geographical configuration Lugano is often called the “little Rio de Janeiro” of the Old Continent. Its subtropical vegetation and pleasant climate all year round make Lugano one of the most popular Swiss holiday resorts. Lugano offers all the amenities of a cosmopolitan city in a charming and relaxing atmosphere. A stroll through the characteristic traffic-free Old Town with its many arcades and cobble-stoned streets, (the Via Nassa, shopping mall of Lugano) the many piazze will drive you even further into this romantic-latin world.
Discover some of the not-so-easy-to-get-to places in the surrounding area, as well as the center of the town including the Monument of Independence, the Park, the Piazza Riforma, the Santa Maria degli Angioli, the church of pure Franciscan character with its imposing frescoes. After the walking tour of Lugano, enjoy a private lake cruise to charming San Roco on the other side of the lake where you’ll have lunch at a wonderful little restaurant, Osteria, and then return via the fisherman’s village of Morcote.
Overnight: Villa Principe Leopoldo
Day 4
Transfer from Lugano to Tremezzo
The morning will be free to explore more of Lugano and then you will travel along the shores of Lake Lugano to Gandria – re-enter Italy again – and follow the scenic via Porlezza to Menaggio and Tremezzo on Lake Como. In the afternoon, you’ll have time to visit the magnificent Villa Carlotta in Tremezzo with its gorgeous gardens.
Overnight: Grand Hotel Tremezzo
Day 5
Car and driver at disposal
Private boat and guide for lake cruise (5 hrs)
Lunch at restaurant on Lake Como
Visit to Villa Balbaniello or Bellagio
The best way to see any lake is…from the lake! And none on earth has more magnificent villas and gardens than Lake Como. The shores are lined with picture-perfect villages and highlighted
by the dramatic backdrop of mountains whose peaks are covered in snow almost all year. Over several centuries, the fabulously wealthy aristocrats of Italy and Switzerland have built, rebuilt, remodeled and landscaped some of Europe's most breathtaking private properties all along the lake's shores. On your private cruise you can swoop right up and get a longer, closer look. Listen to the history, the gossip, the love stories, the mysterious disappearances -- all the wonderful tales behind these fascinating homes, which have hosted generations of poets and composers, kings and queens, madmen and saints … and now, George Clooney! Yes, we will point out his villa too. Along the way, stop and get out so you can stretch your legs in a village or a garden…take your pick Villa Balbaniello or Bellagio.
Overnight: Grand Hotel Tremezzo
Day 6
Sightseeing transfer to St. Moritz via Maloja Pass
Spend a leisurely morning at the hotel and then depart for St. Moritz in the magnificent Swiss Alps. The natural beauty of the scenery with high mountains, clear little lakes and green meadows, has made St. Moritz a world famous summer and winter resort. We follow the coast of Lake Como to Chiavenna. With increasing altitude, the Maloja Pass is reached with the beautifully clear lakes of Sils and Silvaplana, soon reach St. Moritz.
Overnight: Badrutts Palace
Day 7
Sightseeing of Engadine Village Gandria.
Excursion by private horse carriage to Roseg Valley
Today's tour offers you an exciting experience: a date with nature at her best! Guarda, the village of the “Schellen-Ursli”, is situated high above the valleyfoot of the Lower Engadine on a wonderful sun terrace. The situation gave the name to the Engadine Village: a wonderful view up and down the valley. Guarda is known for his especially townscape with magnificent, sgraffitodecorated Engadine Houses. The Swiss preservation of regional tradition had placed Guarda under the townscape of national meaning. Continue to Pontresina, another fine holiday
resort, you will mount a horse-drawn carriage that takes you to the "end of the world.” During the leisurely ride, you will admire the beauty of the valley, the steam, the waterfalls, the flowers
and the birds. After about one hour, you reach the mountain inn "Roseg-Inn" where you can taste some of the fine regional specialties and also their wine (meal not included and paid locally). Afterwards, you’ll surely want to go to the very end of the Roseg Glacier before returning home in the afternoon.
Overnight: Badrutts Palace
Day 8
Transfer to St. Moritz train station
First-class Glacier Express train from St. Moritz to Andermatt
Seat reservation and lunch on train
At Andematt meet car and driver and transfer to Lucerne
Take the famous Swiss mountain trains “Glacier Express“ from St. Moritz to Andermatt from the Biz Bernina to the St. Gotthard. Be prepared for a breathtaking journey lasting 4½ hours, crossing over numerous bridges and passing through many tunnels, including the 6200-foot high Oberalp pass… a truly memorable panoramic trip through the alpine heartland of Switzerland. The Glacier-Express is the most memorable way of travelling from the rugged Grisons to central Switzerland with the town and Lake of Lucerne, A comfortable train takes you through untouched nature, through fragrant and unspoilt mountain forests, tranquil alpine pastures, foaming mountain torrents, through mountain valleys steeped in century-old tradition and culture. Upon arrival in Andermatt, your driver will meet you and head to Lucerne.
Overnight: Lucerne Palace
Day 9
Private guide for walking tour of Lucerne
First class boat tickets Lucerne – Vitznau – Lucerne (ticket only-no guide)
You will learn important, humorous and interesting facts about Lucerne's history, churches, bridges, narrow streets, towers, squares and, of course, Lucerne's trademark - the Chapel Bridge with Water Tower. During your sightseeing tour, you will be shown the most important sights of the town: the 14th century Chapel Bridge with its Water Tower, part of the city's fortifications and Europe’s oldest covered wooden bridge, the Baroque Jesuit Church and nearby Franciscan Church from the 14th century, the Spreuer Bridge with its ‘Dance of Death’ paintings, and the Musegg Wall with the rampart walls built in 1386. See the Old City Squares with historical buildings, the Town Hall in Italian Renaissance style with open arcades facing the River Reuss.
Go on to the Hof Church, the main Cathedral and also the most important Renaissance Church in Switzerland, see the Lion Monument, memorializing the Swiss Guards who defended the Royal Palace in Versailles during the French Revolution. You’ll then have the rest of the day free for visting the city’s museums, shopping, or taking a lake cruise on an old-fashioned steamboat across Lake Lucerne to Vitnau – a great spot for lunch.
Overnight: Lucerne Palace Day 10
Transfer to Zurich or Bern airport of rail station.
You driver will escort you to either the Zurich or Bern airport of rail station for your onward journey or return home. |
