Tailormade tour By rail to the Bernese Oberland holiday Switzerland

Travel from London to Grindelwald by rail on your first day; or fly into Zurich and travel the rest of the journey by train. The Eurostar leaves early in the morning for Paris, where you change to a TGV train headed to Basel. Here, change for Interlaken, and then join the cogwheel railway up the mountainside to Grindelwald. Check into your hotel.

Spend seven nights enjoying the highlights of the Bernese Oberland, making the most of your eight-day rail pass to explore the surrounding villages, lakes and mountains. Grindelwald sits in the eastern of the two valleys above Interlaken, Lake Brienz, and Lake Thun. With the Eiger directly to the south east, Grindelwald is not only enveloped in phenomenal views, but over 90km of hiking paths for all abilities. The Schwarzer Lutschine River runs to the south of the main street, which adds to the idyllic feel. To the west of the Grindelwald Valley is the Lauterbrunnen Valley, unusually square in shape, and sculptured over time by glaciers. Here, you will find waterfalls that cascade over the entrance to caves, as well as more hiking paths and the village of Wengen. Places of interest in the Bernese Oberland: • Jungfraujoch – the ‘top of Europe,’ this is the highest railway station in Europe, at 3,454m above sea level, and is accessible via a narrow cog railway • Aletsch Glacier – the longest glacier in Europe • First – hiking routes from First will take you to Schwarzhorn, Grosse Scheidegg, the Upper Glacier, Lake Bach, Faulhorn, or back to Grindelwald in under three hours each way; a longer hike of over five hours will take you to Schynige Platte • Upper Glacier – accessible on foot in an hour and a half, or by postbus, with ice grottoes naturally decorated with ice bubbles that create colourful patterns; a track and a series of wooden ladders from the grottoes allow you to walk alongside the ice • Glacier Gorge – within walking distance of Grindelwald • Cable cars in the local area facilitate access to Pfingstegg and the local mountain summits • Pfingstegg – offers the option of shorter hiking trails and access to the Lower Glacier • Yodelling Festival – held in Grindelwald in July each year • Staubbach Falls, outside Lauterbrunnen • Trummelbach Falls – best viewed from inside the mountain, where the water is illuminated; rocks have been sculpted by the huge amount of water • Schilthorn – at 2970m, the Schilthorn offers fantastic views across the mountains and valleys below, and the summit can be reached by the Stechelberg cable car; it was here that the famous scenes from On Her Majesty’s Secret Service were filmed • Piz Gloria Restaurant – a revolving restaurant set on the hiking path up to the summit of Birg; breaks up the long hike • Lake Thun and Lake Brienz – head to Thun, Brienz, or Interlaken to begin a lake cruise • St Beatus Caves – impressive rock formations and a museum lie within • Harder Kulm – a funicular railway takes you up past the panoramas on the way to the summit • Chasdorfli – this dairy near Hoheweg offers demonstrations during the summer for visiting groups Local sports suggestions: • Hiking and walking along the many hiking trails • Water sports – Interlaken, Faulensee, Darligen, and Gunten are good destinations for water sports • Tobogganing outside Interlaken The abundance of available activities, from exploring picturesque villages to scenic walks and hiking, will ensure that each of your days in the Bernese Oberland is unique and memorable. This seven night rail holiday allows you to make the most of this variety and get to know the region in-depth.

On your eighth day, board a morning train from Grindelwald back to Interlaken and Basel where you board the high-speed TGV to Paris. Meet the Eurostar here and cross the Channel, arriving in London in the early evening.