You get to know the people and witness their past and present way of life while you enjoy a truly unique and complete package of what Switzerland has to offer. Cornelia has designed each day’s activity for multiple ability levels, any group can be split up so that you may partake in your preferred pace of hiking or biking. If on biking days you’d rather hike just let us know and we can divide the group accordingly.
Day 1: Graubunden
We meet you before noon at the train station in Chur and transfer to a dairy farming village high up in the Alps of the Graubunden region of Switzerland. The cows roam the hillsides freely and at times loose their footing and roll down the steep mountain valleys. This also happens to be where our tour designer grew up and knows how life seems to progress at a much slower pace than elsewhere in the world. Tourists are rare, and the only people that come to this high mountain farming village are friends and relatives or someone who has been let in on its beauty stopping for lunch and a short walk before continuing to a traditional alpine village high above the young Rhein River and nestled below the rocky, snowcapped peak of Piz Beverin.
After you settle in we take a short walk through the tiny villages and discuss the details of the tour. Hiking through rural villages and farmlands of Cornelia's childhood is her way of introducing you to the traditional Swiss way of life. We make our way up to the alp where the village farmers graze their cows for summer. From here you may wish to try the fresh milk, cheeses while we watch the farm-dogs herd the cows for their evening milking.
Hotel: The only hotel in the village is a “several hundred-year-old” guest house that is the meeting point for the local farmers to have a drink in the evening. Very simple and whatever modern conveniences are lacking are made up for with traditional authenticity (shared bath/floor).
Lunch & Dinner: Swiss specialty prepared by Cornelia at the hotel includes wine or beverage of choice.
Day 2: Crystal Pass & Switzerland’s Steepest Valley
After breakfast we transfer up to the base of the village Alp (marked by a wooden cross & the highest point of any Swiss village.) After a visit to a hut that could have been Heidi’s (and where we cut the summer grass) we start our hike up to the ridge of the Heinzenberg. From here we enjoy views over the peaks toward St. Moritz and into Switzerland’s steepest valley, Safiental.
On a spectacular trail along this Alpen crest 
we hike to the sound of echoing cowbells and make our way through fields of traditional wild flowers to a pass where imbedded crystals are known to be legendary. We then have the choice of continuing our hike or mounting the bikes for a downhill ride through the tiny farming hamlets scattered along small quiet roads. These paths are both highlighted by a continual magical view of the Alps that surrounds the Graubunden. Once back at the village we stay you have the option to drive to a small nearby village where we can soak in the hot waters of a beautiful outdoor thermal spa before dinner.
Dinner and lodging are the same as previous night.
Day 3: Italian and into the German Region
A short drive takes us over the San Bernadino Pass--a very important route into 
the Italian side of Switzerland. Once over the pass you’ll notice extreme changes in vegetation and village architecture. Our destination is the magnificent Lago Maggiore a large pristine lake lined with palm trees in an atmosphere reminiscent of the Italian Riviera. With the majestic Alps towering above the chestnut covered hills that surround this idyllic lake we boat across to Ascona for a look around town before boarding the panoramic train for a special ride through the Swiss & Italian Alp mountain region known as the hundred valleys (Centovalli). These narrow carved breathtaking valleys are still only accessible by a small, windy road or by this train. Once again the diversity of Switzerland is displayed.
Once we arrive in the German-speaking region of the country, we board a gondola for a ride to our lodge situated high above the rushing Rhone River where incredible views of the majestic Alps surround us. A casually walk along a mountain path gives us our first look at Aletsch glacier (Europe’s largest. On a clear day we can see the Matterhorn to the south and the peaks of Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau to the north.
Hotel: A nice 3*** modern chalet with a cozy restaurant and large rooms. Sauna and whirlpools and solariums are available and a sunny terrace with beautiful views.
Dinner will be at the hotel; Swiss chalets style restaurant with many traditional dishes.
Day 4 & 5: Europe’s Largest Glacier
We meet our expert mountaineering guide who equips us with cramp-ons and discusses the use of the ropes to aid us as well as other safety procedure for crossing the glacier. This is an easy trek that you will never forget and are sure to talk about for many years to come. There are no elevation changes during this hike atop the solid ice glacier path. With the south face of Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau as well as several high peaks surrounding you, you will mostly marvel at the sounds and sights this glacier produces. Then enjoy the remainder of the day at our solitary lodge for the night, an official Swiss mountaineering hut situated in the middle of this sea of ice.` The next day we complete our crossing.
Hotel: A Swiss Alp club mountaineering hut (the only facilities available on the glacier) where there is no shower but sinks with flowing water and toilettes as well as great atmosphere, hearty food and woolen blankets. You sleep in the same room as your hiking pals. Night 5: Traditional chalet built with dark, weathered wood and providing cozy warm rooms.
Dinner: at the hut is simple but filling (soup, salad, main course and desert; tab beer available!!) Night 5: at the hotel- Very good traditional food.
Day 6: Zermatt & the Matterhorn
We rise early to explore this mysterious valley one last time. With the morning sun edging its way over the surrounding peaks we bike from one small wooden village to the next until we reach the end of our gradual downhill warm-up to the edge of the gorge that falls into the Rhone Valley. Each village is built entirely of a dark rich wood and decorated with large mask to ward off the spirits that are said to have haunted the residents for centuries.
A short transfer brings us to the end of the Matter Valley—well at least as far as cars are concerned. Because a visit to Switzerland would not be complete without seeing the famous Matterhorn peak, which is best seen from the of the Valaisan Alps, Zermatt, tens of thousands of hikers gather here each year. And since high peaks, large glaciers and sheer cliffs cut off the upper Matter valley on three sides, most walks are circuits returning to Zermatt. As everyone is boarding the train to catch their first glimpse of the legendary Matterhorn we take a unique approach to entering this renowned valley.
As your luggage is transferred in you bike along the quiet paved fire road where no cars dare to tread. From your room you command a superb view of what we’ve all come to see. Yet, with countless superb hikes available we have the luxury of selecting the path that best suits anyone in our group. The evening is free to wander about and enjoy this lively town.
Hotel: Very friendly lodge with views of the Matterhorn in the old town of Zermatt.
Dinner: In town free night
Day 7: French Lakesides
We leave the high Alps so that we may explore the beauty of the lakes of the Mittelland (an 80-km-wide basin hemmed in between the Jura and the Alps). This French-speaking region of Switzerland is renowned for its medieval lakeside castles and villages. We visit one of the well-known Swiss winery hamlets of the Sion region for a tour and optional tasting. This remarkable village has a very nice wine museum and is known to produce some of the finest wine in the world. We then tour the stunning Chateau de Chillon, a 13th century medieval thick walled fortress that was said to have inspired Dumas to write the Count of Monte Cristo. The sail dotted lake almost appears surreal as green, vine-covered hills and the Mont Blanc Massif as its final backdrop surround it.
As the day progresses we lunch in Montreux, host of the famous international summer Jazz festival before we arrive at the tiny medieval lakeside town of Murten. This is an idyllic sight to relax and enjoy the quaint lakeside setting, go for a swim or explore the nearby archeological site of Roman ruins.
Hotel: 3*** in the medieval, car free part of town overlooking the lake. The hotel entrance is within the town, the other side opens up towards the lake. Garden. Outstanding American style breakfast buffet.
Dinner: In town
Day 8: Biking along the Wine-making Lakeside Villages
We change the pace with a bike ride or hike at your pace and distance. We tour the picturesque lakes and lakeside villages of the region. You begin by exploring the vegetable growing countryside on your way to the first of three lakes we explore. We visit the tiny island and location of a medieval monastery before leaving the shores of Lake Biel for the wine growing community within the nearby foothills dotted with tiny castles and medieval town centers surrounded by their original protective walls.
This little touch of France invites us for a stop at one of the wine caves for a tasting before continuing on to the shores of our next Lake, the imposing Lac Neuchatel. After a visit of this remarkable town and its fabulous castle, we ferry across Neuchatel Lake then climb the highest point within the region, Mont Vully. The ride to the top is rewarded with superb views of the distant Alps and the scenic vine-laden shores of three nearby lakes. Our down along the shores of Lake Murten through the local vineyards and forest brings us back to the lakeside just below our hotel—inviting us for a swim.
Hotel: as previous night Dinner: free night out
Day 9: Make your own Cheese & Tour the Capital
With an early start we tour of the fascinating capital of Switzerland. Bern is situated on the deep, green Aare River and our guide will tell you all about it.
Have you ever wondered how the holes are created in the Swiss Emmentaler cheese? We transfer to a small village where we first tour a cheese making facilities, then learn how to make it by doing it ourselves. Once it has aged enough, it is sent to your home for tasting--pretty cool, even for us Swiss.
After lunch we bike through the famous Emmental cheese region.
The quiet farm road we ride takes us along green, rolling hills that distinguish itself with the unique architecture of massive storybook wooden farmhouses. Each structure features a grandiose, overhanging roof that is ornately carved and painted, then at times, adorned with local words of wisdom. Passing through tiny farming hamlets brings us down to the river in which the valley gets its name, the River Em. We continue along the shores of this serene river into the tiny capital of this cheese region. We then transfer to our 4**** lakeside retreat opposite stunning Luzern.
Hotel: 4**** Relais along Lake Luzern. Beautiful rooms face the lake, includes a garden and true Swiss hospitality: simply the perfect spot for your last two nights.
Dinner: Free night out (transfer to Luzern is optional)
Day 10 & 11: Switzerland's Origin & Luzern
A cable car ride brings us up to the Rigi Alp. Here, the unique panoramic mountain views stretch between the lower hills and the high Alps of the country. We embark on a 4- hour walk along the paths of the mountain that has been coined “the Queen of the Mountains”. The beautiful distant views form here take in more than just the shores of Lake Luzern. Each turn takes you to another corner of Switzerland. By the time you drop down to the Lake you’ll feel as if you have revisited your entire tour.
Down along the lake we enter the village of Gersau, once a self-sufficient Republic that still features beautiful chalets and town houses from the 16th century. Then after lunch we can either relax on its shores or boat across one of the lake’s fjord-like arms to the Ruetli, where Switzerland originally was founded in 1291. Here we retrace the saga of William Tell as this tale of Switzerland’s inception comes to life from the lake where it all began.
Dinner: Gourmet 5 course farewell dinner at the hotel.
Transportation Logistics
The following is a list of train schedules for transportation to and from the tour start and end locations. Train departure times and tracks are subject to change, so verify before boarding.
Trains to Chur (tour start) from Zurich: ~1.5 hour
Zurich HB: Dep 10:10 am
Arrival Chur: 11:44 am
