Saturday, June 13, 2009
Population: 7.5 million (July 2004).
Population growth rate: 0.54 % (2004).
Life expectancy at birth: 80.3 years.
Religions: Roman Catholic 46.1%, Protestant 40%, other 5%, none 8.9% (1990).
Ethnic groups: German 65%, French 18%, Italian 10%, Romansch 1%, other 6%.
Languages: German (official) 63.7%, French (official) 19.2%, Italian (official) 7.6%, Romansch (official) 0.6%, other 8.9%.
Nationality: Swiss.
Grand tour of swizerland (2009)
Day 1Fri. BOARD YOUR OVERNIGHT TRANSATLANTIC FLIGHT
Day 2Sat. ARRIVAL IN ZURICH
, SWITZERLAND
Check into your hotel in Zurich. The rest of the day is free for you to explore this exciting city. Tonight, meet your Tour Director and fellow travelers. (D)
Day 3Sun. ZURICH-ST. MORITZ
A sensational drive today through some of Switzerland’s most famed cantons. By way of the market town of Herisau, stop in Appenzell to see the old town center with its Town Hall. Further east to the minute Principality of Liechtenstein. A scenic drive through “Heidiland” to the Rhine Valley before starting the ascent of mighty Julier Pass. Soon you’ll be in the heart of Switzerland’s largest canton, the Grisons. Here, see some of the world’s best Alpine views before arriving in St. Moritz. (B)
Day 4Mon. ST. MORITZ-BERNINA EXPRESS TRAIN TO TIRANO, ITALY-LUGANO, SWITZERLAND
Enjoy the highlight of the whole tour and a wonderful way of crossing the Alps. One of Europe’s most spectacular train rides begins in St. Moritz and takes you across the lofty Bernina Pass via the Swiss Poschiavo area to Tirano in the Italian Valtellina. Here, rejoin your coach for the journey to the shores of Lake Lugano. (B)
Day 5Tue. LUGANO-LAKE MAGGIORE
-TÄSCH
Morning break in sub-tropical Lugano. Afterwards, return to Italy to savor the luminous atmosphere of Lake Maggiore. Time for an optional visit to Isola Bella
Isola Bella on Lake Maggiore
, a magnificently located palace and garden island. Then, back into Switzerland via scenic Simplon Pass. Overnight in the village of Täsch. (B,D)Day 6Wed. TÄSCH-ZERMATT
-LAUSANNE
This morning an excursion by train to Zermatt, the famous resort beneath the Matterhorn
Visit the iconic Matterhorn in the heart of the Swiss Alps
. In the afternoon, motor through the vineyards and apricot groves of the lower Rhône Valley to Lake GenevaDay 7Thu. LAUSANNE-LAKE LUCERNE
Stop awhile in Gruyère to visit a local cheese factory. Then on to Switzerland’s beautiful capital, Berne
Enjoy the beautiful scenery while visiting Bern, Switzerland
, a charming town with arcaded shops, carved fountains, and towers. The visit features the Bear PitDay 8Fri. LAKE LUCERNE-ZURICH
Today, visit Lucerne, one of Switzerland’s finest cities, nestled amid its snow-capped Alps, surrounded by its lake, and embellished by the clear mountain waters of the River Reuss. Your visit takes in the main highlights. A grand selection of optional activities completes the day. The most popular option is an excursion to the Stanserhorn. In the late afternoon an easy drive back to Zurich for an overnight. (B)
Day 9Sat. YOUR HOMEBOUND FLIGHT ARRIVES THE SAME DAY
(B)
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Friday, June 12, 2009
Thursday, June 11, 2009
fantabulas bridge site
| Swiss Holiday Packages |
Interlaken, Jungfraujoch, Luzern, Pilatus, Zürich
5 Nights / 6 Days
| Tour Programme | |
| Day 01 | Swiss Border – Interlaken Take a train to Interlaken (approx. 2.5 hrs), where you check in at your hotel. For the rest of the day you are free to explore the beautiful scenery or to go shopping. Overnight stay at Interlaken. |
| Day 02 | Interlaken – Jungfraujoch – Top of Europe |
| Day 03 | Interlaken – Luzern (Lucerne) After breakfast, you are free to do whatever you like. You might take a boat trip on Lake Thun or visit the Ballenberg open air museum, just above Brienz. Later proceed to the station for your train connection to Luzern (approx. 2.5 hrs). Overnight stay at Luzern. |
| Day 04 | Luzern – Mount Pilatus After breakfast, enjoy a cruise on Lake Luzern, departing from Luzern and terminating in Alpnachstad (approx. 1.5 hrs) & ravel up the Pilatus (2’132 m/7’000 ft) by boarding the steepest cogwheel railway in the world (From mid May till end of Oct). In wintertime take the bus from Luzern to Kriens (approx. 10 mins.) and continue with the panoramic gondola from Kriens to the Pilatus). Enjoy the breathtaking panoramic views over the lakes of Central Switzerland and no fewer than 73 peaks. On the top of Mount Pilatus there are many restaurants. In the afternoon, a cable car takes you back to the base. A coach takes you back to Luzern (approx. 10 mins.). We also offer this excursion in reverse order. Overnight stay at Luzern. |
| Day 05 | Luzern – Zürich/Geneva After breakfast, check out of the hotel and travel by train to Zürich (approx. 1 hrs). For the rest of the day you are free to go shopping in the famous mall street Bahnhofstrasse, which is situated on the shores of Lake Zürich. Or explore the nightlife in Switzerland’s biggest city. Overnight stay at Zürich/Geneva. |
| Day 06 | Zürich/Geneva – Depart for the onward journey After breakfast, you either depart to the airport for your onward flight or else continue your stay in Switzerland. |
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Enjoy an evening cruise on Lake Brienz An Indian Dinner Cruise on Lake Brienz can add more charm to your Switzerland tour. more… A Swiss Dinner Cruise on Lake Brienz can add more charm to your Switzerland tour. more… | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Interlakken Switzerland
The first time that I visited this place was in April of 1999. I had the Hostel in Berlin arrange for me to stay at Balmers Herbage, the oldest youth Hostel in Switzerland. At the time it was full of Americans and there was always a party going on. From here I took the two hour train ride down toZermatt to ski the Matterhorn. This is possibly the most scenic train ride that I have ever had. I was able to rent a pair of skis at the hill which alleviated my worries of dragging my equipment all over. I had accomplished my goal of skiing the Matterhorn with my first trip to Switzerland.
My second journey brought me back to Interlakken 8 years later to visit an old friend. This time I was visiting in the summer and it was just as spectacular. The Jungfrau Region is right there. The ski area here is Grindelwald, but this place is also know for summer trekking. Having skied this area previously as well, I was happy to return to all of the region's beauty. Although this time we stayed inHasliberg. East of Interlakken and up on the side of a mountain I was so pleased to have been given this opportunity. This was a very different experience for me as we spent time climbing around on the mountain tops. The nice thing about the area is that you can either trek or take some sort of transportation to the top. The Alpine region of Brienz, Meiringen and Hasliberg is some of the prettiest in the country. 2250 meters above sea level, theMeiringen-Haseliberg Lift Co. has transported skiers and hikers to the area since 1973. When you stand on the top of these mountains you really do feel compelled to begin singing. The place we stayed was a wonderful B&B located at the bottom of the tram. Owned by a local couple it is the only one in town and not hard to find. My favorite excursions in the area was when we visited theAareschlucht. Carved out by Glaciers the Aare Gorge is a 1400m long and 200m wide wonder of nature. We were able to walk along a man made path up this Gorge to see some of the most amazing land scape ever. Tickets can be purchased at either the East or West entrances and the 45 minute hike is worth it. Make sure that you bring your rain coat as the spray from the roaring water does keep you quite damp.