DESCRIPTION :

A sales manual to sell a crossing of the Swiss Alps by public transport from Milan to Geneva (or vice versa) long the Alps on Panoramic trains

INTRODUCTION :

In a week’s time, between Milan to Geneva, you will

• travel at a pleasant rhythm on 3 panoramic trains (Bernina Express, Glacier Express, and Mont-Blanc Express)

• take time to visit 3 mythical mountain resorts (St Moritz, Zermatt and Chamonix)

• reach 3 summits of about 4’000 m high (Diavolezza, Gornergrat and Aiguille du Midi peaks)

 

No doubt, you will enjoy a journey through the most beautiful landscapes of the Swiss and French Alps.

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HIGHLIGHTS :

• The assistance from lecture tour guides at each stage

• Many excursions: visits to Engadine villages, cable car rides to the top of Diavolezza and the Aiguille du Midi, rack railway to Gornergrat

• Free evenings to enjoy your hotel or stroll at your leisure in the 3 very famous mountain resorts

• Comfortable hotels, ideally located and close to stations

 

PROGRAM :

Day 1– Milan – Tirano – Poschiavo

From Malpensa or Bergamo airport, it takes almost 3 hours by road to Tirano. After a tasting lunch prepared with local buckwheat flour specialties, you will board the Bernina Express, a spectacular railway line, for a fairly short first stage of 41 minutes.

From the palm trees of Italy to the shimmering glaciers, the Bernina Express, which makes the highest altitude route through the Alps, connects the southern part to the northern part, thus creating a kind of bridge between the linguistic regions, ticks and cultures.

At Brusio you will have your first helicoidal loop, which will be followed by several others over the charming town of Poschiavo, a charming town with beautiful houses.
Overnight at the Hôtel Albrici 4*.

Day 2: Poschiavo – col de la Bernina - Diavolezza – Saint Moritz
From Poschiavo, the train takes you to the Bernina Pass through several spiral tunnels, which allow you to see Poschiavo and its lake from different altitudes.
At 2253 meters above sea level, the Ospizio Bernina awaits you at the highest point of the route. This route is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. That says a lot. From your panoramic car, you will enjoy a spectacular immersion in the Alpine panorama.
From the pass, it will descend a few kilometers to the start of the Diavolezza cable car. From the summit, at 2,973m, comfortably installed on a terrace for lunch, an impressive panorama will unfold before your eyes from Piz Palü to Piz Bernina, via Bellavista. 

You can even take a bath that bubbles up to 41 degrees in the wood-fired jacuzzi, while the air temperature tends to drop to 'freezing cold', especially in the evenings.

This hot and cold experience is wonderfully relaxing - and much sought after.

(Advance reservation is required. Chf 29.- plus chf 5 for the swimsuit).
Then return to the station by cable car to take the train to Pontresina and then to St Moritz.
St-Moritz is inseparable from winter tourism in Switzerland, it is there that it draws its origins in the mid-1860s but historically, the city owes its importance to its healing sources, which made it a famous place of cure very early on. Today, it is also a hotspot for the modern alpine way of life and haute cuisine, not to mention its luxury addresses…
In St. Moritz, you will stay at the Kulm Hotel. Located in the heart of St. Moritz it offers breathtaking views of Lake St. Moritz and the Engadine Valley. The 5* superior hotel has an incomparable air of luxury, tradition, modern comfort, and warm hospitality. The property is renowned for its exceptional culinary offerings, outstanding service standards, magnificent 164 rooms and suites, and wide-ranging health and fitness offering, including its spectacular spa on 2000m2 with outdoor pool, whirlpool, sauna, and children’s pool.
Overnight at the Kulm Hotel 5* in St. Moritz

Day 3: St Moritz – excursion in Lower Engadine

The main interest of this stage, at the crossroads of the Bernina Express and the Glacier Express, is not so much the town of St Moritz itself, but its surroundings: the typical Engadine villages, the sensational landscapes of the sounds, and the art of living that we cultivate there.

This first day will be an opportunity to go by private car to discover the typical villages of the Lower Engadine: Guarda, considered the best-preserved village in the region and as such won the Wakker prize and was declared a "site of national importance", in particular, because of its location and its painted Engadine houses dating from the first half of the 17th century.
On the way back shortly before St Moritz, are two very beautiful villages: S.Chanf and Zuoz, which enchants with its intact and authentic Romanesque village atmosphere. Many are the proud patrician houses which, such as the Chesa Planta, majestically present their typical bay windows and their sgraffito decorations, while mysterious alleys invite visitors to discover a turbulent past.

Return to St. Moritz in the afternoon and free time.

Overnight at the Kulm Hotel 5* in St. Moritz

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Day 4: St Moritz – excursion High Engadine

For this second day in Graubünden, we offer you a “nature” getaway.

You will take the direction of Val Bregaglia to arrive in the postcard landscapes formed by the lakes of Silvaplana and Sils. The softened lines of the landscape and the presence of the two lakes contribute to the charm of the place.
You will go up to Piz Corvatsch (3,451 m above sea level) by cable car, to admire the valley and its lakes from the heights. You will find yourself in a few minutes in superb landscapes of snow and ice.
Back in the plain, take the bus back to Lake Sils for a hike (45 min, easy level) allowing you to reach Grevasalvas, the village of the film shot on Heidi. For those who do not wish to take the hike, it is possible to go for a horse-drawn carriage ride in the Val Fex.

Return to Saint Moritz and end of the day free.

Overnight at the Kulm Hotel 5* in St. Moritz

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Day 5: St Moritz – Glacier Express – Zermatt 

Transfer to Saint Moritz station where you board the Glacier Express, a legendary train in the Alps that connects Saint-Moritz to Zermatt over a distance of nearly 300 km. The train is not an “express” in the sense of a high-speed train, but because it allows you to make the trip in one go, without changing at intermediate stations.

The route crosses 291 bridges, and 91 tunnels and allows you to enjoy spectacular landscapes thanks to its floor-to-ceiling windows going up to the roof.
From Saint-Moritz to Zermatt, via Filisur and its helicoidal tunnels, Chur, Flims, the Oberalp pass culminating at more than 2,000 m altitude and Andermatt.

Then, at the exit of the Furka tunnel, you will gently descend the Goms valley, famous for its villages made up of old chalets and its baroque churches until Brig.

From there, the last part of the journey will consist of going up the valley of Saint Nicolas to Zermatt. Thanks to the large panoramic windows of this legendary train, you will explore Switzerland where the landscapes are matched only by the delicious Valais wines served and enjoy lunch on board the train.

Arrival in Zermatt at the end of the afternoon, welcome by your guide, installation at your hotel, and end of the day free. A farewell dinner will be planned in one of the restaurants in Zermatt.
Overnight at the Hotel Mont Cervin 5*.

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Day 6:  Zermatt – excursion to Gornergrat  

Today, a new rail experience of this trip: the Gornergrat train. Built in 1898, it is the first 100% electric rack railway in Switzerland and the second in the world. The journey takes about 30 minutes and allows you to reach the summit of the Gornergrat located at 3,089 m above sea level.

From the platform, you can admire 29 summits culminating at more than 4,000 meters above sea level (out of the 48 existing in Switzerland). and of course, you will enjoy a breathtaking view of the Matterhorn, which rises to 4,478 meters...

Take the time to marvel at the sight of these high peaks and descend by train via the same route.

Overnight at the Matterhorn Hotel.

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Day 7:  Zermatt – Martigny – Chamonix (Aiguille du Midi) 

The morning will be devoted to traveling by train to Chamonix.

You will first reach Visp, then Martigny. From there the Mont Blanc Express, a small panoramic train for a magical crossing of the Trient valley, between rocks and forests, wild gorges, and authentic alpine villages to Chamonix.

A link between plain and mountain, Switzerland and France, the Mont-Blanc Express has linked Martigny to Chamonix for more than a century. Savor grandiose landscapes in the heart of unspoiled nature. The promise of a spectacular escape.

At lunchtime, you will reach Chamonix, the world capital of mountaineering, which is located at the foot of the highest mountain in Europe, Mont Blanc (4810m).

A meeting point for mountain lovers from all over the world, the town has a lot to offer. From the arrival of its first visitors in the 18th century, hotels opened and the city acquired the heritage of tradition and modernity that we know today: churches and chapels, Belle Époque palaces, facades Art-deco, chalets…

It is also the place of technical feats such as the construction of the Montenvers railway or the Aiguille du Midi cable car.
If the weather allows it, otherwise it will be postponed to the next day, the afternoon will be devoted to the ascent by cable car to the summit of the Aiguille du Midi, the highest in Europe, to enjoy a view exceptional on Mont Blanc. The view of the surrounding mountains and the Chamonix valley is breathtaking, especially from the terrace with the step in the void!

Overnight at the Grand hotel des Alpes.

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Day 8: Chamonix – Genève airport

In the morning, ascent to the Aiguille du Midi if this has not been done the day before.

After a last stroll in the town of Chamonix, you will reach Geneva airport in 90 minutes by bus to catch your return flight.

 

Note

This itinerary is tailor-made and can be adapted according to your wishes, your budget, and the time that you want to spend on your holidays.

Price is on request.