Switzerland Fall Foliage Rail Tour: Days 4-6

Day 4: Grindlewald, Kleine Scheidegg, Lauterbrunnen Valley, Schilthorn, and Mürren

Today is "picture post card scenery" all day so have your camera ready!

Our morning's adventure takes us to one of Europe's oldest mountain resorts, the world-famous ski resort of Grindelwald, known as the Glacier Valley!

Grindlewald's scenery is a mixture of waterfalls, green meadows, vibrant blue skies with white clouds, beautiful chalets with gardens, rushing waters, and forests of golds, oranges, ambers and green set against massive snow capped peaks.

Next, a special journey over a private railway to Kleine Scheidegg, nestled at the base of the North Face of the Eiger. Enjoy lunch on the stone patio, featuring kraut 'n wieners and new potatoes, along with the Swiss national dish of rösti, and lots of homemade apple (apfel) desserts and almond croissants with warm vanilla sauce.

Perhaps you will catch a glimpse of mountain climbers on a trek up the North face of the Eiger, as seen in the movie The Eiger Sanction with Clint Eastwood. Watch as trains start their journey inside the famous mountain, making their way to the Jungfraujoch, often referred to as The Top of Europe. As is true of all of Switzerland, it is hard to find the appropriate words to describe this scenery, but it will be a life-long memory for you.

This afternoon we continue our private rail journey to Lauterbrunnen, known as the waterfall valley. From here we travel via Stechelberg by tram to Murren, where you can join us on the (optional) excursion ride on the aerial tram to the world famous Schilthorn (Piz Gloria, altitude 9748 feet), the most exclusive viewpoint of the alpine world.

Write your postcards while enjoying some hot chocolate in the world's first mountain-top revolving restaurant (and featured in the James Bond thriller On Her Majesty's Secret Service). The Schilthorn is also the starting point of the the longest downhill race in the world, the Inferno Ski Race. On a clear day, you can see over 40 glaciers and over 200 peaks of the Alps, from the Black Forest in Germany to Mt. Blanc in France.

After we descend to Mürren, we have time to stroll through this famous ski resort. The scenery from Mürren, (5400 feet above sea level) to Grütschalp is among the world's most dazzling, passing through forests of evergreens, beautiful alpine meadows, with the Alps so close you can almost touch them.

Situated in splendid isolation, Mürren is perched on the edge of a plateau overhanging the Lauterbrunnen Valley, with a panorama of peaks such as the Wetterhorn, Eiger, Monch, Jungfrau, Gletscherhorn, and more than a half dozen other headliners.

If the weather and train schedule permits, and the cows are down from the high pastures, we may tour the organic dairy farm that provides many of the items we have on our daily breakfast buffet.

Dinner tonight (optional)will be at one of the local's favorites, as well as one of mine, The Per Bacco. With an Italian and Swiss menu you are in for a real treat! My favorite is the lasagna!

Day 5: The Swiss Riviera, Cailler Nestle Candy Factory, and the Golden Pass Route

We start our adventure this morning as we travel through beautiful countryside, as we make our way to Lausanne, Lake Geneva and Montreux, along the Swiss Rivera, near the French border. Next, upward through the vineyards as the morning sun brings life to the hillside villas with their tile roofs and the lake below.

We will stop in a small town full of local flavor and quaint surroundings, great shopping, and you will have time for lunch at any of the great places to fit your mood. Then on to one of the highlights of the day. as we pass the village of Gruyeres, the cheese factory and castle, as we make our way to the Callier Nestle Candy Factoy, for a tour and tasting!

It's history dates back to 1897 when Alexandre Cailler, who was bicycling through the area, discovered the perfect spot to open his new chocolate factory. After the guided tour through the factory, we finish off with the tasting, where you may sample every type of candy they make!

On our way back to Interlaken, we board a special reserved panoramic rail car with a glass bullet nose caboose, if we are lucky, so you can see spectacular views as we make our way back, passing Gstaad, and Chateau d'Oex, as evening shadows touch the Alpine peaks.

Dinner tonight is on your own. The Arcobaleno, at our hotel, is a marvelous choice for dinner tonight! Interlaken after dark is beautiful, so explore the many shops, walk through the gardens at the Casino or try your luck at the tables or slot machines, or mingle with the rich and famous as you walk through the magnificent Victoria Jungfrau Hotel!

Day 6: Lakeside Brienz, The Rothorn, and Chocolate Fondue with Alpen Horn Blowing Contest

This morning we head to Brienz, a very quaint lakeside village on one of Switzerland's cleanest lakes. Next you are in for a unique adventure up the Brienz Rothorn. This is a "do not miss" train ride and lunch once we reach the summit.

The (optional) Brienz Rothorn excursion, Switzerland's oldest steam cog railway, has been huffing and puffing it's way to the Summit (7362 feet) high above Brienz since 1892, and covers a difference in altitude of 5577 feet in 50 minutes.

This mountain top excursion is unlike any other you will see while in Switzerland. The contrasts of scenery on this trip are awesome!! From beautiful lake views, to vistas you would imagine on another planet, to the spectacular mountain panorama that stretches out as far as the eye can see in any direction, will become a life long memory.

The lakeside village of Brienz, known worldwide for its music boxes and wood carving schools, where these age old crafts have been handed down from generation to generation, stole my heart many years ago, and will yours too.

Brienz has been inhabited for the better part of a thousand years. The local church dates back to the 12th Century, and some of the town's houses and hotels were built in the 1600s.

The Brienzersee, or Lake Brienz, is one of the town's main attractions. This crystal clear aquamarine lake with a maximum depth of 860 feet is surrounded by forested mountains on all sides, giving it a wild and captivating quality.

Free time this afternoon, with many options available to you. Spend your afternoon shopping or taking in the beauty of this marvelous seaside village. Brienz is a great place to buy Christmas presents, fantastic watches, and candies.

Perhaps spend the afternoon enjoying our quaint home based resort village, with its beautiful gardens to admire, walkways along the turquoise waters of the Aarre, lawns and window boxes full of vivid colored flowers, walk through the gardens at the Casino, or shop along the impressive main street.

Or you can take the train and explore the medieval village of Thun, see the House of Kyburg (c. 1384), on Lake Thun. This unique 2 level village features a beautiful wooden bridge you can walk over, feed the white or black swans on the river, and of course go in the Castle of Thun. Shopping here is unusual as one street's sidewalks are actually on the roof of the stores below!

Dinner is own your own this evening. Join me for a very special event this evening! We will feast on a special chocolate fondue with bread and fruits, during our Alpen Horn blowing contest! This is the way to say goodbye to Interlaken and the surrounding Berner Oberland area we have visited.

Call 1-866-702-3478 or send us an email and get started on your incredible journey!

View Days 1-3, Days 7-9, for prices and info visit Switzerland Tours - Fall Foliage.