3-Centre Rail & Boat Holiday

10 or 11 Nights (Wengen – Vitznau – Lugano Or Interlaken – Weggis – Locarno)

DAY 1: Fly from the UK to Zurich. Travel by train to Interlaken or Wengen. You are spoilt for choice for things to see and do in the Bernese Oberland - day trips involving trains, boats and cable-cars abound! Both Wengen and Interlaken are ideal starting points for a variety of excursions - why not take a trip to the 'Schilthorn' above Mürren, or alternatively, a trip to the 'Jungfraujoch', the highest mountain railway in the world? Or spend a day visiting the castles and villages on Lake Thun or Lake Brienz.
DAY 4 OR 5: Depart by train over the Brunig Pass to Lucerne (approx. 3hrs), and onward by boat to Weggis or Vitznau (additional 40 mins). While staying on the lake, why not take the boat to Lucerne to spend time strolling around the 'old town' or take an excursion up to Mount Pilatus, a round trip involving boats, the steepest cogwheel railway in the world, a cable-car, and a bus!
DAY 8: Board the historic 'William Tell' paddle steamer to Flüelen (approx. 3hrs). Lunch on board the steamer. Take in the scenery as you pass the picturesque lakeside villages and sleepy bays of Brunnen and Bauen, with the surrounding mountains as a backdrop. You will also see the commemorative 'Schiller stone': a narrow rock, which rises from the lake edge, inscribed to the famous author, Friedrich Schiller, who wrote the original 'William Tell' play. From Flüelen travel 1st class by train to Locarno or Lugano (entire journey approx. 6hrs). The region is undeniably Swiss but Italian in character, typified by the classic outdoor piazzas full of pavement cafés. In Locarno, enjoy a cable-car trip up to Cardada for superb views and walking paths, and in Lugano, take a funicular to the top of San Salvatore for wonderful views of the lake and surrounding mountains.
DAY 11 OR 12: Travel by train from Locarno or Lugano to Zurich Airport (approx. 4hrs) for the return flight to the UK.