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Glacier Express All Inclusive at Christmas

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8 days From £1,999 per person
4.1 stars(16 reviews)
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An all-inclusive festive tour on iconic railways through mountainous Switzerland

Mobility Rating 3

2024 Tour code: 25TFX

About the tour

Discover the delights of Switzerland at Christmas on this all-inclusive festive break. Travel through winter wonderlands on some of Switzerland's most iconic railways, explore upmarket winter resorts, and soak up incredible snowy vistas.

Highlights

What’s included

Itinerary

Day 1 - London to Mulhouse

Your festive holiday begins as you meet at London St Pancras, taking the Eurostar to Paris. Here, you join the French rail network for your onwards journey to Mulhouse in the Alsace, where you spend the night. Twinkling festive lights adorn the grand Place de la Réunion, surrounded by attractive medieval buildings and pretty cobbled streets, setting the scene beautifully for a week-long winter holiday.

Includes
  • Dinner
Day 2 - Alsace to the Alps: Mulhouse to Tienfencastel

There is a leisurely morning in Mulhouse after breakfast so you may wish to explore this charming Alsace city. The focus of this old town is Place de la Réunion, which comes alive in winter as it hosts a Christmas market. You can also find the Gothic Revival Temple St-Étienne along with the pink and gold decorated town hall in this square. Constructed in 1553, this striking Renaissance building displays allegoric frescoes representing vices and virtues. You continue your journey later, travelling via Basel and Chur to Tiefencastel - a scenic base from which to enjoy the festive season.

Includes
  • Breakfast, Dinner
Day 3 - Christmas Eve in gorgeous St Moritz

Today is Christmas Eve, and we head to the luxurious resort town of St Moritz. Journeying through stunning alpine scenery on the UNESCO-listed Albula Line, the route twists and spirals as it clings to mountainsides and crosses rushing rivers before arriving in St Moritz, a lakeside town synonymous with glitz and glamour. With free time to explore the charming winter wonderland at your own pace. Bedecked in its festive finery, sparkling Christmas light displays and enchanting decorations line the streets, making strolling through the town an experience in itself. With a picnic lunch provided by the hotel, you can spend time window-shopping at the designer boutiques and jewellers, or perhaps pause for a hot chocolate at one of the many chic cafés here.

Includes
  • Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 4 - Christmas Day on the Bernina Express

Enjoy a Christmas Day to remember as you celebrate onboard the famous Bernina Express, travelling across the Italian border to Tirano. This remarkable railway line is more than 100 years old and has been awarded UNESCO World Heritage status. It's widely recognised as one of the finest rail journeys in the world, and as you tunnel through snow-capped mountain ranges, cross spectacular canyons and valleys, and glide alongside frozen lakes, you'll soon realise why. You enjoy a little free time in the Italian town of Tirano; a fantastic opportunity to discover a new country at the most wonderful time of year. Tonight, back in Tiefencastel, you sit down to savour Christmas dinner in beautifully festive surroundings - a perfect end to a wonderful day.

Includes
  • Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 5 - Tiefencastel at leisure on Boxing Day

Today, you're free to relax at your hotel or explore Tiefencastel, or indeed the rest of the region, further. At the confluence of the Albula and Julier rivers, the small village of Tiefencastel is surrounded by incredible scenery, while the church of St Stephen was expanded in 1650 by Capuchin monks and contains intricate wood carvings. Having a train station located on the routes of the Glacier Express and Bernina Express, there are many great rail journeys to take. The premier mountain resorts of Davos and Klosters, a favourite of the Royal family, are within easy reach.

Includes
  • Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 6 - Chur and the Arosa Line

You enjoy a journey on the pretty Arosa Line today, climbing to the charming lakeside town of Arosa. Take in the rocky, wintry scenery of the Graubünden canton enroute, winding through wild and dramatic landscapes before arriving in Arosa, where you're met with stunning vistas across the icy waters of Lake Obersee. After some free time, continue by train to Chur, Switzerland's oldest settlement with a history dating back more than 5,000 years.

You have some time to explore this quintessentially Swiss town. You could head to the quaint Old Town, which boasts fantastically preserved medieval town walls and buildings. Being entirely traffic-free, it is the ideal place to explore on foot. At this time of year, Christmas decorations adorn the buildings, adding an extra touch of magic.

Includes
  • Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 7 - The Glacier Express

A highlight of your holiday awaits you today, as you bid farewell to Tiefencastel and enjoy a journey on the world-renowned Glacier Express, travelling to Brig. Known affectionately as the 'world's slowest express train', the Glacier Express gently makes its way through the glorious scenery, affording you a front-row view of some of the best of Switzerland's natural beauty. During the winter months, the striking vistas are transformed into a picture-postcard landscape of snowy meadows, frozen waterfalls and white mountaintops. On board, a handy audio guide narrates your journey, letting you know when a particularly scenic or interesting spot is coming up, so you don't miss a moment of the views. On arrival in Brig, you change trains and head to Basel for an overnight stay.

Includes
  • Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 8 - Homeward bound

Your festive adventure comes to an end today. Leaving Basel, you join the TGV train to Paris this morning. In the French capital, you connect with the Eurostar to London St Pancras.

Includes
  • Breakfast

Additional information

Please note

Please note that while every departure of this tour will feature the same excursions, the order may differ from that shown above.

Departure times

Provisional departure and return times, where available, can be found together with dates and prices by clicking on the 'Prices & Availability' button. We will write to you around 10 weeks before your departure date with the precise meeting times for your tour group.

Mobility information

Due to the nature of our tours they are generally unsuitable for those with restricted mobility. If you’d like to discuss any particular holiday with us in this respect, then please don’t hesitate to call us.

Hotel

Hotel Albula & Julier, Tiefencastel

Hotel Albula & Julier, Tiefencastel

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Trains

Arosa Line
Bernina Express
Eurostar
Glacier Express
The TGV

Enhance your holiday

Upgrades

Door to door luggage service
Extend your European holiday
Eurostar Upgrade
UK rail connections
London hotels

Reviews

4.1 stars4.1 / 5 · 16 reviews

  1. 5 stars
    (6)
  2. 4 stars
    (6)
  3. 3 stars
    (3)
  4. 2 stars
    (1)
  5. 1 star
    (0)

Mike Batson

4 stars

Submitted 12/Jan

This would have been 5 stars but for the following. 1.Disappointment being changed from Strasbourg to Mulhouse. Mulhouse was attractive and the hotel very good but the journey was too long,we arrived too late to see anything and had to leave next morning just as the market was opening. 2. The group was 34 in number(much too big),our guide was very good but many struggled to keep up. 3. Tiefencastel, The hotel was clean,very warm and comfortable,but a bit stingy on the bathroom products(one small sachet of body wash each) and packed lunches (considering one day was Christmas Day).And all inclusive is perhaps a description that stretches a point! It”s only at tiefencastel and that is limited to while you are eating. 4. Communication is sometimes muddled by receiving some messages from Great Rail, a sister company 5,We paid for our luggage to be transported to Tiefencastel,but a week before departure were notified that the company (Sherpr) knew nothing about it .RD has reimbursed our money.Luggage on trains can be problematic. 6.Otherwise,brilliant holiday. Christmas day,snow,good company,treasured memories……..

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jonathanmccutcheon

5 stars

Submitted 10/Jan

Very nice hotels. Tours enjoyable. Nice sized group. A good holiday

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April Cundy

5 stars

Submitted 10/Jan

I did this on 5th January and added photos

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sally armstrong

4 stars

Submitted 10/Jan

A good trip but more information about the stops is required for the guests to make better use of the limited time available.

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Trevor

4 stars

Submitted 9/Jan

Well organised tour with Philip as our tour manager/guide. Hotels were good but not having any choices on the dinner menus was a little disappointing.

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William Fyans

4 stars

Submitted 14 Jan 2023

Lovely places to see/be in, but too much time pressure and stress during travel. Took days to recover. Better for the young/fit. Everyone was very disappointed as the actual Glacier express we were on, being I believe a special extra train due to demand, offered no buffet or refreshments at all, all the way. Much cynical laughter at the lavish videos.

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