Day 1 – UK – Geneva – Gruyères – Bern
On arrival at Geneva airport, please direct to the Rent-a-car desk where you will arrange the pickup of the vehicle booked (find your voucher attached).

Once you have the vehicle and documentation you can already start enjoying the city of Geneva, also known as the capital of peace, because the famous Conventions named in its honour were signed here. There are many international organizations located in Geneva, without mentioning the spectacular views provided by panoramas of the Lake Leman.

It’s essential to visit Geneva’s old town where you will find the St. Pierre Cathedral, dated of XII century, with its different vernacular styles from Gothic to Neoclassical. It’s especially famous for being the Mother Church of John Calvin. Next, you will have an opportunity to enjoy the English Garden and the Flower Clock decorated with more than 6.000 plants; and the Jet d'Eau, an impressive fountain, 140 meters high, that is considered to be the symbol of the city of Geneva.

Later, in route to Bern, it is possible to visit a small town called Gruyères that has kept its medieval appearance until today. It is a peaceful mountain town, which preserves its beautiful houses dated of XV - XVI century and that is extremely famous for its delicious cheese riddles with holes known as “eyes”. Then, we will give a pleasant walk from the city center to its formidable castle, dated of XI century.

Later, you will go to Bern, where the Swiss Government and other administrative offices are located. Once there, you will check-in in the hotel and have time for dinner.
Accommodation in the hotel in Bern.

Day 2 – Bern – Freiburg (Germany)
Breakfast. In the morning you can spend some hours discovering the Swiss capital of Bern, located in the area of picturesque hills. You can take a walk through its wonderful old town declared a World Heritage by UNESCO. In Bern, the city where genius scientist Albert Einstein lived, you will find an amazing numerous group of artistic fountains, yellow sandstone facades with balconies, narrow streets and historic towers. All these impressive monuments make the town of Bern special and unique. Among the buildings and monuments you will discover: The Clock Tower and its astronomical chronograph, the Collegiate church, the arcades and fountains, not to mention the imposing Federal Palace of Switzerland where the Swiss parliament is housed.

After lunch you can start the way to Germany. Our main destination will be the most beautiful and mysterious region of Europe called the Black Forest. Early in the afternoon, you will arrive to Freiburg, where you will stay for the night.

Optionally, in the afternoon, you can visit the city of Freiburg.
This city is a gateway to the Black Forest and it’s well known for its warm and sunny climate. Walking through the old town with its picturesque streets, colourful mosaics made of Rhine stones and innumerous charming little shops and cafes you will certainly fall in love with it. It’s important to distinguish between must see places of Freiburg the gothic Cathedral of Freiburg Minster, one of the most interesting buildings that represents the German Middle Age period. At the Cathedral Square (Münsterplatz) we can contemplate the Episcopal palace, Kaufhaus, the building where financial and trading companies are housed, and Wentzinger Haus. Later we will have time for dinner.

Accommodation in the hotel in Freiburg.

Day 3 – Freiburg (the Black Forest) – Gengenbach – Triberg and Schaffhausen.
Breakfast. On this day you will discover the heart of the Black Forest.
Early in the morning, we would recommend you to visit the town of Gengenbach, also known as the pearl of the Black Forest. It has a quaint historic center dated of XVII century, surrounded with the remains of the medieval defensive wall. Its beauty, so typical for villages in Southern Germany, was the reason way it was chosen as the setting for several Hollywood films, such as “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”. We will have enough free time to enjoy this magical place.

By mid-morning, you could head towards the city of Triberg. Hidden by deep fir forests, Triberg is a picturesque town that seems to have frozen in time. Here we can see the typical cuckoo clocks, originating precisely from the Black Forest area. By the way, it will be a perfect opportunity to buy one as a souvenir, as well as its famous wooden carvings! And don’t forget to get a bottle of Kirsch, a liqueur produced by the distillation of the juice of wild cherries and a piece of the black ham also very typical for this region. Of course we won’t leave this marvellous town without observing the Triberg waterfalls. With the descent of more than 163 meters, it’s considered to be one of the highest in Germany.

On the way to Schaffhausen, where you will stay for the night, we recommend you to make a stop at the Lake Titisee. According to the legend, it was named after the Roman general Titus who went through the Upper Black Forest with his legions, and, charmed with the beautiful landscapes and views, gave it his name.

Situated at an altitude of 858 meters, Titisee is the largest natural lake in the Black Forest. It’s 2 km long, 700 meters wide and 40 meters deep.

Finally you will travel to Schaffhausen, the city situated in the northernmost corner of Switzerland, between the Black Forest and the Lake Constance, in the “knee” of the Rhine in eastern Switzerland, on the border with Germany. Its old town is closed to traffic, is considered to be one of the most picturesque in Switzerland.

On arrival you will have time to discover the city, whose baroque houses have in their facades valuable paintings as a symbol of wealth of the people who lived here before. From afar can be seen the fortress of Munot, a strategic stronghold built in the XVI century. Every night at 21 pm you can hear a little bell called Munotglöcklein ringing from the fortress tower. Originally it was used to announce the closure of the city gates and local taverns.

Accommodation in the hotel in Schaffhausen.

Day 4 – Schaffhausen – Zurich – Lucerne
Breakfast. In the morning, leaving Schaffhausen, we recommend you visiting the charming city of Zurich, a synonym of elegance and wealth. This city with the highest index of quality of life in the world is a financial engine of Switzerland. In the city center you will discover its main street the Bahnhofstrasse, where the luxurious and exclusive shops are located. You can also admire the Lindenhof hill, close to the Limmat River and the oldest city bridge, the Rathaus-Brüke, where the baroque building of the Town Hall is situated. Also worth mentioning the Grossmünster, the oldest Romanesque cathedral ordered to be built by Charles the Great; the church Fraumünster Abbey, founded in 853, and, finally, the St. Peter’s church whose clock tower has the largest clock face in Europe.

Later, you will continue your journey to Lucerne, the most touristic city in Switzerland, surrounded with the majestic mountain peaks. This city is situated on the banks of the Lake Lucerne, also known as the Four Forested-Cantons Lake.

It is worth taking a walk through the old town, with its squares, Baroque churches and historic houses decorated with frescoes. You will see the famous Chapel Bridge, built in the first half of the XIV century, as a part of the fortification of the city; and the Renaissance Old City Hall building, located on the bank of the Reuss River, and the famous Lion Monument (the Lion of Lucerne).

You will finish the day at our hotel in the suburb of Lucerne, in a charming place with beautiful mountain landscapes, alone with nature, where we will spend next two nights.
Accommodation in the hotel in Lucerne.

Day 5 – Lucerne – Lauterbrunnen Valley – Interlaken – Lucerne
Breakfast. In the morning, you can choose between enjoying the superb environment of the city of Lucerne, or early in the morning go on an excursion to the Mount Pilatus and climb it by the cogwheel railway, the steepest in the world, that winds up through lush meadows carpeted with beautiful Alpine flowers, sparkling mountain streams, peaks touching the sky and fascinating rock faces.

You can continue admiring the natural wonders of Switzerland by heading to the Lauterbrunnen Valley, where you can see the Trummelbach, a series of ten glacier-waterfalls inside the mountain made accessible by the tunnel-lift, one of the most impressive natural phenomena of Switzerland. The Trummelbach waterfalls collect the icy waters of the glaciers of Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau. You will step into a series of tunnels connected by stairs and walkways that run inside the rock.

Then you can go to the city of Interlaken for a lunch. This captivating town located in the Jungfrau Mountain, surrounded with picturesque mountains, offers truly stunning views of the crystal clear water of the lakes of Thun and Brienz and its fantastic sparkling falls. It is also one of the best places to buy famous Swiss watches and souvenirs.

At end of the day you will return to Lucerne where you will have free time to stroll along the lake while enjoying a drink and quiet.

Accommodation at the hotel in Lucerne.

Day 6 – Lucerne – Aare Gorge – Rhône Glacier – Zermatt – Täsch
Breakfast. In the morning you will leave Lucerne for Täsch. The route we recommend you, leads straight to the Hasli Valley where you will have the unique opportunity to admire the spectacular gorges of the Aare, a kilometer and a half long and almost 200 meters deep. Then we cross the spectacular Grimsel Pass, at an elevation of 2165 meters.

We also recommend visiting the impressive Rhone Glacier, the source of the Rhone River that is considered to be the largest of the Urner Alps. Nowhere else in Europe you can come so close to a glacier to enjoy its panoramic view moving through the cave into the ice.

After visiting the glacier, you can continue your journey to Visp through the impressive Rhone Valley, directing to Täsch and Zermatt.

In the afternoon, you will arrive to Täsch. Once there, we will have an opportunity to climb by train closer to Zermatt, the city that banned cars, a detail that makes it extraordinary. This is an idyllic tourist village at the bottom of valley of the Matterhorn, situated 1.620 meters above sea level, surrounded with many 4.000 meters high mountain peaks. Especially it is famous for its location close to the famous Matterhorn peak and its huge ski resort of Zermatt and Breuil-Cervinia.

Those who wish, may climb the mountain of Gornegrat (3089 meters) by railway, to enjoy the wonderful views of the mountain of Matterhorn, straddling the border between Switzerland and Italy, the Monte Rosa located on the watershed between northern and southern Europe and the Dufour Peak, the highest in the Swiss Alps.

Rest of the day to spend in Täsch, a village that transmits a pure alpine tranquillity. Located 1449 meters above sea level, it will conquer you with its nature that is truly omnipresent there.  

Accommodation at the hotel in Täsch.

Day 7 – Täsch – Chillon Castle – Lausanne – Geneva- UK
Breakfast. You are in route to Geneva (230 km). If the flight schedule allows, you may spend the time to admire the imposing Chillon Castle, the medieval fortress situated on a rock on the shores of the Lake Leman, near Montreux. It is one of the most visited historical buildings of Switzerland. For nearly four centuries it was the residence of the counts of Savoy and a lucrative customs post.

You will leave the castle by the road along the lake Lausanne. By the way you can visit the city, one of the most elegant in Switzerland, where the head-office of the International Olympic Committee is situated.
Lausanne was built on three hills on the banks of Lake Leman, so you can see many steep hills there, surrounded with vineyards. Its picturesque old town, numerous museums and various cultural events, make Lausanne one of the most culturally active and developed cities of Switzerland. Walk through the streets of the center of the town, visit its cafes and boutiques, and enter the Cathedral of Nôtre Dame, one of the most beautiful buildings of early Gothic architecture.

Finally you will arrive at the Geneva International Airport.

Please keep in mind: it is important to return the vehicle at the same time as that you picked it up. If you don´t, the rental company will charge you an extra day.

Bern: Hotel Ambassador 4* 
This newly renovated hotel is located in the greenery only 5 minutes from the main railway station with a wonderful view on the Parliament. Feel comfortable in one of its 97 rooms and junior suites, where all details have been tailored to make you feel at home.

The SPA area with indoor pool, sauna, steam bath and fitness corner is free of charge for all hotel guests.

Don’t miss the show of the Japanese cooking art at the teppanyaki restaurant Taishi, or enjoy international dishes at the panoramic restaurant Le Pavillon while appreciating the magnificent view of Bern’s old town – a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Freiburg: Hotel Rheingold 4*(or similar)
This elegant 4* is located 2 minutes walking distance from Central station and music hall. Within 5 Minutes walking distance to the theatre and the Freiburg Cathedral.  

In the morning you can enjoy the ample breakfast buffet including sparkling wine, marinated salmon, scrambled eggs and various local specialities.

Schaffhausen: Arcona Living 4*
At the edge of the historic district – close to the main rail station on the former Bleiche grounds – this modern hotel features 112 rooms and 18 apartments, a wine lounge & restaurant, a bar and the Asia spa complete with sauna, jacuzzi and fitness area.

Luzern: Hotel Kreuz Sachseln 4*
In the beautiful picturesque mountains, right in the heart of Switzerland, 26 light and spacious rooms and suites await you.

Right on the shores of the Sarnersee the hotel’s own bathing ground is at your disposal. Relax in the shadow of large trees after a refreshing swim in the lake.

On summer evenings staff organise relaxed BBQ’s for guests.

Luzern: Jugendstil-Hotel Paxmontana
The Jugendstil-Hotel Paxmontana is a superior hotel in an unbeatably beautiful rural location.
Every room is a delight with a breath-taking view of the Obwalden mountain landscape.  The majority have a balcony.
 
Don't miss the beautiful restaurants: The unique, 47-metre-long veranda with a glass frontage offers a fascinating view of the Sarneraa Valley and the Glaubenberg. In culinary terms, you can choose between tasty Obwalden and Swiss specialities.

Tasch: Hotel Welcome (or similar)
Just off the main street of car-free region Täsch, this small guest house enjoys a quiet and unspoilt location.

The hotel has 100 bedrooms, single or double room with shower or bath, toilet, television, refrigerator and safe. All have a unique view of the mountains.

Zermatt is by train in 15 minutes to reach. The shuttle runs every 20 minutes. In Täsch itself are many walking paths (also to Zermatt) , tennis court, golf course, restaurants and limited shopping facilities.