Switzerland has long captured the hearts – and curious minds – of travelers around the world. On our 7-day Magical Switzerland tour, you can expect breathtaking landscapes, pristine alpine lakes, and the most charming cities and towns – as well as all the expert insights you’d expect from from an Insight Vacations tour. In this exclusive interview with Magical Switzerland Travel Director Carl Eggeling, we’ll unveil the incredible discoveries that await curious travelers on this seven day Swiss adventure.
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So, Carl, what’s first?
“The magic starts in Zurich. We’ll arrive here and then go to Lucerne for a very nice meal. On day two, we’ll do some sightseeing of beautiful Lucerne, with its little alleys and lanes. Then, the highlight is the all inspiring Lion Momument. This is beautiful, and described by Mark Twain as the most breathtaking monument he’s seen in all his trips in Europe. Then some free time to shop around Medieval Lucerne, as it has excellent shops. There’s an optional cruise on the lake, before we continue to St. Moritz which has the most spectacular mountains.”
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SOUNDS FANTASTIC. SO WHAT’S NEXT IN ST. MORITZ?
“Here it’s quite romantic because it’s a resort of the rich and famous, and you can take a little horse carriage ride through the snow. The hotel where guests stay is where the sports teams and athletes normally stay – everybody from ski jumpers to downhill racers, and it is in the hotspot section of St. Moritz.
“You have the day free, with the option to go on the famous Bernina Express, which is one of the best train rides in the world. This is because of the views of the glaciers, and it is also the only crossing of the Alps without cogwheels – for anyone into engineering, that’s a big attraction.”
WOW. SO WHAT HAPPENS AFTER ST. MORITZ?
“Then it’s the Glacier Express, the world famous train with wonderful views out of panoramic glass windows. The Bernina Express from before is a more traditional train, while the Glacier Express is the high tech, modern, world famous connection. Both of them together make up the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Rhaetian Railway.
“The Glacier Express goes through the Schöllenen Gorge, and one of the crossings is by Devil’s Bridge. This name comes from a legend about the Devil making a deal with the locals to help build the bridge, in exchange for the first soul who crosses over it. The farmers had a beer together, smiled and said ‘okay, let’s do it’. And when the bridge was finished, the first soul they sent across was a goat.
“The devil then got so mad at them that he threw a huge rock down in the valley, which can still be seen. The Schöllenen Gorge is one of the best mountain passes, with spectacular views of the skiing, and the beautiful river that eventually ends in Lucerne.”
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THEN GUESTS ARRIVE TO THE FAIRYTALE VILLAGE OF GRINDELWALD?
“Yes, and one of the biggest things to mention here is the hotel. It is a really classic, old style five star hotel, but really modern with beautiful facilities. It is quite unique because it consists of four different chalets with underground passageways, with a sauna, swimming pool and spa. The village is a spread out community with a beautiful view of the Eiger North Face, which is the Alps at its best.”
WHAT CAN GUESTS DO IN GRINDELWALD?
“The Jungfrau. This the reason why you came. You can choose to take the famous cogwheel train up the Jungfrau, where for two thirds of the stretch, the train is in a tunnel inside the mountain. Because of this, it is not weather dependent and so they rarely close the train. This is a masterpiece of engineering, dreamt up by a Swiss industrialist who was daring enough to build it.
“Going up, you can see the hard rock of the mountain and there are also windows in the rock wall, so you can look out at the beautiful view. On the way up, you can also see into the Eiger North Wall, so it’s a really amazing journey.
“At the top, you arrive at the highest train station in Europe. There, you can visit a wonderful underground ice cave with ice sculptures. You can go under the ice of the glacier up on the Jungfrau. You have a lookout place, the so called ‘sphinx’, where you’ll see the Alps’ largest glacier: The Aletsch. You can also visit the highest chocolate manufacturer and the highest pastry shop in Europe here, for chocolate tasting, pastry tasting, both at high altitude.”
THAT SOUNDS AMAZING. THEN WHAT HAPPENS ON DAY 6?
“And then we go to wonderful Chillon Castle, setting for It is the best preserved and most visited castle in Switzerland, easy to go to and wonderfully romantic – on an island in the lake with a bridge connected to the mainland. It’s beautiful place and really in good shape.
“Nearby is the lovely town of Montreux. Here you start to see more of the modern Switzerland. You have winter palm trees on the lakeshore, lovely little livestock and beautiful gardens. There’s always modern sculptures in the garden, and there is the famous life-size statue of Freddie Mercury. It’s nice to have Freddie Mercury standing there down on the lake shore, and there’s always lots of flowers there. Then, it’s to Geneva.”
ALL GOOD THINGS COME TO AN END, RIGHT?
“Yes, and in Geneva you’re going more into modern, cosmopolitan Switzerland, like in Montreux. Geneva shows you the country’s international reputation, with many international organisations, like the Red Cross. It’s Switzerland’s gate to the world: you see this because you sometimes hear more English spoken than French!”
