Grand Tour of France & Switzerland

Arrival to Paris
As they say, Paris is always a good idea! Bonjour and welcome to the most romantic city in the world and the charming capital of France - Paris!

Upon arrival, your driver meets you and takes you to your centrally located hotel for check-in. The rest of the day is free so you can start exploring the magnificent city center on your own, dine in one of the local restaurants or take a good rest in your comfortable room.

Exploring Crème de la Crème of Louvre & the Latin Quarter
After breakfast your guide meets you in the hotel lobby and takes you on a 8-hour walking tour of the two famous districts of Paris: Latin Quarter (5th) and Marais (4th). Your tour of the fabulous capital of France begins with the UNESCO Site Heritage - Banks of Seine river.

Continue to the Latin quarter and taste a Bohemian charm of the medieval narrow streets and stone-paved alleyways. Reach the Ile de la Cite where you see the world’s most famous gothic cathedral - Notre Dame. Walk through the Ile Saint Louis and get closer to more sights: Hôtel de Ville (city hall), Fountain of the Innocents and Palais Royal.

You then proceed with the tour of the Louvre Museum, one of the world’s largest museums, taking advantage of your skip-the-line tickets. You see the crème de la crème collections and the most celebrated works of art, ancient artifacts, Greek sculptures, including the famous Venus di Milo, Winged Victory, and masterpieces of Michelangelo, Eugène Delacroix, Paolo Veroneseand the world’s most enigmatic Portrait of Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci. After the tour you return to the hotel and have the rest of the day free.

Free Day in Paris & Train to Lyon
Today you have the day free to continue enjoying Paris on your own or join one of our carefully planned optional tours. We recommend you to Louvre and Orsay Museums Tour or Day trip to Versailles.

In the afternoon you check out and have a transfer to the station.

Arrival
Upon arrival to Lyon, the capital city in France’s Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes region, you are taken to your centrally located hotel for check-in.

Lyon City Tour
After breakfast at your hotel, you meet your private guide for city tour of Lyon, that was founded by the Romans in the 1st century B.C. as the capital of the Three Gauls and is often called the culinary capital of France today.

You get to see the top attractions of Lyon during a 3-hour guided walking tour (public transport included). Together with your guide you see the Old Town of Lyon, ride on a funicular to the Fourviere hill. Lyon has been an epicentre of high-quality silk manufacturing in Europe and today you have a chance to visit one of the remaining silk workshops, specialized in hand-made frame printed silk squares.

After the tour, you are taken back to your hotel and have the rest of the day free.

Day Tour to Annecy & Transfer to Chamonix
Today you depart from Lyon.

Arrival
Located close to the mountainous massif of French Prealps, Chamonix is one of the oldest ski resorts in France. Upon arrival, you check in to your centrally-located hotel and have evening at leisure.

Montenvers Train & Mer de Glace
Today following breakfast you walk to the train station, board the famous little red railway train and start your trip to Mer de Glace, the largest glacier in France.

The scenic train journey shows the Chamonix valley and the glacier in a great way. It takes just 20 minutes to climb 1,000 m (3,280 ft) up and to reach Montenvers station (1,913 m or 6,276 ft). Then you take an air gondola for a ride down towards the glacier.

Upon arrival, you can visit the Glaciorium at new exhibition center, the Temple of Nature, an innovative optical theater, and the Ice Cave with its glacier exhibition that requires walking more than 400 steps down to reach. Nowadays all the central European alpine glaciers are disappearing and the trip to Mer de Glace is a striking evidence of this fact - just 100 years ago there were only a few steps to get inside the glacier.

For the way back you take the gondola and then the train. The rest of the day is free to have rest or to try some other activity from your Multi Pass list.

Please, note: the tour to Montenvers is just one of the 6 tours which your 2-day Multi Pass (included in the price) allows to take advantage of. The other 5 are Aiguille Du Midi, Tramway Du Mont-Blanc (starts in Le Fayet, 20 minutes car ride from Chamonix), Grands Montets Area, Balme Area and Brevent Area.

Trip to Aiguille du Midi
Today following breakfast you head for the station located in the center of Chamonix and start a magnificent trip to Aiguille du Midi, a mountain in the Mont Blanc massif which has been a popular tourist destination for more than 50 years. The 2 cable-car rides, which last 20 minutes in general, take you up to an altitude of 3,777 m (12,392). The Telepherique De l'Aiguille Du Midi holds the world record as the highest vertical ascent cable car in the world.

Aiguille du Midi with its laid-out terraces offers a spectacular 360° view of Mont Blanc and all the French, Italian and Swiss Alps. On top, you can take a lift and reach the peak at 3,842 m (12,605 ft). The most fearless can take ‘A Step Into The Void’ - a 2,5 m (8,2 ft) glass cage out over a 1,000 m (3,2080) precipice.

For the ride back you take cable cars at first to Plan de l’Aiguille and then to Chamonix.

Transfer to Montreux.
Following breakfast you check out and depart from Chamonix.

Trip to Chillon Castle & Montreux Sightseeing
Welcome to the traditional resort town of Montreux located on the shores of Geneva Lake! 

After check-in you take a public boat cruise on Lake Geneva to reach the most recognizable historic monument in Switzerland - Chillon Castle which dates back to medieval ages. Its charming architectural style and rich history inspired such literary geniuses as Victor Hugo, Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Lord Byron. First you admire the exterior of this historical monument from water. Upon disembarkation you have a private guided touring around the most spectacular parts of Chillon Castle.

Following Chillon you head for Montreux where you meet your guide and have a private walking tour.  

You learn about the history and culture of charming 'Swiss Riviera' strolling along the lake shores where the summer Jazz Festival takes place. On the way up to the old town you enjoy stunning views over the lake and pass by the oldest house in Montreux, dating back to the 16th century. 

While you walk the little streets of this charming town, your guide shares with you the stories of the famous expats in Montreux such as Vladimir Nabokov and Freddie Mercury. You see the statue of Freddie Mercury and have a chance to visit the Queen: The Studio Experience exhibition located in the original Mountain Studios, part of the Montreux Casino. Queen recorded a total of seven albums here at Mountain Studios in Montreux, which the band owned between 1979 and 1996, including the final album Made in Heaven. 

During the tour you also find out how fire at the Montreux Casino inspired Deep Purple's classic "Smoke on the Water." Since then the casino has been beautifully rebuilt, so have a great chance to visit it in the evening. 

After the tour you return to your hotel.

Day Trip to Geneva
Following breakfast, you walk to the train station for a 1-hour train to Geneva.   

Upon arrival, you meet your guide and start exploring the highlights of Geneva, the second most populous city of Switzerland and a capital of Romandy, the French-speaking region. Being the European seat of the UN and headquarters of the Red Cross, Geneva is known as the «capital of peace». 

You start discovering Geneva sights by the lake front. You take a short water tram ride on lake Geneva and see one of the most famous landmarks, the Jet d'Eau fountain of 140 m (460 ft) and enjoy the view of the mountains.  

Then you proceed to the astonishing Old Town and see St. Peter Cathedral, the English Garden with Flower Clock, Ile Rousseau and Castle Tour-de-l'ile. Here you also see the city council building where the first Geneva Convention was signed, in the Alabama Room, as it is now called, and learn about the beginning of international Geneva. You also visit the grounds of the University of Geneva to see the Reformation Wall that features statues of the four Geneva luminaries and learn about the role Geneva played in the Reformation in the 16th century. 

Finally, you have a short ride by public transport to view the international district of Geneva and its heart - United Nations Office located in the Palace of Nations.

After the tour you return to Montreux by train.

Train to Zermatt
Today following breakfast you check out from your hotel and head for the station.

Arrival 
Zermatt is famous not only for being a popular ski resort. This lovely village is located in the southern canton of Valais which is home to some of the world's most spectacular mountains, including Matterhorn.

Upon arrival, you walk to your hotel for check-in and have the rest of the day at leisure.

Day Trip to Gornegrat 
After breakfast you walk to the railway station, where you board a cogwheel train equipped with large windows which allow you to enjoy a journey across the highest open-air railway in Europe. The Gornergrat Bahn is the cog railway which was the first in the world to be fully electrified. Nowadays regenerative braking system of this eco-friendly railway generates electricity on the descent and so saves energy.

After about 45 minutes you reach the station of Gornergrat which is considered to be the highest open-air railway station of Europe at an altitude of 3, 090 m (10,135 ft). Gornergrat observation platform is accessible all year round and offers one of the finest panoramas in Switzerland. From there you have a glorious view of more than 20 four-thousand m (13,123 ft) peaks, one of which is Matterhorn. A truly unforgettable experience you cannot miss!

Please, note: It is important to wear something warm and wind/rain protective when going to Gornergrat. The temperature there is usually lower than in the cities even in summer. In case you feel too cold you can always go inside the restaurant which is close to the observation platform. The trains to/from Gornergrat are heated well.

After some free time in Gornergrat you have a train ride back to Zermatt. The rest of the day is free.

Departure 
In the morning after breakfast you check out from the hotel, walk to the railway station and depart from Zermatt.

Arrival & Zurich City Tour
Upon arrival, you have a transfer to hour hotel and check in.

The same day you meet your private guide and enjoy a perfectly-planned sightseeing tour around the most beautiful landmarks of Zurich. Immerse yourself in the unique atmosphere of the Old Town for the following 3 hours, walking through its narrow cozy streets and exploring its breathtaking medieval houses, churches and town hall.

After the tour the rest of the evening is free.

Exploring Lucerne Region
Following breakfast, you head to the station to take a train to Lucerne. In about 50 minutes you meet your guide at the station of Lucerne.

Then you are invited to take an unforgettable trip with your private guide who shows you the magnificent views of Mount Pilatus and the Lucerne region. The tour starts with a cruise across the Lake Lucerne to Alpnachstad. There you board the famous cogwheel train that takes you across the world's steepest railway passing through lush Alpine meadows, spectacular rocks and sparkling mountain streams to the top of Mt Pilatus, the altitude of which is 2,132 m (6,995 ft).

For the return journey, you ride a cable car to enjoy the fantastic scenery once again. As the last part of your magnificent tour, you take a 20-minute bus from Kriens to Lucerne. Tickets* for a public boat cruise, cogwheel train, cable car, and bus are included.

Please, note: boat and cogwheel train are available only from middle of May to September. The rest of the year they are replaced with cable car and bus.

After the tour, you take a train back to Zurich. The rest of the evening is free.

Departure
This is the final day of your tour. Today your driver takes you to the airport for your flight back home. We hope you enjoyed your European tour and the charming cities you have explored!