Travelsphere's Best of Switzerland tour strings the country's three best-known scenic railways into one easy week: the Bernina Express over the Alps to Italy, the Glacier Express west to Brig and the GoldenPass line towards Lake Geneva. You fly into Zurich, sleep in Davos, Interlaken and Lausanne, and fly home from Geneva.
A Holiday Director travels with you, so seat reservations, luggage and connections are handled. Here's how each day works and how the tour compares.
Highlights
- Bernina Express return trip over the Bernina Pass to Tirano
- Glacier Express to Brig with lunch on board
- Trümmelbach Falls, Schilthorn (the 007 mountain) and car-free Mürren
- Lake Thun cruise and Spiez Castle
- GoldenPass panoramic train to Lausanne
- Optional trips to Jungfraujoch and Glacier 3000
| Flights | Return flights from your chosen UK airport (into Zurich, home from Geneva) |
|---|---|
| Where you stay | 4-star hotels: Davos (2 nights), Interlaken (3), Lausanne (2) |
| Meals | 13 meals: 7 breakfasts, 1 lunch, 5 dinners |
| Pace | Easy-going |
| Departures | May to September 2027 |
| Sold by | Travelsphere |
Facts from Travelsphere's own page when we checked in October 2026. Itineraries, prices and dates can change; check the live details before you book.
What is the Best of Switzerland tour from Travelsphere?
It's an escorted rail tour built around train days rather than coach days. Flights, hotels, the scenic train seats, transfers and porterage come in the package, and the meals cover every breakfast plus most dinners. Between the big journeys there are lake cruises, waterfalls hidden inside a mountain and a cable car to the Schilthorn summit, with two days at leisure if you'd like to go higher still.
The pace is easy-going, with moderate walking, and departures run through the summer only.
The tour itinerary, day by day
| Day | Highlights | Train, boat or lift | Night |
|---|---|---|---|
| One | Fly to Zurich | Transfer to the hotel | Davos |
| Two | Return trip to Tirano in Italy | Local train to Filisur, then the Bernina Express | Davos |
| Three | Lunch on board, then on to Interlaken | Glacier Express to Brig | Interlaken |
| Four | Day at leisure, Jungfraujoch as an extra | Cable car and Jungfrau Railway | Interlaken |
| Five | Trümmelbach Falls, Schilthorn and Mürren | Cable cars via Birg | Interlaken |
| Six | Lake Thun cruise and Spiez Castle | Boat, then the GoldenPass train | Lausanne |
| Seven | Day at leisure, Glacier 3000 as an extra | Lausanne transport card | Lausanne |
| Eight | Fly home from Geneva | Airport transfer | Home |
Davos and the Bernina Express to Italy
Your first base is the Hotel Europe in Davos-Platz, with an indoor pool and sauna waiting after the flight. Next morning a short local train runs down to Filisur, where you board the Bernina Express and the real show begins. The line climbs into the Engadine, crosses the Bernina Pass in the open past glaciers and the milky blue Lago Bianco, then drops through Poschiavo to the Brusio spiral viaduct and the Italian border town of Tirano.
There's free time in Tirano for an Italian coffee. Then it's the same line home. Our Bernina Express guide covers the route stop by stop.
The Glacier Express and three nights in Interlaken
Day three is the long one, and you don't lift a finger. Billed as the world's slowest express train, the Glacier Express carries you through the Rhine Gorge, over the Oberalp Pass and down the upper Rhône valley to Brig. Lunch is cooked on board and served at your seat. From Brig you carry on to the Hotel Carlton Europe on Interlaken's Höheweg promenade.
Day four is free. Stroll the Höheweg, catch a boat on Lake Brienz, or book the extra trip to the Jungfraujoch, Top of Europe, by cable car from Grindelwald and then the Jungfrau Railway through the Eiger to Europe's highest railway station. It has to be booked before you travel; our Jungfraujoch guide explains the day.
Day five is packed. First come the Trümmelbach Falls in the Lauterbrunnen valley, where glacier meltwater thunders down inside the rock and a tunnel lift carries you up to it. Then cable cars take you via Birg to the Schilthorn and Piz Gloria, the revolving restaurant from the James Bond film On Her Majesty's Secret Service. Order a martini at the top! On the way down you stop at Mürren, a car-free village on a clifftop ledge, before dinner back at the hotel.
Lake Thun, the GoldenPass and Lausanne
Moving day starts on the water, cruising Lake Thun to Spiez and its castle on a rocky point above the harbour. Then you board the GoldenPass train, as the GoldenPass line leaves the Bernese Oberland through the Simmental and Gstaad and drops through vineyards towards Lake Geneva.
In Lausanne a transport card covers the city's public transport for your last free day. The other choice is the extra trip to Glacier 3000 via Les Diablerets, where the Peak Walk suspension bridge links two summits and clear weather brings views as far as the Matterhorn and Mont Blanc. A farewell dinner at the Hôtel Mirabeau rounds off the week.
Why the three trains are hard to join up yourself
You could ride them on your own with a rail pass. But the Glacier Express and Bernina Express both need a paid seat reservation on top of your ticket, and the Glacier Express only opens reservations a few months ahead. Summer seats go fast.
| Train | On this tour | Seat reservation if you went alone |
|---|---|---|
| Bernina Express | Filisur to Tirano and back | Compulsory, paid on top of a pass |
| Glacier Express | West to Brig, lunch at your seat | Compulsory, paid on top of a pass |
| GoldenPass | Spiez towards Lake Geneva | Wise in summer, needed for Prestige class |
On this guided tour, the Holiday Director takes three jobs off your hands:
- Tickets, seats and timings on every train, boat and cable car.
- Your suitcases between three hotels, with porterage included.
- The connections, from the airport to small mountain stations.
If you'd still rather go it alone, our guide to the Swiss Travel Pass explains what it covers, and the Swiss rail holidays page lines this tour up with the alternatives.
Who will enjoy this tour?
It suits you if you want the famous trains without driving or planning, and you're happy to change hotel twice. Most sightseeing happens sitting down, on a train, boat or cable car, so the walking comes mainly at Trümmelbach Falls, around Mürren and on your free days. It's less suited to anyone after a single base, and solo travellers pay a single supplement.
- Pick your UK airport when you book
- Pre-book the Jungfraujoch or Glacier 3000 trip if you want one
- Pack a warm layer for the Schilthorn, even in July
- Bring shoes with good grip for Trümmelbach and Mürren
- Check Switzerland's entry rules on GOV.UK
- Take travel insurance that covers mountain excursions
How it compares with other Swiss escorted tours
For summer and the big three trains, this is the most rail-heavy holiday we list. The others swap train time for a slower week:
- Winter in Switzerland, Travelsphere's snowy sister trip, stays in Interlaken all week, with the Jungfrau cogwheel trains, the GoldenPass Express to Montreux, chocolate-making at Maison Cailler and fondue in Gruyères.
- Swiss Alpine Glories and the GoldenPass Train from Newmarket keeps you in one hotel in Château-d'Oex and rides the GoldenPass line both ways.
- Lake Como, St Moritz and the Bernina Express is really an Italian lakes holiday with one day on the Bernina Express.
Other operators use the name too. Trafalgar's Best of Switzerland is a longer coach tour taking in Bern, Zermatt and Lucerne, with only a short Rhaetian Railway ride from St Moritz to Poschiavo. Intrepid's is a small-group trip on ordinary public trains from Zurich, with a stop in Lucerne. Travelsphere's is the one with all three panoramic trains at its heart, and our Switzerland rail tours page shows every route-led trip side by side.
Getting there from the UK
Flights are included, landing in Zurich and leaving from Geneva. That means no backtracking at all.
The booking box shows the current from price and you can see live dates on Travelsphere's site, or start with our guide to seeing Switzerland by train.