Swiss Steam Safari
Sunday 6th July to Monday 14th July 2008
Join us for a relaxing holiday from London to the fascinating Swiss steam railways. Many of the steam trains do not run regularly so they have been specially chartered for our tour to create a Swiss Festival of steam in outstanding natural scenery. This is a tour not to be missed.
Sunday 6th July
Farewell to London St Pancras
We meet at London St Pancras station where we board the 09:26 Eurostar to Paris. We enjoy breakfast at our first class seats before arriving at Paris Gare du Nord at 12.47. From here, we have a short coach transfer to Paris Gare de l’Est where we join the 14.24 TGV for Basel reached in under four hours giving us time for a drink before dinner. This uses the recently opened TGV Est to Strasburg then on through Mulhouse. We stay for two nights at a four-star hotel in Basel. (B D)
Monday 7th July
Steam on the Jura Railway
A service train will take us from Basel to Glovelier. Here we join the narrow gauge Chemin de Fer de Jura Railway. An ex Portuguese Mallett locomotive will be waiting to take us on an exhilarating run to La Chaux de Fonds at over 3,000 feet altitude and with trolley busses.
We return by the same route to our hotel in Basel.
(B D)
Tuesday 8th July
Steam Tram in Berne and Steam Charter to Schynige Platte
We travel by Intercity train to Berne where we have chartered a steam tram for a two-hour tour of the Berne tramway system. The steamy tram, with an open balony, runs along the cobbled streets past the famous arcades and decorated facades. We continue our journey by main line train to Interlaken changing to a narrow gauge train on the Bernese Oberland Railway for the short journey to Wilderswil. We join our special steam charter train on the Schynige Platte Bahn and steam up the 800mm gauge rack railway to the summit at Schynige Platte. We return to Wilderswil and then to Interlaken where we check into our hotel. (B D)
Wednesday 9th July
Steam over the Brunig Pass
Today we have a steam trip over the Brunig Pass. We steam out of Interlaken alongside Lake Brienz to Meiringen where we change to a rack steam locomotive for the long climb over the Brunig Pass at over 6,000 feet and then as far as Giswill.
We return back over the Brunig Pass to Interlaken still steam hauled. We again stay overnight in Interlaken. (B L D)
Thursday 10th July
The Furka Bahn Steam Railway and Brienz Rothorn Bahn
A coach takes us to Realp where we join our train on the Furka rack steam railway, part of the original Glacier Express route. This is possibly the most exhilarating steam ride in Switzerland. It is a two-hour climb up towards the Rhone Glacier at Gletsch. We return by coach to Brienz where there is time for lunch before we join a special vintage train hauled by a steam locomotive up the superb Brienz Rothorn Bahn to Rothorn Kulm. We return back to Interlaken by train. The evening is free to try one of the many restaurants in Interlaken for dinner. We stay overnight in Interlaken. (B)
Friday 11th July
Steam over the Rack to Zermatt
A service train takes us through Spiez and the Lotschberg Route to Brig. On arrival at Brig we cross to the metre gauge platforms, where our special steam hauled train will be waiting with the 100 year old HG 2/3 Breithorn and three vintage coaches for our journey to Zermatt, an exhilarating ride with steam over the many rack sections. A sandwich lunch is provided on the train. We stay overnight at Zermatt. There will be time for a late afternoon trip (at own expense) on the Gornergrat Bahn to its top station at 10,000 feet to view magnificent mountain views including the Matterhorn. (B L D)
Saturday 12th July
The Glacier Express
The Glacier Express will be waiting for us at Zermatt station. We travel in the comfort of first class panoramic coaches through the unspoilt natural beauty of a landscape rich in mountain forests, peaceful Alpine meadows, rushing streams and snow-capped mountains, the most fantastic scenery Switzerland has to offer.
We have lunch served at our seats. It is a six hour trip to Chur where we stay two nights. (B L D)
Sunday 13th July
Steam to Davos and Filisur
Our special steam hauled charter train will take us for another spectacular journey through the mountains. Our locomotive will be a Rhaetian Railway 2-8-0 to take us to through Klosters to Davos, a mountain resort, with a funicular railway. Lunch is included at the station hotel during our two-hour break. We continue our circular steam tour before arriving back in Chur around teatime. (B L D)
Monday 14th July
Return to London
We have an eight o’clock departure from Chur to Basel in order to catch the late morning TGV for a fast journey to Paris taking less than four hours. This heads through Mulhouse and Strasburg again. On arrival at Paris it is just a short transfer to Paris Gare du Nord where we board a Eurostar to London St Pancras, arriving about 17:30. Dinner with wine will be served at our seats. (B D)
There is a flight option to travel by train from Chur direct to Zurich airport for a midday flight to London Heathrow.
Farewell to London St Pancras
We meet at London St Pancras station where we board the 09:26 Eurostar to Paris. We enjoy breakfast at our first class seats before arriving at Paris Gare du Nord at 12.47. From here, we have a short coach transfer to Paris Gare de l’Est where we join the 14.24 TGV for Basel reached in under four hours giving us time for a drink before dinner. This uses the recently opened TGV Est to Strasburg then on through Mulhouse. We stay for two nights at a four-star hotel in Basel. (B D)
Monday 7th July
Steam on the Jura Railway
A service train will take us from Basel to Glovelier. Here we join the narrow gauge Chemin de Fer de Jura Railway. An ex Portuguese Mallett locomotive will be waiting to take us on an exhilarating run to La Chaux de Fonds at over 3,000 feet altitude and with trolley busses.
We return by the same route to our hotel in Basel.
(B D)
Tuesday 8th July
Steam Tram in Berne and Steam Charter to Schynige Platte
We travel by Intercity train to Berne where we have chartered a steam tram for a two-hour tour of the Berne tramway system. The steamy tram, with an open balony, runs along the cobbled streets past the famous arcades and decorated facades. We continue our journey by main line train to Interlaken changing to a narrow gauge train on the Bernese Oberland Railway for the short journey to Wilderswil. We join our special steam charter train on the Schynige Platte Bahn and steam up the 800mm gauge rack railway to the summit at Schynige Platte. We return to Wilderswil and then to Interlaken where we check into our hotel. (B D)
Wednesday 9th July
Steam over the Brunig Pass
Today we have a steam trip over the Brunig Pass. We steam out of Interlaken alongside Lake Brienz to Meiringen where we change to a rack steam locomotive for the long climb over the Brunig Pass at over 6,000 feet and then as far as Giswill.
We return back over the Brunig Pass to Interlaken still steam hauled. We again stay overnight in Interlaken. (B L D)
Thursday 10th July
The Furka Bahn Steam Railway and Brienz Rothorn Bahn
A coach takes us to Realp where we join our train on the Furka rack steam railway, part of the original Glacier Express route. This is possibly the most exhilarating steam ride in Switzerland. It is a two-hour climb up towards the Rhone Glacier at Gletsch. We return by coach to Brienz where there is time for lunch before we join a special vintage train hauled by a steam locomotive up the superb Brienz Rothorn Bahn to Rothorn Kulm. We return back to Interlaken by train. The evening is free to try one of the many restaurants in Interlaken for dinner. We stay overnight in Interlaken. (B)
Friday 11th July
Steam over the Rack to Zermatt
A service train takes us through Spiez and the Lotschberg Route to Brig. On arrival at Brig we cross to the metre gauge platforms, where our special steam hauled train will be waiting with the 100 year old HG 2/3 Breithorn and three vintage coaches for our journey to Zermatt, an exhilarating ride with steam over the many rack sections. A sandwich lunch is provided on the train. We stay overnight at Zermatt. There will be time for a late afternoon trip (at own expense) on the Gornergrat Bahn to its top station at 10,000 feet to view magnificent mountain views including the Matterhorn. (B L D)
Saturday 12th July
The Glacier Express
The Glacier Express will be waiting for us at Zermatt station. We travel in the comfort of first class panoramic coaches through the unspoilt natural beauty of a landscape rich in mountain forests, peaceful Alpine meadows, rushing streams and snow-capped mountains, the most fantastic scenery Switzerland has to offer.
We have lunch served at our seats. It is a six hour trip to Chur where we stay two nights. (B L D)
Sunday 13th July
Steam to Davos and Filisur
Our special steam hauled charter train will take us for another spectacular journey through the mountains. Our locomotive will be a Rhaetian Railway 2-8-0 to take us to through Klosters to Davos, a mountain resort, with a funicular railway. Lunch is included at the station hotel during our two-hour break. We continue our circular steam tour before arriving back in Chur around teatime. (B L D)
Monday 14th July
Return to London
We have an eight o’clock departure from Chur to Basel in order to catch the late morning TGV for a fast journey to Paris taking less than four hours. This heads through Mulhouse and Strasburg again. On arrival at Paris it is just a short transfer to Paris Gare du Nord where we board a Eurostar to London St Pancras, arriving about 17:30. Dinner with wine will be served at our seats. (B D)
There is a flight option to travel by train from Chur direct to Zurich airport for a midday flight to London Heathrow.
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Price
| Price per person | £1475 |
| Single supplement | £195 |
Price includes:
- All rail travel including all steam trains mentioned in the itinerary
- 8 nights accommodation with breakfast in 3 and 4-star hotels
- 4 Lunches and 8 dinners
- One breakfast and one dinner with wine on Eurostar
- Glacier Express with lunch
- Luggage transfer between most hotels in Switzerland
- The services of a tour manager
Meals included each day are shown as:
B = Breakfast - L = Lunch - D= Dinner
B = Breakfast - L = Lunch - D= Dinner