Your tour starts in Mürren, a gorgeous car-free village perched dramatically atop a cliff overlooking the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau mountains. You then continue on to Zermatt, a hiker's paradise, nestled beneath the incomparable Matterhorn. Finally, the famous Glacier Express train takes us on a scenic cross-country journey to Pontresina, the serene jewel of the St. Moritz lakes region. All three areas contain numerous unforgettable hikes and vistas that make this tour grand in every sense! This tour includes a 1st class railpass good for free travel to Murren and back from Pontresina to the airport or border. It also gives you 50% discounts on almost all cablecars, busses and trains should you decide to explore on your own during tour.

Your typical day starts with a delicious buffet breakfast at our hotel - a feast of freshly baked bread and croissants, local meats and cheeses, cereal, fruit, eggs made to order, coffee and freshly squeezed juice - which gives you the energy needed for the day ahead. Before setting out on your hike, visit a bakery and market for lunch supplies, or bring some money for a stop in one of the alpine restaurants along your route. Soon, you'll be out on the trail for the day, with longer and shorter hiking options to choose from, and some of the world's greatest scenery to explore.

You should finish your hike around 4 pm, giving you time to wash up, relax at the hotel, visit the pool and spa, or perhaps do a bit of shopping in town. All of our hotels on this tour have great views and gorgeous pool and spa areas, so you should look forward to having time each day to enjoy those. Later, enjoy dinner at your hotel's restaurant. These are true gourmet, multi-course feasts, sometimes centered on local specialties, prepared by some of the finest chefs in the Alps. Our hotels all serve fabulous food, and our dinners will be exquisite, memorable affairs.

You'll have many hikes to choose from, but here are some of our favorites:

Day 1 The Grand Tour starts with arrival in Zürich and a train ride to Mürren, our home away from home in Switzerland. The trip takes just over 3 hours. Mürren is an idyllic, car-free village, perched atop a sheer 3000-foot cliff above the waterfall-filled Lauterbrunnen valley (picture Yosemite with a Swiss village on top). Take some time to explore the village and enjoy the views and fresh air before settling in to your welcome dinner at the elegant 4-star Hotel Eiger. (Hotel Eiger)
Day 2 One of our favorite hikes starts in town, and gently meanders up the hills to the pastoral fields and alp barns at Spielboden. Here you cross the Schiltbach stream and start a steep and invigorating ascent to the local peak of Bryndli, where you can take your lunch enjoying birds-eye views of Mürren and the Lauterbrunnen valley, perhaps with a soaring golden eagle for company. From here the trail levels off, and becomes a relaxing stroll through flowery meadows to a quiet alpine hut at Bogangen. The trail back leads over a small ridge for more great views, before dropping back down to Mürren. (Hotel Eiger)
Day 3 The Upper Lauterbrunnen valley curls back beneath the white-capped Breithorn - considered by many to be the most perfect mountain in the region. It's also a nature preserve, and contains many wonderful hiking trails. One of our favorites takes you to the small farm at Obersteinberg, where the proprietors keep cows and make cheese by the same simple methods that have been used for centuries. This part of the valley also contains some of the area's prettiest waterfalls. (Hotel Eiger)
Day 4 After breakfast, say good-bye to Mürren, and board the train for Zermatt. You'll have a chance to check out the atmospheric village center, and perhaps a visit to the Matterhorn museum, before transferring by historic cogwheel train to Riffelalp, over a thousand feet above Zermatt. Enjoy wonderful views of the Matterhorn before settling in at the luxurious and recently-restored 5-star Riffelalp Resort. (Riffelalp Resort)
Day 5 Taking quiet trails through fields and forest, you have a range of choices up to the wide ridge of Gornergrat, past marmots and small glacial lakes, to what has to be one of the finest viewpoints in Europe. The jumbled mass of the Gorner glacier stretches out before you, and behind that, Monte Rosa, Lyskamm, the Breithorn, and the Matterhorn form a spectacular backdrop. (Riffelalp Resort)
Day 6 Spend the day crossing Switzerland on the Glacier Express train, the "World's slowest express train" that famously crosses 291 bridges between Zermatt and St. Moritz. You'll stay in the nearby village of Pontresina, where the hiking is amazingly varied, and you'll have numerous hikes to choose from. Your home in Pontresina is the friendly and classy Hotel Walther, with a great pool and spa and wonderful food. Enjoy a short walk through the village before settling in for the night. (Hotel Walther)
Day 7 From Pontresina, one of our favorite hikes anywhere is the panoramic Muragl traverse above Pontresina. Ascending through a quiet back valley, you'll hike up to a high ridge and gorgeous views from Segantini hut. Traversing from here, pass small alpine lakes on a scenic descent back to Pontresina. Boasting quiet wooded stretches, abundant wildlife, and surprising views of the giant Piz Bernina and the paternoster lakes of St. Moritz, this hike provides a wonderful farewell to the Engadine region. (Hotel Walther)
Day 8 After breakfast at our hotel, say good-bye to the Engadine region and depart for your post-trip destinations.

sign up now

Our self-guided prices are per person, based on two people sharing a standard double room. The 8 tour includes 3 nights Mürren, 2 nights Zermatt, and 2 nights Pontresina. The 11-day tour includes 4 nights Mürren, 3 nights Zermatt, and 3 nights Pontresina. St. Moritz can be substituted for Pontresina. You will be in 4-star hotels in Mürren and Pontresina, and in the 5-star Riffelalp Resort in Zermatt. Suites or superior rooms can be arranged instead of standard rooms, or we can substitute 3-star hotels for a more affordable vacation - please ask.

This self-guided tour includes prepaid hotels with breakfast and dinner each day, a 1st class Swiss railpass for 4 free days of rail travel within a 30 day period, plus 50% discounts on most other cablecars, busses and trains, confirmed Glacier Express reservations, hiking maps, detailed route descriptions (including longer, shorter, and rainy day options), train schedules, sightseeing suggestions, and lots of useful information to help ensure a successful trip.

Not included are lunches, drinks with your meals, extras (such as laundry, phone calls from the room, etc), the cost of Glacier Express reservations (about $30 per person), or transportation not covered by your railpass.

If you'd like to lengthen or shorten this tour, add destinations, or create a customized tour of Switzerland from scratch, let us know. We have extensive experience all over Switzerland, and will be happy to work with you to build the hiking vacation that best suits your needs.

Learn more about custom and self-guided tours