GoldenPass, Mont Blanc & Jungfrau Express

Our excellent Swiss tour begins as soon as we meet our Tour Manager and fellow travellers at London St Pancras International, ready to board the Eurostar. After enjoying a light meal in Standard Premier Class, we arrive in Paris where we change to the First Class carriages of the high-speed TGV service direct to Lausanne in Switzerland.

A 20-minute transfer by train sees us arrive in glitzy Montreux, where we check in to our lakefront hotel for three nights. Montreux is a cultural town, with many actors and musicians having chosen to live nearby along the shore of Lake Geneva. Two of its most famous residents were Charlie Chaplin and Freddie Mercury - and there is a statue of the Queen frontman on the shoreline walk. Our hotel is located on the promenade, just a short, downhill walk from the station and boasts uninterrupted views across glistening Lake Geneva to the atmospheric French Alps.

Tonight, we enjoy our first dinner as a group - a three-course meal in the hotel.

• Dinner
• Eurostar Light Meal

After breakfast, the morning is at leisure to get acquainted with Montreux. A graceful park separates our hotel from the convention centre that hosts the world-famous Montreux Jazz Festival, while the promenade provides a relaxing glimpse into the town's cultural history. Alternatively, our hotel has spa and wellness facilities, including a pool, for a morning at leisure.

This afternoon, a trolleybus ride along the shore sees us arrive in Veytaux. Here, a local, English-speaking guide takes us on a tour of the beautiful Château de Chillon, a fairytale castle formerly occupied by the influential House of Savoy that appears as if it is floating on Lake Geneva.

After free time to explore this picture-postcard scene, we board a Belle Époque paddle cruiser for a delightful trip across Lake Geneva, sailing on crystal-blue waters surrounded by mountains. After visiting the colourful lakeside village of St-Gingolph on the border with France, the elegant boat gently glides back across the lake to Montreux.

Dining independently tonight, Montreux has a wide range of restaurants of various cuisines for you to sample.

• Breakfast

An exciting highlight awaits today as we travel by train across the Alps to France. From Martigny, we join the Mont Blanc Express as it clings to dramatic mountainsides above spectacular gorges. Entering France, the jagged peaks of the snow-covered mountains drift into view as the route approaches the premium resort of Chamonix, backed by the famous Mont Blanc.

With free time to explore the 'mountaineering capital of the world', there are many options at your disposal. A gentle walk round Chamonix's scenic town centre could be combined with a delicious French lunch at one of the town's charming restaurants, or you could head up to the Mer de Glace (Sea of Ice) Glacier by cogwheel railway. This incredible journey through dense pine forests takes you high up the mountainside to an otherworldly landscape of piercing, snowy peaks and plunging valleys. It is this spectacular scene that inspired Mary Shelley during the writing of her most famous novel, Frankenstein.

In late afternoon, we leave Chamonix, returning to lakeside Montreux in time to enjoy a three-course dinner at our hotel.

• Breakfast, Dinner

Boarding the stylish panoramic carriages of the GoldenPass Express, an incredible journey takes us from palm trees to snow-capped mountains. This route is a feat of engineering more than 100 years in the making - innovative technology meaning the train can adapt its gauge, negating the need to change trains.

This excellent route is currently less well known than Switzerland's other famous trains, but won't be for long. Leaving Montreux, the train winds its way up the hill with shimmering Lake Geneva and vineyards in the background. The untamed forests and rolling mountains of the Swiss Highlands are dotted by picturesque villages and alpine meadows, before we reach the upmarket mountain resort of Gstaad. The last stretch sees the GoldenPass Express glide down towards colourful Lake Thun. Our panoramic carriages mean we get better views of the lake than from other trains.

We arrive in Interlaken, a compact and attractive town set between lakes Thun and Brienz and the peaks of the Bernese Oberland, where there's a free afternoon to explore. Later, we check in to our hotel and have dinner.

Please Note - For departures 09/06, 30/06 and 07/07 we will stay at the Carlton Europe Hotel in Interlaken.

• Breakfast, Dinner

An unforgettable experience is in store today as we embark on an incredible journey up the Jungfrau. Travelling by train to the alpine village of Grindelwald, we hop on the Eiger Express gondola for a 20-minute ride to Eigergletscher station.

This modern gondola with panoramic windows allows us to admire fantastic views of the north face of the Eiger during the four-mile trip. From here, a cog-wheel train takes us to the 'Top of Europe', Jungfraujoch - the continent's highest train station. With year-round snow, the vistas are truly awe-inspiring. At the summit, we're close to the stunning Aletsch Glacier that stretches as far as the eye can see. We have free time to marvel at this UNESCO World Heritage wonder from the Sphinx Observatory or savour a relaxed lunch at an indoor restaurant.

We descend the mountains via the amazing Jungfrau Express. Through tunnels with viewing windows, we travel under the Mönch and Eiger mountains before re-emerging at Eigergletscher and twisting down to Kleine Scheidegg. From here, we take the train back to Interlaken, via Lauterbrunnen, in time for dinner.

• Breakfast, Dinner

Today is free to explore as you wish. After a relaxed breakfast, you could unwind amid the glorious views from our hotel's roof terrace or uncover Interlaken. The historic castle with its Gothic cloister and 12th-century monastery is nearby, while the adjoining town of Unterseen is also worth visiting. For those wanting a bird's-eye view of Interlaken and surrounding areas, you could take a ride on the steep Harderbahn railway to Harder Kulm for panoramic vistas of lakes Brienz and Thun, and the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau mountains.

There are many excellent destinations in easy reach, and your Swiss Travel Card 50% discounted fares on rail, boat and most mountain railway journeys. In picturesque Mürren, you could also travel on the Schilthorn cableway to the Piz Gloria revolving restaurant that appeared in the James Bond film On Her Majesty's Secret Service.

Alternatively, explore turquoise Lake Brienz by travelling by train to Brienz, where you can join the delightful steam-hauled Brienz-Rothorn Mountain Railway or marvel at the picture-perfect Brunngasse - a winding street lined by old wooden chalets decorated with beautiful flowerboxes.

• Breakfast

A short walk to the station after breakfast sees us join a train to Thun. This typical Swiss town is dominated by its picturesque 12th-century castle and there is time to explore at leisure. With a charming medieval centre and covered wooden bridges, Thun is a rewarding town to wander round. There is time to grab lunch independently before we head to the boat terminal.

Our journey back to Interlaken is on board a vintage lake boat, enjoying a scenic and relaxing cruise the full length of lovely Lake Thun. Gliding across the clear glacial waters, pleasant villages with Romanesque churches look on from the shore while forested alpine slopes and impressive peaks such as the pyramidal Niesen or the Niederhorn protrudes into the lake. One of the highlights of any visit to Lake Thun is the fairytale Spiez Castle. Jutting out into the serene water, this 10th-century castle shields a pretty marina dotted with small boats.

The boat moors directly adjacent to the platform at Interlaken West, meaning it is only a short walk to our hotel for dinner.

• Breakfast, Dinner

Reflecting on yesterday's enjoyable way to round off a trip to beautiful Switzerland over our final breakfast together, we then head to Interlaken station. Travelling by train to Basel, we then we board the high-speed TGV in First Class to Paris.

The Jura mountains flash past our windows on our way to the French capital, where we join the Eurostar in Standard Premier Class. Enjoying a light meal at our seats, we can look back on the spectacular memories Switzerland has provided from elegant Montreux to idyllic Interlaken. Whether cruising glistening Lake Geneva on a vintage paddle steamer or marvelling at the awe-inspiring views of the Swiss Highlands from the sensational GoldenPass Express, we have embarked on many astonishing journeys. Reaching the Bernese Oberland, we then travelled to the 'Top of Europe' by cable car and cogwheel railway before sailing across the glacial waters of Lake Thun.

Arriving back at London St Pancras, we say a fond farewell to our Tour Manager and fellow travelling companions with whom we have shared these unforgettable experiences.

• Breakfast
• Eurostar Light Meal