Lucerne → Lauterbrunnen → Grindelwald First → Zermatt → Zurich. The Alps with Glacier Express on both legs, adventure on First, the Matterhorn from Gornergrat, Bahnhofstrasse to finish.
Evening check-in at Suvarnabhumi. The Wanvela tour leader hands out the trip dossier, Swiss Travel Pass envelope, and the rail timetable booklet before boarding. Emirates via Dubai, short layover in the Emirates Lounge before the connection to Zurich.
Morning arrival at Zurich. Direct train from the airport station to Lucerne (~1 hour). Check in to Radisson Blu Hotel Lucerne on the lakefront. Afternoon walking tour, Chapel Bridge (the oldest covered wooden bridge in the world, 1333), the Lion Monument (Mark Twain's "saddest and most moving piece of stone in the world"), and Schwanenplatz lakeside for Swiss watches at Bucherer flagship.
Radisson Blu Hotel · Lucerne
Morning train from Lucerne via Interlaken Ost, then into the Lauterbrunnen Valley, 72 waterfalls cascading down 1,000 m cliffs. Photo stop at Staubbach Falls (297 m free-falling, the third highest in Europe). Pass through the alpine villages of Lauterbrunnen and Wengen before continuing to Grindelwald. Check in to Sun Star Hotel, evening walk through the village with Eiger North Face in full view.
Sun Star Hotel · Grindelwald
Cable car up to First (2,168 m) for the panoramic Eiger–Mönch–Jungfrau viewpoints. Wanvela includes all four signature First adventures:
• First Flyer, 800 m zipline at up to 84 km/h over alpine meadows
• First Glider, eagle-shaped flying machine, loop around the Eiger
• Mountain Cart, 3 km descent on a three-wheeled cart from First to Schreckfeld
• Trottibike, 4.5 km mountain scooter from Schreckfeld down to Grindelwald, valley views the whole way
Lunch at the mountain restaurant; short walk to Bachalpsee (the mirror lake reflecting the Eiger) for travelers who prefer the gentler option. Evening return to Sun Star.
Sun Star Hotel · Grindelwald (2nd night)
Morning departure from Grindelwald with a connection to Brig/Visp, then board the Glacier Express in a panoramic carriage with curved overhead windows. Lunch served at your seat, crossing 291 bridges and 91 tunnels through alpine valleys. Arrive Zermatt in the late afternoon, the village is car-free, with a short walk from the station to Resort Hotel Alex. Evening stroll along Bahnhofstrasse with the Matterhorn looming overhead.
Resort Hotel Alex · Zermatt
Morning Gornergrat cog railway from Zermatt up to 3,089 m, observation deck facing the Matterhorn, plus Monte Rosa, the Gorner Glacier, and 28 surrounding peaks over 4,000 m. Back down by midday and onto the second Glacier Express leg from Zermatt → Zurich via Andermatt and the Oberalp Pass (2,033 m, the route's highest point). Evening arrival in Zurich, check in to Hotel Glockenhof in the Old Town.
Hotel Glockenhof · Zürich
Morning walk through the Zurich Altstadt, starting at Lindenhof (the panoramic terrace over the Limmat), down past the twin-towered Grossmünster, across the river to the Fraumünster (Chagall stained-glass windows), and finishing on Bahnhofstrasse, one of the world's most expensive shopping streets. Pick up Lindt chocolate at the flagship, watches at Beyer or Bucherer. Light lunch, afternoon transfer to Zurich airport. Emirates evening flight via Dubai.
Arrive Suvarnabhumi at 18:05. Private transfer home. Edited digital album from the trip photographer arrives within 14 days.
Wanvela's top-choice 4-star hotels in each city, selected for location near the station and the landmarks that matter.
Note: Wanvela's top-choice 4-stars are properties our team has stayed in or vetted in person. If a property is unavailable we'll offer an equivalent for your approval 60–90 days before departure. Upgrades to 5-star (The Chedi Andermatt, Bürgenstock, Mont Cervin Palace Zermatt) available on request.
"Our 12-year-old did the First Flyer, Mountain Cart, and Trottibike all in one day, came back to the hotel saying it was the best day of his life. Sun Star is right next to the cable car, so we just walked over."
"Two days of Glacier Express back to back, Grindelwald down to Zermatt, then Zermatt up to Zurich over the Oberalp Pass. Curved windows, two lunches on the train, the photographer caught every angle. Didn't want it to end."
"Gornergrat in the morning, the Matterhorn right in front of us, sky completely clear, 3,089 m. A honeymoon that Wanvela timed perfectly. We finished on Bahnhofstrasse and brought home Lindt and a Tag Heuer."
