Rail holidays to Switzerland - luxury tailor-made holidays and scenic tours and journeys

A rail holiday in Switzerland, with journeys throughout the country by all sorts of trains (express trains, scenic trains with panoramic windows, carriages echoing the Belle Epoque and of course, the rack and pinion trains on routes such as the Jungfrau, the Gornergrat in Zermatt, Rigi near Lake Lucerne) is undoubtedly the very best way to experience Switzerland, this small land-locked country which abounds in some of the most dramatic and breath-taking as well as picturesque scenery in Europe. Train travel is intrinsic to Switzerland, highly developed, executed with precision and great beauty and affords access to remote parts of the landscape.

Expressions Holidays will tailor-make a luxury rail holiday to Switzerland, selecting the most convenient and comfortable options for your requirements. Expressions Holidays has created a number of flexible options from which to tailor your rail holiday to Switzerland, combining luxury hotel stays with iconic train journeys in Switzerland.
Client testimonial:

"We had a fantastic holiday in Switzerland. The hotels were great and very comfortable, the rail journeys beautiful, even with snow at the high points. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, thank you for making the necessary arrangements" Mr D, June 2019. 
 
“ I had a WONDERFUL TIME!! And everything went off perfectly. Tickets were all spot on, cars arrived exactly when they should have. The trip was seamless”. Ms C, March 2019.
  
"I just wanted to let you know that we had a wonderful trip to Switzerland, arriving safely back home a week ago. Everything that you had suggested, and arranged, went smoothly. I would thoroughly recommend the Hotel Simi – we had a lovely big room, a good sized bathroom, and the breakfast was good in the morning. Our journey on the Glacier Express was superb. The scenery was beautiful, and the train was comfortable. The three course lunch was disappointing, but it didn’t mar our experience. (If we go again, I would take a picnic, as did a few of the other passengers). We thoroughly enjoyed the horse racing at St Moritz, which was the main purpose of our trip, and left Monday morning for Zurich. Again, all the train travelling worked really well. We spent a few hours in Zurich, and then caught the plane back to Gatwick. So thank you for everything that you did for us. I would have no hesitation in calling upon you if ever we wanted to do something like this again, and would certainly recommend you." Mrs L, February 2019.
 
“We had the most amazing holiday. We loved the location, hotels, train travel and food. All the trains were well planned and on time”. Mrs M, July 2018, about a rail holiday to Switzerland staying in 7 different places
 
"Best service I have had from a travel company. Itinerary put together was exactly right, all connections worked properly and loved the different types of hotel. Given the short notice of what we wanted for our holiday, couldn't have asked for anything better and you certainly impressed us. Thank you". Mr I, April 2017, after a multi-centre Swiss rail holiday staying in Zermatt, St Moritz, Lugano, Lucerne and Zurich, including journeys on the Glacier Express and the Gotthard Express.

 "Many thanks for your excellent organisation. We had a fabulous holiday - it ran like Swiss clockwork! The hotels you choose were each lovely in their own unique way and I can't think what else you could have done for us". Mrs S, May 2017

 “Thank you for putting together an interesting, detailed and efficient itinerary which worked like clockwork and resulted in just the excellent trip that we had hoped for”, Mr H, about a rail touring holiday to Switzerland and Austria, June 2017

 “Very well organised, nice venues. The journeys and timing very precise. Thanks.”, Dr R, about a Swiss rail touring holiday, July 2017

 “This was a special birthday trip for my wife. I would like to thank Georgina and her colleagues for all their help arranging this, excellent service. Thank you.” Mr F, May 2018.

Suggested rail holidays in Switzerland
We have created a range of rail holidays in Switzerland which cover the iconic scenic trains such as the Glacier Express and the Bernina Express, grand tours which combine these scenic train journeys and add more or there are single centre holidays by train from where you can explore using local transport with a combination of trains, cable cars, buses and lake steamers, depending on the location of your hotel.
Our suggested itineraries, journeys and holidays by train in Switzerland combine visits to fascinating Swiss towns and cities with the beautiful scenery of mountains and lakes.

How you travel to Switzerland
Our rail holidays in Switzerland can start with a flight into Zurich or Geneva and then you can take the train from there or you can travel by train all the way from the UK.
The train journey to Switzerland from the UK usually starts with the Eurostar from London St Pancras or Ebbsfleet to Paris Gare du Nord. There you change to the Gare de Lyon for a fast TGV service to Switzerland. With an early start from London you can reach many destinations in Switzerland comfortably the same day.
If you prefer, you can overnight in Paris and then continue your journey after a day or two.
More details about train travel to Switzerland can be found here.

Regions of Switzerland featured in our rail holidays
In Switzerland we offer a range of luxury hotels in various destinations. Most of our rail holidays in Switzerland can be taken with a stay in 5, 4 or 3 star hotels. This way you can ring the changes and stay in different types of hotels, depending on the importance of the stay.
Expressions Holidays offers rail holidays and scenic train journeys across Switzerland. We feature the main cities of Zurich, Geneva and Bern, the lake areas of Geneva and Lucerne, the mountain regions of Zermatt in the Valais, the Bernese Oberland, the Saanenland, the Grisons and the Engadine and also the Italian-speaking region of the Ticino and Lake Lugano. Any combination of these regions is possible.
More details about our rail holidays to Swiss regions can be found by navigating to the 'Regions' tab above.

Expressions Holidays - about us and our tailor-made luxury holidays

Expressions Holidays is an independent specialist tour operator which was established in 1989 and offers tailor-made rail holidays within Europe and further afield, providing personal service with a professional approach. We pride ourselves on interpreting your demands and requirements to provide you with the holiday that you want, ensuring a successful match between client and holiday. Not only are your holidays tailor-made to your individual requirements, but you also have the chance to deal with one person from beginning to end, offering you confidence and security and the best possible prices.

Personal and professional service
We know the hotels that we feature, and we put together our holidays with our clients in mind. Contact with Expressions Holidays means contact with the people who know the holidays, who will share their knowledge and experience with you – our team of travel consultants know the country and culture very well, and operate a concierge service that helps you to explore every aspect of special interest or activity that fits with your holiday.

All aspects of your holiday are personalised, from the itinerary to your holiday confirmation and documentation which provides you with information that is relevant to you. From the point of initial contact with us, you will deal with the same sales consultant, who will handle all aspects of your booking and ticketing.

We approach your holiday in a way that offers you the arrangements you want, not to slot you in to pre-existing arrangements. This might mean juggling dates, securing the last available room at a hotel or tailoring a complex itinerary involving numerous components. Your holiday is as individually fashioned and tailor-made as you want it to be.
 
How we price your holiday
All prices mentioned on our website and in our brochure are simply guides, as there are many variations that might affect the price including exchange rates, flight costs and special offers. To find out exact prices for the holiday that you are interested in, contact us for a tailor-made quotation.
All our holiday arrangements have been designed to afford you maximum flexibility and freedom of choice. We include travel arrangements, whether it be flight, ferry or tunnel crossing or rail travel as well as many nights' hotel accommodation as you want, in as many different places.

Our Price Guarantee
We guarantee that once you have made a firm booking with a deposit payment, there will be no increases in the price of your holiday due to currency movements. If, for any reason, there have been changes in the price of the holiday you want, you will be advised at the time of booking.

Full Financial Protection
Full financial protection is offered when you book a holiday with us. Our air holidays are ATOL protected, and we are a member of the Association of Bonded Travel Organisers Trust Limited to protect non-flight packages. We are also members of ABTA and AITO (the Association of Independent Tour Operators), an organisation of some of Britain’s best specialist tour operators.

Rail holidays in Switzerland
Expressions Holidays specialises in luxury, tailor-made holidays and we have created a range of rail holidays in Switzerland which cover the iconic scenic trains such as the Glacier Express and the Bernina Express, grand tours which combine these scenic train journeys and add more with several stays throughout the country and there are single centre holidays by train, based at mountain and lakes resorts and villages from where you can explore using local transport with a combination of trains, cable cars, buses and lake steamers, depending on the location of your hotel.
As with all our holidays these can be booked exactly as they are described or you can adapt them by adding or reducing the nights in various places.

Iconic rail journeys of Switzerland
Expressions Holidays has incorporated these iconic rail journeys of Switzerland into are holidays of 4 or 5 nights with the focus being a journey on one of these scenic trains and routes: the Glacier Express, the Bernina Express, the GoldenPass Line, the Wilhelm Tell Express and the Centovalli Express. Each one of these iconic rail holidays starts with either flying into Zurich or Geneva as appropriate or taking the train from the UK to Switzerland, then having a total of 4 or 5 nights in Switzerland but including one of these rail journeys on one day. You return home either by train all the way or by air from Zurich or Geneva, depending on your itinerary. An alternative is to fly one way and to go by train the other. You can travel on any date of your choice and you can extend the stay in any of the places included.
Full details of these iconic rail journeys of Switzerland can be found here. 
Or visit the individual pages for details of the holiday you are interested in
 Glacier Express Holiday or download a PDF itinerary here.
 Bernina Express Holiday or download a PDF itinerary here.
 GoldenPass Line Holiday or download a PDF itinerary here.
 Wilhelm Tell Express Holiday or download a PDF itinerary here.
 Centovalli Express Holiday  or download a PDF itinerary here.

Grand tours of Switzerland by train
Expressions Holidays is offering grand tours of Switzerland by train for individuals (you don’t join a group on a set departure date). These rail holidays incorporate several of the iconic rail journeys of Switzerland and combine regions and stays in Swiss cities too. Most of these grand tours are about 10 days’ long and you can either fly into Switzerland and return by air or you can travel by train from London. An alternative is to fly one way and to go by train the other. You can extend the stay in any of the places. You can travel on any date of your choice.
Each tour has a focus: perhaps lakes, perhaps mountains, perhaps a more romantic feel and a grand, grand tour that encompasses several regions.
Full details of these grand tours of Switzerland by train can be found here
Or visit the individual pages for details of the holiday you are interested in
Grand Heart of Switzerland Mountain Rail Tour or download a PDF itinerary here.
Grand Lakes of Switzerland Rail Tour or download a PDF itinerary here.
Grand Romantic Swiss Rail Tour or download a PDF itinerary here.
The Grand, Grand Switzerland Rail Tour or download a PDF itinerary here.

Single centre hotel holidays by train in Switzerland
Expressions Holidays offers you single centre holidays in Switzerland. These can be by train all the way from the UK and back by train or you can fly into the airport in Switzerland nearest to your hotel stay and take the train from there. Another option is to fly one way and go by train the other. The single centre holidays include a long stay at one hotel, chosen for it suitability for a long stay and with its location offering numerous possibilities for excursions. We have chosen a mixture of cosy and charming, elegant and luxurious hotels in these regions of Switzerland, ideally suited to long stays. These holidays include 7 nights in the resort but you can add extra nights both there and at other places at the beginning and/or end of the holiday. Or combine two regions for a two centre holiday.
Full details of these single centre hotel holidays in Switzerland can be found here.
Or visit the individual pages for details of the holiday you are interested in.
By rail to Lake Lucerne (Stay on the lake itself at Weggis) or download a PDF itinerary here.
By rail to Saanenland (Gstaad area) or download a PDF itinerary here.
By rail to the Bernese Oberland (stay in Grindelwald) or download a PDF itinerary here.
By rail to the Engadine (this is St Moritz/Davos) or download a PDF itinerary here.
By rail to Swiss Lake Maggiore (Ascona/Locarno) or download a PDF itinerary here.
By rail to the Valais (Zermatt) or download a PDF itinerary here.

Regions of Switzerland
Expressions Holidays offers tailor-made holidays by rail to most regions in Switzerland. One of our rail holidays can be a touring itinerary that covers several cities and regions or it can be a single centre holiday in just one region of Switzerland.
Switzerland is a small country yet it presents a diverse landscape that can change within a short distance. Naturally there are alpine peaks but the mountainous landscape changes as do the lakes that fill the valleys. The cities too reflect the culture and history of the regions they find themselves in; so Zurich, Bern, Geneva and Lugano each has a distinctive flavour, enhanced by different languages and outlooks. There are acres of vines that cling to the steep, south-facing slopes of Lake Geneva but just a few miles away you’ll find wild flower meadows of orchid and edelweiss suddenly giving way to rock and glacier.
Switzerland’s common thread and intrinsically defining its character is its railway system. This network of express trains, panoramic trains, local trains and cogwheel trains joins lowland and highland, lakes and mountain tops and affords the visitor a sublime experience with breath-taking vistas and marvellous feats of engineering.
Expressions Holidays has tailor-made rail holidays to these regions of Switzerland:
Zurich 
Geneva
Lake Geneva including Lausanne and Montreux
Saanenland (near Gstaad)
Bern, the city  
Bernese Oberland (near Interlaken and the Jungfrau, includes Grindelwald)
Lucerne and Lake Lucerne 
Grisons and the Engadine (including St Moritz) 
Valais (includes Zermatt)
Ticino (includes Lugano and Lake Lugano)