HEIDI'S SUMMER SWIZTERLAND ITINERARY: 

Day 1 - Meet us at Hotel Baur au lac in Zurich at 10:00 a.m. for immediate coach transfer to Bern's 5-star Hotel Belleve Palace. Check in for four nights, where our rooms open onto views of the Jungfrau and the Bernese Alps. After lunch we’ll embark on a walking tour through Old Town with its 15th century architecture and patrician houses, then visit the tower room of the town's medieval clock as it chimes the hour--an amazing spectacle of clattering ancient wheels and gears. Visit the loveable bears of Bern and return to our hotel by horse-drawn carriage. Late afternoon balloon adventure through picturesque countryside with quaint chalets and rich green hills. Evening dinner party at our hotel.

Day 2 - Today we'll board an old fashioned lake steamer for a two hour cruise on the Thunsee, viewing ancient lakeside villages as we enjoy lunch in the first class dining room. We’ll take the cog railway from Lauterbrunnen up through spectacular Alpine scenery to Kleine Scheidegg at the base of the North face of the Eiger. We‘ve passed several majestic glaciers and are half way to the top of the Jungfrau, the tallest mountain in Switzerland. The valleys and vistas are staggeringly beautiful. Late afternoon balloon adventure in the Swiss meadowlands, followed by dinner in Bern.

Day 3 - Morning excursion by chartered helicopter, flying from the base of the Jungfrau through some of the most awesome mountain scenery in the world. For nearly half an hour, our helicopters take us behind the Jungfrau for a good look at the Aletsch, the longest glacier in Europe, then past Kleine Scheidegg and up the North face of the Eiger. We’ll explore dramatic glaciers and ice falls with blocks of ice the size of houses. Elegant lunch at Interlaken’s luxurious Royal Victoria-Jungfrau Hotel. Late afternoon balloon adventure through the charming summer pastures of the Emmental, followed by an excellent dinner at our 5 star hotel.

Day 4 - Morning drive to the base of the Jungfrau Massif, for a visually thrilling tour of raging Trummelbach Falls. Melt water from the Jungfrau, Monk, and Eiger flows into the Trummelbach River, raging down to the valley floor while churning dramatically in 10 consecutive cascades…inside the mountain! For lunch we'll cable car through four stations up to Piz Gloria, the revolving restaurant on top of the Shilthorn made famous in the James Bond movie, "On Her Majesty’s Secret Service". Late afternoon balloon adventure through the picture-postcard Emmental with farewell dinner in Bern.

Day 5 - Depart Bern at 10:00 a.m. for return transfer to Zurich, arriving Hotel Baur au Lac approximately noon.  End of trip.

OPTIONAL 3 Day, Germany's King Ludwig Castles excursion

DAYS 5-8:  Depart with Buddy Bombard for a private drive through through Bavaria and the foothills of the German Alps to King Ludwig’s resplendent fairytale castles, Neuschwanstein, Linderhof and Herrenchiemsee. Exquisite dining and accommodations throughout, including Schwangau’s Jagerhaus, Aschau’s Heinz Winkler, (Relais & Chateaux), and 5-star Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten Kempinski in Munich. Trip ends after breakfast at Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten Kempinski on Day 8 (September 8).