Gallivant Journeys
Switzerland
← All destinations

International · Switzerland

Switzerland

Four languages, twenty-six cantons, one immaculate train timetable.

Ideal length

8–12 days

Bespoke from

₹6.8L / pax

Time zone

GMT +1

Visa

Schengen

Featured packages

Featured packages for Switzerland.

The Place

Switzerland is the cleanest, most precisely organised travel on earth. We design summer journeys around the Glacier Express, walks above Zermatt, and one night at a Heidi-house in Appenzell — and winter trips around St. Moritz, Verbier, and a private ski guide who knows every off-piste line.

Language

German, French, Italian, Romansh

Plug

Type J · 230V

Tipping

Rounded up, not expected

Tap water

Drinkable everywhere

Best time

June – September, December – March

Getting there

Direct flights to Zurich & Geneva

Currency

CHF

Preferred · Why we go

Three reasons Switzerland stays on our atlas.

Preferred · 01

Scenic trains

Glacier, Bernina, Gotthard Panorama — first-class, every leg.

Preferred · 02

Heritage hotels

Belle Époque palaces in Zermatt, St. Moritz, Lucerne.

Preferred · 03

Snow & summer

A country that's brilliant year-round, in opposite ways.

When to go

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Signature experiences

The reasons you came for, and a few you didn't.

Switzerland — Glacier Express, end to endSignature

Glacier Express, end to end

St. Moritz to Zermatt in a panoramic carriage — eight hours, 291 bridges, 91 tunnels.

Switzerland — First-light MatterhornSunrise

First-light Matterhorn

A 5 a.m. funicular to Gornergrat for the moment the peak catches fire.

Switzerland — Cheese in GruyèresFood

Cheese in Gruyères

An afternoon at a working alpage with the cheesemaker who supplies our table.

Switzerland — Lauterbrunnen valley walkWalks

Lauterbrunnen valley walk

Seventy-two waterfalls in a single U-shaped valley — best on foot, in slow stages.

Switzerland — Private ski guide, VerbierWinter

Private ski guide, Verbier

Off-piste lines through the Four Valleys with a UIAGM guide who reads the snow like a book.

Switzerland — Lake Lucerne paddle steamerSlow

Lake Lucerne paddle steamer

A century-old steamboat dinner across glassy water with the Alps for backdrop.

A possible shape

One way to spend your time in Switzerland.

Not a fixed trip — a sketch to argue with. Every Gallivant journey is rebuilt around your dates, pace, and people.

  1. Day 1

    Land Zurich · Lucerne

    Private transfer to a lakeside grand-dame hotel. Walk the old town in the evening.

  2. Day 2

    Lucerne · Rigi

    Cogwheel up Mount Rigi, then a paddle-steamer dinner on the lake.

  3. Day 3

    Grindelwald & Jungfrau

    First Cliff Walk, then the Jungfraujoch — top of Europe by rail.

  4. Day 4

    Lauterbrunnen valley

    Slow morning waterfall walk. Afternoon train to Zermatt via Brig.

  5. Day 5

    Zermatt

    Gornergrat sunrise. Late lunch at a 14th-century mountain hut.

  6. Day 6

    Glacier Express

    Zermatt to St. Moritz across the Oberalp Pass — eight unhurried hours.

  7. Day 7

    St. Moritz

    Engadine valley walk, an afternoon at the Segantini museum, dinner at Badrutt's.

  8. Day 8

    Onward · Milan or home

    Bernina Express south, or back to Zurich for the flight home.

Where you'll sleep

Three archetypes, one shortlist.

Badrutt's Palace, St. Moritz

Belle Époque grande dame

Badrutt's Palace, St. Moritz

The hotel that taught the Alps how to do winter. Suites overlook the frozen lake.

The Omnia, Zermatt

Modernist mountain lodge

The Omnia, Zermatt

Carved into the rock above the village. Every window frames the Matterhorn.

7132 Hotel, Vals

Architectural retreat

7132 Hotel, Vals

Peter Zumthor's thermal baths, a Tadao Ando wing, and absolute quiet.

On the plate

Food, drinks, and the rituals around them.

Raclette in a Valais cellar

Wheel scraped table-side, the way it's been done since the 13th century.

Engadine nut tart

A walnut-caramel pastry born of mountain frugality and now perfected.

Älplermagronen

Alpine mac-and-cheese with potatoes, apple sauce, and proper Gruyère.

Fondue moitié-moitié

Half Gruyère, half Vacherin Fribourgeois — the only way Fribourgeois will tell you.

Which season

The year, in four moods.

Summer · Jun–Sep

Wildflower meadows, every cable car running, daylight until 9.30 p.m. Best for first-time visitors and hikers.

Autumn · Oct

Larches turn gold, the crowds thin, and dairy farms host the descent of cattle from the high pastures.

Winter · Dec–Mar

Ski season proper. St. Moritz, Verbier, Zermatt — book lodging 6+ months out for peak weeks.

Shoulder · Apr–May, Nov

Lower-altitude city stays only. Many mountain hotels close for maintenance.

Switzerland 1
Switzerland 2
Switzerland 3

Field notes

Small things that change the trip.

Practical Switzerland knowledge from people who keep going back.

  • 01

    The Swiss Travel Pass usually pays for itself by day three — we issue it at arrival.

  • 02

    Trains run to the minute. Be early or you are late.

  • 03

    Card is accepted everywhere; carry CHF only for high-mountain huts.

  • 04

    Reserved-seat carriages on the Glacier Express are first-class only; we always book first.

  • 05

    Pharmacies close at 6.30 p.m. and all day Sunday. Plan medication accordingly.

  • 06

    There is no 'cheap' Switzerland — but there is good-value Switzerland, and we know where it lives.

Questions

What we get asked about Switzerland.

Pair this with

Trips we often run alongside.

Begin

Plan your Switzerland trip.

No instant quotes. Share a few details and one of our designers will write back within a working day with a thoughtful first sketch.

Direct line · +91 98 1010 1010

Or write · hello@gallivantjourneys.com

Plan this trip

A note about Switzerland.

Plan this trip