Switzerland Family Adventure

Day 1.
Herzlich Willkommen in der Schweiz! Waking up above the Aare river in charming Bern, this morning you will meet your guide and hop aboard your luxury minivan for an hour-long drive past hill, dell, and lake to the village of Zweisimmen, where you’ll take the gondola up to Rinderberg. There couldn’t be a more spectacular way to start your journey; today’s stunning walk brings you along the cliff to Hornberg, where after a delicious traditional lunch, you will experience the great adventures of the Indiana Jones Trail. Meeting with an expert local mountain guide, you can safely challenge your limits: climb, take on a via ferrata or the Flying Fox, or try rappelling - an incredible experience for the whole family. You will then make your way down to the chic little town of Gstaad, where your fabulous hotel awaits at the end of the main street. Tonight, enjoy a fabulous dinner at your hotel’s Leonard’s terrace restaurant, a Michelin-starred ‘gastropub’ with a view up to the Alps.
Day 2.
Following a restful night, a short morning drive brings you to the river Saane, where you’ll get ready for a rafting experience that will take you into the French-speaking Swiss village of Rougemont. In less than three hours, you’ll go from Schweiz to Suisse, across that invisible but very real line the Swiss lovingly and ironically refer to as the Röstigraben (a Graben is a ditch, while a Rösti is a delicious traditional Swiss German hashed fried potatoes). An exciting but safe white-water adventure awaits, with the expert guidance of our rafting instructor. After a savoury picnic lunch – another oh-so-Swiss tradition – this afternoon you will make our way back to Gstaad. Here you’re free to explore its charms, or to head out on a fun treasure hunt to get to know its nooks and crannies. You may instead opt to relax in your hotel’s vast and state-of-the-art spa. Tonight, enjoy dinner on your own in the old town of Gstaad — your guide will happily recommend some favourites!
Day 3.
After a good sleep, today you’ll depart Gstaad’s popular main street and make your way up into the hills head to one of the most magnificent spots in Saanenland—the idyllic Lauenensee lake. For groups with younger teens and kids (aged 15 and under), you will make your way up on the traditional yellow post bus, an experience in itself! Hike up through flowering valleys from the adorable village of Lauenen to the impressive lake surrounded by waterfalls and snow-clad peaks. If you’re all over aged 16, you can also opt to make the trek up with the help of an e-boost on an emountain bike. Whichever way you choose, you will arrive at the top and meet with your lovely local guide, Claudia, for a fun and informative history chat over lunch. After a special lunch on a restaurant terrace overlooking the lake, one of Switzerland’s top yodelers will join you for a private, open-air yodelling lesson. After that lung workout (and a lot of laughter to boot), everyone will cruise downhill back to Gstaad. You’ll have the rest of the afternoon to relax. No trip to Switzerland is complete without cheese fondue - its most famous culinary export! Tonight we will bring you to our favourite restaurant, a hidden find with one of the most delicious and authentic fondues complete with delicious country bread, a mix of two different cheeses, and of course a fresh garden salad. Yum!
Day 4.
Today after a hearty Swiss breakfast, bid goodbye to Gstaad and head uphill (much like the cows do to their summer pasture) to the high mountains of the Jungfrau region. A 90-minute drive brings you past the great Thunersee lake and up the valley. Taking the alpine cog train to Wengen and then a cable car up to Männlichen, you will begin today’s gentle hike from an altitude of 2229 meters (7310 ft) with a perfect panorama across to the famous triple peaks of Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau. Your guide will tell you the legend about these peaks—how the monk protects the maiden from the ogre. You’ll experience the real alpine lifestyle today, meeting farmers who bring their cows up and down between summer and winter pastures in the traditional alpage. You’ll have a spectacular lunch in a typical hütte and visit Ueli’s oldest cheese cave, learning how to make cheese yourself. Cheese is not only one of Switzerland’s most renowned exports, with Gruyère and the distinctively holey Emmental leading the pack, it is a deep part of the Swiss culture. Here in the Bernese Oberland, the cattle’s fresh meadow diet yields a distinctive farmer cheese with deliciously complex flavours. After lunch, walk (or hop on a cog train) down the welcoming green slopes above the village of Grindelwald, surrounded by a commanding mountainscape of the mythical Eiger North Face and the Wetterhorn. After checking in and enjoying some down time at your chic and peaceful mountain hotel, you are on your own for dinner tonight (we highly recommend your hotel’s cozy gourmet restaurant!).
Day 5.
The motto for today is adventure! After a delectable buffet breakfast, this morning begins with a shuttle to the centre of Grindelwald and a “float” up on a panoramic gondola to First summit. Once up there, after admiring a magnificent view of the Eiger’s North Face, an embarrassment of experiential riches awaits. You’ll hike to the jewel-like Bachalpsee Lake on one of Switzerland’s most spectacular trails, walk the First cliff’s suspension bridge, glide downhill freely on the perfectly secure and amazingly fun First Flyer, have fun descending on mountain carts, and finally whiz down past thecows’ ringing bells on scooters. Amid all the fun, we’ll squeeze in a warm and tasty lunch to keep your energy high for this day you will never forget. After strolling through Grindelwald, you’ll have time to relax before heading to a fun dinner with your guide at one of Grindelwald’s most authentic restaurants, complete with some live music to celebrate your Swiss adventures.
Day 6.
Following breakfast, your driver awaits to bring you down the valley to Interlaken, which is wellconnected to both Zurich and Geneva airports. Tschuss!