Bernese Oberland Rail-Drive Holiday
- 9 Days
- From £1,499
- Switzerland
- Travel down to Switzerland by train with a private transfer between stations in Paris
- Spend the night in lovely Swiss capital Bern
- Enjoy a relaxing stay on the shores of Lake Thun
- Explore the beautiful Bernese Oberland with a week’s car hire
- Decide when you would like to travel
- Adapt the route to suit your plans
- Upgrade hotels and rail journeys
- Add extra nights, destinations and/or tours
- Standard Class rail travel with seat reservations
- 8 nights’ handpicked hotel accommodation with breakfast
- Private transfers between stations in Paris
- 7 days car hire (Citroen C4 or similar) from Bern
- City maps and comprehensive directions to your hotels
- Clearly-presented wallets for your rail tickets, hotel vouchers and other documentation
- All credit card surcharges and complimentary delivery of your travel documents
Suggested Itinerary
Leave London and head across to Paris on the Eurostar. On arrival at the Gare du Nord, you will be met by a driver who will transfer you to Gare de Lyon, the gateway to the south of France, Italy and Switzerland. Here, you board a TGV Lyria high-speed train through Dijon and Mulhouse, before crossing the Swiss border at Basel.
From Basel, you board any domestic Swiss service for the hour-long ride into Bern, the national capital for an overnight stay at the Sorell Hotel Ador (or similar).
Collect your car from the depot at the station and head out to the Bernese Oberland. Your base for the next week is the Hotel Bellevue au Lac (or similar) in the village of Hinterfingen, on the shoreline of Lake Thun.
From here you have some of the best scenery in Switzerland within easy reach. Take a boat out on Lake Thun (or Lake Brienz on the other side of Interlaken), head up the Schilthorn for spectacular alpine views and then walk by waterfalls in the breathtaking Lauterbrunnen Valley (pictured). You might also like to spend some time exploring nearby towns such as Thun, Interlaken, Fribourg (an hour’s drive) or lovely, pint-sized capital Bern.
Take a scenic drive back to Bern and drop off your hire car, before taking a lunchtime train up to Basel on the French border. Here you change back onto a TGV Lyria service up to Paris Gare de Lyon where you are once again met and transferred by private car to the Gare du Nord for your Eurostar home.
Typical hotels on this itinerary
Bern
The Sorell Hotel Ador is conveniently situated very close to the main station in Bern and a 5-minute walk from the
Hilterfingen
The historic Hotel Bellevue au Lac sits on the shores of Lake Thun, with stunning panoramic views. The bedrooms are decorated in a modern style with en suite bathrooms and free Wi-Fi access. The on-site restaurant serves a menu of Swiss and international cuisine and there is also a garden, children’s playground and jetty for swimming in the lake. The public boat pier is a short distance away.
