Great Swiss Bridge Adventure

Sitter Viaduct, St.Gallen

Four days, 444 bridges

4-DAY TOUR RAIL TRAVEL AND ***HOTEL FROM

CHF 465.–

GREAT SWISS BRIDGE ADVENTURE – SWITZERLAND'S FINEST RAILWAY BRIDGES

ST.GALLEN–LUCERNE–LOCARNO/ASCONA–MONTREUX

Enjoy our Great Swiss Bridge Adventure – crossing 444 bridges in four days in Switzerland's loveliest regions.

Day 1

HOME–ST.GALLEN–LUCERNE Your Swiss bridge adventure begins when you set out from your home for St.Gallen in Eastern Switzerland.

After you arrive, we recommend that you visit the Abbey Precincts – a UNESCO World Heritage Site – and its centrepiece, the Abbey Library, which is one of the oldest and most beautiful libraries in the world. After you climb aboard the Voralpen-Express first-class coach with panorama windows, you'll soon find yourself crossing the Sitter River no less than 99 metres up on Switzerland's highest railway viaduct.

To this day, the viaduct remains the railway crossing with the longest unsupported deck truss in Switzerland. A few kilometres after that, you'll cross over the Weissenbach Viaduct, which is 282 metres long and 64 metres high. The stretch over the 650 metre-long Seedamm causeway at Rapperswil then features a view of a wooden bridge 841 metres in length – the longest wooden bridge in Switzerland. Soon after, your train will pull into today's destination – Lucerne, with its famous landmark, the Chapel Bridge.

– UNESCO World Heritage Site: Abbey Precincts, St.Gallen – Abbey of Saint Gall – Sitter Viaduct (99 metres – Switzerland's highest railway bridge) – Rapperswil causeway – Chapel Bridge, Lucerne

Highlights Day 1

Day 2

LUCERNE – LOCARNO/ASCONA The second day finds you not only crossing more than 220 bridges, but passing through 50 tunnels as well.

The ascent to the Gotthard features the Intschireuss Bridge just above Amsteg. At 77 metres, it's one of the highest bridges in the entire Swiss Federal Railways network. Following the spiral tunnel and double loop at Wassen and the 15 003 metre-long Gotthard Tunnel, you will pass two sets of double spiral tunnels known as the Biaschina Loops. Not long after that you'll spot the famous Castles of Bellinzona to the south. After you pass the fertile fields of the Magadino Plain, you'll hear the announcement for today's destination, Locarno. Your hotel is either a few steps from the station or in Ascona, whose promenade exuding Italian flair is sure to put you in the holiday mood.

Highlights Day 2

– Intschireuss Bridge, 77 metres high – Wassen double loop – Biaschina Loops after Faido – UNESCO World Heritage Site: Castles of Bellinzona – Old centre of Ascona village

Day 3

LOCARNO/ASCONA–MONTREUX The Centovalli Railway – which the locals affectionately refer to as the Centovallina, and which is known as the Vigezzina in Italy – is the most direct and fascinating link between Lake Maggiore and Western Switzerland. Across dizzying viaducts, past deep gorges and tumbling waterfalls, through chestnut forests, fertile vineyards, tunnels and tight bends, the narrow gauge railway, which is nearly 60 km long, crosses 83 bridges to reach Domodossola. Whatever you do when you get there, make sure to have a cappuccino in one of the street cafés in the historic centre of the town. Thus fortified, your journey continues on the Simplon line to and through the Simplon Tunnel. With a length of 19.8 km, it's the longest tunnel you'll be negotiating on this journey. After Brig, you'll be travelling at speeds of up to 160 km/h and will soon arrive at the shores of Montreux.

Highlights Day 3

– Steel bridge near Intragna, 75 metres high – Ruinacci Bridge near Camedo – Historical centre of Domodossola – Simplon Tunnel – Lakeside promenade, Montreux

Day 4

MONTREUX–HOME Before setting off for home, and assuming the weather's fine, why not go for a little jaunt on the rack railway from Montreux up to the Rochers-de-Naye at an altitude of 2042 metres? The panoramic views here of Lake Geneva and the Alps are exceptional – and the area abounds with marmots! If the weather's not ideal for a trip up the mountain, you can go to nearby Lausanne and visit its Cathedral and Olympic Museum. Have you heard about the Rolex Learning Centre? This true insider's tip, which offers a unique combination of cafés, libraries and services, was designed by the celebrated Japanese architectural firm SANAA. After that, you might want to take a final stroll around the harbour in Ouchy before it's time to head home. If your home happens to be in Eastern Switzerland, you'll have the pleasure of crossing one of Switzerland's biggest bridges – the Grandfey Viaduct near Fribourg, which is 334 metres long and 82 meters high.

– Rack railway to Rochers-de-Naye – UNESCO World Heritage Site: Lavaux Vineyard Terraces – Rolex Learning Centre, Lausanne – Ouchy harbour – Grandfey Viaduct, 82 metres high

Highlights Day 4

YOUR TRAVEL PROGRAMME You will stay overnight in Lucerne, Locarno/Ascona and Montreux.

It is also possible to travel in the opposite direction.

St. Gallen

Lucerne

Montreux Ascona Domodossola

Locarno

PRICES January – March 2016 Double 3-star hotel 1) CHF 465 4-star hotel 2) CHF 555

Single CHF 575 CHF 705

May – October 2016 3-star hotel 1) 4-star hotel 2)

Double CHF 560 CHF 645

Single CHF 690 CHF 865

Prices for April and November – December 2016 are available on request.

Lucerne : Hotel Ambassador or equivalent Locarno/Ascona : Hotel Garni du Lac (Locarno) and Albergo-Caffè Carcani (Ascona) or equivalent Montreux: Hôtel & Spa Bristol or equivalent

1)

Lucerne: Cascada Swiss Quality Hotel or equivalent Locarno/Ascona: Ramada Hotel Arcadia (Locarno) and Parkhotel Delta (Ascona) or equivalent Montreux: Best Western Eurotel Riviera or equivalent

2)

Rail surcharges/ discounts

With Half-Fare travelcard

Without Half-Fare travelcard

With GA travelcard 2nd class

With GA travelcard 1st class

Travel in:

1st class

2nd class

1st class

2nd class

1st class

2nd class

1st class

Great Swiss Bridge Adventure

CHF 79

CHF 157

CHF 315

- CHF 139

- CHF 79

- CHF 169

- CHF 169

Prices include the following: – Travel from home in Switzerland to St.Gallen – St.Gallen–Lucerne on the Voralpen-Express, 1st class – Lucerne–Locarno in panorama coach, 1st class – L ocarno–Domodossola on the Centovalli Railway, 2nd class – Domodossola–Brig–Montreux, 2nd class – Travel from Montreux to home in Switzerland – Hotel accommodation in chosen category, incl. breakfast All prices in Swiss francs (CHF). Excursion to Rochers-de-Naye is not included in the price.

For more information, contact the Südostbahn reservations desk (+41 58 580 76 30) or visit www.voralpen-express.ch/en.

Lucerne–Rapperswil–St.Gallen www.voralpen-express.ch/en