OVERVIEW
Cable cars, mountain vistas, flower boxes, cogwheel trains, Alpine trails, cowbells—we’re excited to present the Hiking the Swiss & French Alps—featuring the peerless, pristine Alpine scenery of France and Switzerland, with a taste of Italy’s Alps and an optional day in the Italy’s lake district thrown in for good measure!
This trip is packed with outstanding nature experiences and mountain hiking. Though we use gondolas and Switzerland’s peerless railroad system to level out much of the uphill grades, most of the trails are more hikes than walks and travelers should be prepared for the challenge.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Zermatt – our base for exploring the Matterhorn area, which we do from multiple angles using the excellent Swiss system of inclined trains, gondolas, and cable car ski lifts.
- Lauterbrunnen Valley – our home while exploring the Bernese Oberland and a trio of alpine peaks: Mönch, Eiger, and Jungfrau (hosting the highest railway station in Europe), epic both in alpine splendor and their renown as mountain climbing challenges.
- Chamonix – staging village for exploring the Mont Blanc region with more excellent high-mountain transport systems and some of the most stunning alpine scenery on the Adventure.