A leisurely start to your holiday with a short journey on board the Eurostar from London to Paris. Choose your own departure time: do you need to allow yourself time to get to London, or would you prefer to get away early and make the most of your time in the French capital?

Your hotel for the night is the Mercure Hotel Terminus Nord - 3*, conveniently situated opposite the Gare du Nord where your Eurostar arrives.

After a leisurely breakfast, head across to the Gare de Lyon to join the high-speed TGV service for Basel, on the Swiss border. Here you change to a Swiss InterCity service for the hour's journey onwards to Lucerne.

Your hotel for the next three nights is the Romantik Hotel Wilden Mann - 4*, a short walk from the railway station.

Lucerne has a wealth of attractions in town, and a wide variety of scenic excursions on the doorstep. Lake Lucerne steamers, the Pilatus and Rigi mountain railways, the scenic Lucerne-Stans-Engelberg and Gotthard Pass lines, Lucerne's excellent Transport Museum and much, much more.

When you're ready, wander down to the station and catch the next train to Interlaken. There's a train every hour, no reservations, just turn up and go! The route is the spectacular Brünig Pass line - perhaps not as well-known as the Gotthard or Simplon passes but no less scenic. More lakes en route - the small Sarnersee and Lungernsee are high up in the Brünig Pass, while Interlaken sits between the Brienzersee and Thunersee.

Your hotel for the next four nights is the Hotel Interlaken - 4*, again a short walk from the railway station.

Interlaken sits at the centre of a veritable spider-web of excursion opportunities: steamers on Lakes Thun and Brienz; the steam-powered rack railway at Brienz; the Lötschberg pass to Brig and beyond into Italy; the fabled Jungfrau sitting at the head of the stunning Lauterbrunnen valley; the historic Swiss capital of Bern.

The Golden Panoramic Express winds through the spectacular Golden Pass and across the language divide to Lake Geneva, giving you a day in the elegant resort of Montreux before returning. Montreux is famous for it's Rock & Roll connections as well as being a genteel lakeside resort - Queen recorded here and Deep Purple wrote "Smoke on the Water" as a description of events that happened to them there.

Say goodbye to Switzerland today as you head north to Basel in time to catch the high-speed TGV back to Paris. On arrival in Paris, walk round the corner to continue on back to London by Eurostar.

All prices are per person and assume full occupancy of the room.
Please always refer to the website for up-to-date prices and availability.

You don't need to be a rail enthusiast to enjoy travelling by train, and for anyone who doesn't know their ICE from their TGV, we've given some more details of some of the trains you will encounter on this itinerary, to give you an idea what you can look forward to.

Eurostar is the brand name for trains linking London, Ebbsfleet and Ashford via the Channel Tunnel with Lille, Paris and Brussels.
Six first-class coaches are now divided between Business Premier class and Standard Premier, with both offering all passengers complimentary refreshments during the journey.
Travelling over newly-built, high-speed lines, Eurostar currently holds the British speed record for rail travel, at just over 300kph and St. Pancras International is a wonderful place to start any holiday.

The Golden Panoramic Express is not perhaps as well known as its cousin the Glacier Express, but it is certainly in the same league. With comfortable accommodation, mostly in special panoramic coaches, the train links Montreux with Interlaken, then on to Lucerne.

The "Golden Pass" is known for its lush scenery, fertile valleys with the craggy mountains providing the perfect backdrop and links three of Switzerland's favourite resorts in spellbinding style.

Introduced in 1981, France's TGV - Train à Grande Vitesse - was the original European high-speed train. Linking Paris with Lyon, the new service revolutionised train travel overnight and meant that travelling by air over medium and short distances was no longer seen as the best option, even for business travel.
The network has expanded rapidly and new lines and new trains mean that the experience of travelling on TGV remains an excellent one. TGV trains usually have an on-board buffet car, serving light refreshments.

Our featured hotels have been carefully chosen based on their location, the facilities and value for money. The price shown for this itinerary is based on using the hotels below, but feel free to ask for alternatives.

The Hotel Interlaken is situated adjacent to Interlaken's Japanese Gardens and within easy reach of the town centre. A hotel for over 700 years, this establishment has no shortage of experience in providing excellent, attentive service and ensuring the satisfaction of guests. The Hotel Interlaken is the ideal sanctuary with its peaceful gardens and exclusive sauna allowing guests every opportunity to pamper themselves.

The Hotel Wilden Mann has been skilfully converted from several town houses, some of which date back as far as the 16th century. The cosy bedrooms are tastefully decorated, welcoming and comfortable. The intimate, rustic restaurant is famous for the delicacies on offer, however the hotel's excellent location at the heart of the Old Town provides guests with access to many and varied possibilities for wining and dining.

This hotel is located opposite Paris Gare du Nord railway station and is ideal for anyone wanting to visit Paris before travelling on elsewhere. The Mercure Terminus Nord has been refurbished in the style of a Victorian town house and, although large, has a comfortable and welcoming feel. Guests can relax in the hotel's Whisky Club bar.

• Standard Class rail travel throughout.
• Standard Class Swiss Pass for each person.
• Bed & Breakfast accommodation throughout.
• Tickets and documents delivered by Royal Mail Special Delivery*

*where available

Upgrade to First Class rail travel throughout, including a First Class Swiss Pass - £200 per person