Grand Rail Tour of Switzerland

Take this tour. You will love it.

This was an amazing trip in an amazing country. Incredible vistas, well planned activities, great accommodations and wonderful food. Everything was first class. The guides, Andrea, Marta and Andreas, were exceptional. They were very knowledgeable and friendly, always going the extra mile to make sure everyone was having a great time and that the trip was running smoothly. I would highly recommend this trip which is a great value.

10 STARS

I Wish I Could Give it 10 Stars!!! It was the most amazing 2 weeks I have ever had. It far exceeded my expectations. The venues were amazing, the scheduling was spot on, the reserved 1st class train accommodations were out standing and of course Switzerland is beyond amazing. I can’t say enough about our guides. Our entire group just fell in love with them. I can’t imagine anyone could do more or a better job than they did. Most of us had tears in our eyes when we had to say good by. They make a great team. Again an amazing experience and you can be sure I will recommend Echo Rails and Trails to anyone that asks, I may even do it again👍😀.

Journey of a Lifetime

Embarking on the 12-day Grand Rail Tour of Switzerland from Lucerne to Zurich was an experience that transcended the boundaries of a typical vacation. The tour began in the charming city of Lucerne and set the stage for the adventure that lay ahead. The panoramic views from the trains were extraordinary with landscapes varying from beautiful valleys to towering peaks, each more breathtaking than the last. The journey through the iconic Swiss Alps was magnificent. Our guides were exceptional. They were multi-lingual (very proficient in English), very engaging, and provided local expert perspectives on the various sites, cities, and villages that we visited. They were flexible and provided some options for the various daily activities and handled all of the logistics (including luggage transfer, which was a huge plus!). In order to take full advantage of all of the sites and scenes you need to be in reasonably active shape and able to walk on average 10,000 steps per day (sometimes on hilly, uneven ground). Overall, this 12-day tour was an excellent way to experience all that Switzerland had to offer. The combination of stunning alpine scenery, world-famous trains, luxury accommodations, and expert guides made it a journey of a lifetime.

Absolutely Wonderful

If you have an interest in the seeing the iconic mountain sites in Switzerland and doing it by train, this is the tour for you. The activities were seamless and first class all the way. Luzern, St. Moritz, Andermatt, Zermatt, and Grindelwald. Wonderful hotels in these locations that provided for easy access to the top of the Alps. Never a line to stand in, never a missed connection, and great meals. The organization prior to the tour was good and our guides were top notch. You couldn't ask for better travel companions than our guides, Denise and Deb. No detail in this 12 days is left to chance. There is enough flexibility to allow for some individual preferences. I snuck in a swim in Lake Luzern and Lake St. Moritz. If you want to see Switzerland I can't think of a better way.

Swiss Rail trip - ECHO Trails 12 day

WONDERFUL trip. Small group with absolutely wonderful guides. Scenery in Switzerland was, of course, beautiful . Experience was easy as everything taken care of. Delicious food. First class train rides. Lots of walking and many trains. Highly recommend this trip.

Magnificent Switzerland

My favorite part of this trip was our outstanding guides Andreas and Thomas along with Rene who took over for the last segment. It was the opinion of all the travelers, most of whom travel extensively, that this was the best trip they've ever been on. Of course, the real star of the trip was Switzerland! Words and pictures simply cannot describe the magnificence of this country. Even when you see it it's hard to believe! I heartily recommend this tour the trains, the hotels, and the meals exceeded my rather high expectations.

Add to your bucket list.

The trip of a lifetime. We have seen countless photos that almost don’t look real. That’s because it is truly fairy tale scenery. Our guides, Andreas,Thomas, (aka the candy man),Leo, and Rene. We’re all extremely knowledgeable and friendly. They took great care in our comfort and well being. The trains, buses, and hotels are all very clean and welcoming. I highly recommend everyone to visit this beautiful country. And to do it with Echo rails and trails.

Magical Adventure through Switzerland

I know the phrase “ Trip of a Lifetime” is a cliche, but this truly was an amazing adventure and indeed a trip of a lifetime. So many happy and unforgettable memories were made for my eleven year old grandson and me. Echo made everything so easy, too! Prior to departing for our adventure, Monika was so patient and responded quickly to my many questions. Our guides, Andreas, Thomas, Leo and Rene are knowledgeable and friendly and enhanced our experience. I also enjoyed having a small group of fellow travelers as we were able to get to know one another better than with a larger group. We covered a lot of Switzerland in 12 days! We hope to return someday!

Fantastic tour of Switzerland! Easy to recommend!

Fabulous tour! Can easily recommend this most scenic and informative tour! Tour guides Andreas and Thomas, Leo and Rene, were most accommodating to my thousand questions about everything! Switzerland is a most beautiful country, and this tour brought the scenery and knowledge right to us. This was a fantastic way to experience the beauty and awe of Switzerland!

It's the ALPS!!!

If you like mountains, it's the Alps, so prepare yourself for a wonderful experience! As for the tour, absolutely excellent! Well-organized, friendly, knowledgeable guides. Great accommodations and rail travel (without having to cart your luggage around!) Don't hesitate, definitely worth it!

Switzerland was Amazing

This was an amazing trip. ECHO did a fantastic job of organizing the activities and transportation for each day-- it would have been impossible for me to duplicate what they planned. There was very little down time between connections for trains, buses, cogwheel trains, cable cars, gondolas, funiculars, and boat rides, but neither were we rushing around from one connection to another for the most part. Hotels were all very nice, and each one was different from the others. Food was great. The scenery was breathtaking. Monika, my guide, worked very hard to make sure I got to do everything I wanted to do. She was fantastically knowledgeable about each place I visited and everything I saw. She was so enthusiastic about showing me and the other guests a wonderful time.

ECHO Rails & Trails - 8 days tour - Zurich - Zermatt - Grindelwald - Lugano - Zurich

Excellent experience , We did 8 day tour which was well planned and well organized. we would not be able to see half of the places we visited if we travelled by ourselves. We would like to thank thank specifically Monika and Andreas our tour guides for their effort to make us comfortable and taking care of everyone in our group with patients and smile. They are both credit to their organization.

BEST TRIP EVER!!!

We had had a trip of a lifetime. Highly recommend anyone wanting to visit Switzerland you must go with Echo Tours . Our tour guides were the best we have ever had —- they were both very attentive , knowledgeable, personable and lots of FUN. Our itineraries were perfect. We felt we saw the best that Switzerland had to offer from the big cities to the small villages. It’s hard to put into words the beauty of the Swiss Alps. Our trip was more than we expected, a great value for the dollars spent. We would go back only if we can go with Echo Tours. Zack and Mandy

Larry from South Carolina

I have been blessed to have traveled to all 50 US states, all the Canadian provinces, and 29 countries in Europe, and this trip was clearly the best of all i have done. Most of that credit goes to God for putting so many beautiful mountains, glaciers, and waterfalls all in one country. Much credit goes to Echo trails as well for making it first class and packing in so many experiences and beauty in 12 days. Getting to experience so may trains including a steam engine and cogwheel, funiculars, cable cars, gondolas, and boats was great. Hiking to a cheese farm and having fresh fondue was awesome. Making our own chocolate in Interlaken was outstanding. Having a small enough group and a long enough tour to get to know others well was a great bonus. I felt the communication could be better if everyone was on one platform (whats App for example to make sure everyone got the same info at the same time when changes were made or we planned to meet somewhere after doing different things). This trip is not for people that are not comfortable with walking a lot, potentially in heat, for a ten hour or more tour day. Most of the tour day is not walking but there are some tight travel connections and some hiking. Regarding hiking, I think it would be beneficial to use a rating system like one i am familiar with that goes 1 to 5 for difficulty of terrain and A to E for elevation up and down. The food and lodging was very good and the guides were very knowledgeable and invaluable regarding transportation knowledge, and were very friendly and helpful even to someone like me who can be irritating by asking a lot of questions. P.S. This trip is not for someone looking for a bargain. Switzerland is one of the most expensive places I have been but it was well worth it.

Excellent Experience

The tour was wonderful and full of adventure. it is what you make of it and your ability to be flexible as the pace is upbeat and not for the sedentary travelers. There were many unique opportunities for hikes, cheese tastings and sights off the beaten path. The guides are knowledgeable and helpful. If trains and Switzerland interest you and you are able to move over varied terrain at 12500 steps per day then this trip is for you.

Incredible Experience

What an incredible experience with Echo Rails & Trails. This was definitely a first class tour! Our guides Monika and Andreas helped to make this a trip of our lifetime! We had a fantastic fun group too, making it a trip we will never forget! We really enjoyed the beautiful scenic Alps, trains, gondolas, cable cars and steam train. Some favorites were, Mt Pilatus, the military bunker, Matterhorn, and Trümmelbach Falls. Special thanks to Monika for arranging our visit to the St Moritz Fire brigade! They gave us a grand tour and shared their experiences with the community. It was truly a great time seeing beautiful Switzerland wonderful memories and making new friends! I highly recommend Echo Rails & Trails!

This company does it RIGHT!

This was a wonderful experience! The guides were fun and knowledgeable. They provided on-the-fly custom visits to places of particular interest to some members of the group. The use of multiple public transportation modes was a real education and a marvel--so timely and so clean. The hotels were nice and well located for our outings. I was a little apprehensive about the cost of this tour but soon came to see that it was worth the money. Almost everything was included in the cost and well planned by ECHO. The small group was perfect for us and we really enjoyed getting to know the other travelers. This company does it RIGHT!

Trip of a lifetime

This was the trip of a lifetime! Completely stress free thanks to two wonderful guides that accompanied us the entire time to educate us and navigate the transportation system for us. Monika and Andreas took such great care of us and did not leave a stone unturned! Our hotels were all very ni. Every day was a new adventure giving us the most spectacular scenery from the Matterhorn, beng inside a glacier and going inside a bunker! I would highly recommend Echo trails to anyone looking for the trip of a lifetime!

Experience Switzerland with the pros!

We had so much fun in Switzerland with Echo Trails. Every day was a totally different unique adventure. The hotels were so comfortable and the food was so delicious. Thank you Monika, Andres and Rene for all your expertise and for making our trip so outstanding. You guys are the best!

Breathtaking

I think what I will remember most is the overwhelming scenic beauty of the entire country of Switzerland . And everything looked so clean and in the cities you saw very little graffiti or trash anywhere. You could tail that the people took a lot of pride in the overall appearance of their country. It was very impressive. Mile after mile day after day, we traveled by rail and were always impressed with the punctuality of the train system. If you enjoy mountainous, terrain, beautiful, waterfalls, and incredible scenic vistas then I highly recommend this trip to you

Truly an outstanding company.

From arrival at the airport to wonderful narratives to what have become lifetime memories, Rene and his crews’ attention to detail and wealth of knowledgeable contacts are what makes this company stand above the rest. Being a group of photographers and railroad enthusiasts, we worked with Echo for 18 months of planning. The execution of a new itinerary went flawlessly. All in our group said that choosing Echo Rails & Trails was the absolute correct decision.

12 Day Swiss Alps Rail Tour

The grandeur of Switzerland is amazing with the towering alps, beautiful blue lakes everywhere, and the green countryside with calmly grazing cows with their melodious bells ringing. Echo Rail & Trail has organized the perfect trip on trains of all kinds to see and experience it all. Rene and Suzanne are knowledgable guides and fun to spend time with as well.

The Beauty and Grandeur of Switzerland, the Adventure of a Lifetime

If you want to see the beauty and grandeur of Switzerland, the only way to go is with a guided tour provided by Echo Rails and Trails, Swiss Alps Adventure. This company provided first class train accommodations along with excellent hotels and restaurants. You get to ride every means of transportation (except cars) that Switzerland has to offer from buses, gondolas, steam engines, boats, street cards, finiculars, cable cars, and lots of trains. You do not have to hassel with your luggage; Echo Trails handles it for you. The owner of the company, Rene Welti (swiss born) and his wife Susanne, lead the tour. If the group is larger than 14, another Swiss guide is added to ensure that the group is properly cared for. Our guides took care of every detail, including a suprise birthday party for 4 of our group at one of the finest restaurants. The attention to details exceeded our expectations. To summarize this tour, it was the adventure of a lifetime

A trip that will be forever memorable

Far exceeded my expectations. Guides were attentive, friendly, knowledgeable and cared about the small things such as my ability to do a certain walk/hike/ etc.

fabulous and busy adventure

This trip was amazing; organized so that we saw so much of Switzerland. The time of the transportation is incredible and keeps you on the go! In addition to the spectacular scenery, we saw smaller venues like the Glacier Garden in Lucerne and a family cheese making business. It was a very active trip, with the main downtime on the trains, but it was worth it to see so many wonderful sights.

A trip of a life time

Having the opportunity on every type of train in Switzerland to view the beauty .Perfectly organized ,excellent hotels and a great choice of restaurants.Rene planned the perfect trip.

Spectacular Alps Scenery with Tour Guide Insights

Spectacular scenery of the Swiss Alps from both the train and up close. Plenty of opportunity to take fabulous photos. All hotels were four-star and the stunning view of the Eiger from the balcony of our hotel room is still etched on our minds. The tour took us to places we would have been challenged to find and visit on our own. The meals were wonderful with breakfast buffets, fine dinners, and good company. What made the tour especially worthwhile were our tour guides Rene and Markus who provided insight into the Swiss culture and Switzerland.

A Fabulous Experience

The Echo 12-Day Grand Rail Tour of Switzerland was a fabulous experience. The format was well-planned to provide an excellent variety of places, views and activities. All train travel was first class in very clean and comfortable coaches. Almost all hotels were four-star, and we had stunning views from our rooms - the Matterhorn at sunrise and the Eiger at sunset. The food was also excellent, with sumptuous breakfast buffets and fine dining at dinner. Most of all, we enjoyed traveling with our guide Monika Fellman, whose travel skills, extensive knowledge, great sense of humor and infectious laughter made each day a pleasure. We highly recommend this tour.

A wonderful experience!

Beautiful scenery, fun activities, unique and memorable train travel, especially the steam/cogwheel trains. Dining choices gave us the real flavor of the area. Tour guides Rene and Markus kept it interesting and informative. A wonderful experience!

Amazing Switzerland

Discovering beautiful Switzerland by train is a wonderful experience! We booked our trip by Echo Rails and Trails and René and his team gave us the time of our lives!! From the reserved seatings in the First Class Coupés we watched the amazing nature of Switzerland! Every day was different with super excursions, quided by René and Markus. Sometimes by train or by steamtrain or by gondola, or by bus! Markus told us a lot about living, climbing and hiking in the mountains. That was very interesting. We are thankful of sharing this part of your life with us!! We thank you for the fantastic Holiday!! Love from Jan and Ria from Holland!1

Best Tour.ever '

Fantastic travels for 12 days and would recommend to all. Great value, all our needs Plus were addressed. Hotels clean with convenient locations to transportation, restaurants. .' Rene & Monika were extremely knowledgeable. Well planned & implemented. Extraordinary in every way. Would book again!! Thanks Rene & Monika for an awesome trip of a lifetime.

Retired Railroad Conductor

After working on a mountain railroad for some 21 years, I thought I knew about trains. The trains on this trip were such an unexpected treat. In over 15 days we rode 54 trains! Electric, luxury, steam, cable cars, funiculars, cog wheels both vertical and horizontal, almost every train on time! All of this with the grandeur and beauty of the Swiss country side all around us. Rene and Suzanne have crafted an exceptional tour through the Swiss Alps. With our “Swiss Pass” we rode trains, buses, and boats, First Class all the way. Our accommodations were exceptional also as we stayed in beautiful hotels often with exceptional views of mountains and the surrounding country side – our meals were delicious and carefully prepared and selected. We (Rebecca and Richard) highly recommend this trip!

Exceeded our Expectations

What a wonderful experience! Each day was full of great weather, astounding views and interesting history while traveling by local train, ferry, city bus, funicular or cable car. Most days there were several changes of trains to navigate which only kept the days fun and interesting. Rene’s knowledgeable expertise in travel planning and execution was perfect. He and Suzanne were excellent guides who were easy to talk to and enjoy during the trip. They were like sheep dogs who kept us safe and on track. Rene’ consistently asked our group questions, listened and responded. Their choices for hotels and included dining were well beyond our expectations. Days were full of activity. Remember to pack your hiking boots and trekking poles. The only thing we would change would be to include one or two free afternoons to relax and enjoy the hotel and area shops.

Do not miss this!!

This was a trip of a lifetime..we cannot say enough about the superb organization, the beautiful hotels with magnificent views of the Eiger and Matterhorn, the thrill of riding first class on Switzerland's amazing rail system, and a superb leader and knowledgable guide, Rene Welti. We saw a tremendous amount of Switzerland in our 12 days and were thrilled by perfect weather. The Alps are a very humbling experience, with their majesty and grandeur overwhelming. Adding to our experience was the lovely wife of Rene, Suzanne, who saw to it that all needs were met. We were impressed by the cleanliness everywhere we went and the respect the Swiss had for protection from spreading Covid 19. If given the chance this is a trip no one should miss. Words simply cannot do this experience justice. Our deepest thanks to Rene, Suzanne and Thomas.

A Fabulous Trip.

This was the best organized trip we’ve ever been on. We saw all of the sights that we had hoped to see and the guides were wonderful at adjusting to the needs/limitations of the group. The hotels and the meals were exceptional. Rene’s knowledge and personal experiences in Switzerland added a great deal to our enjoyment.

The best tour of Switzerland!!!!

This is a fabulous tour! We got to see all of the major sights in Switzerland. We traveled via public transportation which was a delight. The train and bus schedules sync together like clockwork. Our luggage was transferred from hotel to hotel so we did not have to deal with getting it on and off of the trains. The hotels and food were exceptional. They choose hotels that are centrally located making it easy to walk around the towns and get to the train station. They also work very hard to ensure that we eat in authentic Swiss restaurants and get to experience the region's food. They also go out of their way to see that we are where we need to be to get the best views and/or experiences. For example, when in Zermatt they work with the hotel owner to ensure that we get rooms that will allow us to see the Matterhorn from our room (weather permitting). They know from experience when we should travel to the viewing platforms to have the best views of the alps. For example, also when we were in Zermatt it was rainy and cloudy. They encouraged us to go to Gornergrat early in the morning so that we would have the best chance of seeing the Mattherhorn and the other surrounding mountains. We did, and even though we only saw the base of the Mattherhorn, we would not have seen anything if we had waited until later in the day. By the time we left the mountain, the clouds were rising and obscuring our "window view." Because it is a small group tour and the guides are the owners of the company, there is quite a bit of flexibility. If the schedule needs to be modified to enhance the guests experience, they can do it. This tour requires a lot of walking and sometimes in order to make the train or bus connections you have to walk very fast. No one should do this tour if you cannot walk quickly and you need to be able to walk several miles a day. Some days we were mostly on trains, but when walking is required there is quite a bit of it! Switzerland cannot be beat for spectacular natural beauty, and Echo Rails and Trails is definitely the tour company to use!

An incredible tour of Switzerland!

Impressive! The organization, the itinerary, our guides' knowledge of Swiss culture, history and geography were all impressive. Excellent hotels and restaurants. And the sights and scenery: eye popping and non-stop. In case you can't tell, I was truly impressed! Trains are an excellent way to get around Switzerland but there were also gondolas, cable cars, funiculars, a ferry, and two different steam locomotives from a century ago. Rene Welti, the primary force behind Echo Trails, seems absolutely driven to provide the best, most memorable experience possible. And that's what I got!

The best way to tour the best parts of Switzerland

Rene is amazing in that he is always thinking of ways to make each itinerary even better while he and Suzanne are satisfying any special requests that any of the travelers had. They had interesting and awesome things for us to do and view almost every hour of the day. The meals and hotels were tops, many of them singular experiences.

Super Experience - Great way to see the scenery of Switzerland!

My husband and I had an absolutely wonderful time on this 12 day rail trip. All the scenery was stunning. We had amazing weather which was a nice bonus. Our days were filled with visits to mountain tops, and the occasional special waterfall or bridge and some historical places as well. Each day there were alternatives depending upon how much activity you wanted. It was really enjoyable to experience all the different types of trains, especially unique was the steam train and the Glacier Express. You do need to be activity based person to fully enjoy this trip and to be comfortable with moderate walking and high elevations. Not a trip for the faint of heart but absolutely worth it!! So, glad we went - and we had to wait a year because of the pandemic.

Highlight of our entire vacation!

A friend and I spent some time traveling through Paris, Lucerne and Venice. This bike tour from Lucerne was by far the best part of our trip! Our guides, Eve and Glenn, were wonderful and so patient when we asked to stop around every corner to take photos of the breathtaking views of the countryside. Seriously, the views are UNREAL! And I don't know how, but they got better at every turn. We were pinching ourselves the whole time to make sure it was real. This tour took us through many small towns and through lots of farms where we met cows, sheep, horses, chickens, dogs and pigs! It was such a fun day of exploring. I love biking, but even if you aren't an avid biker, the e-bikes make it much easier for varying fitness levels. And the boat ride back was the perfect ending to day of adventure.