Final-year school trip to Switzerland and the Italian Lakes: Lucerne, Lugano, Lake Como, Lake Maggiore and Zermatt (9 days)

Day 1: Departure from your school and arrival in Lucerne

• Departure from your school early in the morning, at the agreed time, and daytime drive via Luxembourg, Alsace and Basel (about 650 km from Brussels, 7.5 hours’ driving excluding breaks).
• Our drivers drive for a maximum of 3 hours, then take a 30-minute break, day and night.
• Free lunch during a break on the way.
• Arrival in Lucerne in the late afternoon and check-in at the accommodation for two nights.
• Dinner and supervised evening.

Day 2: Lucerne and Mount Pilatus

• Walk through the old town: the Chapel Bridge and its water tower, then the Weinmarkt square and its painted façades.
• The Lion Monument, carved into the rock in memory of the Swiss Guards (free admission).
• Free lunch, then ascent of Mount Pilatus (2,128 m) by gondola and cable car from Kriens, on the edge of Lucerne (on request).
• Late afternoon on the Musegg ramparts and their towers, with views over Lake Lucerne (free admission, April to November).
• Dinner and supervised evening.

Day 3: The Gotthard and Lugano

• Departure after breakfast and drive to Ticino through the Gotthard road tunnel (about 170 km, 2.5 hours excluding breaks).
• Walk through the centre of Lugano: Via Nassa, Piazza della Riforma and the Parco Ciani on the lakeshore.
• Free lunch, then the church of Santa Maria degli Angioli and its great fresco of the Passion painted by Bernardino Luini (free admission).
• Funicular ride up Monte San Salvatore, a viewpoint over Lake Lugano (on request).
• Check-in at the accommodation in or near Lugano for two nights, dinner and supervised evening.

Day 4: Lake Como and Bellagio

• Drive to Como (about 30 km, 40 minutes), crossing the Italian border at Chiasso.
• Como Cathedral (free admission) and a walk along the lakefront.
• Boat trip on Lake Como to Bellagio and back (on request).
• Free lunch and a walk through the stepped lanes of Bellagio.
• Return to Lugano in the late afternoon, dinner and supervised evening.

Day 5: Lake Maggiore and the Borromean Islands

• Departure after breakfast and drive to Stresa, on the shore of Lake Maggiore (about 100 km, 1.5 hours excluding breaks).
• Boat crossing to Isola Bella and visit to the Borromeo Palace and its terraced gardens (on request).
• Free lunch on Isola dei Pescatori, the fishermen’s island.
• Return to Stresa and a walk along the flower-lined promenade.
• Check-in at the accommodation in or near Stresa for one night, dinner and supervised evening.

Day 6: The Simplon Pass and Zermatt

• Departure after breakfast and drive via Domodossola and the Simplon Pass (2,005 m) to Täsch (about 150 km, 3 hours excluding breaks).
• The coach stays in the car park at Täsch; shuttle train to Zermatt, a car-free village (12 minutes).
• Free lunch, then a walk through the village and among the old wooden granaries of the Hinterdorf, facing the Matterhorn.
• Visit to the Matterhorn Museum – Zermatlantis, devoted to the conquest of the Matterhorn (on request).
• Check-in at the accommodation in Zermatt or Täsch for two nights, dinner and supervised evening.

Day 7: The Gornergrat facing the Matterhorn

• Ascent of the Gornergrat (3,089 m) by rack railway, facing the Matterhorn and the Gorner Glacier (on request).
• Short walk from Rotenboden station to the Riffelsee lake, where the Matterhorn is reflected (depending on snow cover).
• Free lunch.
• Supervised free afternoon in the village of Zermatt.
• Dinner and supervised evening.

Day 8: Lake Geneva and overnight stop in the Basel area

• Check-out after breakfast, return to Täsch and drive along the Rhône valley to Montreux (about 150 km, 2 hours excluding breaks).
• Visit to Chillon Castle, set on the waters of Lake Geneva (on request).
• Free lunch on the Montreux lakefront.
• Drive via Lausanne and Bern (about 230 km, 3 hours excluding breaks).
• Overnight stop in the Basel area, dinner and quiet evening.

Day 9: Return to your school

• Departure after breakfast and daytime drive via Alsace and Luxembourg (about 550 km to Brussels, 6.5 hours’ driving excluding breaks), with regular breaks.
• Free lunch during a break on the way.
• Arrival at your school in the evening.