Italy & Switzerland

September 19-27, 2024

TRIP HIGHLIGHTS

  • Italian Cities: Florence, San Gimignano, Chianti

  • Swiss Cities: Zurich, Lucerne, Interlaken

  • Jungfrau Glacier & Eiger Mountain

  • Lauterbrunnen Valley

  • Travel by Train only in Switzerland

  • Accademia and Uffizi Galleries

  • City Walking Tour of Florence and San Gimignano by Local Guides

  • Tuscany Wine and Olive Region (Tour operates during harvest season!)

  • Family Style Italian Meal in Tuscan Countryside

RATES PER PERSON

*Flight Included
Double: $6,600
Single: $7,600


INCLUDED IN TOUR

  • Professional Tour Director

  • All Flights and Transfers

  • Local Departures

  • Step on Guides for City Tours

  • All Other Mentioned Activities in Itinerary

  • Top Quality Accommodations – 4 Star and Above

  • Many Meals on Tour – Equal Amount of Breakfasts and Lunches/Dinners

  • Tips on all Meals

  • All Taxes, Fees, Visas, etc. Included in Total Price of Tour

  • Personalized Service

  • Final Documents for Trip Details, 8 Weeks Prior to Departure

  • Luggage Handling

  • Much, Much More!


NOT INCLUDED IN TOUR

  • Every meal not included – guests are informed about how much more money to expect to pay for meals prior to departure

  • Tips for tour director and driver
    ($7 - $10 per person per day is recommended. Bluebird Guided Tours also tips our tour directors and drivers individually)

  • Baggage Fees when flying (~$25 per direction per bag)

  • Personal expenses (souvenirs, other personal costs, etc.)

ITINERARY

BGT_switz-italy-map-(1).jpg

Day 1: Flight to Italy
Begin your Italy and Swiss tour by flying into Florence, Italy and meeting up with our tour director. This small group is made up of people that have been deemed positive travelers many of whom have traveled together or with Bluebird Guided Tours, in the past. Try to sleep on the plane and try to contain your excitement!

Overnight flight

Day 2: Florence, Italy
*Dinner Included
Land midday in Florence, Italy and meet your tour director at baggage claim. Each person will be expected to transport his or her luggage while on the trip, so be aware of the amount of luggage packed; we won’t have a motor coach at our disposal daily on this trip. Train and plane will be our main mode of transportation when in transit. Upon arrival to Florence we’ll drop our luggage at our hotel, get quickly acquainted with the city and enjoy an introductory dinner. Today will be a shortened day of sightseeing to ensure no one gets overly tired after our flight.

Hotel Davanzati, Florence

Day 3: Florence and Winery
*Breakfast Included
We’ll begin our day with Riccardo our local guide to get a proper orientation of the city, stopping by the Duomo, Bell Tower and Baptistry, then Piazza della Repubblica (geographic center), Via Tornabuoni with its Renaissance private palaces, and much more. For the afternoon stop in at the Academy Museum to see Michelangelo’s statue of David. We’ll be sure to make time for lunch today, but expect to have an active first full day in Florence!

Hotel Davanzati, Florence

Day 4: Tuscany and Italian Countryside
*Breakfast and Lunch Included
We make our way through the Italian countryside to Castello di Verrazzano near Greve, which will be a fantastic meal and experience. This winery/castle/farm/restaurant will be a highlight for many of the wine connoisseurs on the trip! We’ll continue our travel after lunch to stay in Chianti, Tuscany for the next two nights. 

Casafrassi, Chianti

Day 5: Pienza and Val d’Orcia
*Dinner Included
We’ll travel a short distance to San Gimignano this morning, a small village surrounded by 13th century walls, for a walking tour with a local guide. After exploring the town for the afternoon, we’ll enjoy a Enjoy the countryside this day, as it’s our last before traveling north into Switzerland!

Casafrassi, Chianti

Day 6: Transit to Switzerland
Today is going to consist of plane and train travel to the spectacular mountain valleys in Switzerland. We’ll fly into Zurich Int’l Airport and make our way to the incredible Swiss Alps by train. We’ll get to one of the larger mountain cities Lucerne tonight; see the local sights this afternoon/evening, which include Kapellbrücke (covered wooden bridge) along with Lake Lucerne. Tomorrow we go into the Lauterbrunnen Valley, which is fantastic!

Hotel Waldstaetterhof, Lucerne

Day 7: Jungfrau
We take the train first thing today to Interlaken where we’ll drop our luggage. Continue climbing the Lauterburnnen Valley, past the ski town of Wengen, through the mountain (literally) and arrive to Jungfrau Glacier. Hope for clear weather today as this is home to the ‘Top of Europe’ a lookout which is one of the highest points in Europe. After a superb lunch we’ll make our way down the mountain by train but there are a multitude of hiking trails all around you, and the scenery is a highlight today, so take advantage if you want to hike!

Hotel Bellevue, Interlaken

Day 8: Lauterbrunnen Valley
*Breakfast Included
We’ll have many options today for what you’d like to do in the Swiss Alps; Lauterbrunnen will be our push-off point and the mountains will be our guide. First, travel up to the small town of Murren and then discover the small villages that overlook these massive glaciated mountains and valleys. Today will be centered around discovering the Lauterbrunnen Valley as best we can. We’ll finish up back at our lodging in Interlaken at the end of the day.

Hotel Bellevue, Interlaken

Day 9: Zurich
*Breakfast and Dinner Included
Travel by train back to Zurich today arriving just after noon. Here we’ll get lunch followed by a tour of the city by a local guide. Enjoy the sights of this culturally vibrant city that sits on a river and lake for the remainder of the trip. Tomorrow we depart for home, but not before a farewell dinner!

Hotel Alexander, Zurich

Day 10: Flying Home
Wake to get to the airport today and fly home. We made some incredible memories over the last 10 days. Hopefully this isn't your last vacation with Bluebird Guided Tours. We had a great time, see you again soon!