Flatlanders! Plan now to get out of sweltering Illinois next summer. Prepare for breathtaking mountain scenery when the weather is delightful—an average high of 74°. Enjoy various types of trains and other vehicles to attain awe-inspiring views. 

June & July dates are sold out. Don't delay.

• 6 Nights - Wengen • 1 Night - Zurich • Berner Oberland Rail Pass • Swiss Rail Excursions & Transportation - Trains, Cogs, Cable Cars, Boats & Buses • Bern • Interlaken • Grindelwald • Gimmelwald • Murren • Lake Brienz Cruise • Wood Carving School • Meiringen • Grindelwald-Männlichen Gondola Cableway • Trummelbach Falls • Lucerne City Tour with Chapel Bridge • Aare River Gorge • Rosenlaui Glacier Gorge

*Price is per person based on room occupancy chosen. Premier World Discovery operates the tour as a disclosed principal. The deposit is $999 per person. The tour balance is due 5/19/25 with a discount of $100 per person if paid by paper check or e-check via WeTravel.

• The document required is a valid passport valid through 2/19/26. • Insurance coverage included is Premier’s TPP; for coverage details, see premierworlddiscovery.com/tpp.html covering cancellation charges; other terms at steviejaytravel.com/terms are incorporated by reference. • A local host is provided only from Champaign to Chicago O’Hare Airport to get you checked in for your flight, but not as a host on the tour. Price and details are subject to change. If you do not want to be covered by the included Travel Protection Plan (TPP), enter the discount code NO-INSUR for a $399 per person reduction when booking.  

EASY 1 2 3 (4) ACTIVE

PLEASE READ! Activity Level 4 & Altitude Note Please note this exciting program is active with daily walking, train rides, and other modes of transportation like cable cars, boats, motor coaches & buses. The program may not be appropriate for wheelchairs or other mobility aids. The village of Wengen sits at an altitude of 4,200 ft. The maximum elevation of included sightseeing is 7,600 ft. Optional excursions are weather permitting and feature high altitudes up to 11,300 ft. (Jungfraujoch). Please check with your doctor if altitude is a potential health concern if considering the optional sightseeing. The order of days is subject to change due to weather.

Level 1: The tour operates at a very leisurely pace and involves some minimal physical activity such as climbing stairs, boarding a motorcoach, walking into a museum or other venue and walking from the hotel reception area to hotel rooms and dining areas.

Level 2: This tour requires average physical activity. You should be in good health, able to walk some stairs and walk reasonable distances, possibly over uneven ground and cobblestoned streets.

Level 3: This tour includes moderate physical activity. The itinerary blends some longer days with shorter days. You should be in good health, able to walk a flight of stairs or more and participate in walking tours or nature walks possibly over uneven ground and cobblestoned streets with periods of standing.  There could be some early and late activities, and temperature and altitude changes.

Level 4: This tour is active, requiring participants to be good physical shape to fully enjoy the experiences. This itinerary has more activities which may include such things as longer walking tours over uneven ground, transfers over uneven and dusty terrain, high altitudes or very early morning departures. All conditions do not apply to all days, so please read the itinerary carefully and speak to one of our Reservations Coordinators to determine if this tour is right for you. Unfortunately, this tour is not appropriate for individuals who use wheelchairs, scooters, walkers or similar equipment.

The Premier Compass Club rewards our valued guests with special recognition and a Compass Club Loyalty Credit on future tours and cruises. Guests who have completed a trip will automatically be enrolled and receive an additional $100 per person or $200 per couple Compass Club Loyalty Credit applied to their next Premier World Discovery tour or River Cruise. Loyalty Credit is valid for 24 months from your last tour.

FULL REFUND if sick and unable to travel*, or if canceling for any reason, get a 75% credit towards a future Premier World Discovery tour later in the year (the latter applies up to 48 hours before scheduled departure). The included Travel Protection Plan costs $399 per person and is not refundable.

The Travel Protection Plan also includes Post-Departure coverages for Trip Interruption and Delay, Baggage/Personal Effects and Delay, Emergency Accident/Sickness Medical Expense, Emergency Evacuation/Repatriation of Remains, Accidental Death and Dismemberment, Non-Insurance and Emergency Travel Assistance Services 24/7. 

premierworlddiscovery.com/tpp.html 

*You are also covered if there is a death in the immediate family. 

Book securely online 24/7* by clicking the green button, or call Bill Owen at 217 619-0202 or Mary Beth at 217 840-8724. Or mail a deposit check to Stevie Jay Travel, 4413 Trostshire Cir, Champaign, IL 61820.

*Credit cards or "e-checks" from a checking account are welcomed and entered securely on WeTravel.

Lauberhorn, Wengen (6) Hotel Silberhorn

Zurich (1) Dorint Hotel

On some dates, alternate hotels may be used

Today, we welcome you aboard our private motor coach from Champaign and then a non-stop overnight flight to Zurich, Switzerland.

More Photos includes a larger map in the Photo Gallery at the bottom of the webpage.

Upon arrival in Zurich, Switzerland, meet your Premier World Discovery Tour Director. Travel to Bern, the beautiful capital of Switzerland, featuring cobblestone streets under medieval arches, making it one of Europe’s most picturesque cities & registered as a UNESCO historic site. See the Rose Garden, one of the most beautiful parks in Bern, offering an unrivaled view over the rooftops of the historic Old Town. Also, see the impressive Zytglogge (Glockenspiel), a landmark medieval tower built in the early 13th century; it has served the city as a guard tower, prison, and clock tower. 

Later, travel into the massive Swiss Alps and arrive in Lauterbrunnen with its towering cliffs. Say goodbye to the motorcoach for a few days as you begin using your included Berner Oberland Regional Rail Pass, which gives access to rail, cable car, bus, and boat. Travel by Cog Railway up to the enchanting alpine village of Wengen, your home for the next 6-nights. Wengen is a picturesque small village in the Jungfrau region and could represent the Swiss Alps on a postcard as it features no cars, mountains all around, green meadows, and forests surrounding the village. This evening, enjoy a Welcome Dinner. (D)

Included meals are shown at the end of each day with the initials of Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner.

Photo: Bern's Zytglogge (glockenspiel clock)

This morning, board the Cog Railway for an excursion to the glacier-carved Lauterbrunnen Valley. Board a Postbus to Trummelbach Falls, a series of ten glacier-fed waterfalls inside the mountain made accessible by a tunnel-funicular, built in 1913. Go inside the mountain and see how the falls have carved incredible caves. Next, take the cable car to Gimmelwald, a small traffic-free village in the Bernese Oberland. 

Then, continue to Murren to enjoy some time at leisure in this car-free village noted for hiking paths surrounded by bell-ringing cows, waterfalls, and wildflowers. Ride the funicular up to Allmendhubel (altitude 6,200 ft.) for the view, or take the Schilthorn Cable Car up to the summit of Piz Gloria (additional cost, altitude 9,700 ft.). The panoramic revolving restaurant at the summit was featured in the 1969 James Bond movie On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. Later, return to Wengen, where dinner is included this evening with your fellow travelers. (B,D)

Photo:  Lauterbrunnen Valley & Trummelbach Falls, Switzerland

Today begins with a visit to Wilderswil to board the vintage Cog Railway up to Schynige Platte for incredible views of the surrounding mountain peaks (altitude 6,800’). 

Later, take in the scenery as you cruise across turquoise-blue Lake Brienz. Then ride the Brienzer Rothorn Steam Train to the heights of the Rothorn through alpine meadows and the sound of Swiss cow bells to experience more views of the impressive Alps. Later, return to Wengen and enjoy dinner with your fellow travelers. (B,D)

Photo: Lake Brienz.

Today, enjoy free time in Wengen to shop, hike, and explore with your travel pass.

Maybe join an optional day trip to the famous car-free ski resort village of Zermatt, situated at the foot of the majestic Matterhorn, one of the world’s most famous mountain peaks. Enjoy time at leisure to explore Zermatt on your own. Perhaps peruse the luxury boutiques and shops or enjoy a meal in a ski lodge. Maybe ride up the Cogwheel Railway to the Gornergrat (additional cost, weather permitting, 9,500 ft.), offering incredible views of the Matterhorn and 29 of the highest peaks in Europe. Return to Wengen after a long but rewarding day and enjoy the evening at leisure. (B)

Photo: Zermatt, Switzerland. Gornergrat tourist train with Matterhorn

This morning is at leisure to relax or maybe join the half-day Optional Jungfraujoch Mountain Rail Excursion, referred to as the Top of Europe, where the highest railway station in Europe is located (11,300 ft.). 

This afternoon, travel via Cog Railway to enjoy the included visit to the resort village of Grindelwald to explore, shop, and maybe visit a local cafe. Later, continue to “Summit in First” via the Grindelwald-Männlichen Gondola Cableway, Europe’s longest cable car, to an altitude of 7,600 ft. Later, return to Wengen for an evening at your own pace. (B)

Photo: Grindelwald

Today, travel by Cog Train along the sheer walls of the Swiss Alps back to nearby Grindelwald. Then, board a famed yellow Postbus and travel through the most remote portions of Switzerland for exploration of the Rosenlaui Glacier Gorge, which features waterfalls, natural whirlpools, and fantastic rock formations. Later, descend out of the Aare River Gorge, carved over thousands of years by the Aare River. 

Later, travel to the village of Meiringen, known for being the home of the tasty Meringue and the site of Sherlock Holmes’s final case. Enjoy some time on your own to visit the Sherlock Holmes Museum and try a Meringue at a cafe. This afternoon, ride the panoramic Express Train along Lake Brienz to Interlaken, then the Cog Train up to your hotel in Wengen. Later, enjoy dinner with your fellow travelers. (B,D)

Photo: Rosenlaui Glacier Gorge

This morning, descend on the now familiar Cog Railway and board your motorcoach for the first time in days. Visit one of the most scenic local resident streets in Europe, the Brunngasse in Brienz, which will include a visit to a local Wood Carving Shop. 

Then, travel over Brunig Pass to Lucerne, situated in the geographical heart of Switzerland and poetically described by Alexandre Dumas as “a pearl in the world’s most beautiful oyster.” Enjoy a Lucerne Walking Tour featuring the famous Lion’s Monument, the historic wooden Chapel Bridge, and a walk along the shores of beautiful Lake Lucerne. 

Continue to Zurich and check in to your hotel for your final night. This evening, join your fellow travelers for a Farewell Dinner. (B,D)

Photo: Lucerne

Transfer to the Zurich Airport for your same-day flight home filled with wonderful memories of your Alpine Swiss Villages & Rails Tour. On arrival at O'Hare board our private vehicle to Champaign. (B)

Photo:: Brienz Brungasse for wood carving shop visit