The GoldenPass Express in Winter

This wonderful winter holiday to Switzerland starts as soon as we meet at London St Pancras International and board the Eurostar to France. After enjoying a light meal in Standard Premier Class, we arrive in Paris where we switch to the high-speed TGV in First Class carriages, travelling direct to Lausanne in Switzerland.

A 20-minute transfer by train sees us arrive in glitzy Montreux, where we check in to our lakefront hotel for three nights. Located on the lakeside promenade, just a short, downhill walk from the station, the hotel boasts uninterrupted views across glistening Lake Geneva to the atmospheric French Alps sporting their white winter coats. The season casts a new light on the glamorous Swiss Riviera, adding an extra homely feel to elegant Montreux. Tonight, we enjoy our first dinner as a group - a three-course meal in the hotel.

• Dinner
• Eurostar Meal

Waking up in wintry Montreux, we enjoy breakfast with views of Lake Geneva before we hop on a trolleybus outside our hotel to travel along the lake shore to Villeneuve. Here, a guide takes us on a tour of the picturesque Château de Chillon. This romantic castle appears as if it is floating on the lake. Formerly occupied by the influential House of Savoy, this gorgeous medieval castle has attracted tourists since the early 1800s, including the likes of Lord Byron and Mary Shelley.

Afterwards, there is free time to explore stylish Montreux. A walk along its lovely promenade is great any time of year, but stunning views across the water to snow-capped alpine peaks bring home the appealing serenity of winter. A promenade dotted with statues, composers Richard Strauss and Igor Stravinsky are honoured close to our hotel, while closer to the centre you can find a statue of Queen frontman Freddie Mercury, who bought a retreat here in 1978.

For dinner this evening, you could opt to warm up with a traditional Swiss fondue at a local restaurant.

• Breakfast

An exciting highlight of the holiday awaits today as we travel by train across the glistening Alps to France. From Martigny, we join the Mont Blanc Express which clings to dramatic mountainsides above spectacular gorges. The famous Mont Blanc drifts into view as we cross into France and approach Chamonix.

With a few hours of free time to explore the 'mountaineering capital of the world', there are many options at your disposal. As one of France's premier snow sports resorts, Chamonix comes alive in winter. A gentle walk around its atmospheric town centre could be combined with a delicious French lunch at a charming restaurant. For those who would like to explore further, you could head up to the Mer de Glace (Sea of Ice) Glacier on the Montenvers-Mer de Glace cogwheel railway which carries passengers up nearly 3,000 ft in 20 minutes. It's an incredible journey through dense pine forests and high up the mountainside to an otherworldly landscape of piercing, snowy peaks.

In late afternoon, we leave Chamonix, returning to Montreux in time for dinner at our hotel.

• Breakfast, Dinner

A special day today sees us boarding the stylish royal blue and gold panoramic carriages of the innovative, non-stop GoldenPass Express for an incredible wintry journey across the stunning Swiss highlands.

This magnificent rail journey is currently less well known than Switzerland's other famous trains, but won't be for long due to the amazing scenery. Leaving Montreux, the train winds uphill with shimmering Lake Geneva in the background. The untamed, icy pine forests and rolling mountains of the Pays-d'Enhaut highlands are dotted with charming chalets heavy with snow which we can admire while enjoying a light lunch of local produce and wine enroute. The halfway point of this gorgeous three-hour journey is Gstaad - the upmarket mountain resort favoured by Grace Kelly, Elizabeth Taylor and Roger Moore.

The last stretch of our journey to Interlaken sees the GoldenPass Express emerge beside beautiful Lake Thun at Spiez before we arrive at Interlaken and check in to our hotel. There is a free afternoon in this vivacious and compact town before we gather back at our centrally located hotel for dinner.

• Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

An unforgettable experience greets us this morning as we embark on an incredible journey up the Jungfrau. We take the train to the superbly wintry village of Grindelwald, where we hop on the Eiger Express gondola that takes us up to the Eigergletscher station. The modern gondola with panoramic windows affords incredible views of the snowfields below as we pass close to the north face of the Eiger. A slick transfer sees us board the cog-wheel train to Jungfraujoch and Europe's highest train station at the 'Top of Europe'.

The vistas are truly awe-inspiring all year round, but the deep snow and endless Aletsch Glacier in winter are spellbinding. We have free time to explore this natural spectacle or indulge in a relaxed lunch at one of the many restaurants.

We descend the mountains via the amazing Jungfrau Express through the Mönch and Eiger mountains before the cogwheel train twists down to Kleine Scheidegg. From here, we step onto the train to the valley town of Lauterbrunnen and back to Interlaken in time for a three-course dinner at our hotel.

• Breakfast, Dinner

Today is a free day to explore as you wish. After a relaxed breakfast, you may wish to spend some time in our hotel, marvelling at the glorious seasonal views from the roof terrace.

With an envious location, there are so many excellent destinations close at hand. Using your Swiss Travel Card for 50% discounts on train and mountain railway fares, you could head south to the picturesque mountain resorts of Wengen and Mürren to absorb the convivial atmosphere among fantastically wintry scenes.

Alternatively, explore turquoise Lake Brienz by catching the train along its northern shore to Brienz, where you can marvel at the picture-perfect Brunngasse - a winding street of old wooden chalets. Exploring Interlaken further is a good option, viewing picturesque historic buildings gathered round a cobbled main square. You may also like to travel by rail to the 'City of Lights', Lucerne, via the gorgeous Brünig Pass. Here, you can find a delightful Old Town with frescoed buildings and other historic sights, including the 14th-century Kapellbrücke, the oldest covered wooden bridge in Europe.

• Breakfast

After breakfast, we travel by train to Thun, a typical Swiss town dominated by its picturesque 12th-century castle. There is time to explore its charming medieval centre and covered wooden bridges.

Our journey back to Interlaken is on board a vintage lake boat that cruises the length of lovely Lake Thun. This scenic excursion provides a magical atmosphere as the boat glides across the clear glacial waters with serene villages looking on from the shore. Surrounding the route are alpine slopes twinkling in the snow and impressive peaks protruding into the lake. One of the highlights of any visit to Lake Thun are the fairytale castles peering out from forested shores as we sail gently past them.

Our boat moors in Interlaken and it is only a short distance back to our hotel for this evening's three-course dinner.

• Breakfast, Dinner

After a breakfast reflecting on yesterday's delightful way to round off our winter trip to spectacular Switzerland, we travel by train to Basel, from where we board the high-speed TGV in First Class to Paris. As the Jura mountains and hills of Burgundy flash past our windows, we can recall the incredible sights of mountainous Switzerland, from the serene grandeur of Montreux at this time of year to the splendour of the GoldenPass Express, majestic snow-globe scenes and the magical 'Top of Europe' at the Jungfraujoch.

In Paris, we transfer to Standard Premier Class on the Eurostar, where we enjoy a light meal at our seats before arriving back at London St Pancras International and saying a fond farewell to our Tour Manager and fellow travelling companions.

• Breakfast
• Eurostar Meal