Switzerland by Rail in Winter

Nine nights across Switzerland by private car and panoramic train, timed for the winter season in the Engadine. Vineyards and cheese on Lake Geneva, the Matterhorn from Zermatt, a night in Andermatt, then the Glacier Express to St. Moritz, for the studio of Giovanni Segantini, the ice caves of the Morteratsch Glacier and, on request, a whole piste to yourselves for an evening.

Length: Nine nights
Pace: Four stays
Style: Rail, mountains, food, winter
Route: Lausanne to Zermatt to Andermatt to St. Moritz

LausanneThree nights
ZermattTwo nights
AndermattOne night
St. MoritzThree nights

Lake Geneva under a pale sky, with mountains rising on the far shore.

Days 1 to 4 · three nights

Lausanne

Driven to Lake Geneva, with a first look at Geneva on the way. Then Château de Chillon, a wine tasting in the Lavaux terraces and a chocolate-making session, and a day in Gruyères for a cheese workshop, fondue or raclette, and the castle.

Where you stay

Beau-Rivage Palace

Beau-Rivage Palace has stood on the shore of Lake Geneva in Ouchy since 1861, at the start of the Belle Époque. Anne-Sophie Pic cooks at Pic au Beau-Rivage Palace, Kaigan serves Japanese food, and the Guerlain Spa is tucked away at the heart of the building.

The Matterhorn above a ridge of snow-covered peaks under a deep blue sky.

Days 4 to 6 · two nights

Zermatt

A private transfer to the car-free village, stopping on the way up the valley at Visperterminen, an old village among the vineyards at 1,340 metres, to taste Heida, a rare grape grown there, with a regional dish in a traditional inn, then an afternoon walk and the Matterhorn Museum. The next day the Gornergrat railway climbs to the Matterhorn views, with time on the mountain and lunch at altitude, and the evening in the onsen at the Ātman Mountain Spa, which looks at the Matterhorn.

Where you stay

CERVO Mountain Resort

CERVO Mountain Resort is a ski-in, ski-out hotel in Zermatt, with 54 rooms and suites, seven lodges and après-ski at the end of the slope. Six restaurants and bars include Bazaar and Ferdinand, and the Ātman Mountain Spa has an onsen with a view of the Matterhorn.

Red panoramic carriages curving through deep snow below white mountains.

Days 6 to 7 · one night

Andermatt

Aboard the Glacier Express to Andermatt, for a single night between the two halves of the journey. Snowshoes off the beaten track to a cheese fondue in the open air, or an evening between the hotel's cigar and wine libraries.

Where you stay

The Chedi Andermatt

The Chedi Andermatt pairs Alpine wood and natural stone with Asian-inspired design, and every room and suite has a fireplace and a balcony. Eight places to eat and drink include The Japanese, a cigar library and a wine library, and the spa has a health club with pool.

A still alpine lake reflecting golden larches and a snowy hillside.

Days 7 to 10 · three nights

St. Moritz

Back on the Glacier Express to the Engadine. A cheese-making workshop, a half day on the cable cars with walks in the snow, and a private tour of the Segantini Museum and the painter's former studio in Maloja. With a guide, and only when the weather allows, a descent into the glacial caves of the Morteratsch Glacier, and on request an evening when the 4.2 kilometres of piste on the Corvatsch are yours alone. From January 22 to 24, 2027, the Snow Polo World Cup brings six high-goal teams onto frozen Lake St. Moritz, before the drive to Zurich for the flight home.

Where you stay

Carlton Hotel St. Moritz

The Carlton stands high above the lake, and every room and suite looks over Lake St. Moritz, the Engadine valley and the Alps. Da Vittorio brings Italian cooking, the Grand Restaurant serves the region's dishes, and the Carlton Spa spreads over three floors with views of the mountains.

Arranged on request

Segantini's studio

A private guided tour of the Segantini Museum and the painter's former studio in Maloja, among the winter landscapes he painted.

A mountain to yourselves

For a whole evening, the 4.2 kilometres of piste on the Corvatsch are yours alone, with your own ski instructor on request and the Carlton's outdoor butler.

Inside the Morteratsch Glacier

With an experienced guide, a descent into the glacial caves of the Morteratsch Glacier, only when the weather allows.

Skijoring where it began

Pulled on skis behind a horse, the winter sport that began in St. Moritz in 1906.

Lej da Staz by sleigh and skate

From mid-December to mid-January, a horse-drawn carriage to the frozen lake in the Staz pine forest, skating at sunset and a torchlit walk back.

Subject to availability.

Ways to make it yours

Chaplin's World or a chocolate factory near Gruyères.
A day in Geneva before the drive to Lausanne.
Ice bathing in Lake St. Moritz with the Carlton's experts, on Wednesday and Saturday mornings.

This is a sample. The hotels, the pace and the order are where we start, not where we finish: every journey is designed around the people taking it.

Made around you

Most travel is bought. This is designed.

Before anything is booked, we talk: who is travelling, how you like to spend a morning, and the hotel preferences below the obvious, from the kind of bath you like to the time you wake and how much daylight you need in a room. You see options where options matter and clean recommendations where they don't.

The same person remains your point of contact from the first reply to the trip after next. No handovers. No team.