Celebrate Christmas in Switzerland’s most enchanting season, stay in a traditional snow-dusted alpine village, and journey on the Jungfrau Express

Your festive journey starts at London St Pancras, where you meet the Tour Manager and group before boarding the Eurostar service to Paris. On arrival in the French capital, we continue by high-speed TGV to the medieval city of Strasbourg in the Alsace region for an overnight stay.

Strasbourg, a charming city with a blend of German and French influences, is a perfect place to break our journey. In December, the city sparkles with lights, an atmospheric Christmas market and charming seasonal decorations. A UNESCO World Heritage site, the historic quarter of 'Petite France' features enchanting half-timbered houses overlooking the narrow canals.

Soak up the festive ambience as we walk a short distance from our central hotel to enjoy a three-course dinner at a traditional Alsace restaurant.

Enjoy a free morning to explore Strasbourg and browse the stalls of one of the oldest Christmas markets in Europe. Strolling through the historic quarter, you can admire the Gothic Notre Dame Cathedral with its famous astronomical clock, and the beautiful central square, Place Kléber.

Later, we continue our journey by rail to Switzerland, travelling via the city of Basel and the resort town of Interlaken. Gazing out the window, we can see the landscape transform into an alpine wonderland. As we approach Spiez, look out for its fairytale castle beside dazzling Lake Thun.

This picturesque route leads to our base for the festive season, the quaint village of Wilderswil, set in a snow-clad alpine valley and surrounded by the impressive Mönch, Eiger and Jungfrau mountains. Here, we check in to a picture-book Swiss chalet-style hotel, receiving a warm welcome from the family who has run it for more than 60 years. Tonight, and each evening of our stay, we enjoy a three-course dinner, with beer, wine and soft drinks served during our meal.

Today is sure to be a high point of the holiday with a trip to Europe's highest railway station, Jungfraujoch, or the 'Top of Europe'. We start the day with a short ride on the Bernese Oberland Railway, joining the Jungfrau Express at Kleine Scheidegg and climbing through a tunnel deep inside the Eiger and the Mönch mountains. Our train emerges just below the breathtaking summit of the Jungfrau at more than 11,000 feet.

Enjoy your free time at the summit with a visit to the Sphinx Observatory, absorbing spellbinding views of the surrounding peaks and the immense Aletsch Glacier. You may be tempted to head to Lindt Swiss Chocolate Heaven to learn about the history and making of Swiss chocolate or to Alpine Sensation, a multi-sensory exhibition on the history of tourism in the region and the miners who built the Jungfrau Railway more than 100 years ago.

In the evening, we retrace our journey to the hotel and enjoy time to relax before dinner.

After breakfast, we take a short trip by rail to Interlaken, capital of the Bernese Oberland and one of the most popular towns in the Swiss Alps. Besides flaunting snow-capped peaks, glistening glacial lakes and waterfront castles, Interlaken is the centre of a year-round playground for climbers, walkers and skiers.

Interlaken is a great starting point to visit local viewpoints, and your included Swiss Half Fare Card provides 50% discount on rail, bus and boat fares. You might take a magical winter cruise across Lake Thun and experience fairytale vistas of castles, hills and the soaring Bernese Alps. Or, if you'd rather enjoy the day in town, you might visit one of Interlaken's chocolate shops or relax in a cosy café with a glass of mulled wine or a slice of cherry cake.

However you spend the day, a festive three-course dinner is served at the hotel this evening.

On Christmas morning, we travel by train to the characterful village of Grindelwald, tucked away between dramatic mountains. Like a scene from a folktale, this famous village is one of Europe's oldest mountain resorts, rising to prominence in the 1920s when skiing became a popular leisure activity.

You might enjoy a yuletide stroll through the village, where quaint town squares and attractive wooden chalets are surrounded by open skiing fields. To mark the occasion, you may be able to take a gondola trip to Grindelwald First Mountain, or a cable car to Pfingstegg, a viewpoint 4,260 feet above the Grindelwald Valley. To finish your visit to Grindelwald, you might indulge in a hot chocolate and a Swiss pastry at a café before returning to Wilderswil by rail in your own time.

In the evening, enjoy celebratory drinks and a festive dinner at the hotel.

Boxing Day is a free day to enjoy a variety of sights and experiences of the Bernese Oberland at your own pace. If you'd like to take it easy, take a walk around the quintessentially Swiss village of Wilderswil and admire the striking backdrop. Venturing farther afield, you might use your Swiss Half Fare Card to uncover the villages of the beautiful Lauterbrunnen Valley. Wengen, a picturesque mountain resort, sits beneath the Jungfrau with fantastic views of the valley.

Alternatively, you might head to the village of Mürren and take a cable car trip to the top of the Schilthorn mountain, one of the highest peaks in the Jungfrau region. From the summit, you could visit the famous Piz Gloria revolving restaurant, featured in the James Bond film On Her Majesty's Secret Service. Yet another option is to take the train to Lucerne and discover this pretty lakeside city known as the 'City of Lights'.

In the evening, we enjoy the final dinner of the festive holiday at the hotel.

This idyllic Christmas break has taken us from the medieval city of Strasbourg to a picture-book Swiss village in the heart of the glorious Jungfrau region.

From our scenic base in a chalet-style hotel we've journeyed to the 'Top of Europe' on the remarkable Jungfrau Express and experienced panoramas of Swiss peaks and the stunning Aletsch Glacier. We've visited quaint villages, seen iconic mountain peaks and had time to explore the region at our own pace.

This festive holiday draws to a close this morning as we board a train via Bern to Lausanne. After dashing through the French countryside by TGV to Paris, we connect with the Eurostar that returns us to London St Pancras.

One of the excursions on this tour is at high altitude. If you have any medical conditions or concerns that could impact this part of the tour, we recommend you seek medical advice and talk to us. We want to make sure that any vacation you book is right for you.

Enjoy More with a GRJ All Inclusive Holiday

• On this GRJ All Inclusive tour, all meals in Wilderswil are included. On excursion days a picnic lunch will be provided by the hotel.
• Drinks include beer, wine and soft drinks between 7pm to 9pm.

Our Discoveries range offers everything you need at a great price so you can travel with confidence. It provides comfortable, locally run accommodation*, standard rail or economy flights and expert-led group tours. You'll be in groups with an average of 30-35 travellers and a maximum of 40. *where available

Step aboard the high-speed international rail service, linking London St Pancras to Paris and Lille in France, Brussels in Belgium and Amsterdam in the Netherlands.

Eurostar's Standard Class coaches feature two seats on either side of the central aisle, most of which are arranged in an 'airline' seating configuration with drop-down tray tables. There are two tables for four per carriage. Passengers travelling in Eurostar Standard Class coaches can take advantage of the Bar-Buffet which sells a range of snacks, meals, and hot and cold drinks - including Champagne!

The highest class of Eurostar travel available for leisure customers is Plus class. In your dedicated Plus carriage you'll find a less dense seat configuration, meaning the seats are larger and you have ample space to relax and stretch out. As part of the service, you'll enjoy complimentary drinks and refreshments, served at your seat by friendly, helpful waiting staff.

For the class of travel used on your chosen tour, please refer to the 'What's Included' section of the tour page.

The route from Interlaken to Jungfraujoch, Europe's highest railway station, comprises three different railways. The first leg from Interlaken to Lauterbrunnen is on the Bernese Oberland Railway, continuing to Kleine Scheidegg on the Wengernalp Railway. From Kleine Scheidegg, the Jungfrau Railway climbs to Eigergletscher, before entering the 4.43-mile tunnel that ends in the underground station at Jungfraujoch. During the journey through the tunnel, the train makes a short stop at the Eiger Wall for view through the picture window from the north face of the Eiger down to Grindelwald.

Introduced in 1981, France's TGV (Train à Grande Vitesse) was the original European high-speed train. Linking Paris with Lyon, the new service revolutionised train travel and meant that travelling by air over medium and short distances was no longer seen as the best option, even for business travel.

The network has expanded rapidly and today these sleek, stylish trains offer links to over 60 destinations throughout France. Operated by SNCF, the French national rail operator, TGV trains travel over specially constructed high-speed lines. The trains can achieve speeds of up to 186mph (300km/h) on most long-distance routes and 200mph (320km/h) on the new TGV Est line, which links Paris with Strasbourg, Luxembourg and Basel. With the exception of shorter journeys, TGVs almost always have an on-board buffet car, serving a selection of drinks and light refreshments.

Set in the heart of the small village of Wilderswil, this family-run 3-Star hotel is a pretty, 17th-century chalet-style lodge, offering traditional Swiss charm and two on-site restaurants. The hotel is located in the heart of Wilderswil, a quiet village at the gateway to the Jungfrau region. Guest rooms are decorated in a rustic alpine design and are equipped with free Wi-Fi, flatscreen TV, safety deposit box, desk, seating area and hairdryer.

Your holiday begins the moment you meet your Tour Manager at St Pancras International and board the Eurostar train for mainland Europe. If you wish to get your holiday off to an extra special start, why not consider upgrading your on-board accommodation from Standard Class to Plus Class?

As well as all the amenities enjoyed in Standard Class, Plus Class travellers benefit from extra spacious, comfortable seats, complimentary newspapers and magazines and a light snack with drinks served at your seat during the journey. Before 11am, the light snack comprises breakfast pastries, yoghurt, fruit juice and tea or coffee. After 11am there is a choice of 2 main dishes and a dessert, accompanied by soft drinks, wine or beer and tea or coffee.

Prices for an upgrade from £110pp each way. Please call us for more details.

Spending a night in London before your tour can make such a difference to the first day of your holiday - you can arrive in the capital in good time, relaxed and ready to join your Tour Manager the next morning. You may even want to take in a show on the West End or dine in one of London's famous restaurants. Perhaps on your return to London, you would like to break your journey with an overnight stay before continuing home.

We can book a wide range of hotels in central London or, for our holidays beginning with a flight, at Heathrow, Gatwick, or Manchester Airport for the night before or after your holiday. If you require a quote for single occupancy at any of the hotels, please contact us on 01904 734 805.

Buying tickets for UK train services can be a tricky business - there are so many fares to choose from, each with different rules and restrictions. As you are connecting with an international departure, we strongly recommend that you book a fully flexible ticket to ensure that should the departure times for your holiday change, your rail ticket can allow for these changes.

We can book fully-flexible UK rail tickets from your local station to join your holiday whether this be a European holiday from St Pancras or a UK holiday. The prices are competitive and tickets are not restricted to a particular train or time of day, and in most cases offer you a free choice of routes.

For an up to date quote from your local station, please ask one of our Tour Advisors.