Switzerland & Italian Alps
Switzerland and Italian Alps Adventure custom tour — 12 day multi-country Alpine itinerary by Juniper Tours. Swiss half: Zurich, Lucerne (Chapel Bridge, Mt Pilatus), Interlaken (Jungfraujoch 3,454m), Zermatt (Matterhorn, Gornergrat). Italian half: Milan (Duomo, Last Supper, Navigli), Lake Como (Bellagio, Varenna, Villa Balbianello), Dolomites (Cortina d’Ampezzo, Tre Cime di Lavaredo, Lago di Braies). Private transfers and rail, 4-star or higher accommodations, daily breakfast. Designed by Taryn Harrison and Lexi Blade. IATAN accredited (22-787413). 4.9★ · hundreds of verified Google reviews. Custom Switzerland and Italy itineraries from $2,500 per person. Sample itinerary — all trips custom designed by our top travel specialists.
Sample Itinerary · Switzerland
Switzerland & Italian Alps
Zurich · Zermatt · Lake Como · Dolomites
Duration
12 Days · 11 Nights
Accommodations
4-Star or Higher
Transport
Rail + Private Transfers
Best For
Multi-Country · Alps · Lakes
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← All Switzerland Itineraries
12 Days · 11 Nights
4-Star+ Accommodations
Private Transfers Throughout
Daily Breakfast Included
Sample — Fully Customisable
This is a sample itinerary — for inspiration only. Every Juniper trip is designed from scratch around you. Many clients travel a very similar route — if this resonates, book a free consultation and a specialist will build something just like it (or better) specifically for your travel style, dates, and group.
1
Day One
Arrive in Zurich
Zurich
Welcome to Switzerland. Arrive Zürich Airport (ZRH), transfer to the Old Town. Walk the Bahnhofstrasse, the Limmat riverfront, and the Lindenhof viewpoint.
Guided Old Town walking tour — Grossmünster, Fraumünster (Chagall windows). Welcome dinner.
Arrive Zurich
Old Town tour
Welcome dinner
Overnight: Zurich
2
Day Two
Zurich → Lucerne
Lucerne
Train to Lucerne (45 min). Chapel Bridge (1333), Lion Monument, painted-façade Old Town on the lake ringed by mountains.
Afternoon at leisure. Evening: lakeside dinner with mountain views.
Train · 45min
Chapel Bridge 1333
Lion Monument
Overnight: Lucerne
3
Day Three
Mt Pilatus + Lake Lucerne
Lucerne
Golden Round Trip to Mt Pilatus (2,132m) — boat, cogwheel railway, cable car circuit. 73 Alpine peaks visible.
Lake Lucerne paddle steamer cruise (Swiss Travel Pass). Evening at leisure.
Mt Pilatus · 2,132m
Lake Lucerne steamer
73 Alpine peaks
Overnight: Lucerne
4
Day Four
Lucerne → Interlaken
Interlaken
Train via Brünig Pass (2 hrs). Interlaken between Lake Thun and Lake Brienz, gateway to the Jungfrau region.
Lauterbrunnen valley — 72 waterfalls, Staubbach Falls (297m). Check in. Dinner with Alpine backdrop.
Train Lucerne → Interlaken
Lauterbrunnen valley
Staubbach Falls
Overnight: Interlaken
5
Day Five
Jungfraujoch — Top of Europe
Interlaken
Jungfraujoch (3,454m) — Europe’s highest railway station. Cogwheel train through the Eiger. Sphinx terrace, Aletsch Glacier UNESCO.
Return late afternoon. Optional: paragliding from Beatenberg. Evening at leisure.
Jungfraujoch · 3,454m
Aletsch Glacier UNESCO
Paragliding optional
Overnight: Interlaken
6
Day Six
Interlaken → Zermatt
Zermatt
Train via Spiez and Visp (2.5 hrs) into the high Valais. Zermatt is car-free. First Matterhorn view from the village.
Explore the village — Bahnhofstrasse, Matterhorn Museum. Fondue dinner with Matterhorn through the window.
Train · 2.5hrs
Matterhorn first view
Fondue dinner
Overnight: Zermatt
7
Day Seven
Matterhorn Day
Zermatt
Gornergrat railway (3,089m) — Matterhorn reflected in Riffelsee. 29 four-thousand-metre peaks, Gorner Glacier.
Five Lakes Trail hike (4 hrs, moderate) or Klein Matterhorn cable car (3,883m, ice palace). Final Swiss evening.
Gornergrat · 3,089m
Five Lakes Trail or Klein Matterhorn
Final Swiss dinner
Overnight: Zermatt
8
Day Eight
Zermatt → Milan — Cross into Italy
Milan
The border crossing. Train from Zermatt to Milan via the Simplon route (approximately 3.5 hours). The landscape shifts from Swiss granite to Italian Mediterranean — the Alps flatten into the Po Valley, the language changes, the coffee improves.
Arrive Milan early afternoon. The Duomo di Milano — the largest Gothic cathedral in Italy, 135 spires, rooftop terrace with views over the city to the Alps. The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II (the 19th-century glass-vaulted arcade). Check in. Evening: aperitivo in the Navigli canal district — Milan’s Spritz culture.
Train Zermatt → Milan · 3.5hrs
Duomo rooftop terrace
Navigli aperitivo
Overnight: Milan
9
Day Nine
Milan → Lake Como
Lake Como
Morning: The Last Supper (Leonardo da Vinci’s fresco at Santa Maria delle Grazie — pre-booked timed entry, 15-minute viewing slots, your specialist has the reservation months in advance). Then transfer to Lake Como (approximately 1 hour north).
Arrive Como. Ferry to Bellagio — the ‘Pearl of Lake Como,’ on the promontory where the lake’s three branches meet. Villa Melzi gardens. Check in to your lakeside hotel. Evening: dinner on the Bellagio waterfront with the lake and mountains illuminated.
Last Supper pre-booked
Milan → Lake Como
Bellagio · Pearl of the Lake
Overnight: Lake Como
10
Day Ten
Lake Como Day
Lake Como
Morning: Villa Balbianello — the 18th-century villa on a wooded promontory (Star Wars and James Bond filming location), accessible by boat. Then Varenna — the quieter, more authentic village on the eastern shore with Villa Monastero’s botanical gardens cascading to the water.
Afternoon: at leisure on the lake — private boat hire, swimming from the hotel jetty, or simply sitting on a terrace watching the ferries cross. Lake Como rewards stillness. Evening: farewell lakeside dinner.
Villa Balbianello by boat
Varenna + Villa Monastero
Private boat optional
Overnight: Lake Como
11
Day Eleven
Lake Como → Dolomites
Dolomites
The drive east. Private transfer from Lake Como to Cortina d’Ampezzo in the Dolomites (approximately 4 hours via Bergamo and the A4/A22 through the Brenner corridor). The landscape transforms from the soft lakeshore to the vertical limestone towers of the Dolomites — the most dramatic mountain scenery in Europe.
Arrive Cortina d’Ampezzo late afternoon — the ‘Queen of the Dolomites,’ host of the 1956 Winter Olympics and co-host of the 2026 Games. Check in. Evening: first Dolomite dinner — canederli (bread dumplings), speck, and a glass of Lagrein from Alto Adige.
Lake Como → Dolomites · 4hrs
Cortina d’Ampezzo
South Tyrolean dinner
Overnight: Dolomites
12
Day Twelve
Dolomites Day + Depart
Dolomites
Morning: Tre Cime di Lavaredo — the three iconic limestone towers that are the single most photographed image in the Dolomites (approximately 1 hour drive from Cortina, then a moderate 2-hour loop hike around the base). Or Lago di Braies — the turquoise Alpine lake surrounded by forest and Dolomite walls (the rowboat on the lake is the postcard).
Afternoon: transfer to Venice Marco Polo Airport (VCE, approximately 2 hours) or Innsbruck Airport (INN, approximately 2.5 hours) for your departure flight. Twelve days from Zurich to the Dolomites — Swiss precision to Italian soul, granite to limestone, fondue to risotto. Your specialist remains reachable throughout. Safe travels home.
Tre Cime or Lago di Braies
Transfer to VCE or INN
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Love this itinerary? Make it yours.
This is a sample luxury custom route — a starting point, not a fixed package. Many clients travel something very close to this, customized for their travel style, group, and dates. Book a free consultation and a specialist will build from here.
Accommodations
Boutique hotels, charming B&Bs, or historic castle stays — chosen based on your preferences and travel style.
Transportation
Private driver-guide, self-drive rental, or a mix of both — all transfers confirmed before you travel.
Experiences
Pre-arranged tours and activities built around your interests — entrance tickets sorted, no queuing.
Book a Free Consultation
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Activities on this itinerary
Your specialist pre-arranges the right luxury experiences based on your interests and travel style. These are the custom experience types available on this route — specific choices are made with you, not for you.
Jungfraujoch Top of Europe3,454m · Aletsch Glacier UNESCO
Gornergrat + Matterhorn3,089m · Riffelsee reflection
Mt Pilatus Golden Round TripCogwheel · cable car · 73 peaks
Milan Duomo Rooftop135 spires · Alps panorama
The Last Supper Pre-BookedLeonardo da Vinci · timed entry
Bellagio · Pearl of Lake ComoFerry crossing · Villa Melzi
Villa Balbianello by BoatStar Wars + Bond filming location
Tre Cime di LavaredoIconic Dolomite towers · loop hike
Lago di BraiesTurquoise Alpine lake · rowboats
Navigli Aperitivo MilanCanal district · Spritz culture
Chapel Bridge LucerneEurope’s oldest covered bridge · 1333
Zermatt Car-Free VillageMatterhorn views · fondue
Activities are selected and pre-booked with your specialist based on your interests — not all activities are included in every trip version. Availability varies by season.
The people who will design your Switzerland trip
You work directly with a specialist who knows Switzerland deeply — not a call center or booking agent. Every consultation is with someone who has been there, knows which Zermatt restaurant has the fondue with the Matterhorn view, which Lake Como ferry stop has the villa garden that the day-trippers miss, and which Dolomite rifugio serves the canederli that justifies the mountain drive.
Ireland · Scotland · Iceland · Portugal · Switzerland
Taryn Harrison
Juniper Tours’ most tenured specialist with 25 years of experience. CMSC certified and a former Peace Corps volunteer. Taryn brings the same detail-orientation to Portugal that she’s known for across Ireland and Iceland — she knows which Lisbon neighborhood hotel has the best terrace view, which Sintra entry time avoids the coach-tour peaks, and which Douro Valley quinta pours the reserve that doesn’t appear on the standard tasting menu.
25 Yrs
CMSC
Switzerland & Alps
Book a Consultation
Italy · Portugal · Spain · Switzerland
Lexi Blade
Florence and Salzburg-based with 8 years of experience across Southern Europe. Lexi covers Portugal, Italy, Spain, and Switzerland with the same firsthand knowledge she brings to every destination — sourced from living there rather than visiting. Her Switzerland itineraries are built around the mountain restaurants that require knowing the right cable car, the Alpine villages the tour buses can’t reach, and the lake-steamer routes that haven’t been found by the Instagram crowd yet.
8 Yrs
Florence Based
Southern Europe
Book a Consultation
About this itinerary
Switzerland and Italy share an open border — no passport control, no customs stop. The train from Zermatt to Milan runs through the Simplon Tunnel (approximately 3.5 hours total). Or your private driver crosses via the Simplon Pass in summer. The transition is seamless — you leave the Swiss Alps and arrive at Milan Centrale. Currency changes from Swiss Franc to Euro but both are widely accepted in the border region. Your specialist handles all the logistics.
The Swiss Alps are granite and ice — white peaks, green valleys, glaciers. The Dolomites are pale limestone towers that glow pink and orange at sunset (the enrosadira phenomenon). The landscape is more vertical, more dramatic, and more varied in color. The culture shifts too — the Dolomites are in South Tyrol (Alto Adige), where Italian, Austrian, and Ladin cultures blend. The food is a mix of Italian pasta and Austrian dumplings. The two mountain ranges in one trip gives you the full spectrum of Alpine experience.
June through September. The Swiss half works in any summer month. The Dolomites are best mid-June through mid-October when the high mountain passes and hiking trails are open. July and August are peak season with the warmest weather but busiest trails and roads. The Tre Cime di Lavaredo hike and the high passes (Stelvio, Passo Gardena) typically open in mid-June depending on snowmelt. Your specialist confirms access for your specific dates.
Yes — your specialist can build a standalone Italian Alps and Lakes itinerary starting in Milan. Juniper also offers comprehensive Italy itineraries that include Lake Como and the Dolomites alongside Rome, Florence, and the Amalfi Coast. The value of this combined itinerary is the contrast between the two countries — Swiss precision meets Italian flair, granite meets limestone, fondue meets risotto.
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Sean M. · Swiss & Italian Alps Tour · Verified Google Review
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