Interlaken, Switzerland

A holiday resort rich in tradition, in the heart of the Swiss alps, situated between the Lakes of Thun and Brienz and at the foot the famous trio of peaks, the Eiger, the Mönch and the Jungfrau. Come and join the action, all in the most spectacular of settings.
Situated at 1,870ft above sea level, in the heart of Switzerland, a small town atmosphere with big city sophistication:

* The climate is subalpine, yet mild. You will not find great changes in the temperature due to forests surrounding the town and the nearby glacier.
* The variety of sights to see such as high alpine glacier world, lakes and waterfalls, and many other attractions all are within a 15 mile radius.
* Possibilities for excursions such as Lucerne, Berne, and Geneva -- All an easy ride by the marvelous train system.
* Sports facilities including cross-country skiing, alpine skiing, and ice skating.
* Enjoy a different ski area each day, as well as an efficient ski-bus/ train system to get you to the slopes in less than 30 minutes
* Business and entertainment districts with many of the shops on a pedestrian strip - The Höheweg - in the clean fresh air of the Swiss Berner Oberland
* Experience the famous Swiss hospitality. The locals are glad that you are visiting their town, and will go out of their way to help you enjoy the visit so much you will want to return again.

Itinerary

Friday, Feb 12 - 5.25 pm - Depart from JFK with AA non-stop flight to Zurich

Saturday, Feb 13
Arrive in Zurich and transfer to Interlaken. Check into our marvelous Hotel, The Carlton-Europ:
The art nouveau Carlton Europe Hotel dates back a hundred years but today, the young team will look after all your needs with all the charm and taste that the house dictates.

* Located centrally; 200m from the Interlaken EAST Train Station and at the beginning of Interlaken's famous high street, Höheweg
* The perfect starting point of any excursion into the magestic mountains of the Jungfrau region, a tour around or across the magnificent Lake Thun or Lake Brienz
* Bus Station 200m away at the Interlaken East (Ost) station
* 5 minutes walking from the center of Interlaken - Central but calm location
* Each room has been restored with its own charm and character
* Private bath, radio, TV, telephone, wireless internet, hot water tea/coffee, hair dryer, etc.
* Several restaurants at your disposal: WineArt, Shalimar, Chez Pierre and Johnny's Bar and Club
* Billiard, table tennis and chess available

Rest of Day - Explore the town of Interlaken or even hit the slopes for half a day:

Sunday, Feb 14 - go to the Top - The Jungfrau
The Jungfrau is one of the main summits in the Bernese Alps, situated between the cantons of Valais and Bern in Switzerland. Together with the Eiger and Mönch, the Jungfrau forms a massive wall overlooking the Bernese Oberland and considered one of the most emblematic sights of the Swiss Alps.
The construction of the Jungfraujoch railway east to the summit in the early 20th century made the area one of the most frequented places in the Alps. Along with the Aletsch Glacier lying on the south, the Jungfrau is part of the Jungfrau-Aletsch Protected Area which was declared a World Heritage site in 2001.
The Jungfrau is the westernmost and highest point of a gigantic 10 km wall dominating the valleys of Lauterbrunnen and Grindelwald.

The wall is formed by the alignment of some of the most distinctive north faces in the Alps, with the Mönch (4,107 m) and Eiger (3,970 m) alongside the Jungfrau, and overlooks the valleys to its north by a height of up to 3 km.
The difference of altitude between the deep valley of Lauterbrunnen (800 m) and the summit is particularly visible from the area of Mürren.
The whole area constitutes the largest glaciated area in the Alps as well as in Europe.

Once difficult to access, the Jungfraubahn cog railway now runs inside the mountain, up to the Jungfraujoch railway station at 3,454 m (11,332 ft), the highest in Europe. The Jungfraujoch is the lowest pass between the Jungfrau and Mönch.
The train into the mountain leaves from Kleine Scheidegg, which can be reached by trains from Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen. The train enters the tunnel running eastward through the Eiger shortly after leaving Kleine Scheidegg. Before arriving at the Jungfraujoch, it stops for a few minutes at two other stations, Eigerwand (on the north face of the Eiger) and Eismeer (on the south side), where the traveller can have a look through the excavated holes. The journey from Kleine Scheidegg to Jungfraujoch takes approximately 50 minutes including the stops; the downhill return journey taking only 35 minutes.

A large complex of tunnels and buildings has been constructed at the Jungfraujoch, mostly into the south side of the Mönch. There is a hotel, two restaurants, an observatory, a research station, a small cinema, a ski school, and the "Ice Palace", a collection of elaborate ice sculptures. Another tunnel leads outside to a flat, snow-covered area, where one can walk around and look down to the Konkordiaplatz and the Aletsch Glacier, as well as the surrounding mountains.

Monday, Feb 15 - Ski Grindelwald / Kleine Scheidegg
Grindewald is that unique combination of natural wonders that both attracts and overwhelms you. It is a small village in a magnificent, sun drenched valley, dotted all around by hand-hewn, charming chalets. Overlooking all of this, is a long east-west stretch of mountains that are among the talled and the most treacherous in the world. Located in the Bernese Oberland, 14 miles southeast of Interlaken, Grindewald is in the heart of the famous Jungfrau region, lying at the foot of the awesome Wetterhorn (12,143') and the infamous Eiger North Face (13,026').

Grindewald, also known as "the Valley of the Glaciers", is one of the world's leading wintersports resorts. Skiing caters to all levels with three main areas to choose from. The center point of the region is the Kleine Sheidegg, which can be reached by train from Grindewald. It's wide open slopes, above the tree line, offer excellent skiing opportunities for all standards of skier in some of the most impressive scenery in the Alps with many pretty runs through pine forests back to the resort. The Grindewald/First slopes, lying below the 9609' Schwarzhown, offer great skiing for the intermediate with many long cruising runs to sharpen your skills before attacking the more difficult runs of Murren and the Schilthorn. At the top of the Schilthorn, you'll want to visit the "Piz Gloria", the revolving restaurant that was features in one of the James Bond films. Some of the spectacular skiing scenes from that movie were filmed on the expert runs you can take down from there. This is an area we would only recommend for experts.

Winter sports available at night include: night skiing, ice skating, curling, and even night ski jumping for those with a desire to try everything. The Sports Center also offers a fitness room, indoor swimming pool, sauna, solarium, and curling for those with plenty of energy. Of course, there are other forms of evening exercise to enjoy. Grindewald has an abundant supply of lively clubs and discos, as well as cozy little cafes where you can enjoy the apres ski life.
For the non-skier, this area offers many sights to see, from the excursion to the Jungfraujoch on Europe's highest mountain railway to the "Talhaus", a museam in a church containing exhibits on agricultures and alpine farming to individual excursions to Lucerne and Bern. Grindewald has something to offer for everyone.

Tuesday, Feb 16 - Ski Wengen/ Laterbrunnen
Since 1930, the famous Lauberhorn ski races have been held in Wengen. The races traditionally consist of a downhill run, a slalom, and a combined event. In addition to being one of the technically most challenging downhill races, the Lauberhorn is the longest race in the FIS world cup circuit and arguably the most scenic. An average world cup racer completes the 4,455 metre run in about 2:30 minutes. The top speeds reached at Haneggschuss are the highest in the world cup circuit.
It is one of very few car-free resort villages in Europe, although there are a few electric vehicles for taxiing to and from the railway station.
It is accessible either by rail using the Wengernalpbahn from Lauterbrunnen or Grindelwald by changing in Kleine Scheidegg, or by cable car down from the Männlichen on the Luftseilbahn Wengen-Männlichen.

Wednesday, Feb 17 - Ski Murren
Mürren is a traditional Walser mountain village in Bernese Oberland, Switzerland, at an elevation of 1,650 m (5,413 ft.) above sea level and unreachable by public road. Tourism is popular through the summer and winter; the village features a view of the three towering mountains: Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau. Mürren has a population of just 450, but has 2,000 hotel beds.
A series of four cable cars, known as the Luftseilbahn Stechelberg-Mürren-Schilthorn (LSMS), provides transportation from Mürren downhill to Gimmelwald and Stechelberg, and uphill to the summit of the Schilthorn and the revolving restaurant Piz Gloria. This was a principal filming location for the James Bond movie On Her Majesty's Secret Service, released in 1969.
Mürren Railway Station during winter

Mürren is also connected to Lauterbrunnen by the Bergbahn Lauterbrunnen-Mürren, which consists of a narrow gauge railway and a connecting aerial tramway. Mürren is also the lower terminus of the Allmendhubelbahn funicular.
There are a total of 52 km (32 mi.) of ski runs with 14 ski lifts (4 cable cars, 6 chair lifts, 2 railways and 2 drag lifts). There is also off-piste skiing, but guiding is often needed and should be used. Although there is good skiing, a popular activity is sledding (sledging). There are many paths that are used for sledding including a route from Mürren to Gimmelwald (once in Gimmelwald, you can follow the short path through the village and take a cable-car back to Mürren) and from Gimmeln to Mürren that are used solely for hiking and sledding. The "bobrun" (which was a bobsleigh track) is also used for sledding and hiking but is also a well used ski run, often used by the ski school.

Thursday, Feb 18 - Do over / Ski the one you like best
Interlaken Resort Statistics:
Gateway City: Zurich   
Distance: 120 miles (2 hours)    
Elevation range: 3,000 to 12,333ft
Longest Run: 5 miles (intermediate)  
Highest Vertical: 7,300ft
Percentage Devoted To: Beginner: 20%;  Intermediate: 30%;  Advanced Intermediate: 30%;  Expert: 20%
Lift Tickets: Jungfrau Lift ticket: We will offer to purchase as a group; tickets at about 10% discount

Friday, Feb 19 - Do over / Ski the one you like best
Alternate Options:
* Possibilities for excursions such as Lucerne, Berne, and Geneva -- All an easy ride by the marvelous train system.
* Sports facilities including cross-country skiing, alpine skiing, and ice skating.

Saturday, Feb 20 - Early departure for the airport
Transfer to Zurich and catch our 10.20am non-stop flight back to JFK
Arrive in New York at 1.30 pm

Booking Details / Pricing: (Full Package, incl. International Flight!)

$1,595 make deposit by Wednesday, December 2
$1,695 make deposit by Wednesday, December 23
$1,795 make deposit by Wednesday, January 6

Please note:
This trip has only 20 available spots
Deposit / down payment: only $400 to hold your spot

Trip Includes:
Airline tickets and local ground connections
7 Night accommodations and 7 breakfasts at the Carlton-Europe, Interlaken

Does Not Include:
Ski Passes - We will group together to receive 10% discount on the most popular ski package of the Jungfrau Region
Train and Ski-Bus Transfers are included with the Ski Pass
Lunches/Dinners: Interlaken hosts amazing array of restaurants and bars

Our Flight: AA non-stop JFK to Zurich
1 AA  64S 12FEB F JFK ZRH 5.25PM  7.10AM  13FEB                     
2 AA  65S 20FEB J ZRH JFK 10.20AM  1.29PM

Cancellation Policy:
If you cancel more than 60 days before the date of travel, you would receive a refund minus $200
If you cancel less than 60 days before the date of travel, you would receive 75% refund
If you cancel less than 45 days before the date of travel, you would receive 50% refund
If you cancel less than 30 days before the date of travel, you would receive 25% refund
If you cancel less than 15 days before the date of travel, there won't be a refund possible unless we find replacement for you !
(We always highly recommend to take out travel insurance: www.travelex.com)