TRAVEL 'What a fantastic mountain; if a kid drew a mountain, it'd look like this," our expert guide, Tim Jepson, shared with our group. It was the second morning of the National Geographic Expeditions Swiss Trains and the Italian Lake District small group tour that had kicked off in Zurich with a comfortable train ride to the Swiss Alpine town of Zermatt, where we'd have the chance to view this marvelously unbelievable mountain firsthand. Day one had been a 10 out of 10 for scenery straight out of the gate.
Now, as most of us attempted to stave off our jet lag with coffee, we listened to an expert guide's first of three lectures, one of the unique features and draws of all Nat Geo Expeditions. Our guide for this particular itinerary was Tim, a successful and charismatic writer and author who mixed in the perfect amount of humor and fun facts with the important historical bits. We'd get along famously.
He was, of course, speaking about the iconic Matterhorn, which graces all the packages of Toblerone bars and stands above Zermatt as a mysterious monument, fickle in its appearance from one minute to the next. Rumor from the hotel terrace was promising — the clouds were starting to clear. The room buzzed with excitement.
Our group of strangers, soon to be friends, consisted of about 24 travelers ranging in age from 10 to 80-something. A handful of guests were repeat Nat Geo Expeditions customers, and the rest were newbies, like me. Over the next 10 days, we were about to share experiences and scenery atop most people's bucket lists.
Swiss bliss If riding nearly every scenic train in Switzerland is on your list, this trip is for you. We covered a lot of ground via train, climbing mountain passes, whizzing by storybook villages and bright blue glacial lakes, winding our way through tunnel after tunnel. Though my seat was comfy, I barely sat; my camera's shutter button got a serious workout.
That's the thing about Switzerland — endless beauty abounds. In Zermatt, we took three gondolas up to Glacier Paradise, where the air was thin and you could walk inside a glacier if you'd like. Though gorgeous, with a 360-degree sea of peaks, it was popular, which meant lots of selfie-taking tourists.
On the way back down, we ate Rosti al fresco out of cast-iron pans that was so delightful, all was quiet except the clinking of silverware and wine glasses. Fondue, hiking and a jaunt up the Gornergrat Bahn cogwheel railway (the highest train in all of Europe) were part of the Zermatt experience, as well. In true National Geographic fashion, we also toured the underground Matterhorn Museum, regaled by tales of the first adventurers to climb that massive peak by a local Alpine historian.
The three days spent in Zermatt felt long enough but not too long, and with my belly full of cheese, we boarded the luxury Glacier Express train for an all-day trek to St. Moritz. Aboard the train, a three-course meal, lovely chats with fellow guests and ridiculous vistas at every turn kept us busy.
St. Moritz, known as the "birthplace of Alpine tourism," was perched on a hill, lakeside, and our hotel was centrally located like the previous one, making it easy to walk most places. Dinners mostly included group meals with a pre-fixe menu, and the rest were on your own so you could explore the local restaurant scene.
It was a good mix, and I appreciated mingling with the group family-dinner style but having the opportunity to check out some spots that I wanted to try. In St. Moritz, the activity offerings varied from the Segantini Museum, a funicular ride up to Muottas Muragl, a private chocolate tasting at the famed Hanselmann and our second Swiss lecture from our resident expert, Tim, that left everyone in stitches.
We rode another amazing train, the Bernina Express to Poschiavo, a town I'd never heard of with loads of photo opportunities and the best tiramisu I've ever had. I loved the balance of free time to wander around and planned excursions. I also loved that free time in the early evenings typically meant running into the rest of the group at the hotel bar for happy-hour drinks.
This is Italy Our days in St. Moritz came to an end, but I wasn't disappointed since we were going to Italy next. We left the railway behind and boarded a coach bus for Lake Como, where our driver expertly navigated one of the gnarliest-looking mountain switchback roads I'd ever seen.
I lost count of fairy-tale towns backed by waterfalls and Alpine lakes mirroring mountains in the morning sun. Before getting to our destination of Varenna, we ate a magical lunch at a family-run winery overlooking Lake Como. Magic to me is burrata and fresh tomatoes, crisp white wine and good company, so yeah, it was magical.
We arrived at my favorite hotel of the trip, poised above the lake like the treasure it was. Our days in Varenna were for wandering, eating gelato, lounging poolside, lake dipping, sunset apertivos and eating, eating, eating. There was also a private boat ride to Bellagio and the regal Villa del Balbianello, a cooking demonstration with a local chef, a day trip to Como with an exclusive private tour of the Como Cathedral and Teatro Sociale.
Everything ran smoothly at the helm of our other expert guide, Federico Rosica, who was in charge of logistics and jokingly making sure no one drank cappuccinos after 11 a.m. (it's an Italian thing).
A few small snags arose (as they do with travel), and he handled it like a pro. The luxury with this trip wasn't just in the hotels and fancy trains; it was in the details, in not having to worry or stress and reorganize. At our farewell dinner on the grounds of a gorgeous villa, we reminisced about the trip, sharing our highs and lows, yet no one could come up with a low — proof of this precise luxury.
That's not all. I found that the trip with National Geographic Expeditions gave us exclusive opportunities, like private museum tours and chocolate tastings. We ventured off the beaten path at times (which I really appreciated) and always had someone sharing interesting information about what we were seeing, doing and experiencing.
This type of trip is for the curious-minded, the "I wonder what's around that corner," the did-we-all-just-become-best-friends, the true travel lover kind of person. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox!.
