Advent Sunday on the

Own travel arrangements to the hotel, evening at leisure.

Excursion with the Bernina Express in 1st class to Tirano, including lunch. Our train travels along the Albula and Bernina line, one of the most spectacular rail journeys in the world and part of a UNESCO World Heritage site.

This is the highest rail line in the Alps, and an enduring marvel of the engineer’s art. Enjoy breathtaking views as we pass through valleys and tunnels, over deep canyons and across bridges. As it makes its way from the Bernina Pass down into the valley and on to Tirano, the Bernina Railway has to cope with a dramatic descent within a short distance. This difficult task is achieved through a number of ingenious constructions, including the spiral viaduct near Brusio which is now one of the most instantly recognisable features of the line. The Bernina Express turns through a full 360 degrees as it negotiates the viaduct.

Alternatively, make your own way to your chosen hotel.

Evening at leisure.

“I have seen many landscapes and liked almost all of them; but perhaps the finest, and the one that made the greatest impression on me, is the Upper Engadin.” Hermann Hesse, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, was very attached to the Engadin: after first setting eyes on its lakeland scenery at the age of 28, he became a frequent visitor to this part of the world.

The dazzling beauty of the Engadin has cast its spell on poets, painters, musicians and thinkers for more than 150 years. Friedrich Nietzsche, Hermann Hesse, Thomas Mann, Rainer Maria Rilke, Ferdinand Hodler, Richard Wagner and Giovanni Segantini are among the most important writers, philosophers and artists from down the years who have found lasting inspiration here for their work.

Departing from Chur, the oldest city in Switzerland, we travel through the canton of Graubünden in elegant Orient Express coaches fitted out in the enchanting Art Deco style of the early 20th century.

We celebrate Advent Sunday in style on board the Alpine Classic Pullman Express as we take our seats in the Pullman cars dating from the 1930s. Today we mark a first, as the “Orient Express of the Alps” is hauled by the new showpiece Ge 4/4 II locomotive number 626, which was decked out in its new Pullman livery in autumn 2024 at the main workshop in Landquart. For operational reasons (towing load and train weight), it will be paired with the green BoBo II 611.

An exciting journey with constantly changing views awaits us as we proceed through the Prättigau and the Wolfgang Pass to Davos. We then continue via Filisur and on the spectacular UNESCO World Heritage Albula line into the Engadin. On the way, welcome drinks are served in the Pullman cars, followed by a freshly prepared, festive Advent lunch in the dining cars.

In the church in Samedan, we are treated to a special concert featuring the harmonies of the Steidle family trio, comprising Werner Steidle and his daughters Sabrina and Valeria.

We return via Zernez, through the Vereina Tunnel and the Prättigau to Chur.

Evening at leisure.

Own departure arrangements after breakfast.