Splendors of Switzerland by Rail

After you enroll, we’ll ask you to provide or update your personal information and preferences, which includes your health information, lodging and meal preferences for your program.

A passport is required for this program. It must be valid for at least 6 months after your return date.

This information about travel documents pertains to participants holding U.S. passports. Non-U.S. citizens should refer to their country's requirements to ensure they have the necessary documentation for travel.

United States citizens don’t need a visa for any of the countries you’ll be visiting. Non-U.S. citizens should refer to their country's requirements to ensure they have the necessary documentation for travel.

If Road Scholar is arranging your air travel to and from the program, and you travel on the scheduled start and end dates, you’ll receive free round-trip transfers from the airport to the hotel.

Arrival day is on October 8, 2026

Meet the group at Hotel Waldstätterhof Luzern in Lucerne

Start of Trip:  Hotel check-in 3:00 p.m.; 4:00 p.m. Orientation followed by Welcome Dinner.

Getting to the site: Follow signs at the airport to take the IR75 train from the airport, with one train change at Zurich HB, to Luzern. Trains come every hour, the ride is about 1 hour and 21 minutes and the fee is 30 Swiss Francs CHF (tickets can be purchased at machines in the customs hall). The hotel is located about 525 feet from the train station and is a 2-3 minute walk.

Getting to the site by train or bus: Trains and public buses all over Switzerland on a regular (usually hourly) schedule, boats as public transportation on many lakes, city buses in all bigger agglomerations. Check the websites: www.sbb.ch (for trains) and the city websites.

Your trip ends on: Thursday, October 22, 2026 in Zurich at Hotel Welcome Inn

End of Trip: After breakfast. 12:00 PM hotel check-out. Transfers continue throughout the day depending on transfer times.

Getting to the airport: A taxi from the hotel to the airport will take about 10 minutes, and costs around 25 CHF. Alternatively, public transportation (bus) stops are close to the hotel operates every 30 minutes, and will take 7-10 minutes.

Information if you are purchasing your own airfare: Road Scholar no longer offers complimentary transfers to participants with “Program Only” status. However, the Arrival transfer on this program is an exception to the policy due to the nature of transportation included on this program. If you are arriving early or booked your own air, there is a possibility to reserve a seat on the group arrival transfer. Please note if you are arranging your own air, your flight should arrive no later than 11:30 a.m. in order to ensure that you will be able to join the transfer. The Final Information Packet, which is released 6 weeks prior to the program start date, will include instructions on how to reserve your space on the transfer. Reservations for the arrival group transfer are only available after you have received the Final Information Packet, but no later than 30 days prior to the program start date. Transfer times will vary from departure to departure. There is no guarantee that the transfer schedule will coincide with independently booked flights. If you wish you purchase airfare through Road Scholar, please call (800) 241-1404. Please note: In the unlikely event Road Scholar must make changes to the program's arrival or departure details, we will notify all participants as soon as possible. Participants who have purchased Road Scholar airfare are protected against airline change fees; however, anyone who has not purchased Road Scholar airfare will be required to make their own adjustments and may incur fees imposed by the airline.