THE ALPINE CROSSING

01

The journey, at a glance

Five stays.
Rail → Lakes → Rock → Warm water.

7 NightsZürich → Zürich

Any Party SizeDesigned around your group, priced by party size

Late May – Early OctoberDesigned to the month you travel

01Chur1 nightThe oldest town in Switzerland, where the Bernina Express begins

02Lake Garda2 nightsSalò, a lake-view room on Italy’s largest lake

03Val Gardena2 nightsAt the centre of the Dolomite passes

04Längenfeld1 nightAqua Dome, thermal water in the Ötztal

05Zürich1 nightThe last night in the city, close to the flight home

Zürich and back to Zürich, through four countries. Five stays in the order you travel them: Chur, Lake Garda, Val Gardena, the thermal water at Längenfeld, and Zürich. Vaduz, Lake Iseo and Innsbruck are day stops along the way, not overnight stays.

The Route · Day by Day →

03

The route · day by day

Where you go, and what happens there.

Every day is open below: where you go, what happens, and where you sleep that night.

7 Nights · 5 stops · Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Italy and Austria

01Chur1 night
02Lake Garda2 nights
03Val Gardena2 nights
04Längenfeld1 night
05Zürich1 night

Stop 1 · Private transfer from Zürich, by way of VaduzChur1 night

Design decisionThe first night is in the town the train leaves from, not in Zürich: the Bernina Express starts here in the morning, and the old town is kept for the evening.

Day 01

Zürich → Vaduz → Chur

Two countries before dinner

You land in Zürich and are met for the drive east. The first afternoon is Liechtenstein — small enough to take in over a coffee — and then Chur, where the old town is kept for the evening and the train leaves in the morning.

Arrive Zürich Airport · private transfer to Vaduz
Liechtenstein Center · a souvenir stamp in your passport
Städtle pedestrian street · coffee · Vaduz Castle above the Rhine Valley
Transfer to Chur · check in
Old town walk · St. Martin’s Church · Chur Cathedral

TonightMercure Chur City WestOr similar

Stop 2 · Bernina Express to Tirano, then by roadLake Garda2 nights

Design decisionTwo nights by the lake, not one more place on the map: a whole day without luggage, and the same view in the evening.

The Landwasser Viaduct on the Bernina line, in summer

Day 02

Chur → Tirano → Lake Iseo → Lake Garda

Over the Bernina by rail

The Bernina Express climbs out of Chur over the Landwasser Viaduct and the Bernina Pass, then drops into Italy at Tirano, where your driver is waiting. In the afternoon, a short boat crossing to Monte Isola on Lake Iseo — an island village that still lives by fishing and net-making — before the evening drive to Lake Garda.

Bernina Express · Chur → Tirano · first class
Your driver meets you at Tirano station
Lake Iseo · boat crossing to Monte Isola · the fishing village
Evening arrival on Lake Garda · check in

TonightHotel Salò du ParcOr similar

Day 03

Lake Garda

A day on the water and the rock

The day belongs to the lake. In the morning a private boat takes you out to Isola del Garda and its villa and gardens. In the afternoon, the Strada della Forra — a road cut into the rock of a gorge, and the road James Bond drives in the opening chase of Quantum of Solace — and the Terrazza del Brivido, hanging over the drop. The evening is yours in Salò.

Private boat to Isola del Garda · guided visit of the villa and gardens
Strada della Forra · the Quantum of Solace road · with a local driver-guide
Terrazza del Brivido · the cliffside viewpoint
Sirmione · the castle town on its peninsula · if the afternoon allows
Evening in Salò · dinner at a recommended lakeside restaurant (own expense)

TonightHotel Salò du ParcOr similar

Stop 3 · By road, by way of the Prosecco HillsVal Gardena2 nights

Design decisionAt the centre of the passes: the day on the mountain roads starts at the door, with a driver, so nobody in the group spends it watching the road.

The Prosecco Hills of Valdobbiadene from above

Day 04

Lake Garda → Prosecco Hills → Val Gardena

Cycling the Prosecco Hills

After breakfast, east from the lake to the Prosecco Hills of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene, a UNESCO World Heritage landscape of steep vineyards and small winemaking villages. The late morning is spent on bicycles, through the vineyards at the pace the place deserves. The tasting is at Trattoria Alla Cima, set among the vines and well known locally; lunch there is recommended, at your own expense. In the afternoon the road turns north into the Dolomites, and Val Gardena.

The Prosecco Hills of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene · UNESCO World Heritage
Cycling through the vineyards and villages of Valdobbiadene
Prosecco tasting at Trattoria Alla Cima · lunch recommended, own expense
Afternoon drive into the Dolomites · arrive Val Gardena · check in

TonightHotel Touring DolomitesOr similar

Day 05

Seceda & the Sella Ronda

Seceda in the morning, the passes after

In the morning, the cable car from Ortisei up to Seceda, and a short, gentle walk from the top station to the ridge of the Odle peaks, best seen before the clouds build. In the afternoon your driver takes you round the loop of passes around the Sella group. Stops are made where the view is, not where a schedule says.

Seceda · cable car from Ortisei · the Odle ridge
The Sella Ronda · the loop of passes around the Sella group
Return to Val Gardena · dinner at a recommended restaurant (own expense)

TonightHotel Touring DolomitesOr similar

Stop 4 · Over the Timmelsjoch High Alpine RoadLängenfeld1 night

Design decisionAfter the high road, warm water rather than a city: the evening in the pools, and the next morning too — check-out is at noon.

Day 06

Val Gardena → Timmelsjoch → Sölden → Längenfeld

Over the high road into Tyrol

The Timmelsjoch High Alpine Road takes you out of Italy and into Austria. On the way up we stop at the six viewpoints of the Timmelsjoch Experience, to walk, take photographs and rest, so nobody spends the pass road feeling carsick. If the pass is closed on your date, the crossing is made by the Brenner instead. At Sölden, the cable car climbs to 3,048 metres, to the summit where Spectre was filmed: 007 Elements, the James Bond installation built into the mountain, and the glass-walled ice Q. Then down the valley to Längenfeld and the thermal pools of the Aqua Dome for the evening.

Timmelsjoch High Alpine Road · into Austria
Timmelsjoch Experience · six viewpoints to stop, walk and rest
Gaislachkogl cable car · 007 Elements at 3,048 m
Lunch at ice Q · recommended (own expense)
Aqua Dome · thermal pools, saunas and the floating basins

TonightAqua Dome – Tirol Therme LängenfeldOr similar

Stop 5 · Transalpin panorama train from InnsbruckZürich1 night

Design decisionHome by panorama train, not the motorway, and the last night in the city the flight leaves from: the final morning is not a mountain road against the clock.

First-class panorama car on the Transalpin, beside the Walensee

Day 07

Längenfeld → Innsbruck → Zürich

Warm water, then the train home

The morning is for the pools — check-out is at noon. Then the drive to Innsbruck for the old town and the Golden Roof, and the Transalpin panorama train back across Austria and into Switzerland.

Morning in the thermal pools · check out at 12:00
Transfer to Innsbruck · the old town · the Golden Roof
Transalpin panorama train · Innsbruck → Zürich · first class
Arrive Zürich · transfer to the hotel

TonightSheraton Zürich HotelOr similar

Day 08

Zürich

A last morning, then home

Breakfast, and whatever time your flight leaves you in the city, then the transfer to Zürich Airport.

Breakfast · check out
Time at leisure, depending on your flight
Transfer to Zürich Airport

Tonight—

04

Where you stay

Five places.
Five ways to be in the Alps.

This section answers one thing only: why we chose to stay this way.

01 — The First Night

Where the Train Begins

Mercure Chur City West, or similar

1 night · Chur

Why Chur: the Bernina Express leaves from here in the morning, so the first night is spent in the town the train starts from, with the old town within easy reach for the evening.

02 — The Lake

Two Nights on Lake Garda

Hotel Salò du Parc, or similar

2 nights · Salò

Why two nights, and why a lake-view room: after the crossing, the journey stops moving for a day. The lake is the day’s whole programme, and you come back to the same view in the evening.

03 — The Mountains

Inside the Dolomites

Hotel Touring Dolomites, or similar

2 nights · Val Gardena

Why Val Gardena: it sits at the centre of the passes, so the day on the mountain roads starts at the door rather than after a long drive in.

Aqua Dome – Tirol Therme Längenfeld, or similar

04 — The Thermal Water

Warm Water in Tyrol

Aqua Dome – Tirol Therme Längenfeld, or similar

1 night · Längenfeld

Why here: after the high road and 3,048 metres, the evening is in thermal water, and so is the next morning — check-out is at noon. Aqua Dome was named World’s Best Mineral & Hot Springs Spa at the 2024 World Spa Awards.

05 — The City

The Last Night in Zürich

Sheraton Zürich Hotel, or similar

1 night · Zürich

Why Zürich: the last night is spent in the city the flight leaves from, so the final morning is not a mountain road against the clock.

Seven nights · five places · four countries

Vaduz, Lake Iseo and Innsbruck are day stops and are not overnight stays.

05

The journey designer

Real places.
Led in person.
One designer, start to finish.

I have led groups through Switzerland and Austria many times, and I kept noticing the same thing: most itineraries choose one side of the mountains and stay there. This one crosses, so each side gets to be itself — the rail, the lakes, the rock, the warm water.

Every arrangement here is one I have chosen and sequenced myself — and one I would take my own family on. If a road or a lift is not running on the day, I am the one who redesigns the plan that morning.

Zelts YangFounder & Journey Designer, ZeL CuraTours

Who looks after you?

Before the journey

ZeL coordinates your journey from Kuala Lumpur and remains your main point of contact.

Driver and transfers

A private vehicle and driver are with you from Tirano to Längenfeld; other transfers are handled by local transport partners according to the confirmed itinerary and party size.

Local experiences

Boats, trains, lifts and visits are operated by the relevant local operators.

During the journey

You have a direct WhatsApp contact with ZeL for coordination and support.

A tour leader is not included. If you would like one to travel with your group, it can be arranged and quoted separately.

Journeys That Matter.

07

Why it is arranged this way

Not eight days filled up.
Each day prepares the next.

Arrive → cross → slow down → climb → over the top → rest → home by rail. Each design move gives something up.

The rhythm of the eight days

01Arrive, then cross.

Day 01ArriveNew bed tonight

Day 02CrossNew bed tonight

02Slow down.

Day 03Stay putSame bed

03Climb.

Day 04NorthNew bed tonight

Day 05The passesSame bed

04Go over the top.

Day 06High roadNew bed tonight

05Rest.06Go home by rail.

Day 07Spa · railNew bed tonight

Day 08HomeFlight home

01Design move · Arrival · Chur → Tirano

Arrive, then cross.

Let the train make the crossing

The road from Chur into Italy is quicker. We put you on the train instead. It means a fixed timetable on the first full day; what it gives back is the biggest crossing of the journey with nobody at the wheel and nothing between you and the window.

What we give up: A quicker road into Italy
What you get: The biggest crossing of the journey, with nobody at the wheel

Salò on Lake Garda, the hotel at the water

02Design move · Two nights · Lake Garda

Slow down.

Stop moving at the lake

Two nights in Salò means one place fewer on the map. What it gives back is a day without luggage: a boat, an island, a road through a gorge, and the same room waiting in the evening.

What we give up: One more place on the map
What you get: A whole day without luggage, and the same view at night

The Prosecco Hills in autumn, an old bell tower above the vines

03Design move · Day 04 · Lake Garda → Val Gardena

Slow down.

A day among the vines before the mountains

The drive from the lake to the Dolomites takes only a few hours, and it would be easy to fill it with more stops. Instead the day goes to the Prosecco Hills: bicycles, a long lunch, a glass of what grows there. You reach Val Gardena in the late afternoon, rested, and the day after belongs to the passes, with a driver, so nobody in the group spends it watching the road.

What we give up: More places ticked off on the drive north
What you get: Arriving in the mountains rested, not road-weary

04Design move · Day 06 · Val Gardena → Timmelsjoch → Sölden

Go over the top.

Take the high road, not the motorway

The Brenner motorway is the quick way north into Austria. We take the Timmelsjoch High Alpine Road instead: a pass road open only in summer, crossing the border at 2,509 metres. It costs time on the road; what it gives back is the second crossing of the Alps, made over the top rather than through a valley — with the cable car up to 007 Elements at 3,048 metres at the end of it.

What we give up: The quicker Brenner motorway
What you get: The second crossing, made over the top at 2,509 metres

05Design move · Day 06 – 07 · Längenfeld

Rest.

End the mountains in warm water

After the high road and 3,048 metres, the next stop is not a city but Aqua Dome. The evening is in the thermal water, and with check-out at noon, so is the morning. It means one fewer city night on the way home; what it gives back is a body that has rested before the journey back.

What we give up: One more city night
What you get: An evening and a morning in the thermal water

First-class panorama car on the Transalpin

06Design move · Day 07 · Innsbruck → Zürich

Go home by rail.

Go home by panorama train

The last leg could be a drive straight back to Zürich. We give it to the Transalpin instead: a first-class panorama car, over the Arlberg and along the Walensee. It runs to a timetable; what it gives back is a journey that ends looking out of a window, not at a motorway.

What we give up: A door-to-door drive back
What you get: A last crossing in a first-class panorama car

08

Journey investment

Pricing by party size.
Clearly stated.

Private journey pricing · land arrangement

From RM 18,800

Per person · excluding international flights

How many of you?

The route does not change with party size. The vehicle, the boat on Lake Garda and the other shared arrangements are sized to your group.

Party-size pricing
Party size	Per person
10+	Private quotation
10 travellers	From RM 18,800
8 travellers	From RM 20,800
6 travellers	From RM 22,800
4 travellers	From RM 24,800

Travelling as two?

This journey is individually quoted for two travellers, based on travel dates, vehicle and boat arrangements. The complete cost is confirmed in your individual quotation.

Request a 2-Person Quote →

The per-person price changes with party size because the vehicle, driver, private boat and other shared arrangements are spread across the group. Above ten, the journey is quoted individually: tell us the size of the party and the dates, and a tour leader can be quoted separately on request.

Included

✓Seven nights across five places, with daily breakfast
✓Mercure Chur City West, or similar · 1 night
✓Hotel Salò du Parc, Lake Garda, or similar · 2 nights
✓Hotel Touring Dolomites, Val Gardena, or similar · 2 nights
✓Aqua Dome – Tirol Therme Längenfeld, or similar · 1 night
✓Sheraton Zürich Hotel, or similar · 1 night
✓Private arrival transfer, Zürich Airport → Vaduz → Chur
✓Bernina Express, Chur → Tirano, first class with seat reservation
✓Private vehicle and driver, Tirano to Längenfeld (Days 02–06)
✓Boat crossing to Monte Isola on Lake Iseo
✓A private boat to Isola del Garda, with a guided visit, and the Strada della Forra
✓Cycling in the Prosecco Hills and a Prosecco tasting at Valdobbiadene
✓Gaislachkogl cable car and 007 Elements
✓Transfer from Längenfeld to Innsbruck
✓Transalpin panorama train, Innsbruck → Zürich, first class
✓Transfers in Zürich, station to hotel and hotel to airport
✓AIG Travel Insurance
✓ZeL journey design and support throughout the trip

Not included

✕International flights to and from Zürich
✕Lunches and dinners — recommended restaurants along the way, paid locally
✕Visa fees where applicable
✕Local tourist taxes where charged by the hotels
✕Personal expenses and gratuities

Meals

DailyBreakfast at the hotels
Day 03 · 05Dinner at a recommended restaurant · own expense
Day 04Lunch at Trattoria Alla Cima, Valdobbiadene · recommended, own expense
Day 06Lunch at ice Q, 3,048 m · recommended, own expense

Lunches and dinners are not included, so each one can be chosen on the day. We recommend places along the route.

Land arrangement

From RM 18,800 per person, based on the published party-size structure. This is the price of the journey on the ground, from arrival in Zürich to departure from Zürich.

International flights

Not included. Kuala Lumpur return is from approx. RM 4,500 per person as a planning reference; the actual figure is based on the flight fare at the time you enquire. Flight planning and ticketing assistance are available.

Trains

The Bernina Express and the Transalpin are scheduled public trains; your seats are reserved in first class.

What moves the number

Travel month, room configuration and party size. A party of four does not need the same vehicle as a party of eight, so the journey is assembled around your group and your month.

Room categories are subject to final supplier confirmation.

Tell us your travel month and party size, and we will come back with the full plan.

Enquire About This Journey →

09

Questions

Questions People Actually Ask

01. Is this journey suitable for seniors?Yes. There are no long hikes; most of the sightseeing is short walks in old towns, gardens and viewpoints, and the longest travel days are spent in a train or a private vehicle.

The cable car at Sölden reaches 3,048 metres. Anyone with heart or breathing conditions should check with their doctor, and that part of the day can be skipped.

The pace can be adjusted around your group.

02. Do we need to drive?No. From Tirano to Längenfeld you have a private vehicle and driver, and the other transfers are arranged for you.

03. What if a high road or a lift is not open?The Timmelsjoch High Alpine Road and the Gaislachkogl cable car run to a season set by the weather each year.

If the Timmelsjoch is closed on your date, the crossing into Austria is made by the Brenner route instead. Opening dates are confirmed for your dates before anything is booked.

04. Why are lunches and dinners not included?So that you can eat where and when you like. The lakes, the Dolomites and Tyrol each have their own food, and a fixed menu would take that away.

We recommend places along the route, including ice Q on Day 06. Breakfast is included every day.

05. How much walking is there?Old towns such as Chur and Sirmione are on cobbled streets, and the visit to Isola del Garda includes stairways, with an alternative route available for those who need it. Comfortable shoes are enough; no mountain equipment is needed.

06. Can the order of the days change?Some things are fixed by the calendar: the high roads and lifts follow their season. Around those, dates, timing and pace can be adjusted to your party.

07. Is this a private custom journey?Yes. The journey is designed and arranged around your party, with a private vehicle and driver and a private boat on Lake Garda.

Some parts are shared by nature: the Bernina Express and the Transalpin are scheduled public trains with reserved first-class seats, and the boat to Monte Isola is the regular crossing.

What is private and customised is the design and arrangement of the journey as a whole — it does not mean that every individual component is privately operated.

08. Are international flights included?No. The 7 nights describe the journey itself, from arrival in Zürich to departure from Zürich.

As a planning reference, Kuala Lumpur return is from approx. RM 4,500 per person; the actual figure is based on the flight fare at the time you enquire.

Flight planning and ticketing assistance can be provided once your preferred dates are known.

09. What happens if weather affects an activity?Mountain weather can change quickly, and an operator may cancel an activity when conditions are unsafe or unsuitable.

Where weather or an operator’s cancellation makes a listed element impossible, an equivalent alternative is arranged at no additional cost. Nothing is quietly dropped. Where no equivalent exists, that element’s cost is refunded to you.

Any activity that has already started or has been completed is non-refundable.

Views, weather and snow conditions are never guaranteed and are not refundable.

10. How do I confirm the journey?50% of the journey price on confirmation, and the balance 60 days before departure.

Train tickets, final documents and the day-by-day schedule are issued once the balance is received.

The exact amounts and dates are set out in your formal quotation.

11. What is the cancellation policy?If you cancel, costs already committed to suppliers are deducted and the balance is returned.

Within 60 days of departure the first payment is not refundable; within 30 days of departure the journey price is not refundable. A no-show or an early departure is not refundable.

If we cancel for any reason other than force majeure, every payment you have made is returned in full within fourteen days.

AIG Travel Insurance is included.

12. Can the price change after I confirm?The price is quoted in Malaysian Ringgit against the exchange rates on the date of your quotation. A movement beyond ±3% before the balance date may require an adjustment; any adjustment is put to you in writing with the workings shown, and is never applied without your agreement.

A change to the number of travellers or to the rooming changes the price, because several rates are per room or per vehicle rather than per person.

This is a reference itinerary. The final arrangements may be adjusted to suit your actual departure date, flight schedule and local operating conditions.

Share your next journey with us. We would love to design a journey around you.

The journey, at a glance

The thinking behind the design

Not the Alps from one valley.
The Alps the way people cross them.

The route · day by day

Zürich → Vaduz → Chur

Chur → Tirano → Lake Iseo → Lake Garda

Lake Garda

Lake Garda → Prosecco Hills → Val Gardena

Seceda & the Sella Ronda

Val Gardena → Timmelsjoch → Sölden → Längenfeld

Längenfeld → Innsbruck → Zürich

Zürich

Where you stay

Where the Train Begins

Two Nights on Lake Garda

Inside the Dolomites

Warm Water in Tyrol

The Last Night in Zürich

The journey designer

Who looks after you?

The Alpine season — late May to early October

When to go

Why it is arranged this way

The rhythm of the eight days

Let the train make the crossing

Stop moving at the lake

A day among the vines before the mountains

Take the high road, not the motorway

End the mountains in warm water

Go home by panorama train

Journey investment

Travelling as two?

Included

Not included

Meals

Questions

Begin

Tell us your month
and how many of you.

The journey, at a glance

The thinking behind the design

Not the Alps from one valley.The Alps the way people cross them.

The route · day by day

Zürich → Vaduz → Chur

Chur → Tirano → Lake Iseo → Lake Garda

Lake Garda

Lake Garda → Prosecco Hills → Val Gardena

Seceda & the Sella Ronda

Val Gardena → Timmelsjoch → Sölden → Längenfeld

Längenfeld → Innsbruck → Zürich

Zürich

Where you stay

Where the Train Begins

Two Nights on Lake Garda

Inside the Dolomites

Warm Water in Tyrol

The Last Night in Zürich

The journey designer

Who looks after you?

The Alpine season — late May to early October

When to go

Why it is arranged this way

The rhythm of the eight days

Let the train make the crossing

Stop moving at the lake

A day among the vines before the mountains

Take the high road, not the motorway

End the mountains in warm water

Go home by panorama train

Journey investment

Travelling as two?

Included

Not included

Meals

Questions

Begin

Tell us your monthand how many of you.

Not the Alps from one valley.
The Alps the way people cross them.

Tell us your month
and how many of you.