Observations on the Crown Jewel tour
This isn’t exactly a trip report; others on this forum have posted excellent reports on this itinerary. Rather, I will supplement others’ reports with additional detail. I apologize for the length.
First night in Lausanne: If the weather is good and you’re not too hungry (don’t worry; this itinerary will include LOTS of food) we found the perfect outdoor spot for a glass of good Swiss white wine and light finger food: Les Jardins. It is an informal outdoor garden with gravel paths and tiny candle-lit tables built into the ramparts of the Lausanne cathedral, with good views out over the city. Not fine dining, but fun. Be warned: Lausanne is very hilly, and getting to this spot from the Tauck hotel Lausanne Palace involves a lot of stair climbing.
A note on Swiss wine: We are not wine experts, but living close to the Napa Valley and other California wine regions has exposed us to a lot of good wine. We never had a Swiss white that was bad, and most were very good to excellent. We never had a Swiss red that was more than mediocre, and some were very disappointing. Your tastes may differ.
Photographing and hiking the Matterhorn: We were eager to see this iconic mountain and get good photos if we could. (The mountain is frequently swathed in clouds, so you might need several chances to get one good photo.) Days 2-4 in Zermatt gave us the opportunity. The itinerary includes most of day 3 at Gornergrat, a famed Matterhorn viewing location, but we didn’t know whether the day would be clear. Oddly, our tour director never alerted us to other opportunities or photo tips. He offered an optional late afternoon town walk after we arrived but we were too tired to go. Later at dinner we found out he walked to a spot in town where one can see the tip of the Matterhorn. We walked to the same spot early the next morning when the town was still in shadows and the peak was in sunlight—much better than the afternoon light. To get there, walk up the Bahnhofstrasse from the Tauck Hotel Mont Cervin Palace (rooms in front have a Matterhorn view but we all got rooms in the back) about five minutes to the city hall or Gemeinde Zermatt. There is a giant bronze alphorn in front. The terrace on the side of the building has great views of the peak over town rooftops. Other Tauck guests discovered a spot “behind the hotel” that also offered good views but we don’t know the exact spot. (Also behind the hotel is a collection of traditional huts or mazots dating from the 16th to 18th century; our TD never told us about them either.)
Day 3 includes a chance to hike part way down from Gornergrat, best spot for Matterhorn viewing in clear weather. Other forum posters thought sneakers were adequate for the hike. That was not our experience. We had hiking poles and they were very useful; other hikers envied them. One fellow guest slipped and wrenched her knee, hobbling her for the rest of the trip. I hiked in Keen Targhee IV shoes recommended by terrilynn, frequent forum poster. They worked well, and came in handy at the ice palace (more on that later). The hike is mostly downhill, and our knees were sore the next day!
San Salvatore funicular in Lugano: Our TD mentioned this as one option for our free afternoon in Lugano. The foot of the funicular is a ten minute walk from the Hotel Splendide Royal Lugano. On a clear day, the views are stunning. Glad I went, especially since our day 7 ride up to the viewpoint at Harder Kulm was cloudy, foggy, rainy, and totally without its great views. In cloudy Switzerland, take advantage of clear weather!
The Ice Palace at Jungfraujoch: There has been a lot of discussion on this forum about slippery surfaces in the ice palace. Wearing my Targhee IV shoes with grippy soles, I never slipped, and others didn’t seem to have a problem either.
Here’s a hint on taking photos in the ice palace. Your phone may sense that it doesn’t need a flash. The resulting photos of people will be black silhouettes against a sparkling ice wall. Learn how to force the flash on your phone; that way faces will be illuminated. You may also want to turn off the flash to get some atmospheric blue-tinted photos in there.
Rosengart Museum in Luzern: Luzern is a lovely town, the Swiss city where we would most like to return and spend more time. During our free afternoon there I visited the Sammlung Rosengart private museum, about a 15 minute walk from the Tauck hotel, Hotel Schweizerhof. The museum has a jaw-dropping impressive collection of Picassos, and a collection of over 100 small works by Paul Klee. The under-appreciated museum was nearly empty on a Friday afternoon. Imagine being alone in a room with about half a dozen Picassos! Or 50 Klees!
Crowds: Jungfraujoch is apparently the most-visited tourist attraction in Switzerland. Even in “shoulder’ season when we visited (Sept. 24, 2025) the crowds were terrible, especially inside the buildings since it was below freezing, breezy, and snowing lightly outside. To descend we took the Eiger Express, a new cable car that does not stop completely as you enter. As I entered, the car moved one way, the crowd behind me pushed me the other way, and I wrenched my back. Crowds were also heavy at other locations such as Zermatt and train stations. We stayed after the tour to travel by train to Lauterbrunnen. Heeding on-line advice that was either faulty or obsolete, I bought second class passes and never reserved train seats. Mistake. I ended up buying some costly upgrades to ensure space on crowded trains.
Switzerland is the most beautiful place we have ever visited. The Tauck itinerary is pretty good (although nearly everyone on the tour said St. Moritz was totally skippable) and we recommend it highly to anyone who appreciates beautiful scenery and doesn’t need formality or gourmet dining.