A Visual Guide to National Geographic Expeditions Swiss Trains and Italian Lake District Tour

If riding a trifecta of famous railways through the Swiss Alps, attending a decadent chocolate tasting, and watching an unforgettable sunset with an Aperol spritz in hand sounds right up your alley, this adventure is probably made for you.

Last June, I hopped aboard the 10-day Swiss Trains and the Italian Lake District tour with National Geographic Expeditions, and I got to do all this and more.

It’s a trip where, in the first half, you’ll dip bread into fondue and in the second portion, you’ll dip your toes in Lake Como. For me, it’s the stuff dreams are made of. This visual guide is just a glimpse of what we got up to.

Zermatt, Switzerland

After arriving in Zürich, we boarded our first train to Zermatt, home of the iconic Matterhorn.

Our three days in this picture-perfect alpine town were spent soaring high into the mountains via gondola to take in the sprawling view from Glacier Paradise, hiking, riding the Gornergrat Bahn cog railway for a closer view of the Matterhorn, and sampling local fare like rösti and fondue, of course.

We also enjoyed our first lecture by our expert guide, Tim Jepsen. This is a classic feature of all Nat Geo Expeditions, which really gives context to the history and culture of the places you experience on each trip.

A guided visit to the Matterhorn Museum with a local Alpine historian and a surprisingly delicious wood-fired Swiss pizza were other highlights from Zermatt.

Glacier Express

Leaving beautiful Zermatt wasn’t easy, but boarding the luxurious Glacier Express for a ridiculously scenic ride to St. Moritz was. The all-day journey bubbled over with vistas dappled with towering mountains, valleys with adorable villages tucked in, glacial lakes, and moody fog.

I barely sat down, my camera was in charge. In between overworking my shutter, I enjoyed a three-course lunch. In what seemed like a jiff, we arrived in St. Moritz.

St. Moritz

In St. Moritz, we got serious…about chocolate. Our hotel was right around the corner from the well-known Hanselmann, open for more than 125 years.

With our Nat Geo status, we were treated to a private chocolate tour and tasting that was downright out of this world. While I chose to take advantage of the morning light to wander around with my camera, the rest of the group visited the Segantini Museum before opening hours; the itinerary was flexible to whatever you were up for doing.

During our four days in St. Moritz, we also took a funicular ride up to Muottas Muragl, where insane views and a restaurant overlooking these views, slinging lunch items, awaited. My favorite was our last big Swiss train ride on the Bernina Express.

This wasn’t only because of the incredible tiramisu I had, but also because of the dazzling scenery and the tiny town of Poschiavo.

Varenna, Italy

Ah, the Italian Lake District. We took a coach bus, waving Switzerland goodbye and Italy hello, arriving at the beautiful waterside village of Varenna on Lake Como. This is where the Aperol Spritz became a daily ritual, as did twirling pasta and afternoon gelato.

While our itinerary landed us here, it’s subject to being switched up with one of the other sparkling Italian Lakes, such as Lake Maggiore (depending on the year). All of which are equally as spectacular.

These couple of days were the perfect way to cap off our trip.

A boat ride to Bellagio, a visit to the stately Villa del Balbianello, a cooking demonstration, and lots of what I was there for: eating, drinking wine, and taking photos, filled our time. Then, a family-style al fresco dinner with our new friends from the trip at a private villa. Bellissimo.

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