Frequently Asked Questions

Bookings can be made directly on our website or through various (online) travel agencies. Alternatively, you can buy your ticket at your hotel reception, the local tourist information or at our ticket office in Zurich (subject to availability). Please note that reservations generally require a prepayment of the service. For any enquiries regarding your booking, please do not hesitate to contact us via phone at +41 44 710 50 50 or via email at info@switzerland-tours.ch.

For cancellations or amendments, please contact your (online) travel agent that originally confirmed your booking. For bookings made on our website, please contact us via phone at +41 44 710 50 50 or via email at reservations@switzerland-tours.ch.

All bookings can be amended or cancelled free of charge up to 24 hours (regular tours) or 48 hours (multi-day tours) prior to the indicated departure time. Cancellations or amendments received less than 24 hours before departure and no-shows on the day will be charged the full tour rate. The same policy applies for bookings made less than 24 hours before departure.

All our excursions take place as planned regardless of the weather. Only in the exceptional case that our partners (such as cable car companies) must close lifts or railways for safety reasons, the programme will be amended and an alternative destination will be visited. In case of a price difference, you will receive a partial refund through your (online) travel agency.

In the event that the minimum number of 5 paying adults is not reached, tours will be cancelled with 24 hours notice. In this case, you can either modify your reservation to a different date (free of charge) or tour or request a full refund of your payment.

Cancellations or amendments received less than 24 hours before departure and no-shows on the day will be charged the full tour rate. We strongly recommend having travel insurance covering the cost of the excursions in the event of medical issues or traffic delays.

Bookings for regular tours can be modified or cancelled free of charge up to 24 hours prior to departure, allowing you to adjust your itinerary according to the weather forecast. If the tour is operated and you decide not to participate because of the weather, no refund will be provided. We believe that there is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing!

Most of our tours are suitable for children, with the following exceptions requiring a minimum age:

•     Small Group Tours: 6 years (not suitable for infants)
•     Lucerne & Titlis Snow Experience: 10 years
•     Swiss Ski Experience: 10 years
•     Grindelwald First – Top Adventure: 10 years (min. height: 135 cm / min. weight: 35 kg)
•     Canyoning Adventure in Interlaken: 12 years
•     Rafting Adventure in Interlaken: 14 years

As all tours are operated in comfortable travel coaches (or minibuses for small group tours), the walking distance is limited and can generally be kept to a minimum. The visited destinations and their facilities are mainly handicapped accessible, but some on-site attractions may require some walking. Our coaches are not equipped with a ramp for wheelchair users, which is why you must be able to get on and off the bus yourself or with self-organized assistance. If your wheelchair is foldable, it can be stored in the luggage compartment of the coach. We kindly ask you to inform us about any mobility limitations in advance. Please note that the following tours are not suitable for people with reduced mobility:

• Zurich with Cruise & Lindt Home of Chocolate
• Rafting or Canyoning Adventure in Interlaken
• Swiss Ski Experience
• Lucerne & Titlis Snow Experience
• Grindelwald First - Top Adventure

Pets are not allowed on any of our tours. If you are travelling with a guide dog, please contact us in advance.

We offer five multi-day packages with one or two overnight stays, which combine two or three of our regular daily excursions. The overnight stay in a three-star hotel with breakfast or half board is included. All offers can be found under Multi-day Tours.

 Our aim is to provide our guests with a service of the highest quality. Therefore, we focus on our core business of regular tours and do not offer private tours or other tailor-made services. However, we do offer a selection of small group tours with a more personal touch to destinations off the beaten track. 

We specialize in regular daily excursions from Zürich, Lucerne and Interlaken to the most beautiful destinations in the German-speaking part of Switzerland. For tours in the French-speaking part of Switzerland, we recommend contacting one of the following two Geneva-based tour operators:

• GVA Transfers
• KeyTours

While it is certainly possible to visit many destinations individually by public transport or rental car, joining a guided tour with Best of Switzerland Tours comes with many advantages:

Commitment to quality: In our more than 20 years of existence, we have constantly improved our services. We are a certified holder of the Q-Quality seal by the Swiss Tourism Federation and very proud of our excellent ratings on social media channels such as TripAdvisor, Facebook and Google.

Daily departures: All reservations for regular tours can be modified or cancelled free of charge up to 24 hours prior to departure and our daily departures allow you to adapt your itinerary to the weather conditions and other unexpected circumstances.

Preferred access: Avoid wasting precious time in lengthy queues through preferred access granted by our strong partnerships with many destinations.

Convenience: We believe that travelling with us is the most convenient way to explore Switzerland. Once aboard the bus, you neither have to worry about train timetables, tickets nor anything else that would keep you from fully enjoying your day.

Award-winning tour guides: Our tour guides are the heart of every tour and are willing to go the extra mile every day anew. When travelling with us, you will experience Swiss hospitality at its finest.

Any liability of Best of Switzerland Tours is limited to the tour price as well as any direct damages caused wilfully or by gross negligence by the tour operator. Guests undertake all activities at their own risk and undertake to inform us of any health problems, if relevant to the tour programme. Adequate health and accident insurance coverage lies in the responsibility of the guest (including supplementary insurance against sports accidents in case of tours with sports activities).

Tickets are available at our ticket office at the Sihlquai Coach Terminal in Zürich. As tickets are subject to availability, we strongly recommend booking your tickets in advanced for a guaranteed seat on the tour. You can book your tickets on our website, at the local tourist information or at your hotel reception. Reservations can only be made against prepayment of the service.

We accept cash payments (on-site purchases) and credit card payments (advance and on-site purchases).

Infants under the age of 6 travel free of charge. Please note that they still need a reservation as we must allocate a seat on the bus for them. Children aged 6 to16 pay 50% of the adult fare with the following exceptions:

Reduced child discount:

• Grindelwald First – Top Adventure
• Lucerne & Titlis Snow Experience
• Multi-day tours: Jewels of the Alps, Alpine Dreams, Mountain Wellness, Top of Switzerland, Highlights of Central Switzerland

No child discount:

• Swiss Ski Experience
• Zurich Sunset Tour with Cheese Fondue
• Canyoning or Rafting Adventure in Interlaken

All our tours are conducted with coaches or minibuses that are not part of the public transport system and we thus do not offer a discount to Swiss Travel Pass holders. Whenever the use of public transport is included in a tour, favourable group rates apply, and no further discounts can be granted.

Zurich Card holders benefit from a 10 % discount on our "Best of Zurich City Tour" departing at 12:00 and 14:30 or a 20 % discount on the same tour departing at 10:00. Tickets can be purchased upon showing the pass at the local tourist information, at your hotel reception or directly on site at the Sihlquai Coach Parking (subject to availability). Please note that the discount can neither be granted for bookings made on other channels nor after the tour.

For group offers (10 adults or more), please contact us directly.

We do not offer a student discount.

For an individual offer with several tours, please contact us directly.

Thank you for your interest in collaborating with Best of Switzerland Tours. For an individual offer, please contact us directly at info@switzerland-tours.ch.

To place a booking with the Swiss Coupon Pass, please contact us at info@switzerland-tours.ch. We will send you a payment link to confirm the booking and you will have to present your voucher at check-in. If you forget the voucher or if it is invalid, the second ticket must be purchased on site.

Our regular tours depart daily from Zurich, Lucerne and Interlaken:

Meeting Point Zurich: Sihlquai Coach Parking, Limmatstrasse 4, Zurich
Meeting Point Lucerne: Frankenstrasse 2-4, Lucerne
Meeting Point Interlaken: Outdoor Interlaken Shop, Höheweg 95, Interlaken

If you are not familiar with the departure point, please allow enough time to get there. If you have any difficulties finding your way, please do not hesitate to contact us at +41 44 710 50 50.

For ecological reasons, we do not provide a pick-up service from hotels for our regular tours. All meeting points are centrally located and are easy to reach by public transport. For timetables and fares please visit the Swiss Railway website. Need a taxi? Contact our partner Taxi 444 at +41 (0)44 444 44 44.

We do not provide a pick-up service from Zurich Airport. In Zurich, our regular tours depart from Sihlquai Coach Parking, Limmatstrasse 4, Zurich. Detailed information about the directions with orientation map can be found under Departure Zurich.

Trains run from Zurich Airport to Zurich Main Station every 5 to 10 minutes between 5:00 and midnight. In addition, the S-Bahn lines S2 and S16 transport guests from Zurich Airport to Zurich Main Station in just 10 minutes. Search connections on the Swiss Railway website.

In case you prefer a taxi, the taxi ranks at the airport are located in front of Arrivals 1 and 2. Depending on traffic conditions, the taxi ride from the airport to the centre of Zürich takes approx. 15 minutes and will cost you around CHF 60.- to CHF 70.-.

Please note that parking in Swiss cities is highly expensive, which is why we recommend arriving by public transport. If you prefer to arrive by car, please find our suggestions for nearby car parks below:

Zurich: 'Parkhaus Hauptbahnhof' car park (Sihlquai 41, 8005 Zurich)
Lucerne: 'Bahnhofparking P1+P2' car park (Bahnhofplatz 1, 6002 Luzern)
Interlaken: 'Parkhaus Zentrum Interlaken' car park (Jungfraustrasse 53, 3800 Interlaken)

We do not arrange any hotel accommodation except for our multi-day tours, but we have compiled the following list to help you with your travel planning:

Zurich
3* Fred Hotel (just across the street)
3* Hotel Montana (2 min walking)
3* Hotel Bristol (10 min walking)
4* Hotel Central Plaza (10 min walking)
4* Hotel St. Gotthard (10 min walking)
5* Zürich Marriott Hotel (5 min walking)
Ruby Mimi Hotel Zurich (10 min walking) 

Lucerne
3* Waldstätterhof (just across the street)
4* Hotel Monopol Luzern (2 min walking)
5* Hotel Schweizerhof (10 min walking)

Interlaken
3* Hotel Bernerhof (9 min walking)
4* Carlton-Europe Vintage Adults Only (6 min walking)
5* Victoria-Jungfrau Grand Hotel & Spa (3 min walking)

We kindly ask you to arrive for check-in 15 minutes prior to the indicated departure time. In Zurich, our official departure point, you will find a white ticket office marked "Best of Switzerland" and "Tickets here" at the Sihlquai Coach Terminal. Please present your voucher and proof of ID at check-in.

For departures from Lucerne and Interlaken please wait at the designated meeting point until your tour guide picks you up. Our tour guides are usually equipped with a red "Best of Switzerland Tours" flag, a blue clipboard, a grey tie (gentlemen) or a grey scarf (ladies).

Both printed and electronic vouchers (on a smart phone or tablet) are accepted. Simply present your ID with your printed or electronic voucher at check-in.

At check-in, our staff will show you which bus to board. At the bus, you will be welcomed by your tour guide. Please do not board any bus without speaking with your tour guide first. For departures from Lucerne or Interlaken, please wait for your tour guide to welcome you on the sidewalk. 

All our tours are live guided in English by a professional, multilingual tour guide. Selected tours are conducted multilingually in English and Spanish, Chinese or German. Please find further information about the languages available on each tour on our website.

All our tours are live guided and audio guides are not available. For the boat trips during the Zurich City Tour with Lake Cruise and the Lucerne with Yacht Cruise tour, you can pre-install an audio guide app on your own device.

Please use the filter "type" to select fully guided tours. For more independent travellers, we offer various partly guided tours that are accompanied by a professional, multilingual guide in the beginning and the end of the tour. For the unguided stay in between, detailed written information, schedules, tickets as well as an emergency number will be provided. The following tours are partly guided:

Central Switzerland
Lucerne & Engelberg, Pilatus - The Mystic Mountain, Rigi - Queen of the Mountains (from Zurich), Lucerne - Most Charming Swiss Town, Lucerne with Saphir Yacht Cruise, Lucerne and Bürgenstock, Stanserhorn

Bernese Oberland
Grindelwald & Interlaken, Grindelwald First - Top Adventure 

Adventure Tours
Lucerne & Titlis Snow Experience (Titlis Snow Park supervisor), Swiss Ski Experience (certified ski instructor), Canyoning or Rafting Adventure in Interlaken (certified outdoor guide)

You can upgrade your booking at check-in before departure or with your tour guide during the tour by paying the price difference between the booked and the preferred tour. Please note that all upgrades are subject to availability and cannot be guaranteed.

Unless stated otherwise, there are no meals included in our regular tours. The following exceptions include lunch or dinner:

• Zurich Sunset Tour with Cheese Fondue: 4-course dinner with appetizer, salad, cheese fondue and chocolate cake
• Pilatus - The Mystic Mountain (winter only): meal voucher (CHF 20.- per adult / CHF 10.- per child) for the self-service restaurant on top of the mountain as a compensation for the boat cruise (not operating in winter)

Our multi-day packages come with either breakfast or half board as follows:

• Highlights of Central Switzerland: half board (3-course dinner, breakfast)
• Mountain Wellness: half board (4-course dinner, breakfast)
• Jewels of the Alps (Interlaken or Grindelwald): breakfast
• Top of Switzerland: Pilatus with half board (1st night), Lucerne with breakfast (2nd night)
• Alpine Dreams: half board (4-course dinner, breakfast)

For check-in, please bring proof of ID and your voucher. As food and drinks are not usually included in our excursions, we recommend bringing some snacks and drinks. There are also several possibilities to buy snacks en route or at the destinations. However, please note that food and drinks are not permitted on the bus (except water bottles). Please bring clothing appropriate to the season and be aware that the weather on our mountain excursions may change (see question below). We highly recommend bringing some cash for personal expenses. Although credit cards are widely accepted, some places in mountain regions may only accept cash payment. And of course, your camera is a must to capture your best moments.

As many of our mountain excursions are at a higher altitude with lower temperatures, we recommend bringing warm clothes (windproof jacket) and shoes with a solid rubber sole to experience all attractions in- and outdoors. Mt. Titlis and Jungfraujoch are both covered in snow all year round. We also recommend bringing sunglasses (also in winter), as the reflection of the sun in the snow can be blinding. While jackets and boots can be rented for a small fee on Mt. Titlis, there is no possibility to rent clothes or shoes on top of Jungfraujoch.

Some of our regular excursions include sport activities. Please bring the special equipment that is required as listed below:

•     Canyoning or Rafting Adventure in Interlaken: swimwear and towel
•     Lucerne & Titlis Snow Experience: warm winter jacket, solid shoes, gloves and snow pants (or a spare pair of jeans to change)
•     Swiss Ski Experience: all equipment provided (ski, boots, sticks, helmet, ski jackets, pants, gloves)

Altitude sickness occurs very rarely during short stays on the top of mountains, regardless of your age or physical condition. A healthy body has excellent adaptation mechanisms that allow a relatively fast ascent to medium and higher altitudes. If you have any concerns or known medical problems, please consult your doctor before travelling. We do not take liability for any health problems occurring on our tours. Each participant is responsible for her/his own insurance. If you suffer from known medical problems, please contact us in advance, so that we can inform our guides accordingly. If you feel unwell during the tour, please inform your guide or a local staff member at the destination.

For our mountain excursions, especially to Jungfraujoch, it is important to:

• wear warm clothes for destinations above 1500 m a.s.l. (even in summer)
• drink enough water
• eat something before the start of your tour or on a break
• move and breathe slowly

There are no toilets on the bus. On our half-day and full-day excursions, there will be several toilet stops en route.

While Wi-Fi is available on our minibuses that are mainly used for small group tours, we cannot guarantee a stable internet connection on our travel coaches.

Please note that there are usually no (USB) power outlets on the bus. If you need to charge your mobile phone or camera during the tour, we recommend bringing a mobile power bank with you.

With exception of the tours listed below, bigger items can be stored safely in the luggage compartment of the coach during the day, whilst smaller items can be stored on the bus. Even if your luggage is safely stored inside the bus, we recommend keeping your valuables with you at all times. Please make sure to retrieve your luggage after the tour as we do not take liability for lost items. If you book a small group tour, please contact us in advance to enquire if there is enough space in the minibus.

Exceptions:
Zurich with Cruise & Lindt Home of Chocolate: As you will end the tour at Zurich HB (main train station) by public transport, we highly recommend storing your luggage at the main train station (lockers available from CHF 5.- for 6 hours). Zurich City Tour with Lake Cruise: As you will end the tour at Bürkliplatz, we highly recommend storing your luggage at your hotel or at Zurich HB (main train station, lockers available from CHF 5.- for 6 hours).
Multi-day tours: Please be aware that you must be able to transfer your luggage from the bus to public transport and on to your hotel. We therefore recommend that you take only part of your luggage with you and deposit the rest at your hotel in Zurich or Lucerne.

Please call us as soon as possible at +41 44 710 50 50, so that we can help you find back to your group or guide.

The use of a drone is permitted in compliance with the legal requirements of the Swiss Federal Office for Civil Aviation (BAZL). Only drones weighing less than 0.25 kg and without camera or other sensor are allowed without registration. Please find further information about the use of drones on the official website.

You can contribute to the success of our tours by considering the following 5 guidelines:

Be prepared: Please read the information provided carefully and get yourself organized before departure.

Be punctual: Please listen to the instructions of your tour guide and respect the schedule.

Respect other guests' privacy: Please have the courtesy to mute your phone, listen to your music with headphones, avoid lengthy phone calls and chat at an appropriate volume.

Respect personal boundaries: Please consider cultural differences in small talk with fellow travellers and avoid sensitive topics.

Expect the unexpected: Thank you for remaining calm and patient when your tour guide has to amend the original programme due to traffic conditions, the weather or other unpredictable circumstances.

Gratuities are voluntary in Switzerland. If you are happy with the experience on the excursion and the service of your guide and driver, a tip as a gesture of appreciation is always welcome.

We highly appreciate your feedback as it helps us to constantly improve our high-quality services and to ensure that our tours exceed our guests' expectations. Please contact us directly at info@switzerland-tours.ch or leave a review on our official Tripadvisor, Facebook or Google page or with your (online) travel agency. We look forward to seeing your best moments on tour on Instagram (#bestofswitzerlandtours)!

Please call us as soon as possible at +41 44 710 50 50. If the lost item is found, you can pick it up the next day at the tourist information (in Zurich) or at our meeting point (in Lucerne/Interlaken).