Arrive in Geneva on suggested flights and make your way to the hotel. Renaissance Tours or your travel agent can assist you with your flights and other travel arrangements, including travel insurance (a condition of travel), a private hotel transfer, accommodation before or after the tour and a room category upgrade.

At 18:00, join your tour leader Stewart Kelly and fellow travellers for a welcome briefing and dinner at the hotel.

(D)

Depart Geneva for the Manoir de Ban near Vevey, where London-born Charlie Chaplin lived the final 25 years of his life. His mansion overlooking Lake Geneva was turned into a museum in 2016 while a separate Hollywood-style studio showcases the humour and emotion that were so dear to Chaplin.

After lunch at leisure in Vevey, begin the ascent up the mountains to Gstaad, located in the picturesque hills and valleys of the Saanenland region. Check in to the hotel in the late-afternoon.

Tonight, dinner is at a nearby restaurant.

(BD)

The Gstaad Festival
Famed violinist Yehudi Menuhin founded the Gstaad Festival (later named in his honour) in 1957. He had moved to the area with his family earlier in the decade and was enchanted by Gstaad’s blend of German-speaking culture with Italian influences. The festival brings together acclaimed international musicians to perform with friends and collaborators, as Lord Menuhin said, “in a relaxed atmosphere”. The festival is now one of the highlights of the Swiss summer, with more than fifty concerts performed over a two-month period, ranging from Baroque to Classical, Romantic and contemporary classical music.

After a talk by Stewart, travel to the picture-perfect medieval town of Gruyères. Enjoy a guided tour of the stunning turreted castle, home to the powerful Counts of Gruyères from the 13th to the 16th centuries.

After some time at leisure for lunch and to stroll around Gruyères, return to Gstaad.

This evening, attend the first of the performances at the Gstaad Menuhin Festival included in the tour – a chamber concert featuring world-renowned violinist Pinchas Zukerman accompanied by French violist Adrien La Marca, Canadian cellist Amanda Forsyth and renowned pianist Simon Crawford-Phillips.

(B)

This morning, enjoy a recital by rising German piano virtuoso Ron Maxim Huang, who impressed audiences at the prestigious 2025 Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels.

After lunch, the remainder of the afternoon is at leisure to further explore the pleasant, car-free village of Gstaad at your own pace. Maybe set off on one of the many short walking trails or take the cable car to the top of the Wispile for fine views of the surrounding countryside.

In the evening, legendary violinists Pinchas Zukerman and Daniel Hope are joined by Ryszard Groblewski (viola), Amanda Forsyth (cello) and Simon Crawford-Phillips (piano) in an intimate recital.

PROGRAM:
Brahms – Piano Quartet No. 3 in C minor, Op. 60
Brahms – Piano Quintet in F minor, Op. 34

(BL)

Depart Gstaad for the picturesque Château de Chillon, built on a small rocky island in Lake Geneva with the Alps as its backdrop. The castle was built by Peter II of Savoy in the 13^th century. For a long period, it served as a state prison and was made famous by Lord Byron’s poem The Prisoner of Chillon, recounting the fate and suffering of François Bonivard, thrown into the dungeon for his seditious, anti-Savoy ideas and freed by Bernese forces six years later.

After lunch in the charming lakeside town of Montreux, continue to Verbier, nestled high in the Swiss Alps. Verdant rolling hills rise to meet dense Alpine forests, framed by peaks that retain their snow caps even at the height of summer.

Tonight, attend a concert by the Verbier Festival Orchestra conducted by Lahav Shani with South Korean piano sensation Yunchan Lim alongside his mentor, Minsoo Sohn.

PROGRAM:
Mozart – Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra in E-flat major
Bruckner – Symphony No. 7 in E major

(BL)

The Verbier Festival
The brainchild of Swedish music historian and record executive Martin T:son Engström, the Verbier Festival was established in 1994 and was deliberately staged away from the large cities where classical music festivals are usually held so as to encourage a collaborative atmosphere between established and emerging musicians. In subsequent decades the festival has grown to comprise the Verbier Festival Orchestra, the Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra and most recently the Verbier Festival Junior Orchestra, a special initiative of Engström to nourish young classical music talent. Along with up-and-coming performers, the festival attracts some of the greatest musicians on the international circuit including Sir András Schiff, Leonidas Kavakos, Joshua Bell, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Bryn Terfel, Garrick Ohlsson and Martha Argerich, to name a few.

After a talk by Stewart on the coming days’ performances, attend a morning recital by acclaimed Russian pianist Nikolai Lugansky.

PROGRAM:
Chopin – Impromptu No. 1 in A-flat major, Op. 29
Chopin – Impromptu No. 2 in F-sharp major, Op. 36
Chopin – Impromptu No. 3 in G-flat major, Op. 51
Schumann – Humoreske in B-flat major, Op. 20
Chopin – 24 Preludes, Op. 28

Following lunch, the rest of the afternoon is at leisure to relax, explore the mountainous surroundings on a walk or simply appreciate the views from the comfort of a local café.

In the evening, hear the Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra conducted by the charismatic Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider with violinist Janine Jansen and cellist Daniel Blendulf.

PROGRAM:
Mendelssohn – Overture to Ruy Blas, Op. 95
Brahms – Double Concerto in A minor, Op. 102
Schumann – Symphony No. 3 in E-flat major, Op. 97, Rhenish

(BL)

This morning, enjoy a recital by pianist Bruce Liu, who has built an exemplary career on the world’s greatest stages since his success at the 2021 Chopin Competition in Warsaw. His performance, alongside Bach, Liszt and Chopin, includes the Spanish colours of Mompou and Albéniz.

The afternoon is at leisure for the opportunity to go behind the scenes and attend one of the open rehearsals which occur throughout the duration of the festival, where members of the public are invited to see how particular pieces are perfected and where the culture of exchange between artists comes to life. Admission is free but advance booking online is strongly recommended.

Tonight, classical piano legends Evgeny Kissin and Sir András Schiff come together in an exceptional program for four hands on two pianos.

PROGRAM:
Mozart – Sonata for Two Pianos in D major
Schumann – Andante and variations in B-flat, Op. 46 (version for two pianos)
Schumann – Bilder aus Osten, Op. 66
Smetana – Vltava, from Má vlast
Dvořák – Excerpts from Slavonic Dances, Op. 46 and Op. 72

Then, enjoy a late-evening chamber music concert featuring soprano Sandrine Piau and pianist Pedja Mužijević with the Leonkoro Quartet.

PROGRAM:
Schubert – Der Tod und das Mädchen
Schubert – Nacht und Träume
David Lang – Death Speaks
Schubert – String Quartet No. 14, Death and the Maiden

(B)

Begin the day with a talk by Stewart. Then, rediscover the joy of music from the Romantic period in a chamber music concert with soloists including cellist Mischa Maisky, pianist Bruce Liu and violinists Augustin Demay and Marc Bouchkov.

PROGRAM:
Schubert – Piano Quintet in A major, The Trout
Schumann – Piano Quintet in E-flat major, Op. 44

Following a free afternoon, hear the Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra under the baton of Mikhaïl Pletnev perform rarely heard works as well as Schumann’s Violin Concerto with the exceptional violinist Daniel Lozakovich and pianist Dmitry Shishkin.

(B)

In the morning, attend a piano recital by Alexandre Kantorow. Since his brilliant victory at the prestigious Tchaikovsky Competition in 2019, the French pianist has captivated audiences with the intensity of his interpretations.

PROGRAM:
Chopin – Prelude in C-sharp minor, Op.45
Medtner – Piano Sonata No. 1 in F minor, Op. 5
Beethoven – Piano Sonata No. 32 in C minor, Op. 111

The afternoon is at leisure to relax or to explore Verbier at your own pace.

This evening, Mikhail Pletnev, one of the greatest Chopin interpreters of our time, performs the irresistible Second Concerto by Chopin, while the aesthete Gianandrea Noseda conducts the extraordinary Sixth Symphony by Mahler, renowned worldwide for its Dantean ambition.

PROGRAM:
Chopin – Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor, Op. 21
Mahler – Symphony No. 6 in A minor, Tragic

(BD)

After a morning at leisure, enjoy a talk by Stewart in the late-afternoon, followed by an early dinner at a local restaurant.

In the evening, violinist Marc Bouchkov and pianist Julien Quentin pay homage to the Russian-born American Jascha Heifetz, considered the greatest violinist of all time. The program includes works by Albéniz, Debussy, Rachmaninoff, Prokofiev, Godowsky, Gershwin and more.

(BD)

The morning is at leisure to relax or attend a masterclass. Then, enjoy a special farewell lunch with Stewart and fellow travellers.

Tonight, soprano superstar Renée Fleming presents an immersive experience blending her voice with stunning imagery from the National Geographic Society. Through romantic and contemporary works, the program explores the beauty and fragility of nature while highlighting humanity’s impact on the environment. Lahav Shani then conducts Brahms’s final symphony, arguably the German composer’s most accomplished work.

PROGRAM:
‘Voice of Nature: The Anthropocene’ immersive experience
Brahms – Symphony No. 4 in E minor, Op. 98

(BL)

Tour arrangements conclude with an included group transfer to Geneva Airport for flights departing from 15:00.

Renaissance Tours or your travel agent can assist you with your flights and other travel arrangements, including any additional nights’ accommodation either before or after the tour and travel insurance (a condition of travel).

(B)