While the number of classic cars is constantly growing, owners have less and less time for extensive travel preparations and planning. Many a classic car vacation falls victim to the stress of everyday life. It doesn't have to be this way! We put it to the test and set off on a real journey back in time with "Classic Car Culture Tours Switzerland".
On the road in the romantic canton of Graubünden
The multi-day trip, which is typical of the classic car culture tours on offer, led through well-known and lesser-known sights in the canton of Graubünden. From Chur, the journey took several stages to Flims-Waldhaus, Sils-Baselgia St. Moritz, Klosters and back to Chur.
Motivation to slow down
No rally stress, no hose tests, no rushing from measuring point to measuring point, the ride is characterized by relaxing and manageable travel stages in your own classic or modern classic car. For non-owners, the organizers of classic car culture tours themselves have a fleet of vehicles that can be hired by participants.
And it quickly becomes clear that the focus here is not on speeding but on enjoyment, because who would want to drive a Citroën DS 21 Pallas from 1966, a Bentley S2 from 1960 or a Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow II from 1980? The Mercedes Benz 450 SEL 6.9 from 1977 would probably be the most suitable, but even in this generously motorized classic, people prefer to glide along quietly.
And after all, you don't want to miss out on the idyllic village passages and the views from the passes you have climbed.
The romantic Hotel Schweizerhof in Flims
The charming and courteous organizers of the classic car culture tours, Karin and Niklaus Lundsgaard-Hansen, work together with partners to carry out their tours. In the case of the tours through Graubünden, these are the Romantik Hotels & Restaurants, a loose chain of beautifully situated and noble hotels that perfectly match the standards of the classic car culture tours.
The Hotel Schweizerhof in Flims-Waldhaus perfectly embodies the "romantic" philosophy. A century-old family tradition and exciting stories characterize the hotel. For example, the magnificent building was constructed on the very spot where the owner once kissed his wife for the first time on a park bench. A major fire in the attic was also overcome and the family atmosphere was always maintained.
If you then have the opportunity to enjoy a historical menu on plates and with cutlery from the Wilhelminian era in the presence of the hotel owners, the journey through time is perfect. This is exactly how well-to-do people enjoyed their vacation a hundred years ago. A real treat!
The secrets of an artillery fortification from the Second World War
Lucretia and Silvia were not the names of the tour guides, but those were the names of the two cannons that were ready to fire from 1940 and were intended to protect the border area towards Italy.
The fortress was of course built in secret, which was probably not so easy to accomplish given the necessary work and transportation of materials. The construction cost 2.7 million francs, a sum that seems ridiculously small today, especially if you have had the opportunity to visit the widely ramified corridors.
The fortress, which has not been used for army purposes since 1995, is now run as a museum by the Military History Foundation. Inside, it still looks much as it did 50 or more years ago and the mostly volunteer curators and tour guides can give you an impressive insight into the lives of the soldiers who had to hold out in the fortress for months at a time. In the age of omnipresent means of communication, it is hard to imagine that the soldiers' only connection to the outside world was the field post.
Idyllic mountain villages
The Bünderland region is rich in beautifully situated mountain villages reminiscent of earlier times. One of the best known is probably the village of Soglio on the border with Italy. A stroll through this tiny village with only 200 inhabitants will automatically slow your pulse. However, you won't be one of the first to discover this, as the mountain village counts 20,000 overnight stays per year.
Incidentally, a Lombard dialect is spoken in Soglio, but nobody has to go hungry or die of thirst because you can order a coffee in almost any language in the romantic gardens.
Beautiful village passages and steep pass roads
If you are looking for hairpin bends and wide, straight roads, you are of course in the wrong place in the mountains of Graubünden. Passes and narrow village roads characterize driving in Bergell and Engadin. The Bentley S2 can find itself in a tight spot and has to reverse in a hairpin.
But compared to what our fathers had to endure on mountain passes, the roads today are of course excellently developed.
Guest in one of the oldest hotels in Graubünden
The Romantik Hotel Margna looks back on a long history. It was built as a patrician house called "Palazzo Josty" back in 1817 and was the largest residential building in Graubünden at the time with 24 rooms. The village of Sils-Baselgia had a population of just 75 at the time, whereas today it has ten times that number. The builder was the well-known confectioner Johann Josty, who had become wealthy in Berlin.
At some point, the residential building became a hotel, it grew bigger and bigger and consequently went bankrupt at the beginning of the 20th century. When it was resurrected, the Hotel Margna enjoyed its greatest economic success in the 1960s. Finally, the "summer resort" was established and winter tourism was invented. But times got tougher in tourism and things didn't always run smoothly.
Today, however, the hotel, run by Andreas Ludwig since 2001, welcomes guests from all over the world and pampers them with a private 6-hole golf course, renovated Swiss stone pine rooms and first-class restaurants with a carefully selected range of wines.
Course correction
Niklaus Lundsgaard-Hansen started his classic car culture tours with great enthusiasm in 2013 in order to be able to share his own passion with others.
And he draws a positive conclusion from the first year: "We were able to carry out some of our very wide range of tours. The participants were very satisfied with the combination of culture, gastronomy and nature in line with our motto "discover and enjoy Switzerland"."
However, the travel portfolio had become a little too large, so the Lundsgaard-Hansen couple decided to concentrate on fewer offers and work even more closely with hotel and cultural partners.
In addition to three Swiss trips in cooperation with the Romantik Hotels (June 12 to 15, 2014, July 3 to 6, 2014 and August 21 to 24, 2014) with different focuses, the Adler Schwarzwald Classic (July 13 to 18, 2014), the Hornberg Classic (September 22 to 26, 2014, also a Romantik Hotel) and the Adler Black Forest Classic (July 13 to 18, 2014) will now also be offered. September 2014, also a Romantik Hotel) and the Exclusive Classic Collection (May 26 to 29, 2014, again in combination with Romantik Hotels), which gives classic car enthusiasts access to little-known museums and private vehicle collections in the Lucerne-Bern-Basel triangle, accompanied by well-known automobile historian Roger Gloor.
There are also plans to expand the offer to organize tailor-made classic car tours with a chauffeur.
Small groups with an interest in culture, cars and cuisine
"Classic car culture trips are also aimed at small groups and people who own a classic or modern classic car themselves and who want to enjoy their automotive cultural heritage in a small group of like-minded people with an exceptional trip and high-quality program including great cuisine," says Niklaus Lundsgaard-Hansen when asked about the ideal target clientele for his trips.
But he has many more ideas. For example, he would like to organize vintage car tours that explore industrial history and its remnants - certainly an appealing idea.
All-round offers
The trips offer several nights in special hotels, various lunches and dinners, cultural tours, a personal tour guide and road book documentation at prices starting at CHF 950 per person. As a participant in your own classic car, you hardly have to worry about anything except your own vehicle. But that's exactly what you're looking forward to on your well-deserved vacation.
Further information on classic car culture tours can be found on the corresponding website. Interesting facts about the romantic hotels can be found on the dedicated online platform.
