Re-live the magic of the classic grand tours of Europe on this fabulous holiday which captures the quintessential Italy, contrasting the sheer wonder of the Eternal City of Rome, with the beauty of Renaissance Florence and the unique romanticism of Venice.

11 night holiday by First Class rail and overnight 2-berth sleeper from Paris to Rome from £1,495 per person (low season) or by First Class rail throughout travelling on daytime trains via Milan from £1,595 per person (low season) including 3 nights in Rome, Florence and Venice or from £1,675 per person travelling via Djon, Strasbourg or Zurich (featured itinerary) (low season)

Daily departures throughout the year and tailor-made just for you

Holiday Highlights

• Zurich and Lake Zurich
• Scenic rail journeys through the Gotthard Pass and Simplon Pass in Switzerland
• The eternal city of Rome
• Renaissance Florence
• Romantic Venice
• Lakeside Montreux and Lake Geneva

Itinerary

Day 1 – By rail to Switzerland

Your holiday begins as you stroll into beautifully restored London St. Pancras station. Take your time to appreciate the splendour of magnificent glass roof, then sit back, relax and watch the countryside swish past as you travel by Eurostar to Paris at speeds of up to 186mph. Enjoy the light meal and drinks served on board in Standard Premier Class (formerly 1st class). On arrival at the Gare du Nord your private taxi transfer takes you across Paris to the Gare de Lyon to continue your journey by TGV through France into Switzerland.
You travel through the undulating Swiss countryside to attractive lakeside city of Zurich. It is a short 5 minute walk to your overnight hotel, the comfortable and welcoming Hotel Continental (4 star).

Day 2 – Through the Swiss Alps to Milan and onwards to Florence

After breakfast why not make a whistle-stop tour of Zurich. Most of the city’s sights lie within the compact area on either side of the River Limmat, between the main station (Hauptbahnhof) and Lake Zurich.
The churches and burgher houses of the Old Town are clustered here, as are the elegant shops along Bahnhofstrasse. The baroque Rathaus (Town Hall), Zurich’s most impressive churches – the Grossmünster, Fraumünster – and the city’s oldest, St Peterskirche (its clock face is the largest in Europe), all lie within a short distance of the River Limmat, near the point where it opens onto the lake. Then make your own way back to Zurich station. Here you join the comfortable Euro City service to travel along the spectacular Gotthard route for the fabulous journey through picturesque scenery, past soaring mountain peaks and into Italy. On arrival at Milan’s imposing art-deco station change trains and join the flagship Eurostar Italia service to Florence arriving in time for dinner. On arrival at Firenze Santa Maria Novella station stroll to the stylish Hotel Santa Maria Novella (4-star) just 300 yards from the station and your hotel for the next three nights.

Days 3 and 4 – Florence

The Hotel Santa Maria Novella is a charming, elegant hotel with all modern comforts in its tastefully furnished rooms. The hotel is centrally located enabling you to visit all of Florence’s world-renowned attractions.
Immerse yourself in the culture of Italy’s renaissance capital with visits to the world-renowned Uffizi Gallery, Ponte Vecchio or the celebrated Duomo. Enjoy the culinary delights of the city or venture further afield to explore the beauty of Tuscany in Siena with its lovely shell-shaped Piazza del Campo and UNESCO world heritage medieval centre. Perhaps journey westwards to Pisa to marvel at the world-famous leaning tower or stunning Lucca, its medieval heart is an ideal size for discovery on foot. Whether you prefer the more rural appeal of the Chianti district it is good to know that all these attractive options are easily accessible by train.

Day 5 – Florence to Rome

Take your leave of Florence as you depart from Firenze Santa Maria Novella station and join the Eurostar Italia service to the eternal city of Rome. Relax in your comfortable first class seat as the landscape of central Italy unfurls before you. On arrival at Roma Termini station walk the short distance (200 yards), to your hotel for the next 3 nights, the stylish, contemporary and brand-new Una Hotel Roma.

Days 6 and 7 – Rome

There is something to tantalise all tastes seemingly round every corner of this most magical of cities. Whilst in Rome choose among the stunning array of sights from the Vatican City to the Trevi Fountain, the Coliseum to the Spanish Steps. Relax with a ‘gelato’ on Piazza Navona or while away the hours shopping on Via del Corso. Make sure you take the time to see Michelangelo’s masterpiece in the Sistene Chapel. The view from the top of St.Peter’s Cathedral over the seven hills of Rome will provide abiding memories of this wonderful city.

Day 8 – Rome to Venice

Bid farewell to the eternal city as you leave Roma Termini station for the first class journey north to Venice aboard Eurostar Italia. Sit back and watch the world go by or simply revel in the romanticism of rail travel across Europe. On arrival at Venezia Santa Lucia station, walk out of the station and enter a different world.
Your private water taxi will transfer you in the best possible style to your hotel for the next three nights, the Hotel Ai Mori d’Oriente (4-star), an attractive, welcoming hotel located in a quiet area just 10 minutes from the Rialto Bridge with its friendly service, elegant and comfortable rooms.

Days 9 and 10 – Venice

Step out in Venice and allow this unique and captivating city to carry where it will. Enjoy Venice, at dusk and after dark when all the crowds have gone home. From St. Mark’s Square to the Rialto Bridge, a gondola ride on the Grand Canal to a visit inside the stunning Doges Palace, feel yourself unwind as you wander amid the myriad of canals along blissfully traffic-free alleyways and campi (squares). You have plenty of time to discover the city’s luminous quality which emanates from the colours of its painted palazzo, ornate stone bridges and Byzantine basilicas all reflected against the tapestry of canals and lagoons. A short boat ride will lead you to pretty islands on the lagoon, including Murano, home of glass-blowing and colourful Burano, where lace and linen abound.

Day 11 – Venice through the Simplon Pass to Lake Geneva

Your private water taxi transfer re-unites you with the rest of the world as you leave Italy behind and board the Eurostar Italia service for the First Class journey to Milan. From here join the comfortable Euro City service as it snakes its way into the Alps for the spectacular journey through the Simplon Pass and onto pretty lakeside town of Montreux on the shores of Lake Geneva. On arrival in Montreux your hotel for the night is the recently refurbished, belle époque Grand Hotel Suisse Majestic (4-star) located right opposite the station. Take a stroll alongside Lake Geneva and visit this elegant lakeside town which is home to the famous jazz festival.

Day 12 – Free-time in Montreux – Montreux to London – Homeward bound

Stretch your legs this morning or board the trolley bus for the short journey to the stunning medieval Château de Chillon (payable locally). As you marvel at the spectacular setting, twixt sparkling lake and breathtaking mountains, spare a thought for the prisoners of this 13th century castle, considered to be one of the best-preserved in Europe. Then make your way back to Montreux station. From here you join the Inter Regio train to Lausanne where you change trains and board the TGV Lyria to whisk you back to Paris. Watch the rolling hills flash past or reminisce on the wonders of the past few days whilst you enjoy your at seat meal and drinks. Your private taxi transfer takes you to the Gare du Nord and the last leg of your journey. Here you join the Eurostar and let the train take the strain as you stretch out and savour the light meal and drinks included in your Standard Premier service. At 186mph the landscape is a blur at times, though memories abide as you return to London St. Pancras International.

Your Hotels

• Hotel Continental Zürich (4-star)

  

  The Hotel Continental Zürich (4-star), formerly Sofitel Zürich and part of the MGallery collection, provides a real taste of life in downtown Zurich. The hotel is ideally located just 5 minutes from the main train station and the shopping area on Bahnhofstraße. This smart hotels has a unique, Swiss chalet-inspired decor throughout and benefits from 2 restaurants, a bar, garden and lounge. All 138 en-suite rooms enjoy decor which evokes warmth and coziness and feature shower, bath-tub, WC, air-conditioning, international satellite TV, telephone, WIFI, minibar, tea and coffee facilities and a safe....

• Hotel Santa Maria Novella

  

  The Hotel Santa Maria Novella is an extremely stylish, welcoming hotel offering excellent levels of comfort and service. Enjoying an ideal location right next to the delightful cathedral and only a few hundred yards from the station, both of the same name, it also benefits from its proximity to Florence’s fabulous ‘centro storico’. Each of the hotel’s 34 beautifully crafted rooms is unique and boasts elegant, tasteful furnishings, including carrara marble bathrooms, wooden floors and sumptuous textiles. All the ensuite bedrooms feature hairdryer, safe, air conditioning, flat screen TV, Internet access, mini bar, telephone and kettle with herbal teas. The sauna, gym and solarium, cleverly designed around an original roman wall, exemplify the care and attention lavished on this charming hotel. The hotel has a cosy reading room and bar, and a smart restaurant and breakfast room....

• Una Hotel Roma

  

  The new Una Hotel Roma (4-star) is ideally set in the centre of Rome, close to Roma Termini station. This stylish, contemporary hotel features modern design and clean-lines with elegant Art Deco influences.  All of the hotel’s 197 en-suite rooms have spacious, bright interiors decorated in a minimalist style and equipped with Wi-Fi access, wood furnishings, high-quality linens and an LCD TV. The hotel benefits from its own restaurant and bar....

• Ai Mori d’Oriente

  

  Enjoying a great location in an area exclusively reserved for local Venetians, the Hotel Ai Mori d'Oriente (4- star) offers an attractive and calm setting from which to enjoy and explore this most evocative of cities. Named after Turkish tradesmen, "mori", who for centuries lived in this beautiful palace, the hotel offers guests contemporary accommodation equipped with air conditioning, mini- bar, hair dryer, direct-dial telephone, satellite television, radio, safe, and internet connection point. The hotel benefits from a tastefully decorated breakfast room, bar and reading room. Guests can relax amidst the exotic atmosphere of the hotel's furnishings which hark back to the times of oriental merchants, and traders, plying their trade on the "Silk Route" which had Venice as its main port. Located about 10 minutes' walk from the Rialto Bridge, the Ai Mori d'Oriente offers visitors a fascinating insight into the real Venice as well as easy access to charming restaurants frequented by locals rather than tourists....

• Grand Hotel Suisse Majestic

  

  The Grand Hotel Suisse Majestic is a traditional Belle-Époque 4-star hotel, originally built in 1870 and located right in the centre of Montreux, just a few steps from the Railway Station. The hotel has 140 rooms and benefits from fabulous views of Lake Geneva and the Alps from its summer terrace. All the comfortable en suite rooms in this stylish hotel feature air conditioning, TV, minibar, radio and telephone....

What’s Included

• First Class rail travel from London to Florence, Rome, Venice and return (Standard Premier service on Eurostar)
• 11 nights’ hotel accommodation in 4 star hotels with breakfast each day
• Private taxi transfers in Paris and private water taxi transfers in Venice

Departures

• Throughout the year and tailor-made to suit your holiday needs

Additional Information

• Single Supplement from £450
• Alternative hotels, room upgrades and additional nights are available in all hotels – please contact us for details and prices
• Additional excursions can be booked – such as guided visits within Florence, Rome and Venice, gondola rides, and tours to attractions in Tuscany, around Rome and the islands of Murano, Burano and Torcello
• Cancellation, medical & travel insurance – available from the Travel Trust Association
• Deposit from £325 per person

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