Venice, Lake Garda & Verona

Ferry to Calais and overnight stay in the Troyes area on a bed and breakfast basis.

After breakfast, we travel onwards to Basel, where Swiss, French and German influences meet. There's free time to enjoy the city's sights, from the striking red sandstone Town Hall and medieval Old Town to the impressive Rhine-spanning bridges and the bold architecture of its modern art museums. We then continue to our overnight hotel in Basel or Mulhouse, with dinner included.

Continue to our hotel in the Lake Garda area, where we stay for the next six nights. Along the way, we stop in Lugano, a beautiful town of Swiss and Italian architectural styles with a lovely lakeside promenade, set against the backdrop of surrounding mountains.

We enjoy a guided tour of one of the most postcard-perfect towns in the area. Set on a picturesque peninsula on the southern shore of Lake Garda, Sirmione is a beautifully preserved town with a turreted 13^th-century castle and a maze of narrow, cobbled streets full of lovely shops and cafés.

Today we explore the unique city of Venice. Lining the canals are grand palazzos, many of them dating back to the 14^th century, while other attractions include St Mark’s Square, the Bridge of Sighs and of course the gondolas that ply their trade up and down the waterways.

Today, enjoy time to explore the local area at leisure.

We head to Verona, one of Italy’s oldest and most romantic cities, beautifully set on the banks of the River Adige. Forever linked with Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet, Verona offers far more than just the famed balcony that draws lovers from around the world. Explore the impressive Roman amphitheatre, still used for opera today, and soak up the atmosphere in Piazza Brà, the city’s grand central square lined with elegant cafés and historic buildings.

We enjoy a guided scenic tour of Lake Garda, where elegant villas, olive and lemon groves and dramatic Alpine backdrops line the sparkling shores. Highlights include Malcesine, a picture-perfect town with winding cobbled lanes and a striking medieval castle, and Riva del Garda, a stylish resort at the northern tip of the lake. There’s free time in Riva to stroll the promenade, browse local shops or simply unwind by the water with a coffee or gelato.

After breakfast, we depart our hotel in Lake Garda and head north, enjoying a scenic drive through Switzerland’s stunning landscapes before arriving at our overnight hotel in the Haguenau area.

We depart after breakfast and head to Calais, with a stop for lunch at your leisure in the Reims area along the way. Upon arrival, we board the ferry for our crossing to the UK before completing our onward journey home.