Italian Lake District

Benvenuto in Italia! Welcome to Italy. Your Italian Lake District trip begins in the sophisticated Milan, the fashion capital of Itay. Your tour starts at 6:00pm with a Welcome Meeting where you’ll meet your local leader and fellow travellers. (Upon arrival at the hotel you’ll find a note telling you where this welcome meeting will take place.) Following the meeting, you’ll discover one of Italy’s most famous wonders – the food! The group will enjoy a special welcome dinner at a local restaurant in Milan city centre.

What’s included?

• Accommodation: Gran Duca di York or similar
• Daily city tax
• Meal: Welcome Dinner

After a rich breakfast you’ll travel by train to reach the first lake of your adventure: Lake Maggiore. Famous for its islands and elegant gardens Lake Maggiore is the second biggest lake in Italy and the top part belongs to Switzerland. You’ll arrive in Stresa, one of the most exclusive village on Lake Maggiore and after the check-in you can start exploring the lake. Your tour director will be there to assist you and give you plenty of option on what to do. Have a relaxing stroll along the river banks, hop on the funicular taking you to the top of Mottarone Mountain or go to Isola Bella and visit Palazzo Borromeo – here the ingenuity and the work of men transformed an arid and rocky island in a garden considered one of the most beautiful in the world.

What’s included?

• Accommodation: Hotel Palma or similar
• Daily city tax
• Meal: Breakfast
• Taxi from hotel to train station in Milan and Stresa
• Train from Milan to Stresa
• Ferry ticket on Lake Maggiore

How long is the trip today?
Approx. 1 hour train ride from Milano to Stresa.

Smile at the morning sun reflecting on the blue water of Lake Maggiore and get ready for the next lake. In the morning you will travel by train to Lake Como (there will be one connection in Milan), where you will arrive approximately at noon. After the check-in and some time at your leisure for lunch, your tour director will take you for a like a local walk of Como, one of the most elegant towns built on the lake banks.

What’s included?

• Accommodation: Albergo Firenze or similar (Como)
• Daily city tax
• Meals: Breakfast
• Taxi from Hotel to train station in Stresa and Como
• Train from Stresa to Como

How long is the trip today?
Approx. 1 hour train ride from Stresa to Milan.

Approx. 40 minutes train ride from Milan to Como.

Lake Como is synonym of beauty, picturesque hamlets and villas. Today your tour director will take you on a panoramic ferry ride on the lake. You will get off in Tremezzo, where you will visit the magnificent Villa Carlotta – an opulent villa overlooking the lake, built in the 17th century and now open to the public. After the visit your tour director will take you to the beautiful and exclusive village of Bellagio where you will have time at your leisure. You can visit the picturesque village of Varenna or the elegant Villa Melzi gardens where you can spot several rare and exotic plants and flowers. In the afternoon meet your tour director back in Bellagio to take the fast ferry back to Como.

What’s included?

• Accommodation: Albergo Firenze or similar (Como)
• Daily city tax
• Meal: Breakfast
• Villa Carlotta entrance
• Daily ticket for the ferry on Lake Como
• Bellagio stroll

The third lake of your adventure is Lake Garda, the biggest Italian lake and probably formed by the action of a Paleolithic glacier. You’ll reach Desenzano del Garda by train and after the check-in and some time at your leisure for lunch, your tour director will take you exploring the southern part of the lake. You will enjoy a scenic ferry ride and get off in one of the stunning and unique villages of the Lake Garda. Wandering the little alleyways of the villages, sipping an aperitif by the lake or strolling along the elegant lake banks you will fall in love with this magical place.

What’s included?

• Accommodation: Hotel Nazionale or similar
• Daily city tax
• Meal: breakfast
• Taxi from Hotel to train station in Como and Desenzano
• Train from Como to Milan
• Train from Milan to Desenzano
• Lake Garda ferry ticket
• Lake Garda like a local walk

How long is the trip today?
Approx. 40 minutes train ride from Como to Milan.

Approx. 50 minutes train ride from Milan to Desenzano.

Lake Garda is a rich treasure chest to open and enjoy. Today you will hop on an electric bike and follow an expert guide for an exciting ride and taste tour with several stops for pictures and local products tasting). You will discover some secrets spot from where enjoying beautiful scenery and you will taste excellent food produced by the local famers. You don’t need to have special riding skills: the itinerary will be easy to follow, mainly flat and enjoyable to ride. And the few times where the street goes gently up, the electric bike will make you go without any effort.

What’s included?

• Accommodation: Hotel Nazionale or similar
• Daily city tax
• Meal: breakfast
• Lake Garda electric bike tour and tasting of local products

In the morning you will travel by train to the sensational Verona. This town inspired Shakespeare who set three of his plays here: Romeo and Juliet, The two gentlemen of Verona and The Taming of the Shew. Join your tour director in an exciting like a local walk to discover the elegant and fascinating hidden corners of Verona, named UNESCO World Heritage because of its structure and architecture. You will then have some time at your leisure to wander among the rich artistic heritage of Verona, including the wonderful Arena, an amphitheater built by the Romans, that now used as the Opera House for the Verona lyrical season. You’ll be back to Desenzano del Garda in the late afternoon.

What’s included?

• • Accommodation: Hotel Nazionale or similar
  • Daily city tax
  • Meal: breakfast
  • Train from Desenzano to Verona and back
  • Verona like a local walk

We will start the morning travelling at 300 km/h aboard the high-speed train connecting Lake Garda to Venice. Venice is like jumping into a dream where little alleys and canals form a fascinating maze in the lagoon and the elegance of centuries-old palaces is mirrored in the water. After the check-in and some free time for lunch your tour director will take you for a “Like a Local” walk where you’ll mingle with locals, hear curious stories and see the authentic side of this fascinating city built on the water. We’ll cross the Canal Grande like the Venetians do, walk along calli (alleys) and campielli (small squares) and after taking a few hidden twists and turns we’ll arrive in San Mark Square. In the evening we’ll gather at a special local restaurant to enjoy an exquisite Venetian meal as our farewell dinner.

What’s included? What’s not included

• Accommodation: Hotel Ca’ Pozzo Inn or similar
• Daily city tax
• Meal: Breakfast, farewell dinner
• Taxi hotel to train station in Desenzano
• Train from Desenzano to Venice
• “Like a Local” walk of Venice

What’s not included

• Museum entrance

How long is the trip today?
Approx. 1.5 hour train ride from Desenzano to Venice.

Our tour has come to the end. We hope you’ll have had the time of your life! Enjoy one more Italian coffee with its unforgettable aroma, and then head towards your flight home (or your next destination). Arrivederci!

What’s included? 

• Meal: Breakfast

Important note for Day 9

Our tour ends with breakfast. There are no activities planned for today. If you need help in organizing your airport transfer or purchasing train tickets, just ask. Your tour director will be happy to help you in making these arrangements. Note: If possible, plan for and purchase transportation to the airport a few days in advance – organizing same-day travel can be difficult.