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Desenzano

Set on Lake Garda's southern shore, the quiet town of Desenzano is one of the lake's most charming towns, and boasts a long history. The area is known to have been inhabited for several thousand years, as recently the remains of a pre-historic pile dwelling were discovered on the outskirts of the town (note that this site is not open to the public). The town has been a popular tourist destination since about the 1st century BC; wealthy families from Verona - then north-eastern Italy's main city - began to visit the lake for holidays.

Desenzano's heritage
Today the town continues to attract visitors, due in no small part to the beautiful views of the Alps to the north, and the clutch of pretty beaches at the lake's shore. The town itself is a delight to explore. The compact centre consists of a series of interconnected squares, along which there are various pavement cafés, ice cream parlours, shops, bars and restaurants. The medieval castle on the hillside and the picturesque waterfront are some of the more popular attractions. The ruins of a Roman villa can also be found in Desenzano, complete with a mosaic and a small museum about the building. Other highlights include the archaeological museum, which tells the fascinating story of the town's long history, and the magnificent 16th-century Cathedral of St. Mary Magdalene.

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2 results matching: Escorted Rail Tours to Desenzano

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Simply Lake Garda
4.3 stars(205 reviews)
2024AprMayJunJulAug...
10 days from
£1,795 pp
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10 days from
£1,795
per person
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  • DestinationItaly
  • Starts / EndsSt Pancras International
  • AccommodationHotel
  • TransportRail
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Austrian Christmas & Italian New Year
4.2 stars(11 reviews)
2024Dec
13 days from
£3,595 pp
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13 days from
£3,595
per person
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  • DestinationAustria, Italy
  • Starts / EndsSt Pancras International
  • AccommodationHotel
  • TransportRail, Coach
Map and accommodation
Our customers love our Desenzano tours
Italian Christmas & Austrian New Year
18/Jan
Rowena Wolfe
5 stars
“Excellent food and hotels. Very well planned and, above all a great tour leader.
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Simply Lake Garda
03 Nov 2023
there
4 stars
“I have 'done' the Simply Lake Garda before and was looking forward to repeating the experience with my sister who had never been to Italy. Unfortunately the beginning of the holiday was marred by the luggage service which never arrived to collect my suitcase, despite emails, phone calls and the offer of Google map and mobile number. The second disappointment was the downgrade by GRJ on EuroStar to Standard class, so no food or drinks on either journey, unless you struggled through several long, swaying carriages to collect them and then stagger back with hot paper cups and a bag of food. One member of the group grazed an elbow. I have made very many journeys with GRJ over the last 17 years and I have always felt that it is a cut above all other similar travel groups in every respect. Having a drink and some lovely food on Eurostar has always been one of the great experiences and a relaxing and enjoyable start to a holiday. Now you have to pay extra for an upgrade and I am sad that it seems to have been felt necessary to cut down on what could be a superb - even unique - experience to save a few pounds. The visit to Venice included long sea journeys round the industrial areas instead of short journeys across the Grand Canal, These, and an over-long talk where we only saw St Marks and one other square, cut down drastically on personal sight-seeing opportunities and meant that there was little time and no space to sit down to eat even a snack before embarking on a gondola ride (which was superb). Those were the downsides, but our tour manager was marvellous, and did his very best to ensure that, despite the poor weather as the week went on, we would make the most of every opportunity. The visit to Isola del Garda was wonderful and our guide, the very best. It was sad that the journey to Turin had to be by coach due to a major landslip, and a train strike on the last day meant another coach journey from Chambery, but Great Rail and our Tour manager had all that organised and got us to our destinations as soon as possible. I am very glad the GRJ have limited their guest number to maximum 25, As always on Great Rail Journeys everyone is very friendly and we all had a lot of fun. The hotels were great and the food superb. I am sorry not to be able to give 5 stars, as I have always done for GRJ and I hope that my comments will be read and considered.
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