Italian Christmas & Austrian New Year

Meeting at the London St Pancras, we travel on the Eurostar to Paris in Standard Premier Class, where we change for the First Class service direct to Turin, passing the Alps as we travel to the handsome Italian city of Turin where we spend the night in a hotel in the heart of the city's historic centre. We enjoy our first dinner together in a stylish restaurant nearby.

• Dinner
• Eurostar Meal

After breakfast there's time to explore Turin at leisure. This dignified city is an important centre of business, finance and technology, and is also a showcase of Baroque, Renaissance and modern architecture. Fringed by the Italian Alps, the city's wide boulevards and grand public squares are lined with enticing cafés and bars. Just a short walk from our hotel is a stylish pedestrianised shopping district.

In the mid-afternoon we continue our journey into northern Italy, passing through Milan on our way to the lakeside town of Bardolino, where we check into our 4-Star lakefront hotel for six nights and enjoy a three-course dinner.

• Breakfast, Dinner

This morning we travel to delightful Sirmione where there's free time for you to look around. Located at the southern end of Lake Garda, where the lakefront is almost sea-like, the town is a pleasure to discover, bursting with history and charm. You could stop off at the imposing Rocca Scaligera, a beautifully preserved 13th-century castle surrounded by a large water-filled moat, take a stroll through the old quarter of town or visit the Grotte di Catullo, the remains of one of the largest Roman villas in Italy. We return to Bardolino in the afternoon, where there is time to relax before we celebrate Christmas Eve with a gala dinner at our hotel in the evening.

• Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Christmas Day is a time for relaxation and celebration, and we have a free morning after breakfast to enjoy in whatever way we wish. A gentle stroll by Lake Garda could take you to the small nearby village of Cisano where pastel-coloured buildings gather round a small square on the delightful lakefront, or to the centre beautiful Bardolino with grand, tiled avenues opening on incredible views of Lake Garda. For ultimate relaxation, our spa hotel contains thermal baths, swimming pools, a sauna and a beauty spa. In the early afternoon, we gather to celebrate Christmas together over a festive dinner before having the option for a laid-back afternoon. A three-course gala dinner tonight leads into an evening of live music as we get into the Christmas spirit in our wonderful surroundings.

• Breakfast, Dinner

Following a relaxed breakfast, we enjoy an excursion by coach to the Franciacorta wine region. Here, we stop at a local winery for a tour that teaches us all about the production process followed by an expert-led tasting of the vineyard's different vintages accompanied by local specialities. On the return to our hotel, tea and coffee and a selection of small pastries and cakes awaits, before we enjoy a gala dinner in the evening.

• Breakfast, Dinner

We transfer by rail to the floating city of Venice, where we enjoy a private boat transfer that takes us straight to St Mark's Square for a guided walking tour of Venice's main attractions, including the Doge's Palace, the Bridge of Sighs, and the Rialto Bridge. With some free time afterwards, you may like to take a traditional gondola ride through the winding network of canals or take a water taxi to the island of Murano, famed for its age-old glass-blowing techniques. Afterwards why not warm up in a cosy café overlooking St Mark's Square with a cup of delicious cioccolata calda? A private boat transfer takes us back to the train and a three-course dinner at our Bardolino hotel.

• Breakfast, Dinner

Leaving Lake Garda behind, we take the train to Verona, where we enjoy a guided tour of a city filled with Roman ruins, medieval buildings, Italian culture and romance, and famous as the setting for Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. In a UNESCO World Heritage-listed city centre, we visit Juliet's iconic balcony and the Roman arena, an open-air venue still used for performances today, where some free time could lend itself to indulging in lunch in one of the many restaurants around Piazza Brà. In mid-afternoon, we board the train for a direct journey to Innsbruck in Austria. This spectacular route through the Alps reveals some magical wintry scenes as we leave Italy by the Brenner Pass. Our hotel in central Innsbruck looks out to the majestic snow-capped peaks of the Austrian Alps. We check in for five nights and sit down for a three-course dinner with tea and coffee included.

• Breakfast, Dinner

Travelling on the Zillertalbahn today, we step aboard heritage carriages for an atmospheric journey through the delightful Ziller Valley. The railway's distinctive red engine stands out against the snow-clad landscapes as we marvel at sights such as rushing Ziller river, enchanting Tyrolean towns that look as if they belong on a Christmas card and meadows blanketed in thick, fresh snow. We arrive in Mayrhofen where you have free time to ride to the summit of Penken via a gondola cable car, walk the cobbled streets or visit the Ahorn Eagle's Stage, an observation point for alpine birds of prey.

• Breakfast, Dinner

Enjoy a free day to explore Innsbruck today, perhaps taking a walk beside the Inn river or past the fountains and pavilion of the Innsbrucker Hofgarten - landscaped royal palace gardens that date from the early 15th century. Innsbruck is a city of many delightful churches, including the baroque cathedral and gothic Hofkirche. For a day of relaxation, our 4-Star hotel has luxurious spa and wellness facilities.

• Breakfast, Dinner

Our New Year celebrations begin with a journey through the wintry scenery of the Stubai Valley aboard the narrow-gauge Stubaitalbahn. From Innsbruck, it winds up through gentle meadows, providing great views of the city below. Passing sleepy villages, the route then plunges into a landscape of icy forests and alpine meadows laden with snow, before winding its way down to the peaceful valley town of Fulpmes. Back in Innsbruck, the festivities get into full swing with a gala dinner and wine.

• Breakfast, Dinner

We wake up on New Year's Day with the wintry mountains looking on to festive Innsbruck. The gentle bustle of picture-perfect streets and the seasonal weather combine to charming effect on this enchanting day full of anticipation. After breakfast, we enjoy a guided walking tour of beautiful Innsbruck, followed by a leisurely afternoon during which you can explore further. With a remarkably picturesque medieval centre, the town is dotted with impressive buildings, including Herzog-Friedrich-Strasse. Here, a shimmering golden Habsburg roof, the ornate Hölbling house and the imposing 14th-century watchtower look out over buildings with arched arcaded frontages. We gather this evening for a three-course dinner.

• Breakfast, Dinner

This morning, we board the train down the Inn valley to Munich, Stuttgart and onwards to Cologne. Passing through the historic cities of Augsburg and Ulm, and fairytale towns such as Schwäbisch Gmünd and Limberg and der Lahn, we then arrive at our Rhine-side destination of Cologne, dominated by its imposing, twin-spired Gothic cathedral. We check in to our overnight hotel, where we enjoy dinner.

• Breakfast, Dinner

Our wonderful festive tour concludes today as we travel from Cologne to Brussels, before catching our final train, the Eurostar, to London St Pancras. Arriving in London, we say farewell to our travelling companions and recall the winter wonders we have witnessed in Italy and Austria.

• Breakfast