Hidden Europe: unique experiences in Europe's cities
08/09/2020 · By Katie Shaw
Europe’s cities are treasure troves of culture, teeming with iconic, must-see sights to enthral even the most seasoned of tourists.
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2024 Tour code: SRL24
About the tour
The beautiful fortress town of Sirmione is our base, in an elegant Spa hotel, set on a picturesque peninsula overlooking Lake Garda. On this captivating tour, we glide through Venice's turquoise canals on an unforgettable gondola ride - passing Venetian palazzos, intriguing architecture and by zantine churches - we taste renowned wines and enjoy a delicious homemade dinner at a rural winery in Valpolicella, and explore history and culture in Roman Verona and medieval Malcesine.
Unforgettable experiences
What’s included
Itinerary
Our holiday begins when we meet our fellow travellers and Tour Manager at London St Pancras. We board the Eurostar service to Paris in Standard Premier Class, enjoying a light meal in our seats. From the French capital, we continue by First Class rail to Karlsruhe in Germany, passing through the Champagne and Alsace regions enroute.
In Karlsruhe, we change to the First Class train to Freiburg im Breisgau. Nestled at the edge of the magical Black Forest, Freiburg has a charming Old Town with cobblestone squares lined by gabled buildings and a magnificent Gothic cathedral. Our overnight hotel is near the train station and, after checking in, we head out to a local restaurant to enjoy our first dinner together as a group.
Additional information
Hotel
Trains
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Reviews
4.4 / 5 · 231 reviews
Valerie Horner
Submitted 6/May
Sirmione is very busy. Our hotel was ok but not special. We had a 15 minute walk back to the hotel after we were dropped off by coach.
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Fiona Blair
Submitted 1/May
I really enjoyed the rail journeys, especially the TGV from Lausanne to Paris. Lake Garda was stunning and the hotel, with its lakeside views, sun terrace and pools, was lovely. The service was excellent and the staff always helpful. The food was a little bit strange, perhaps trying a bit too hard to be "quality" and interesting. Sirmione itself I found disappointing, very crowded, full of ice-cream shops but without a single ordinary shop to buy chocolate, fruit etc. The parks and the lakeside walks were beautiful, though. The trip to Venice was outstanding, just the right length of day (as opposed to Verona, which went on too long, with the vineyard trip tacked on) - the gondola ride was a real treat. Thanks to Ruth, our guide, for working so hard to make the holiday run smoothly.
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Angela
Submitted 1/May
Great holiday. The hotels were good and couldn't fault the staff. Thermal infinity pool a must at the Continental. Trip to Venice a particular highlight and it wasn't too busy! Hadn't realised about the walk to and from the hotel but not a problem for us. Ruth was great and took really good care of us.
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Mr M TURFF
Submitted 30/Apr
Sirmione is full of tourist shops and restaurants eg its a money pit. The hotel was situated about a 10 min walk from the coach drop off point, transport was laid on for the luggage and a taxi could be used to carry you through the narrow streets to and from the hotel. There are no food shops in the town, the nearest shop is a super market about a 3 mile walk away. The walk is pleasant as most of it is along the shore of the lake.The hotel accommodation was average as was the food. The hotel was well managed, clean and in a quiet location. However there were no tea making facilities in the rooms. The staff were pleasant.
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JOHN
Submitted 30/Apr
RUTH MORGAN WAS A KNOWLEDGEABLE AND HELPFUL GUIDE. OUR RAIL EXPERIENCES WERE EXCELLENT - EFFICIENT AND MOST COMFORTABLE (AND IT WAS GOOD TO KNOW THAT EVEN EUROPEAN RAILWAYS HAVE PROBLEMS!) ALTHOUGH THE WEATHER WAS UNEXPECTEDLY COLD, WE ENJOYED ALL WE SAW, ATE DELICIOUS FOOD AND DRANK EXCELLENT WINE. A VERY WORTHWHILE AND ENJOYABLE HOLIDAY. THANK YOU. OUR ONLY CRITICISM WAS VENICE - IT WAS ONLY A GLANCING VISIT SO NOT MUCH TIME TO APPRECIATE THE CITY. THE GONDOLA WAS A WASTE OF TIME - ABORT THAT AND PERHAPS SPEND MORE TIME IN THE CITY? A REALLY ENJOYABLE AND WORTHWHILE HOLIDAY. THANK YOU.
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Brian
Submitted 30/Apr
Superb holiday but would recommend a head count before boarding trains.
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