First-Class Lake Maggiore & Stresa

Your Italian holiday begins as you meet the Tour Manager and travelling group at London St Pancras and take the Eurostar to Paris. Travelling in Plus class, we enjoy a light meal served at our seats enroute to the French capital, from where we continue by First Class rail to Colmar.

This charming Alsace town is one of the region's most popular destinations. Its picturesque streets brim with colourful, half-timbered houses reflecting its mixed French and German heritage. Cobbled lanes open up on to flower-lined waterways, including in the Little Venice district.

Our hotel is right outside the railway station and, we can soak up the atmosphere on our way to dinner at a local French restaurant.

Please note -  For departures 11th July and 7th September we will stay at the Novotel Suites Colmar Centre in Colmar, located just 450 metres from Petite Venice in Colmar.

Please note: If travelling by air, your holiday starts on Day 2 of the itinerary and ends on Day 9.

• Eurostar Light Meal (Rail departures only)
• Dinner (Rail departures only)

Our journey continues after breakfast as we return to Colmar train station and board a train bound for Switzerland in First Class carriages. As we make our way through this mountainous country, the scenery becomes more dramatic as our route passes through the Swiss Alps. After travelling through the famous Simplon Tunnel, we arrive in the Italian town of Domodossola, where we alight and transfer by coach to Stresa.

Proudly situated on the shores of Lake Maggiore, the town of Stresa has a sophisticated heritage and overlooks the lake's renowned Borromean Islands, tiny oases built up with exquisite palaces and ornamental gardens.

On arrival, we check into our luxurious Art Nouveau hotel, perfectly positioned overlooking the lake, with lush gardens and an outdoor swimming pool. This evening, we dine at our hotel.

If travelling by air, you will meet the Tour Manager at London Heathrow and fly to Milan, transferring to our hotel in Stresa.

• Breakfast (Rail departures only)
• Dinner

After a leisurely breakfast, we join a boat cruise from the pier and set out on Lake Maggiore to the Borromean Islands. We sail first to Isola Bella, a tiny island dominated by the Borromeo Palace, built for Italian nobility. A local guide introduces us to the 17th-century palace and its Italianate gardens, which we can then discover at our own pace.

Our cruise continues to Isola dei Pescatori, named after the fishermen who lived here. The island's beauty has transformed it into a popular tourist spot, and the fishing industry now supplies local restaurants. With time to explore independently, you will find cafés and ristorantes in which you can enjoy lunch. After a relaxing afternoon we rejoin our boat and cruise back to our hotel.

Your evening in Stresa is free and, exploring the town centre, a useful landmark is Piazza Cadorna. From here, the streets radiate out in all directions, offering an array of shops, cafés and restaurants. You will find plenty of places to eat in the town or could choose to dine at the hotel.

• Breakfast

This morning, we set off for Lake Orta, Lake Maggiore's smaller neighbour. First, we sail to Isola San Giulio, an enchanting island village with an ancient monastery. We have time at leisure over lunch and into the afternoon to discover this island for ourselves. Isola San Giulio has an intriguing history, and the basilica is well worth a visit. Inside, you can find pastel frescoes and the crypt of the 4th-century Greek evangelist, after whom the island was named.

We continue our cruise to the town of Orta San Giulio, known as the 'Jewel of the Lake'. Set on a tiny promontory with a backdrop of the Alps, Orta has cobbled streets and a piazza overlooking the water. You are free to explore or wander along the lakefront, dotted with colourful fishing boats. With its peaceful atmosphere, well-preserved buildings and scenic surroundings, Orta San Giulio has been popular with writers since the 19th century, including Lord Byron and Robert Browning.

Back at our hotel, there's time to relax and possibly enjoy the pool, spa or terrace, before dinner this evening.

• Breakfast, Dinner

Today is free to enjoy as you wish. Friday is market day in Stresa, and the town comes to life as local vendors set up stalls of fresh produce, clothing and gifts. You could walk along the lakeside promenade, following in the footsteps of historic guests such as Ernest Hemingway and Princess Margaret.

There are many interesting villas along the lakeshore or islands of Lake Maggiore which you could visit by boat. In Stresa itself, Villa Pallavicino has an English garden and a zoo. You could also take a sightseeing cruise to the nearby town of Baveno, with its pale pink granite buildings. Further along the gulf is Pallanzo, where palaces include the Villa Taranto with world-renowned terraced gardens. Another island you could visit is Isola Madre, the largest of the Borromeo archipelago which rises from the lake like a dazzling green gem - a haven of exotic plants and birdlife.

This evening you are free to dine independently, maybe starting with a drink on the hotel's sun terrace, soaking up spectacular views.

• Breakfast

Today is one of the highlights of your holiday - a journey on one of Europe's most scenic rail routes, the Centovalli Railway. After travelling by coach to Domodossola, we join this picturesque railway on a route through the Alps. The Centovalli has been in operation since the 1920s, and the name 'Railway of 100 Valleys' is an apt description.

Winding our way to Locarno in Switzerland, we travel through valleys, across wildflower meadows and over high bridges, passing wide gorges and rushing waterfalls. In Locarno, you're free to explore the Old Town - with its exotic gardens and lakeside promenades - and maybe enjoy some lunch or shopping along its Piazza Grande.

At the end of the afternoon, we return to Stresa by boat, gliding back along the length of the Italy's second-longest lake. Beautiful scenery surrounds our boat as we sail from Locarno to Stresa, passing the Borromean Islands enroute. This evening, you are free to dine independently.

• Breakfast

There's another opportunity to explore new places after breakfast today. Whether you wish to stay around Stresa, sail on Lake Maggiore or head further afield, there are many choices available to you.

One option is to take a rail trip to Milan, the fashion capital of Italy. Besides the city's many designer shops, Milan is worth visiting to see the superb Teatro alla Scala and the Duomo - this Gothic cathedral is one of the largest church buildings in the world. You could also delve into the Navigli district to uncover the vibrant canalside streets. The duration of train journeys to Milan varies, so we suggest you check before travelling to find the most convenient journey times. From Milan, it is also possible to continue by rail to Lake Como - a longer journey of around two hours, but with another beautiful lake to explore on arrival.

Of course, you may be perfectly happy to spend the day relaxing in the fabulous surroundings of our hotel. Wherever you find yourself today, you can return this evening for dinner at our hotel.

• Breakfast, Dinner

Another highlight of your holiday awaits today - the perfect way to spend the last day in the Italian Lakes. After a relaxed breakfast, we are taken by coach to the Fontechiara winery, for a wine tasting with samples of local produce.

A welcome tour of the winery and cellar by the owner gives us a greater insight into how the wines are produced, including varieties such as Nebbiolo, Vespolina and Rosata. Later, we savour a tasting of three wines, with homemade delicacies, local charcuterie and cheeses selected to complement the flavours and aromas of each wine. Our tasting is followed by coffee and a grappa produced on the premises.

In the afternoon, we return to Stresa and our hotel, where there's time to relax or revisit your favourite parts of the town before our final dinner in Italy.

• Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

If returning by air to London, your group will be transferred to Milan Linate airport after breakfast ahead of your flight to Heathrow.

If returning home by rail, we take a First Class rail journey to Lausanne in Switzerland, passing along the Rhône Valley surrounded by spectacular Swiss Alps. Here, where we change trains and continue in First Class along the shore of Lake Geneva to the French city of Dijon. As the former capital of the wealthy Duchy of Burgundy, Dijon is an attractive and historic city. In the grand Place de la Libération, a crescent of honey-hued restaurants and bars look out to the medieval Palace of the Dukes and Estates of Burgundy.

On arrival, we check in to our hotel near the station for an overnight stay, before our final dinner with our group at a local restaurant.

• Breakfast
• Dinner (Rail departures only)

The elegant lakeside town of Stresa has provided a wonderful base from which to explore Lake Maggiore and its surrounding areas. Cruise to the Borromean Islands and on tranquil Lake Orta, and a journey into Switzerland on the Centovalli Railway revealed the variety of beautiful landscapes, while a tasting at the Fontechiari winery provided a delectable flavour of the region.

After breakfast this morning, we leave Dijon and continue by First Class rail to Paris. In the French capital, we join the Eurostar in Plus class, enjoying a light meal on our way back to London St Pancras, where your Italian holiday comes to a conclusion.

• Breakfast
• Eurostar Light Meal