Tauck Tours: Italian Lakes, Venice, Florence and Rome
For first-time visitors to Italy, Tauck's Italian highlights tour is a must. You'll begin in Milan, from which you'll transfer just across the border to Lugano, Switzerland. The next day, it's on to the iconic Lake Como and the canals of Venice. After a gondola ride and free day, you'll explore Florence's Ufizzi Gallery and the ruins of Rome. An after-hours tour of the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel, without the usual crush of crowds, concludes your trip. Lodging throughout this guided train tour is top quality and within a short distance of many of the most famous sites in each city (the Spanish Steps in Rome, for instance). Most meals are included and your tour director can recommend activities for the free time the itinerary has built in.
Tauck World Discovery
10 Norden Place
Norwalk, CT 06855
(800)788-7885
tauck.com
Great Rail Journeys: Highlights of Tuscany
If you've already seen some of Italy's most famous sights and want to dig deeper into one region, try Great Rail Journeys' "Highlights of Tuscany" tour. The tour departs by Eurostar from London, so you can add on a few days of sightseeing in the United Kingdom as well. After an overnight stop in Paris, it's off to Turin and Florence, then to the spa town of Montecatini. The Tettuccio Terme spa here was built in the 18th century and is worth a visit for its architecture as well as its hot springs and mud baths. The next days include visits to Siena and Pisa (where you can see the famous Leaning Tower), followed by a free day in which you can head to the coast for a swim or take a funicular railway to the top of a nearby hill. On your last full day in Italy, you'll be treated to a cookery demonstration and wine tasting in the Chianti region. Finally, bid farewell to Italy and return to London by train. Your tour fee includes first and standard class rail transfers, all accommodations and most dinners, several full-day excursions and a tour manager throughout.
Great Rail Journeys
Saviour House
9 St. Saviourgate
York, YO1 8NL
United Kingdom
011 (44) 1904 521 936
greatrail.com
(When dialing from outside the United States and Canada, dial 00 instead of 011)
Great Rail Tours: Sicily and the Bay of Naples
If you really think you've seen all Italy has to offer, Great Rail Tours' 13-night "Sicily and the Bay of Naples" may be a real eye-opener. You'll travel from London to Rome, but quickly move south towards the island of Sicily. Here you'll visit volcanic Mount Etna, sample the famous local wine and tour the city of Palermo with its Arabic, Norman and Spanish architecture. You'll also stop off in Messina, setting of Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing." You'll see the Amalfi Coast and Naples, then move on to the island of Sicily. On the journey back to London you'll stop in Sorrento and visit the ruins of Pompeii. Finally, you'll take an overnight train to Cologne, then transfer to Eurostar in Brussels, Belgium, for the trip back to London. The tour is fully escorted and includes lodging and all transportation by rail and ferry.
Saviour House
9 St. Saviourgate
York, YO1 8NL
United Kingdom
011 (44) 1904 521 936
greatrail.com
(When dialing from outside the United States and Canada, dial 00 instead of 011)
