Italian Lakes & the Amalfi Coast
- 11 Days
- From £1,599
- Italy
- Speed through to historic Dijon for a night, en route to Italy
- Stay in Stresa on beautiful, mountain-ringed Lake Maggiore
- Explore the world-famous Amalfi Coast from your base in Minori
- Travel outbound via the Simplon route and back via the unforgettable Brenner and Arlberg Alpine Passes.
- Decide when you would like to travel
- Adapt the route to suit your plans
- Upgrade hotels and rail journeys
- Add extra nights, destinations and/or tours
- Standard Class rail travel with seat reservations
- 10 nights’ handpicked hotel accommodation with breakfast
- Private car transfer from Salerno to your Amalfi Coast hotel
- Comprehensive directions to your hotels
- Clearly-presented wallets for your rail tickets, hotel vouchers and other documentation
- All credit card surcharges and complimentary delivery of your travel documents
Suggested Itinerary
Catch the Eurostar to Paris Gare du Nord and transfer across to the Gare de Lyon where you’ll take the TGV line to Dijon. Arrive in the Burgundian capital in the early evening and check in at the Grand Hotel La Cloche (or similar).
Spend an evening strolling through the centre of the city, admiring the historic buildings before enjoying some delicious Burgundian cuisine in a local restaurant.
Leave Dijon this morning and take a train through the Jura Mountains to Lausanne. Here, there’s time for lunch in the old town area before you need to catch an onward service through the Simplon Pass high in the Alps to Stresa on Lake Maggiore.
Check in at the Regina Palace Hotel (or similar), where you will stay for 3 nights.
Spend two days soaking up the sunshine on Lake Maggiore, the second largest of Italy’s lakes, which also stretches into the Ticino canton of Switzerland. Don’t miss a boat ride out to Isola Bella or the lakefront piazza at Cannobio.
TMR RECOMMENDS: Take a boat trip along the lake to Locarno in Switzerland, have lunch in one of the glorious piazzas, then take the picturesque Centovalli railway to Domodossola, back in Italy. Connect with the mainline for the short ride back to Stresa. Ask the team for details.
After an early start, return to the station and catch a train down to Milan. Here, transfer onto a service heading south to Salerno and the Amalfi Coast.
You’ll arrive into Salerno in the mid-afternoon where a transfer driver will be waiting for you. You’ll be driven along the famous winding roads of the Amalfi Coast to Minori for a 4-night stay at the Villa Romana Hotel & Spa (or similar).
Minori is a former fishing village dating back millenia. Its location in the heart of the Amalfi Coast makes it an ideal base to explore this world-famous stretch of coastline during your three-day stay. You can get around by boat or even take a day trip to Sorrento or the island of Capri.
TMR RECOMMENDS: Why not hire a car and discover the hidden corners of the Amalfi Coast or the fascinating Roman remains at Pompeii and Herculaneum?
This morning, you can either take a taxi (payable locally) to Salerno and then catch a train north which will take you directly to Bolzano. Alternatively, you can take a shorter taxi to Sorrento and board the Circumvesuviana service to Naples and then take a train to Bolzano via Bologna. Either way, you’ll head through some lovely mountain scenery as you enter the Italian Tyrol and spend a night at the Parkhotel Laurin (or similar) in the centre of Bolzano.
This Sud-Tyrol capital has three spoken languages (Italian, German and the mountain language of Ladin) and boasts a lovely medieval core with plenty of churches, museums and shops to explore.
Today, your train journey takes across the the Austrian border and you continue along the Brenner Pass route to Innsbruck main station, where you have an overnight stop at the AC Hotel Innsbruck (or similar).
Innsbruck is often referred to as the ‘Capital of the Alps’ and is ringed by impressive peaks. You might like to spend an extra night here so that you have time to explore.
Take a stunning scenic ride to Zurich over the Arlberg Pass, then connect with a French TGV to Paris and Eurostar onwards to London. You may also like to break the journey in Zurich or Paris for a night. Please call us for details.
ALTERNATIVE ROUTE: If you are happy to set out early and want to avoid changing stations in Paris, you can also travel back via Munich and Brussels.
Typical hotels on this itinerary
The Grand Hotel la Cloche Dijon MGallery is conveniently located in the centre of the city, offering easy access to all the sights and attractions of Burgundy. All bedrooms are decorated in a modern but classic style with Wi-Fi internet access. Enjoy Burgundian specialities in the hotel’s restaurant or a relaxing sauna.
Hotel Regina Palace is a majestic Art Nouveau building offering refined classic-style interiors and a large garden with pool. It is right on the shore of Lake Maggiore, in Stresa. Rooms and common lounges are all decorated with antique furniture giving a sense of history and nobility.
Villa Romana Hotel & Spa is located in the charming town of Minori, 150 metres from the sea and within easy reach of local bars & restaurants. Bedrooms are furnished in a classic style with air-conditioning and complimentary Wi-Fi access. There is also an outdoor swimming pool, a spa & wellness centre and an on-site restaurant serving Mediterranean cuisine.
Located within easy reach of Bolzano’s main station and the centre of town, this historic Art Nouveau hotel dates back to 1910. Bedrooms are furnished in a classic style with free Wi-Fi, air-conditioning, sound-proofing and flat-screen TVs. The on-site restaurant serves regional specialities and you can dine outside on warm evenings. There is also a seasonal outdoor pool.
Conveniently located between the main station and the Old Town, the AC Hotel Innsbruck offers comfortable accommodation and panoramic views. Spacious air-conditioned bedrooms come with sound-proofed widows, free Wi-Fi access and large HD LCD TVs. There is a restaurant on site as well as a relaxing lounge bar and a gym.
Upgrade your accommodation
Grand Hotel Des Iles Borromees offers elegant rooms with marble bathrooms complete with spa bath. Some rooms have views of the distant Alps, some overlook the lake and the islands. The wellness centre feaetures an indoor swimming pool as well as hot tubs and saunas.
The guest rooms surround the ancient courtyard dating back to the 13th century when the hotel was once a convent. Founded in 1222 by St Francis of Assisi, Hotel Luna Convento features a large outdoor pool and a reef, complete with sun loungers and umbrellas. From here you can access the beautiful Mediteranean Sea.