NEW! Fantasia North Lakes, Venice & Milan with Bernina Express 8 Days / 7 Nights

Day 1:

Meet your driver at the airport and enjoy your included transfer to the hotel. Check in at your hotel for a restful overnight stay.

Day 2:

After breakfast, enjoy your transfer to Piazza San Marco, and visit the most iconic places of the “Floating City”: the Palazzo dei Dogi, symbol of Venice’s glorious past, the legendary “Bridge of Sighs”. After the walking tour, allow us to treat you to a spritz or a prosecco, as a delightful conclusion to your visit to the highlights of Venice, in the company of your tour leader. While you sit comfortably and savor your drink, you will also have the opportunity to enjoy a taste of the famous "cicchetti", a Venetian variation of tapas (light lunch). Spend the afternoon roaming along Venice’s canals at your leisure and then return to the hotel and overnight.

Day 3:

After breakfast, reach “fair Verona”, a museum en plain air. A local professional will be waiting for you and take you on a guided tour. The fascinating mix of historical periods and cultures (both classical and Germanic) is a blend of Nordic as well as Mediterranean influences that is both ancient and modern. A walk through its narrow streets will allow you to get in touch with Verona’s varied and fascinating past: traces of its splendid Roman origins, its medieval structures, its magnificent renaissance palaces, as well as the impressive fortifications protecting it. The combination of art and history will amaze you. Two of William Shakespeare's plays are set in Verona: “Romeo and Juliet” is by far the most famous one. We suggest taking a look at the so-called Juliet’s home (and its balcony, said to have been the legendary balcony of the famous “O Romeo, Romeo” tragedy’s scene). It is a medieval building located in via Cappello. Capello is the name of a family who resided in the edifice in the 14th century. After the Verona tour, you will drive toward the territory of Franciacorta, whose soil consisting of gravel and sand over limestone is ideal for the cultivation of grapes and for winemaking. This is why we chose this place for your next stop. This is where you will enjoy a light lunch and taste some local food as well as the renowned local wine. After this experience, you will head for Bergamo, where you will have the first overnight in Bergamo.

Day 4:

Lake Garda, the largest lake in Italy, is the next destination. After breakfast at your hotel, you’ll embark on a panoramic tour of the lake’s west coast, immersing yourselves in the breathtaking natural landscape. This includes the Brenta Dolomites (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) and the gentle slopes of the Moraine Hills of Lower Garda. You'll be surrounded by lush vegetation, from lemon trees to oleanders, magnolias, and bougainvillea. Upon reaching Sirmione, where Lake Garda and its surroundings are at their finest, you'll see the sun reverberating on the lake’s blue waters, the tree-lined shores, Sirmione Castle, as well as the ruins of Catullus’s villa also known as the Grottoes of Catullus – during a scenic boat tour. Once you’re through, you will have some free time for lunch before departing for Desenzano del Garda with its elegant lakeside promenade and historical center that reflects traces of Venetian influence. Dinner and overnight stay in Bergamo.

Day 5:

Enjoy breakfast at your hotel and then prepare for a short visit to Como, a tourist destination for its vicinity to Lake Como and the Alps. Amazing views over the lake and the alpine valleys are guaranteed! The lake itself, sometimes called Lario, has long been famous for its y-shape and for Bellagio, that you will reach by boat. This little gem town lies at the intersection of the lake’s two southern arms, with the Alps dominating the horizon to the north, and is home to some of the most charming landscapes in Italy. Spend some time exploring this picturesque village and its small streets, luxury hotels, villas, and gardens, and have lunch at your leisure in one of the many restaurants or cafés. Later, continue by boat to Cadenabbia, where you’ll meet your driver and continue onward to Milan. Check in at your Milan hotel and overnight. 

Day 6:

This is the day of your Bernina Express tour, on board “the train that snakes its way up to the mountain peaks".  Just like sitting in a theater, you will admire unique views from your seat on board the Bernina Train, a piece of history (it is 100 years old) and a World Heritage train. After breakfast at the hotel, meet our driver and head to St. Moritz, where you’ll have some free time to explore. Then, board the Bernina Express and embark on one of the most scenic train routes in the world, offering breathtaking views of the Alps. As the train winds through the mountains, passing through tunnels and villages, several stunning highlights will capture your attention. Enjoy magnificent views of the Swiss Alps as you travel along the Bernina pass to Tirano. Once in Tirano, meet your driver at the designated meeting point for your return journey to Milan Overnight stay in Milan.

Day 7:

After breakfast, feel free to explore Milan this morning at your own pace. In the afternoon, meet your professional local guide at the hotel and set off on a three-hour walking tour through the heart of Milan. Going down via Spallanzani, you will reach Porta Venezia (literally Venice Gate), one of the historical gates to the city. It has medieval and maybe even Roman origins, and it gives the name to the city district all around it. An urban legend has it that the other name it is known as - “Porta Renza” - stems from Renzo Tramaglino, co-protagonist of the novel The Betrothed by Alessandro Manzoni, who enters Milan exactly from this access. You will proceed toward Corso Venezia and take a shortcut inside Giardini Indro Montanelli, a public garden. Opposite the gardens, you will go past GAM, the Galleria d’Arte Moderna (modern art museum). Proceeding along Viale Manzoni, you will head for La Scala opera house (Teatro alla Scala), inaugurated on 3 August 1778. The theater underwent major renovations from early 2002 to late 2004. Then, get ready to take in the stunning Milan Cathedral (Duomo di Milano). Your tour guide will illustrate its main features. The last stop will be the majestic Castello Sforzesco, a medieval fortress built in the 15th century by the Duke of Milan, Francesco Sforza. In its vicinity, we have chosen a refined bakery for you to be able to relax and taste a typical aperitivo (happy hour).At the end of the aperitivo, the tour is over and you will have some free time before returning to the hotel on your own. Overnight stay is in Milan.

Day 8:

After breakfast, transfer to the airport. Arrivederci!