The Italian Riviera
Delightful towns and the stunning Cinque Terre
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9 Days from £1,295per
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A fantastic holiday on the enchanting Italian Riviera, where fabulous towns and villages overlook the Mediterranean in a region of breathtaking natural beauty. Discover Portofino and Genoa on this tour.
You begin your holiday at London St Pancras International, where you meet your group at Rail Discoveries' dedicated Departure Office before travelling by Eurostar to Paris. Here, change trains and continue by high-speed TGV to Turin.
Enjoy a morning to explore beautiful Turin. An excellent example of a modern Italian city, Turin's wide boulevards, grand old buildings and extensive market places lend an impressive feel to the streets. Be sure to see the Mole Antonelliana, originally a synagogue and nowadays, a remarkable landmark rising high above the skyline.
Later, continue to delightful Chiavari for 6 nights at the Stella del Mare. Found in the province of Genoa, and not far from the city itself, Chiavari is an idyllic coastal town with a truly beautiful harbour lined by classic Italian town houses and populated by bobbing, white sailing boats from across the world.
Chiavari's seafront promenade, stretching across the length of the town, faces a pure sea of azure, and the colourful parasols and buildings lend a timeless cheer to the town.
You are at leisure on Day 3 to settle into your new surroundings. Why not take your first steps on the beach and soak in the spectacular views? Alternatively, discover the old historic centre with its winding cobbled streets.
Today, discover the stunningly beautiful coastal villages known as the Cinque Terre. This wonderful set of small coastal villages boasts of UNESCO World Heritage status, and attracts visitors across the world for their enduring and genuine Italian charm. Part of an Italian national park, these villages are a memory from an Italy of old, each with their own unique highlights.
In order to travel between these villages, we journey by rail and pass through some marvellous Italian scenery on the way. We glide along cliffs, between rolling hills and alongside golden beaches as we discover the true natural beauty of this part of the world.
Take a cruise today from Rapallo to Portofino, a colourful fishing village surrounded by olive groves. As we drift down the coast, enjoy the sight of the Genoan province from an entirely new perspective, a sight which truly succeeds in highlighting the contrast between the dense green forests, sheer white cliffs and enchanting colourful towns and harbours.
Portofino is a postcard town clinging above the water on the side of a rocky outcrop. Hidden from the rest of the world, Portofino's charm lies in its isolated tranquillity, its sheltered harbour a home for yachts and other vessels, and the warm colours of its houses a welcome sight for seagoing vessels.
Continue from here to San Fruttuoso, hidden in a small cove. This refuge is characterised by a small, ancient Benedictine monastery, which has been changed over the years and sits immediately up from the beach.
Please note: landing at San Fruttuoso is dependent on weather conditions. If it is not possible, the boat will land at the lovely Santa Margherita.
Today you are free to explore, possibly visiting one of the nearby towns.
Travel by train to Genoa on Day 7 for a guided tour of the city's Old Town. Genoa is one of Italy's truly great cities, its port a hive of activities and its streets lit up by the grandeur of its mercantile past. It is the sixth largest city in Italy, and its port is one of the most important in Europe, with tens of thousands of ships passing through each year.
The Doge's Palace is particularly impressive, echoing the resplendence of the Renaissance period.
You depart the beautiful Italian Riviera today, travelling by rail to Basel via Milan, then on to Mulhouse for the night.
Continue by high-speed TGV to Paris today, where you connect with the Eurostar to London St Pancras International, where your holiday concludes.
Provisional departure and return times, where available, can be found together with dates and prices by clicking on the 'Prices & Availability' button. We will write to you around 10 weeks before your departure date with the precise meeting times for your tour group.
Not Included
Please note: This tour may be suitable for reduced mobility passengers, please call for further information.
of travellers would recommend this tour
Tour Rating
based on 14 verified reviews
Because it was such a fantastic holiday. We went with another couple and all of us were celebrating our Ruby Anniversary.
We found the tour a tiring due to the heat and the need to get on and off so many trains some days
Very good in most respects. Hotel food was disappointing and there were a couple of +1 hour delays on the journey out.
Beautiful locations, extremely helpful tour guide, good accommodation,lovely food and possibly outside your control - perfect weather!
great trip well organised
Lots to see with an excellent tour manager
Too many rail connections on way out did not work with long delays. Cross Europe journeys too slow and long with too many changes on way back. Hotel food could have been better in resort - not sensitive to dietary needs. Hotel room noisy on main road at front of hotel, and too much noise from pipework and air conditioning. Preferred city stops e.g. Turin, Strasbourg and Genoa, to riviera resorts which varied in their facilities (some were run down, others pricey). Portofino was boring and expensive - would have prefered boat trip round coast here. Cinque Terre nice but four places too much to visit - three would have been better on a long hot day.
Would have given 5 stars but too long a journey on the first day. Excellent tour guide and good group of fellow travellers. Certainly not a holiday for anyone with any mobility issues
Excellent tour manager in Julie Boreham,friendly clean and modern hotel
The holiday itself was great but the trip from London to Paris thenTurin was a little to long travelling and the food at the hotel at our destination was not great mainly cold when we received it but apart from that a great holiday why I gave five stars
Delightful towns and the stunning Cinque Terre
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