Lake Maggiore

You meet at London St Pancras and take the Eurostar to Paris. Here, change trains and continue to Strasbourg, where you spend the night.

• Dinner

Continue to Italy, taking the train to the pretty town of Stresa, one of the most popular resorts on the shores of Lake Maggiore. Although a highly popular Italian resort, Stresa is small enough to explore on foot, rewarding its visitors with medieval buildings, opulent and historic villas, delightful public gardens and some fascinating museums. Check into your hotel, which has superb views overlooking the lake and surrounding Italian Alps, for the next five nights.

• Breakfast, Dinner

Cruise to picturesque Isola Bella, a small island in the middle of the lake, just a few minutes' sailing from Stresa. Transformed by the aristocratic Borromeo family in the 16th and 17th centuries, today it's dominated by the sumptuous Borromeo Palace. You visit the palace before free time to explore the Italian gardens, which are equally as opulent as the interiors. Continue by boat to Isola dei Pescatore, also known as Fisherman's Island and home to a quaint fishing village with only 50 or so permanent residents. While here, it's highly recommended to stop by one of the traditional fish restaurants to try a local specialty - perch caught directly from the lake. You could also visit San Vittore church to see the wooden busts of apostles Peter and Andrew, the patron saints of fishermen.

• Breakfast, Dinner

Today you're free to relax in Stresa. Maybe head out to explore the delightful town and follow in the footsteps of historic guests, such as Ernest Hemingway and Princess Margaret, as you stroll along the pretty lakeside promenade. Alternatively, take advantage of the hotel's comforts and spend the day relaxing. Lounge on the hotel's sun terrace, drinking in the spectacular Alpine views, or take a dip in the pool of the nearby sister hotel.

• Breakfast, Dinner

Enjoy a journey on the Centovalli Railway. With a name meaning One Hundred Valleys, this railway connects Locarno in Switzerland to Domodossola in Italy. The line opened in 1923 and has remained popular ever since, with its beautiful bridges crossing over incredible lakeside and valley scenery. You wind through valleys and past deep ravines, over bridges and through tunnels, between Domodossola and lakeside Locarno. On arrival in Locarno, you're free to choose a place to enjoy some lunch and look around. You could visit the Sacred Mount Madonna del Sasso, a historical site perched above the village, with fantastic views over Locarno and the lake. Later, take the scenic route to your hotel, enjoying a pleasant cruise back to Stresa.

• Breakfast, Dinner

Travel by coach to one of Italy's most famous destinations - Lake Como. Located in the foothills of the Italian and Swiss Alps, the setting is almost fjord-like, with steep mountains rising from the water's edge. Your first stop is Cadenabbia. Here you board a boat for a relaxed cruise to Bellagio, a peninsula town on the lake. Drink in magnificent views across crystal blue waters from this, one of the oldest tourist towns in Italy. You're free to explore before continuing to Menaggio, where the main square is the perfect place to enjoy a gelato and watch the world go by.

• Breakfast, Dinner

Begin your journey home, travelling first to Basel, where you change trains and continue to Mulhouse for the night.

• Breakfast, Dinner

Catch the high-speed rail service to Paris. Here, you connect with the return Eurostar to London St Pancras.

• Breakfast