Charm & Beauty of Lake Garda via Locarno by First Class Rail

By rail to Switzerland

Escape central London on board the Eurostar service to Paris, reclining with a drink and light meal in your Standard Premier Class seat. At the Gare du Nord your taxi transfer whisks you across Paris to the Gare de Lyon for the connecting TGV to Zurich, watching Paris give way to green pastures and the foothills of the Swiss Alps. Overnight at the Hotel Helmhaus (4 star), a stroll or tram ride from the station.

Free time in Zurich - Through the Swiss Alps to Lake Garda

After breakfast explore Zurich: the Old Town along the River Limmat, the elegant Bahnhofstrasse, the Grossmünster, Fraumünster and St Peterskirche churches, or the Lindenhof viewpoint. Then join the scenic Gotthard route through the Swiss Alps and the Gotthard Base Tunnel, the world's longest tunnel, continuing past the Italian Lakes to Milan. Change onto the Trenitalia Frecciarossa to Desenzano on Lake Garda, where a private transfer takes you to the Park Hotel (4 star) for four nights, overlooking the lake in the town centre.

Meals: breakfast

At leisure in Desenzano

Unwind in the pretty town of Desenzano: visit the old town on market day, wander the narrow streets and picturesque waterfront, or hop on a ferry to discover more of Italy's largest lake.

At leisure in Desenzano

Take a lake cruise from near your hotel with the choice of Limone, Riva del Garda or Malcesine in the north, or Torri del Benaco, Lazise or Sirmione in the south and east. Malcesine, arguably the most attractive town on the lake, offers a medieval castle and cobbled streets beneath Monte Baldo; Sirmione has the 13th century Rocca Scaligera Castle and the Grotte di Catullo, the largest Roman villa remains in Italy.

At leisure in Desenzano

Desenzano's accessibility to the Italian rail network means you can purchase a return rail ticket to experience the magic of Venice for a day, stepping from Venezia Santa Lucia station straight onto the Grand Canal.

Lake Garda to Montreux on Lake Geneva

A private transfer returns you to Desenzano station for the Frecciarossa First Class journey to Milan, then a regional service north to Locarno. There board the narrow gauge Centovalli Railway for an unforgettable ride across viaducts and bridges through a hundred valleys to Domodossola, before the spectacular journey through the Simplon Pass to Montreux. Overnight at the belle époque Grand Hotel Suisse Majestic (4 star superior) next to the station.

Montreux to London - Homeward bound

After a leisurely breakfast join the InterRegio service to Lausanne for the connecting super-fast TGV to Paris in First Class. A taxi transfer takes you to the Gare du Nord for the Eurostar to London, enjoying a light meal and drinks before arriving into London St Pancras International.

Meals: breakfast