
Great Rail Journeys
Best of Switzerland
Eight-day independent Swiss tour on Bernina, Glacier and GoldenPass Express trains
Tailor Made Rail · Rail holiday

Take the train to the stunning city of Venice and Lake Garda, one of the most popular of Italy's lake resorts. Includes trains and hotels.
Board a Eurostar at London St Pancras bound for Paris. On arrival make your way to Gare de Lyon, where your TGV service awaits, taking you across the border into Italy at speeds of up to 200mph before continuing through the picturesque French and Italian Alps, arriving in Turin shortly after 8pm.
Spend a free morning in Italy's first capital city, with its fine architecture and museums, including the Egyptian Museum. After lunch, board a Eurostar Italia Frecciarossa and zoom across the north of Italy, passing Milan and Brescia, before alighting at Desenzano del Garda / Sirmione station and making your way to the Hotel Villa Rosa (or similar), right on the shore of the lake.
A full day at this beautiful Italian lake. Relax at one of the pavement cafés or bars at the marina in Desenzano, or take a boat to the iconic town of Sirmione and along the eastern and western shores of the lake to Riva del Garda in the mountainous north.
A second full day to explore Lake Garda, whether relaxing lakeside or taking the regular boat services to Sirmione or Riva del Garda.
Rejoin the rail network for the journey into Venice, just over an hour, passing through Verona and the flat arable land around the Po delta before crossing the causeway into Venice and arriving at Santa Lucia station. Take a vaporetto along the Grand Canal to the Duodo Palace Hotel (or similar) for a 2-night stay.
A full day in Venice. Beat the crowds at St Mark's Square, visit the Doge's Palace and the Bridge of Sighs, wander the Arsenale district, and perhaps take a boat trip to Murano or visit the Peggy Guggenheim Museum.
Travel back across northern Italy to Milan on a high-speed Italian train, then change onto a Swiss EuroCity service which passes Como and Lake Lugano before crossing into Switzerland through the 22-mile Gotthard Base Tunnel. Arrive alongside Lake Lucerne and into Zurich in time for dinner. Check in at the Hotel Adler (or similar).
Two trains complete the holiday: a TGV Lyria service to Paris in 4 hours, followed by a Eurostar to London in 2 hours 30 minutes, with complimentary metro tickets and directions provided for the change of station in Paris.

Great Rail Journeys
Eight-day independent Swiss tour on Bernina, Glacier and GoldenPass Express trains

Marvellous Escapes

Planet Rail

Planet Rail