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Lake Como, St Moritz & the Bernina Express

8days from
£1,255*per person

Overview

Great rail journeys

Savour lakes and mountains and take one of the world’s great railway journeys to Switzerland’s most celebrated holiday hideaway. Spend a week on the shores of Lake Como, the most picturesque of the Italian lakes. Enjoy its elegant villas and glorious gardens – which have inspired artists and writers for generations – and combine rest and relaxation with some wonderful excursions, including a journey on the spectacularly scenic Bernina Express to chic St Moritz, famous refuge of the well-heeled, and opportunities to discover stylish Milan and idyllic Lugano.

Itinerary

  • Fly to Milan and transfer to Lake Como and your chosen hotel. Settle into your surroundings and enjoy your first dinner.
  • Today introduces you to Como’s most sparkling jewel, stunning Bellagio. Idyllically set on the peninsula that divide the lake’s two southern limbs, Bellagio is often described as the most beautiful town in Italy. Join your tour manager for the ferry crossing, then step ashore to discover this exquisite place, with its elegant villas and glorious gardens looking out over the lake and backed by wooded hills. After a short walking tour, you'll be free to enjoy Bellagio and its wondrous surroundings. Stroll along the lakefront promenade, take a seat in a café, or enjoy a delicious gelato before taking the ferry back across the lake in your own time.
  • Another relaxed day sees you take to the lake again to enjoy more of Como’s idyllic shoreline. Board a lake cruiser to sail past yet more elegant villas and their stunning gardens, and past some of the lake's highly favoured settlements. The day will include a visit to the gardens of Villa Balbianello, after which you'll be free to sit back and relax, enjoying the joys of cruising back to port under hopefully sunny skies on what is sure to be a memorable day.
  • Today you're free to relax in the hotel and its surroundings, or to join our optional excursion to the great city of Milan. One of Europe’s most exciting cities, Milan is not merely a centre of worldwide fashion; it is also home to some of the best collections of art and architecture in the world. The Sforzesco Castle, the famous shopping Galleria, La Scala – one of the world’s greatest opera houses – and the great cathedral, Il Duomo, one of its largest Gothic churches, are among the breath-taking sights brought to life on your guided tour. Afterwards you can head to the shops, visit a gallery or museum, or simply take a seat in a pavement café to watch the Milanese world go by.
  • Our last included excursion take you to St Moritz, the world-famous resort set high in Switzerland’s Upper Engadine Valley. Board the Bernina Express to travel from the Lombardy town of Tirano through Switzerland’s Italian-speaking southeast corner – across viaducts (including the famous spiral at Brusio) and over the 2,253-metre-high Bernina Pass – to St Moritz. The journey to this exclusive mountain town features some of the most stunning scenery found anywhere in this Alpine region. Enjoy window-shopping in this playground paradise, or perhaps take a stroll into the beautiful countryside beyond the town, before returning to Como and your hotel by coach.
  • Another free day brings opportunities to explore your surroundings or join today’s optional excursion to Lugano, one of Switzerland’s most stylish resorts, delightfully set on the shore of the little lake of the same name. Around the lake, pretty Swiss villages nestle amid luxuriant vegetation, and the shoreline is dotted with villas and summer homes. After a short sightseeing tour, explore under your own steam, or ride the funicular up Monte Bre for a breath-taking panoramic view of the lake and the nearby Alps, before returning to Como.
  • Join today’s optional excursion, which journeys to the twin city of Bergamo, built between the Lombardy Plain and the Alps. Here, modern Bassa, the Lower City with its neoclassical features, is watched over by idyllic, walled Alta, the Upper City. The city's stunning 14th-century citadel, ancient Piazza Vecchia (Old Square) with its beautiful Pallazo della Ragione, 15th-century bell tower, cathedral and elaborate Santa Maria Maggiore church are all breath-takingly glorious examples of Italian architecture. The city also boasts some carefully preserved Venetian walls, and a stroll along a section of these is a must for the energetic. Bergamo is also famed for its food, and boasts a host of reasonably priced cafes and osterie in which you can enjoy a delicious snack.
  • Bid "arrivederci" to your hosts, and transfer back to the airport to catch your flight home at the end of a wonderful stay in a beautiful corner of the world.

What's Included

Holiday Highlights

  • Discover Bellagio, "Italy's most beautiful town"
  • Enjoy a cruise on Lake Como
  • Ride the Bernina Express to St Moritz
  • Entry to the gardens of a lakeside villa
  • Enjoy a week on the shores of Italy’s most romantic lake

Our Price Includes

  • Seven nights' bed and breakfast or half-board accommodation in your chosen Lake Como Hotel
  • Two boat trips on Lake Como
  • A ride on the Bernina Express
  • Entrance to the gardens of Villa del Balbianello
  • Return flights to Milan
  • Comfortable coach travel and transfers throughout
  • Fully escorted by a friendly, experienced tour manager, with specialist local guides where applicable
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Accommodation

Hotel Lario, Mezzegra-Tremezzina -

★★★

Offering an enchanting view of Como's waters, this comfortable three-star hotel is a short distance from the lake itself.

Facilities & Amenities
The Lario offers traditional comforts and modern amenities, including free Wi-Fi, a restaurant, bar and an outdoor pool (seasonal). On an historical note, the village of Mezzegra was the place in which Italian dictator Benito Mussolini met his end in 1945, at the hand of the partisan leader Audisio.

Hotel Bazzoni, Tremezzo -

★★★

This welcoming hotel sits on the lakeside promenade, offering wonderful views from the public areas.

Facilities & Amenities
The hotel has a bar and lounge area, a reception and a dining room. There's a lift, and a small seasonal swimming pool and sun-terrace (both open weather permitting). A complimentary boat shuttle runs from the hotel to Bellagio between 1st May and 30th September.

Hotel Griso Collection, Malgrate -

★★★★

Set on the edge of Lake Como and backed by the Bergamo Alps, this contemporary hotel provides a peaceful escape.

Facilities & Amenities
This hotel features a sleek Italian restaurant, with a terrace overlooking the neighbouring mountains, a lounge bar, and a rooftop solarium.

Hotel NH Lecco Pontevecchio, Lecco -

★★★★

Overlooking Adda River, this contemporary hotel is close to the city centre and Lecco train station.

Facilities & Amenities
There's a restaurant with a terrace that serves Italian dishes, a cocktail bar, and a well-equipped gym.

Hotel Alberi, Lecco -

★★★

Positioned across the street from gardens that stretch along Lake Como, this relaxed, family-run hotel is a short walk from Lecco train station.

Facilities & Amenities
Guests have access to a lobby lounge and a breakfast room.
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Other Information

Hotel transfer times

The transfer time from the airport to your hotel is approximately one hour 30 minutes from Milan Malpensa and two hours from Bergamo.

Combining hotel transfers

We sometimes need to combine transfers to and from your hotel. We always try to keep any wait to a minimum, but you may be asked to wait at the airport for up to an hour, while other incoming flights arrive, before the transfer to your hotel. Similarly, we may need to transfer you back to the airport up to three hours before your flight home departs.

Special requirements

If you have notified us of any special requirements, please check that they have been noted and acknowledged. This is especially important with any dietary needs you may have.

Disabled access

The majority of our tours involve a certain amount of walking, including a short walk from the coach stop to the town, attraction or venue you're visiting. If you are bringing a wheelchair, please let us know at the time of booking so that appropriate arrangements can be made.

Itinerary changes

Occasionally, for operational reasons, we may have to change the order of the excursions on your holiday. The final day-by-day itinerary will be confirmed on your Final Travel Documents, which you will receive approximately three weeks prior to your departure.

Changes to your hotels

Should circumstances require, we reserve the right to accommodate you in alternative hotels, of a similar standard, nearby. Full details of your hotels will be sent with your Final Travel Documents.

Italian hotel room tax

Some regions of Italy have introduced a room tax of between 1€ and 3€ per person per night, payable directly by the guest to the hotel on check-out. You will be advised by your tour manager in resort if a particular hotel is implementing this charge.

Meals and dining in Italy

Guests on half-board arrangements will be served a three-course evening meal, and can expect a first course of traditional pasta or soup, a main meat or fish course accompanied by one or two types of vegetable, and a simple dessert of fruit, cake or Italian ice cream. Breakfasts will usually consist of bread rolls, jam, cereal, ham, cheese, fruit juice, tea and coffee. Menus will vary from hotel to hotel, but choice will be more limited than in a normal restaurant. In some instances, individual guests who have booked with the hotel independently may be offered a different menu from those who are staying at the hotel as part of a package tour. An authentic dining experience in Italy can often be a bit different to the Italian food that international tourists might be used to, but it’s one of the best ways to truly appreciate the finer cultural differences of this tourist hotspot. From simpler, but more frequent, courses to regional dishes, here are some points to note when dining in Italy.   The first major difference you’re likely to notice is that the dining experience as a whole is much longer; you’ll enjoy a much more social experience than the average dinner back home with multiple smaller courses spread across a longer period of time. While each meal will be prepared to order, you may notice that dishes are served cooler than you might be used to – Italian dishes are rarely served piping hot to preserve the more delicate flavours of each ingredient and to provide a more enjoyable dining experience. The final thing to bear in mind is that it may be tricky to find Italian classics in the same form as they are at home. For instance, while Spaghetti Carbonara is a staple in historic Rome – and made traditionally using egg yolks rather than cream – you’ll often find it replaced with a wild boar ragù in Tuscany.

Foreign Office Travel Advice

Visit www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice to find out the latest Foreign And Commonwealth Office travel advice for your holiday destination, as well as information about passports and visas.

Airport development fees

An Airport Development Fee has been introduced at a few UK Airports. You'll be required to pay this charge at the Norwich airport prior to checking in for your flight. Please visit the airport's website for further information.

Travelling to Europe

Rules may have changed since you last travelled to European Union countries as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. The following are useful guidelines which will help you prepare for your next adventure. You do require government issued passport to travel. Names - It is very important that all passenger names are exactly as per your passport although we do not require middle names. Passport - Your passport must meet two requirements to travel to an EU country and to Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. It must be: Less than 10 years old on the day you return home (please check the "date of issue") and valid for at least 3 months after the day you return home (please check the "expiry date"). Visa - You do not need a visa for short trips to most EU countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. You’ll be able to stay for up to 90 days in any rolling 180-day period. European Travel Information & Authorisation System (ETIAS) - Due to commence in 2025, all citizens of the United Kingdom will require a ETIAS electronic form completed prior to their arrival into the EU and Schengen member countries. The cost for this travel authorisation will be €7.00 per person with exceptions for under 18’s and over 70’s. The latest information and further details can be found at www.etias.com.

Holiday code

N1345

Holiday provided by Newmarket Holidays

BOOK WITH CONFIDENCE: This holiday is sold and operated by Newmarket Holidays (ABTOT 5509, ATOL 2325, ABTA V7812), you can be 100% sure that your money is safe.

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