Holidays 2024
Departs: Sunday 13th October 2024 | 9 Days
Italian Lakes - The Ultimate Collection
Tour Price: £989.00 per person
Your Holiday Centre
Backed by the breath-taking scenery of snow-capped mountains edged with grand villas and laid-back towns, it is so easy to understand why Italy's lakes are so popular. Lake Orta is a hidden gem in the serene northern lakes, described as being the place where the Alps meet Heaven, and it provides a perfect setting to explore other beautiful Italian lakes nearby, like Lake Orta and Lake Maggiore, San Giulio Island, and beyond. Plus a neighbouring Swiss one!
Tour Inclusions
- All coach travel & ferries
- 6 nights half board
- 2 overnights half board
- Porterage
- Excursions & entrances
- Boats & train trips
- City tax
- Courier escorted
Special Notes
- The currency you will need for this tour is the Euro and Swiss Francs.
- Insurance.
- Full Passport.
- An EHIC card (European Heath Insurance card).
- Please inform us of any special dietary needs (diabetic, gluten free, vegetarian, etc).
- Special requests are put forward to the hotel, and they will do their utmost to accommodate your needs.
- To ring back to England, you dial: - +44 then minus the 0 from your code, followed by your number.
- There is tea/coffee making facilities in the main hotel in Italy.
- Overnight bags required.
- Program could be subject to alteration.
- Exchange Rate:
The price is NOT guaranteed against any alterations as a result of currency fluctuations. We have done our best to calculate in advance.
Tour Price
- Price Per Person
- £989.00
Single Room Supplement: £120.00
(Double/Twin Room)
Lake View Supplement: £9.00pppn
(Double/Twin Room)
Lake View Supplement: £16.00pn
(Single Occupancy)
Your Accommodation
Main Hotel
Hotel Giardinetto - 4 star
Via Provinciale, 1, 28028 Pettenasco NO, Italy.
Tel: +39 0323 89118
The 4 star Hotel Giardinetto lies on the shores of Lake Orta, directly on the water, in an oasis of tranquillity. The Hotel has been within the Primatesta family since Luciano Primatesta founded it as an Inn in 1930. It has all the standards of a modern hotel, but with its own charm, a breathtaking view and the thoroughly romantic environment of the lake.
The hotel has 59 very comfortable rooms, with air conditioning, private bathroom with shower, SAT TV, free Wi-Fi, direct dial phone, tea and coffee facilities and safe.
The hotel has an outdoor pool (for those who don't wish to swim in the lake).The restaurant, with its unique terraces directly on the water, has become famous for its regional and creative cuisine. They carefully resource the finest raw ingredients to be used with their characteristic creativity. This enables them to present you with the freshest dishes of incredible taste. These are the overriding principles of the Chef making their cuisine unique.
The wine cellar has over 450 Italian, French and International labels.
Overnight Hotel
Novotel Dijon Sud - 4 star
11 Rte de Beaune, 21160 Marsannay-la-Cote, France.
Tel: +33 3 80 51 59 00
Tour Itinerary
Day 1: Depart Local Area
Leaving your local area, the journey starts with your morning ferry from Dover to Calais. A meal voucher will be given to you for use on board for a main meal and drink. Making your way from Calais, you travel through France with comfort stops, to arrive at your overnight hotel, the Novotel Dijon Sud. There will be porterage while you partake in a welcome glass of orange juice on arrival. Dinner is a set menu with tea/coffee after dinner.
Day 2: Dijon to Lake Orta
After an early start, you continue your journey through France into Switzerland then later into Italy. There will be comfort stops on the way. On arrival at the Hotel Giardinetto your cases will be taken to your room while you enjoy a welcome drink of Prosecco or fruit juice. Settle in before dinner. Dinner choice is made on arrival and menu for second day onward is made at breakfast. Tea/coffee after dinner each night.
Day 3: Lake Maggiore & Borromean Islands (Included)
Today you travel to Lake Maggiore and the main resort of Stresa, with its lovely lakeside setting facing the beautiful Borromean Islands. You take the boat out to Isola Bella and visit its beautiful Palazzo stately home and elegant Italianate gardens where the famous white peacocks roam, before continuing by boat to Isola dei Pescatori (Fishermans Island) the only island which is currently inhabited. Returning back to Stresa by boat. Boarding your coach to return back to the hotel.
Day 4: A Boat trip to Orta San Giulio
A delightful day exploring the highlights of Lake Orta, one of northern Italy's best kept secrets. Its capital, Orta San Giulio has a beautiful medieval centre full of cobbled streets, galleries and local crafts. We will take a boat trip from the hotel to explore this charming town. The local market takes place on Wednesdays which is an added treat. The trip will include a visit to Isola San Giulio, said to be one of the most beautiful islands in the world and home to a picturesque monastery. After a lovely trip, you can spend time at leisure back at the hotel before dinner.
Day 5: The Lakeside Gardens at Villa Taranto
After breakfast, you set off to the west coast of Lake Maggiore for a visit to the Botanical Gardens at Villa Taranto. This is a truly impressive collection of flowering plants, shrubs and trees in a magnificent setting, boasting stunning architecture, fountains and statues. There are many rare species on display and the site is internationally respected and even considered a rival to Kew Gardens. After breathtaking scenery we board the coach and return back to the hotel for dinner.
Day 6: Lake Lugano
This morning we travel across the border into Switzerland to Lugano, a cosmopolitan city with quaint medieval streets, high end shops, a delightful promenade and grand gardens to explore, all set in a lakeside resort setting. Time to take in the scenery or maybe take a pedalow out on the lake, or just chill, before we make our way back to our hotel.
Day 7: Macugnaga & Monte Rosa
Today we take a wonderful scenic drive west to Macugnana in the North Piedmont region of Italy. Enjoy inspiring mountain scenery and a tapestry of natural landscape. The village itself sits at the base of Monte Rosa - the pink mountain - the second tallest peak in western Europe, and a very popular destination for those passionate about alpine sports. Enjoy more of this beautiful region on your return journey to the hotel followed by dinner beside the serene waters of Lake Orta.
Day 8: Return to Dijon
After breakfast and cases have been loaded onto the coach, you say farewell to your hosts at the Hotel Giardinetto and head back to Dijon travelling through parts of Italy, Switzerland then into France for your last overnight stop with half board.
Day 9: Return Home
After an early breakfast we make our way once again through France back to Calais/Dunkirk for our afternoon ferry to Dover. We will have comfort stops en-route to Calais. Arrival time back in our local area should be early to mid evening.
Your driver/guide will do their professional best to ensure that you enjoy this tour. It will be at their discretion to rearrange the itinerary to better the tour for your comfort.