Travel Europe with Great Rail Journeys
Enjoy Europe’s Enchanting Travel Escapes With Great Rail Journeys
Enjoy the very best of Europe this year with Great Rail Journeys’ fantastic portfolio of escorted rail travel tours, filled with culture, world-class culinary experiences and awe-inspiring scenery – spoiling travellers for choice.
History and literature fans will relish soaking up Italy’s most spectacular views and culture via Great Rail Journeys’ Sirmione of Lake Garda escorted tour. Travellers can admire the picturesque shores of Lake Garda before gliding through Venetian canals by gondola or rambling along the culturally rich medieval streets in a guided walking tour of the city. Holiday guests will also enjoy the medieval town of Verona, where they will visit literary landmarks such as Juliet’s iconic balcony.
Food fanatics will love Great Rail Journeys’ Avignon, the Rhone and Provence offering the perfect getaway where travellers can enjoy regional delicacies in local markets, relax in a Provençal café or sample the world-class wine from one of the highest regarded vineyards in Chateau Neuf-du-Pape.
If a relaxing getaway admiring Switzerland’s stunning mountains and shimmering lakes is on the bucket list for this year’s getaway, Great Rail Journeys’ Wengen and the Jungfrau Express is the perfect choice. Travellers will journey on the Jungfrau Express to the top of Europe where they can marvel at the impressive views of the Alps by foot or rail.
Example of Great Rail Journey Travel Packages:
Sirmione on Lake Garda -10 days from £1,795per person*
Part of the ‘Something Special’ collection, on this exceptional tour passengers will stay in 4 and 5 star hotels, known for their stunning locations and excellent facilities. Travellers will have the chance to sample Italian wine in the rural wine region of Valpolicella, discover unique culture in Verona and Malcesine, and float along the waterways of Venice on an unforgettable gondola ride.
The tour begins on the shimmering shores of Lake Garda, in Sirmione, known as the ‘Pearl of the Lake’, where guests will spend the next seven nights.
Here travellers will have the opportunity to explore everything the area has to offer including the town’s old quarter, where visitors can step back in time at the Rocco Scaligera, the beautifully preserved 13th-century castle, as well as enjoy a taste of the region in one of the town’s inviting pavement cafés or bars - serving some of the best pizza or pasta in Italy.
The ten-day journey also includes guided tours of Verona, home to Juliet’s famous balcony as well as the heart of the area’s delicious local wine production, the floating city of Venice where travellers will enjoy a guided tour through its elegant streets, Malcesine on Lake Garda’s eastern shore - home to dramatic cliffs rising steeply from the water’s edge - as well as Turin, known for its charming blend of Italian and French culture and architecture.
Combining history, culture and incredible culinary delights, this tour is the perfect Italian getaway.
PRICE: £1,795 per person for 10 days. Includes all rail and coach travel throughout tour. 9 nights in 4-star hotel accommodation. 17 meals including 9 breakfasts and 8 dinners. Price based on departure from 1st May 2022. For more information or to book, please call 01904 734359 or visit www.greatrail.com.
Avignon, the Rhone and Provence -7 days from £1,595 per person*
This stunning tour begins with a relaxing cruise along the River Rhone, where guests can soak up the incredible French scenery as they sail by vineyards and historic houses to Arles. Boasting a beautifully persevered centre, Arles is home to some of Europe’s best collections of Roman ruins, including a UNESCO-listed arena that would have seated about 20,000 people – ideal for history fanatics.
The tour then continues to Avignon where travellers will enjoy a guided walking tour, taking in the city’s famous sights including the ‘broken bridge’. The afternoon can be spent exploring the city’s broad, tree-lined avenues and intriguing network of alleyways and passages which connect the beautiful open squares and pretty churches.
Foodies will love travelling to the petit village of Saint Didier to visit Nougaterie Silvain, the home of local nougat production, where they will experience a tour of the manufacturing workshop and learn about the history of this much-loved local sweet. The journey also includes a gourmet food tour of Avignon where travellers will wander the city's lesser-known side streets with a knowledgeable guide and meet local producers before visiting many of the different stalls at the city's renowned food market, Les Halles. Taste buds will be tantalised as passengers sample unusual delicacies such as papaline, a type of chocolate unique to Avignon, and other regional specialties.
The tour also includes excursions to the stunning Pont du Gard, a famous stone aqueduct that crosses the Gardon River, as well as the small town of Uzès and Châteauneuf-du-Pape, one of the most celebrated red wine producing villages in the world.
Featuring incredible history and delicious delicacies, this tour is one not to be missed and the perfect journey to celebrate everything Europe has to offer.
PRICE: £1,595 per person for 7 days. Includes all rail and coach travel throughout tour. 6 nights’ hotel accommodation in 4* hotel. 10 meals including 6 breakfasts, 2 lunches and 2 dinners. Price based on departure from 7th May 2022. For more information or to book, please call 01904 734359 or visit www.greatrail.com.
Wengen and the Jungfrau Express - 7 days from £1,395 per person*
Following an overnight stay in Strasbourg, travellers will journey by train to Basel where they will climb the majestic Swiss mountains before checking into their base for the next six nights in the peaceful mountain resort of Wengen - offering breathtaking views over the Lauterbrunnen Valley.
This tour includes a range of fantastic trips including a journey to Gimmelwald where passengers will experience life on a working farm, home to calves, cows, goats and pigs, a visit to Männlichen via cableway offering sensational views, as well as visiting Grindelwald aboard Europe's longest gondola cableway. This pretty Alpine village is one of Europe's oldest mountain resorts, surrounded by the dramatic peaks of the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau.
A key highlight of this journey is a ride along the Jungfrau Railway to Jungfraujoch. Travellers will marvel at the iconic mountains and glacial lakes, an experience not possible by any other mode of transport.
With a Swiss Travel Card included as part of the tour package, travellers can spend their free time exploring the local area, whether it’s journeying up to Schynige Platte in restored 19th-century train carriages, or enjoying a ride on the Brienz Rothorn Railway, one of the steepest in Switzerland and powered almost entirely by steam.
Providing the opportunity to admire some of Switzerland’s incredible landscapes, mountain scenery and crystal blue lakes – this tour includes iconic rail journeys offering breath-taking vistas certain to create memories to last a lifetime.
PRICE: £1,395 per person for 8 days. Includes all rail and coach travel throughout your tour. 7 nights’ 3-Star hotel accommodation. 13 meals including 7 breakfasts and 6 dinners. Price based on departure from 7th May 2022. For more information or to book, please call 01904 734359 or visit www.greatrail.com.
