Join your tour group at the hotel.

Hotel Savoy Palace, Riva del Garda (4-star)

Today is all about Lake Garda and some of the towns, villages and views that have drawn so many writers, poets and artists to its shores. We’ll spend time in picture-postcard Sirmione, which stands on a slender peninsula on the south shore of the lake. It’s said to be the prettiest town on Lake Garda; you can judge for yourself on our mini cruise which promises the best views of Sirmione and its spectacular setting.

Hotel Savoy Palace, Riva del Garda (4-star)

Today includes…

Excursions & visits: Lake Garda including Sirmione and a mini cruise around the Sirmione Peninsula (all day)

Today you’re free to enjoy lovely Lake Garda and its surroundings under your own steam. Alternatively, there’s an optional full-day excursion to little, lesser-known Lake Iseo for a memorable ride on the vintage-style Treno dei Sapori train, which serves up mouthwatering views alongside a ‘tasting menu’ of locally sourced food and wine on the way.

Hotel Savoy Palace, Riva del Garda (4-star)

Another day to spend as you please, or there’s an optional excursion to Verona to experience the city that’s forever entwined with the romance of Romeo and Juliet, and the cultural clout of its annual opera festival. A guided walking tour will take you through its historic piazzas, past the famous Roman Amphitheatre and of course, to the famous balcony at Juliet’s House. After that there’s free time to soak to the magic of this beautiful Italian city.

Hotel Savoy Palace, Riva del Garda (4-star)

There’s time for one more stroll around Lake Garda this morning, before we head out through spectacular lake and mountain scenery to our next hotel, this one a centuries-old former castle near the shores of Lake Como. After time to soak up the grandeur and atmosphere in the 600-year-old surroundings, we’ll meet for dinner in the hotel restaurant.

Hotel Castelo di Casiglio, Erba (4-star)

If Lake Garda is the grand dame of the Italian lakes, Lake Como is her glamorous cousin. George Clooney, Gianni Versace and David Beckham are just some of the celebs who own villas on these shores; even James Bond stayed here in the film Casino Royale. Today we’ll get acquainted with the town of Como. A guided walking tour takes us inside the ancient walls of the ‘Citta Murata’, the historic centre of the city, where we’ll pause to admire the marble-clad cathedral with its distinctive domes and steeples, and the neighbouring medieval town hall. Afterwards, there’s free time to explore Como’s beautiful churches, parks, palaces and gardens, or just buy an ice cream and soak up the views - the mountains around Lake Como appear to soar straight up out of the water in places.

Hotel Castelo di Casiglio, Erba (4-star)

Today includes…

Excursions & visits: Lake Como and Como town with guided sightseeing (all day)

We’re back on the road this morning for another dramatic drive, weaving and winding our way west from Lake Como to Lake Maggiore, whose northern tip stretches into Switzerland and the Alps. We spend the final five nights of the tour at a refined hotel set in centuries-old Mediterranean gardens with views of the lake. This afternoon there’s an optional excursion to Villa Taranto, where more than 20,000 rare and unique plant species were brought and painstakingly curated from all over the world, to create what is now regarded as one of the finest botanical gardens in Europe. You’ll return to Baveno in time for dinner in the hotel restaurant, where floor-to-ceiling windows look out over the gardens to Lake Maggiore.

Hotel Simplon, Baveno (4-star)

Today you might want to walk into the little town of Baveno, perhaps stopping for lunch in the granite-stoned town square or an aperitivo on the lakeside promenade. Alternatively, join an optional cruise over to the Borromean Islands which have been owned by the aristocratic Borromean family for over 400 years. Guides will show you around the exquisite terraces and palazzos on Isola Bella and the tropical gardens on Isola Madre, giving a glimpse into the lives and times behind these extravagantly beautiful islands.

Hotel Simplon, Baveno (4-star)

Another day to do as you please. Perhaps enjoy the views from the hotel gardens or set off on one of the many hikes and walking trails. Or, if you fancy the views but not so much the walking, why not join our optional excursion on the Centovalli - Hundred Valleys - train? This thrilling two-hour ride crosses 83 bridges and viaducts on its journey between Locarno and Domodossola, passing steep rocky gorges, high mountain passes, great churning rivers and forests of chestnut trees along the way.

Hotel Simplon, Baveno (4-star)

This morning we’ll head west over the slopes of Monte Mottarone to visit neighbouring little Lake Orta and medieval Orta San Giulio. With its criss-cross cobbled streets and beautiful old buildings covered with faded frescoes, this is one of Italy’s prettiest and most peaceful lakeside towns. A local ferry regularly makes the short trip to Isola San Giulio, famous for the vibrant frescoes in its 12th-century basilica, and there’s a walk around the tiny island which offers beautiful views across the lake to the forested hills and mountains beyond.

Hotel Simplon, Baveno (4-star)

Today includes…

Excursions & visits: Lake Orta and Orta San Giulio with guided sightseeing (morning)

This last full day is yours to do as you please. Wander down to the lakeside for more of those beautiful views or follow the shoreline down to Stresa with its big Belle Époque mansions and Liberty-style hotels. Tonight we’ll gather for our last dinner together in the hotel restaurant.

Hotel Simplon, Baveno (4-star)

Say goodbye to your tour group for your onward travel.

Lake Maggiore