Italy Express Rail Tour

It's the start of an Italian rail travel adventure! Welcome to Rome, the Eternal City. Check into the hotel before meeting up with your tour guide and travel mates for an informative walking tour of this historic city. A local guide will show you the most famous attractions, including the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain and the Colosseum and will let you in on all of Rome’s secrets. Tonight’s welcome dinner will see you mingling with your fellow travellers and experiencing a typical Italian dinner in the city centre.

Rome has so much to offer and today is a free day for you to explore as you wish. Why not join some of the optional activities on offer? Join our Colosseum tour where you will learn about the ancient gladiators. Join a Roman food tour in the early evening where our local chef will treat you to a behind-the-scenes tour into his local neighbourhood - an authentic experience not to be missed!

Today you’ll board a high speed train and travel from Rome to Naples. After dropping your luggage at the hotel, your tour leader will take you around the buzzing city, showing you all the sights and places to visit in your free time. Make sure you fuel up on some pizza and an espresso or two as we have an exciting afternoon ahead! You will take a local train to the ancient Roman city of Pompeii for a late afternoon guided tour of this city that was covered in the ash and debris of Mount Vesuvius nearly two-thousand years ago. The afternoon should be a little cooler, and the perfect time for your local guide to show you to all of the highlights of this fascinating site. This evening, return to Naples for free time to relax or explore more of Naples as you please.

Enjoy a free day to explore Naples. This unique city is the birthplace of pizza and boasts an intoxicating charm! Although it is the third-largest city in Italy, it almost feels like a country on its own. The city seems immune to modernity and preserves the traditional way of doing things. Located in the south, Naples is also the perfect launchpad to visit the enchanting islands nearby. Join an optional day trip to the Isle of Capri and enjoy tours of the island along with a speed boat tour. The jaw dropping beauty of the coastline is but one of the reasons to visit this enthralling destination!

Take a fast train to Florence, the capital of the Tuscany region. Arrive in the city and enjoy lunch with your fellow travellers before exploring Florence with a local guide. Marvel at the terracotta tiled Duomo at the Palazzo Vecchio, while learning about the Medici family’s influence, which ultimately led to the Renaissance that started here in Florence and spread around Europe. Your tour will end by walking past the replica statue of David, and the Uffizi gallery and leave you at the most wonderful viewpoint of the Ponte Vecchio. Later on, attend a leather demonstration at a local Italian leather shop to learn from the talented craftsmen. This evening is yours to explore the city a little more along the banks of the Arno River.

With Renaissance masterpieces, art and architecture everywhere in the city, it can be difficult to decide on what to do with free time while visiting Florence! Today offers many options. Join the included group trip to the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa in the morning, afterwards you have the option of returning to Florence or to join the optional tour to Cinque Terre. The five seaside villages on the rugged Italian Riviera are not accessible by cars or motorcycles and the colourful houses and vineyards that overlook the ocean offer a very unique charm. Your tour leader will take you to the starting point and give you all the information you need to explore these picturesque villages by yourself before returning to Florence together in the evening.

Our train journey meanders through the Tuscan region and into Venice today. Arrive in Mestre and drop your bags off at the hotel. Next, head to Piazzale Roma from where you will be exploring on foot. Your tour leader will take you on an orientation tour complete with an included lunch. Afterwards, venture further into the heart of Venice with your tour leader, over the Rialto Bridge and on to St Mark’s Square. Enjoy a lace workshop and glass-blowing demonstration, two of Venice’s traditional crafts, before having some free time to explore on your own. Grab your chance to cruise the canals with an optional gondola trip this afternoon - it’s a classic Venice bucket-list experience!

The Fashion Capital of the world awaits! After another fast train journey, we’ll dive right into Milan. Start off with an orientation tour of the city centre, stand in awe of the Duomo and rub shoulders with Italy’s most stylish occupants. Your tour leader will point out the main sights to help you plan the rest of your day in Milan before the group enjoys a quick lunch. This afternoon you have the opportunity to head out on your own, or to join our optional tour to Lake Como. Arguably the most beautiful lake in Northern Italy, a trip to the lake with its beautiful natural scenery is certainly an unforgettable experience!

After nine exciting days, your rail tour of Italy comes to an end today. Make sure you allow enough time to see more of Milan today before you continue with your onward travels. Say goodbye to your new travel friends over breakfast and be sure to swap contact details before you part ways. We hope that you have enjoyed your tour of beautiful Italy. Arrivederci!