Italian Christmas & Austrian New Year

Meeting the Tour Manager and group at London St Pancras this morning, we join the Eurostar. Travelling in Plus class, a light meal is served at our seats enroute to Paris. In the French capital, we change for the First Class service direct to Turin. This scenic journey passes the Alps as we travel in comfort to the Italian city of Turin. Here, we check in to our hotel for an overnight stay.

The city has a dignified ambience and an artistic, cultural and epicurean heritage. We enjoy the first dinner of our tour at the hotel restaurant this evening.

• Eurostar Light Meal
• Dinner

After breakfast at our hotel, there's a full morning to explore Turin at leisure. An important centre of business, finance and technology, it also boats an array of Baroque, Renaissance and modern architecture. Fringed by the Italian Alps, the city's wide boulevards and grand public squares are lined with enticing cafés and bars. Our hotel, the NH Lingotto Congress, has a surprising history which reflects the city's heritage. Housed in the old Fiat factory, the hotel still has the Fiat test track on its roof.

In the afternoon, we continue our journey by rail through northern Italy, passing Milan on our way to Peschiera del Garda. From here, we continue by coach to Bardolino on beautiful Lake Garda, where we check into our four-star lakefront hotel for five nights. We are welcomed with a glass of prosecco before sitting down to a three-course dinner.

• Breakfast, Dinner

On Christmas Eve morning, we travel to the enchanting lakeside town of Sirmione where you are at leisure to look around. Located at the southern end of Lake Garda, this medieval town is a real pleasure to discover, bursting with history and charm. The town is entered via a drawbridge, over a water-filled moat, which surrounds the imposing Rocca Scaligera, a preserved 13th-century castle.

You may like to visit the castle for a view from its ramparts or stroll through the old quarter, maybe stopping for coffee, a glass of wine or a light lunch at one of the characterful cafés or trattorias. Alternatively, you could visit the Grotte di Catullo, the remains of one of the largest Roman villas in Italy.

We return to our hotel in Bardolino in the afternoon, where there is time to relax and enjoy the superb facilities, before we celebrate Christmas Eve with a gala dinner at our hotel this evening.

• Breakfast, Dinner

Christmas Day is a time for relaxation and celebration and, after breakfast, the morning is free to enjoy as you wish. You may decide to take a short walk beside Lake Garda, close to our hotel. A gentle stroll could take you to the small nearby village of Cisano, where pastel-coloured buildings gather round a small square on the delightful lakefront. Alternatively, visit the centre of beautiful Bardolino - about 20 minutes away on foot - where grand, tiled avenues open onto incredible views of Lake Garda.

For the ultimate in relaxation, our spa hotel offers excellent facilities including thermal baths, swimming pools, a sauna and a beauty spa. In the early afternoon, we gather to celebrate Christmas with a festive lunch. There's then the option of a laid-back afternoon before this evening's festivities begin.

A three-course dinner tonight leads into an evening of live music as we get into the Christmas spirit in our wonderful surroundings.

• Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After a leisurely breakfast, we set out on a delightful Boxing Day excursion by coach to the Franciacorta wine region. This area is known particularly for its sparkling wines, and we visit a local winery for a tour that teaches us all about the production process, followed by an expert-led tasting of the vineyard's different vintages accompanied by local specialities.

On our return to the hotel this afternoon, tea, coffee and a selection of small pastries and cakes awaits, then there's time to relax and refresh before sitting down to a gala dinner this evening.

• Breakfast, Dinner

This morning brings yet another highlight of your festive holiday. After breakfast, we take a train to the magical floating city of Venice. On arrival, a private boat transfer takes us straight to the heart of Venice, St Mark's Square, for a guided walking tour of the city's attractions, including the Doge's Palace, the Bridge of Sighs and the Rialto Bridge. With some free time after our tour, you could take a traditional gondola ride through the winding network of canals or catch a water taxi to the island of Murano, famed for its age-old glass-blowing techniques. Alternatively, simply walk beside the enchanting waterways, over tiny arched bridges and past Venetian palaces, soaking up the unique atmosphere of this timeless city. You could also warm up in a cosy café overlooking St Mark's Square, or along one of the streets which radiate out from here, with a cup of delicious cioccolata calda.

A private boat transfer takes us back to the station to board our train, and we make the return journey back to Lake Garda. This evening, we enjoy a three-course dinner at our Bardolino hotel.

• Breakfast, Dinner

Leaving Lake Garda behind after breakfast this morning, we are taken by coach to Verona, where we enjoy a guided tour of a city filled with Roman ruins, medieval buildings, Italian culture and romance - perhaps most famous as the setting for Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. In this UNESCO World Heritage-listed city centre, we visit Juliet's iconic balcony and the impressive Roman arena, an open-air venue still used for performances today. After our tour, there's free time which could lend itself to indulging in lunch in one of the many restaurants around Piazza Brà, Verona's main square.

In mid-afternoon, we board the train for a direct journey to Innsbruck in Austria. This spectacular route through the Alps reveals some magical wintry scenes as we leave Italy by the Brenner Pass. Our hotel in the Old Town of Innsbruck has outstanding views of the majestic snow-capped peaks of the Austrian Alps. We check in for five nights and sit down for a three-course dinner this evening.

• Breakfast, Dinner

Travelling on the Zillertalbahn* today, we set out on an atmospheric journey through the Ziller Valley. The railway's distinctive red engine stands out against the snow-clad landscapes as we marvel at sights such as the rushing Ziller river, enchanting Tyrolean towns which appear as if from a Christmas card, and meadows blanketed in thick, fresh snow.

We arrive in the pretty town of Mayrhofen, twinkling with festive lights, where there is time at leisure. You could choose to ride to the summit of Penken via a gondola cable car, walk the cobbled streets or visit the Ahorn Eagle's Stage, an observation point for alpine birds of prey. We take the return journey to our hotel and enjoy dinner together this evening.

*Trains are steam-hauled when possible, however due to timetable changes or weather conditions, modern diesel locomotives and railcars may be running instead.

• Breakfast, Dinner

After breakfast, your day is free to explore Innsbruck, perhaps taking a walk beside the Inn River or past the fountains and pavilion of the Innsbrucker Hofgarten, landscaped royal palace gardens which date from the early 15th century.

Innsbruck is a city of many delightful churches, including the baroque cathedral with its famous Madonna and Child painting by Lukas Cranach the Elder, as well as the gothic Hofkirche. Another notable architectural wonder in Innsbruck's Altstadt is the Golden Roof, a glorious copper-tiled roof built in 1500 to mark the occasion of the marriage of Maximilian I to Bianca Maria Sforza.

After sightseeing, you may choose to relax and make the most of the spa and wellness facilities at our hotel before dinner this evening.

• Breakfast, Dinner

Our New Year celebrations begin after breakfast, with a journey through the idyllic winter scenery of the Stubai Valley aboard the narrow-gauge Stubaitalbahn. From Innsbruck, our train winds up through gentle meadows, providing great views of the city below. Passing sleepy villages, the route then plunges into a landscape of icy forests and alpine meadows laden with snow, before winding its way down to the peaceful valley town of Fulpmes.

Back in Innsbruck, there's time to relax before the festivities get into full swing this evening over a fabulous gala dinner with wine.

• Breakfast, Dinner

We wake up on the first morning of the new year, to a picture-book setting of wintry mountains overlooking the city. After breakfast, we enjoy a guided walking tour of Innsbruck, followed by a leisurely afternoon during which you can explore further.

With an immaculately preserved medieval centre, the town is dotted with impressive buildings, particularly along Herzog-Friedrich-Strasse. Here, a shimmering golden Habsburg roof, the ornate Hölbling house and the imposing 14th-century watchtower look out over buildings with arched arcaded frontages. We gather this evening for a three-course dinner.

• Breakfast, Dinner

This morning, we transfer to Innsbruck's station to travel by rail down the Inn valley to Munich, where we change trains and continue through Germany to Cologne.

Passing through the historic cities of Augsburg and Ulm, and fairytale towns such as Schwäbisch Gmünd and Limberg and der Lahn, we then arrive at our Rhine-side destination of Cologne, dominated by its magnificent, twin-spired Gothic cathedral.

We check in to our overnight hotel, where dinner is served this evening.

• Breakfast, Dinner

From shimmering Lake Garda in Italy to picturesque Innsbruck in the enchanting Austrian Alps, we've journeyed through idyllic winter scenery on heritage railways. This celebration of Christmas and New Year has included visits to the glorious city of Venice and historic Verona. Along with traditional seasonal fare, we have also enjoyed a trip to a wine estate in Italy.

After our final breakfast, we take the train from Cologne to Brussels. From the Belgian capital, we join the Eurostar service to London St Pancras, travelling in Plus Class, with a light meal onboard. As we arrive in London, your festive holiday comes to an end, and you are free to make your way home.

• Breakfast
• Eurostar Light Meal