Visit a Venetian glassblowing workshop and watch skilled craftspeople shape molten glass using techniques refined over centuries. See how heat, breath and precise hand movements transform the material into delicate forms.

Glassmaking is one of the lagoon’s defining crafts, historically associated with the island of Murano. The demonstration gives you a close view of the workmanship behind objects found in Venetian shops, with an opportunity to appreciate the tradition beyond the finished pieces.

• 5 Dinner (D)
• 10 Breakfast (B)

• Rome: Experience Rome through the eyes of a local, as a passionate Roman guides you past the city’s most iconic sites.
• Tuscany: View the stunning landscape of Tuscany on your drive today. 
• Siena: See the Fountain of Joy, striped cathedral and vast Piazza del Campo.
• Florence: Join a Local Specialist to view the multicoloured marble cathedral, bell tower and baptistery, adorned by Ghiberti’s Gates of Paradise. Visit the political heart of the city, Signoria Square.
• Florence: See the area around Santa Croce Basilica, famous for the quality of its luxury goods, and witness a gold and leatherwork demonstration.
• Pisa: In the Piazza dei Miracoli, see the baptistery, cathedral and the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa.
• Venice: Discover the ancient skill of Venetian glassblowing and play a part in preserving this traditional craft.
• Venice: As you journey along some of the water highways of the city, famous sights such as the Doge’s Palace and the Bridge of Sighs come into view and introduce you to Venice before docking near St. Mark’s Square.
• Switzerland: Marvel at the Alpine landscape as you drive past breathtakingly beautiful mountains and valleys.
• Lucerne: During an orientation with your Travel Director, see the Lion Monument, Old Town Hall and Chapel Bridge, the oldest wooden covered bridge in Europe.
• Paris: Join a Local Specialist to discover the hidden squares and secret lanes of Paris.

• Deluxe coach travel
• Selected hotel dinners plus a locally hosted meal
• 4-star stays

Walk through Florence with a Local Specialist to view the marble-clad Duomo, its bell tower and baptistery, then explore Piazza della Signoria and see the Ponte Vecchio spanning the Arno. A replica of Michelangelo’s David stands among the square’s sculptures.

Watch Florentine leathercraft and 18-carat gold demonstrations near Santa Croce, an area associated with skilled makers and luxury goods. The combination of Renaissance civic spaces and living craft traditions shows two sides of the city’s artistic heritage.

Join a member of the Miari Fulcis family for a hosted dinner on their working Tuscan estate near Florence. Look around the medieval cloister and gardens before sitting down to local flavours and stories shared by your host.

The estate produces organic olive oil and honey, connecting the meal to the surrounding land. Its historic setting, also featured in classic films, makes this an opportunity to experience Tuscan hospitality in a family home rather than a conventional restaurant.

Experience a Parisian cabaret for an evening of theatrical performance and city nightlife. It is a chance to see a different side of Paris from its avenues, monuments and daytime neighbourhoods.

Cabaret has long formed part of the capital’s entertainment culture, pairing staged spectacle with an evening out. The venue and show are not specified in the itinerary. This Optional Experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour, subject to availability.

Trafalgar

Meet your Travel Director and fellow travellers over a welcome dinner in Rome. Share a meal and get acquainted with the people who will accompany you across Italy, Switzerland and France.

It is a hosted introduction to the journey, set in a city where ancient monuments sit alongside the lively rhythms of contemporary Italian life. The evening offers a chance to settle in and hear more about the places ahead.

Explore ancient Rome with a Local Specialist, crossing the Tiber to see the Colosseum and Circus Maximus. Your guide brings context to the amphitheatre that hosted public spectacles and the vast arena once used for chariot racing.

Viewing these landmarks together reveals the scale of entertainment in the Roman Empire. This is a sightseeing tour of the ancient sites; entry to the Colosseum is not specified.

Discover Siena’s medieval centre, where honey-coloured streets open onto the shell-shaped Piazza del Campo. View the square that hosts the Palio horse race, along with ornate palaces, the Fountain of Joy and the city’s striped marble cathedral.

Siena’s closely packed buildings and civic landmarks evoke its centuries as a powerful Tuscan republic. The visit focuses on seeing its historic streets and monuments rather than entering the cathedral.

Visit Pisa’s Piazza dei Miracoli to view the Leaning Tower, cathedral and monumental baptistery gathered on an open green lawn. See how the tower’s unmistakable tilt contrasts with the orderly arcades and pale marble of its neighbouring buildings.

This UNESCO-listed square expresses Pisa’s medieval wealth and religious ambition. The tower was built as the cathedral’s bell tower; its lean developed as construction progressed on unstable ground. Interior visits or a tower climb are not specified.

Cruise Venice by private launch, following its waterways toward St. Mark’s Square. From the water, see landmarks including the Doge’s Palace and Bridge of Sighs before taking in the square’s basilica and campanile.

Approaching by boat offers a perspective shaped by Venice’s maritime history: palaces face the canals that long served as the city’s principal thoroughfares. These landmarks are presented as exterior sights; entry to the palace or basilica is not specified.

Explore Lucerne with your Travel Director, seeing the poignant Lion Monument, the Old Town Hall and the flower-lined Chapel Bridge across the River Reuss. Painted facades and lakeside surroundings lend the compact old town its distinctive character.

Carved into rock, the Lion Monument commemorates Swiss Guards killed during the French Revolution. Chapel Bridge is among Europe’s oldest covered wooden bridges, making this orientation a close look at both Lucerne’s history and its enduring cityscape.

Discover Paris with a Local Specialist, travelling along the grand Champs-Élysées and Place de la Concorde and seeing Notre-Dame Cathedral. Enjoy a stroll through the Latin Quarter, where smaller streets offer a contrast to the city’s broad ceremonial avenues.

The quarter takes its name from the Latin once spoken by scholars at the nearby Sorbonne. Your guide connects these historic districts and introduces the squares and lanes that give Paris its varied neighbourhood character.

Glide through Venice’s canals by gondola, viewing waterside facades, small bridges and quiet passages from a traditional boat. The low viewpoint offers an intimate perspective on streets built around water rather than roads.

Gondolas have carried passengers through the lagoon city for centuries, and their narrow shape suits its intricate waterways. This Optional Experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour, subject to availability.

Visit the Venetian island of Burano for a traditional meal amid canals and rows of brightly painted houses. The outing offers a different view of lagoon life beyond the busy centre of Venice.

Burano is known for its lace-making heritage and colourful waterfront streets. Its island setting gives the meal a strong sense of place. This Optional Experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour, subject to availability.

Head into the mountains surrounding Lucerne to admire panoramic Alpine views. From a higher vantage point, take in the peaks, valleys and lake scenery that define central Switzerland.

This excursion offers a scenic complement to Lucerne’s historic streets, with the landscape itself as the main attraction. The specific mountain and means of ascent are not stated in the tour details. This Optional Experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour, subject to availability.