Venice, Lake Garda & Verona

LeShuttle to Calais and overnight stay in France on a bed and breakfast basis.

Venice, Lake Garda & Verona

After breakfast, we spend some time in the charming city of Troyes, known for its beautifully preserved medieval architecture. Be sure to take a stroll through the historic centre, passing half-timbered houses, Gothic churches and the impressive Troyes Cathedral. The city is also a fabulous place for a spot of retail therapy. Later, we continue to our overnight hotel in eastern France, with dinner included.

Venice, Lake Garda & Verona

Sit back, relax and enjoy the spectacular scenery on today’s drive through Switzerland. Along the way, we stop in Lugano, a beautiful town of Swiss and Italian architectural styles with a lovely lakeside promenade, set against the backdrop of surrounding mountains. We then continue to the Royal Hotel in the lovely town of Garda, where we stay for the next six nights.

Venice, Lake Garda & Verona

Today, enjoy time to explore the local area at leisure or relax at the hotel. Garda is one of the main resorts on the eastern side of the lake, and with a day to yourself you can stroll its lovely lakefront promenade, explore the historic Old Town filled with Venetian architecture or take a fairly steep hike to the summit of La Rocca di Garda for panoramic views over the lake.

Venice, Lake Garda & Verona

Today we explore the unique city of Venice, a floating work of art replete with locals lounging back in sunny piazzas with a spritz in hand. Lining the canals are grand palazzos, many of them dating back to the 14th century, while other attractions include St Mark’s Square, the Bridge of Sighs and of course the gondolas that ply their trade up and down the waterways. After arriving by boat, we enjoy a walking tour with commentary from an expert local guide, who helps us get our bearings before an afternoon at leisure to explore Venice’s maze of narrow streets.

Venice, Lake Garda & Verona

Our tour manager escorts us to the ferry port, where we join a public ferry and cruise to one of the most postcard-perfect towns in the area. Set on a picturesque peninsula on the southern shore of Lake Garda, Sirmione is a beautifully preserved town with a turreted 13th-century castle and a maze of narrow, cobbled streets full of lovely shops and cafés.

Venice, Lake Garda & Verona

We head to Verona, one of Italy’s oldest and most romantic cities, beautifully set on the banks of the River Adige. Forever linked with Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet, Verona offers far more than just the famed balcony that draws lovers from around the world. Explore the impressive Roman amphitheatre, still used for opera today, and soak up the atmosphere in Piazza Brà, the grand central square lined with elegant cafés and historic buildings. There’s also the option to join a guided walking tour to learn more about the city’s history and famous sights.

Venice, Lake Garda & Verona

Choose to spend the day as you please or join our optional tour of scenic Lake Garda, where elegant villas, olive and lemon groves and dramatic Alpine backdrops line the sparkling shores. Highlights include Malcesine, a picture-perfect town with winding cobbled lanes and a striking medieval castle, and Riva del Garda, a stylish resort at the northern tip of the lake. There’s free time in Riva to stroll the promenade, browse local shops or simply unwind by the water with a coffee or gelato.

Venice, Lake Garda & Verona

After breakfast, we depart our hotel in Lake Garda and head north, enjoying a scenic drive through stunning alpine landscapes before arriving at our overnight hotel in eastern France.

Venice, Lake Garda & Verona

After breakfast, we check out of the hotel and head to Calais for our journey home on LeShuttle.

Stroll Lugano’s elegant lakeside promenade, where palms meet Alpine peaks and cafés spill onto arcaded squares. Pause in Piazza della Riforma for Italian-Swiss flavors and admire the lake’s shifting blues framed by Monte Brè and Monte San Salvatore.

Absorb the city’s blend of Ticino traditions and Mediterranean style in manicured parks like Parco Ciani and along glittering waterfronts. The mood is unhurried: terrace seating, lapping water, and mountain silhouettes that change with the afternoon light.

Discover Troyes’ beautifully preserved historic centre, a maze of narrow lanes lined with colourful half-timbered houses. Stroll past sculpted portals and rooflines toward Troyes Cathedral, and admire the city’s ensemble of flamboyant Gothic churches that punctuate intimate squares and cobblestone streets.

Once a hub of Champagne fairs, Troyes flourished on cloth and trade, leaving a legacy of exceptional stained glass. Notice the city’s quirky “bouchon de Champagne” (champagne-cork) street plan while browsing artisan boutiques and patisseries that echo its mercantile past.

Visit Verona, a city of warm stone and riverside arcs where Roman and Renaissance heritage meet. Soak up the scene in Piazza Bra and gaze upon the mighty Roman amphitheatre, the Arena, whose pink marble tiers still host summer opera beneath the evening sky.

Wind toward medieval lanes and riverside viewpoints to appreciate the city’s UNESCO-listed fabric. From Scaliger dynasty power to Shakespearean romance, the layers of history reveal a cultured, lived-in city framed by the Adige’s graceful bends.

Begin your stay by raising a glass as you meet your Tour Manager for a convivial welcome drink. Get practical tips and an easy orientation to Garda Old Town—from the lakeside promenade to tucked-away alleys lined with gelaterie, wine bars and craft shops.

Settle into the region’s aperitivo culture with notes on local Bardolino and Lugana wines, olive oil traditions and nearby viewpoints over the water. It’s a relaxed primer on the lake’s flavours, neighbourhoods and the rhythm of life along the shore.

Join a guided walking tour with a local expert to peel back Verona’s layers. Trace stories from the Roman Forum to Piazza delle Erbe, pause at Juliet’s Balcony and view the river’s graceful bends from historic bridges as the city’s palaces and courtyards reveal their patina.

Hear how merchants, guilds and the Scaliger lords shaped streets of stone and fresco. This optional experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour, offering deeper context to complement your independent exploration.

Set out on a scenic tour of Lake Garda by coach, tracing shorelines where citrus terraces and olive groves meet an Alpine backdrop. Explore Malcesine, crowned by a Scaliger castle, and stylish Riva del Garda, with lively piazzas, arcaded lanes and a breezy waterfront promenade.

Learn how the lake’s winds fuel sailing culture and how Venetian and Austrian influences shaped northern Garda’s towns. This optional experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour, with time to browse boutiques, photograph harbours and savour a lakeside espresso.

Cruise the lake’s shimmering waters on a public ferry to postcard-perfect Sirmione, gliding past olive groves and lemon terraces. Step ashore beneath the turrets of Scaliger Castle and wander flower-trimmed lanes where cafés overlook limpid Garda waters and boats bob below medieval ramparts.

Absorb the town’s storied past, from Roman poet Catullus and the ruins at the peninsula’s tip to curative thermal waters long prized by nobles. This is Lake Garda at its most photogenic—stone, sky and water converging on a slender spit of land.

Explore Venice’s core sights as you join a guided walking tour after arriving by boat across the lagoon. Trace elegant calli to the heart of St Mark’s Square, admire the facade of the Doge’s Palace and pause by the Bridge of Sighs. Your guide weaves orientation with local stories amid canals, campi and gondola-lined Grand Canal views.

Gain context on the city’s rise as a maritime republic, from Byzantine influences to mercantile grandeur. Learn how guilds, glassmakers and traders shaped its palaces and piazzas, and discover how Venice balances preservation with everyday life on the water.