Autumn in Venice and Northern Italy 14

group lunch in the city, you are free to spend the afternoon in Padua or venture further afield with your Interrail ticket. There are several attractive coastal lines worth investigating, and the cities of Ferrara or Vicenza are also in striking range. (B L)

Sunday 6th November Along the Adriatic Coast to Trieste This morning you take a loco-hauled Trenitalia service along one of Italy’s prettiest main line routes from Mestre via Monfalcone to Trieste, the easternmost city in the country. You will have breath-taking views of the Adriatic Sea en route and when you arrive at the elegant Trieste Centrale station, it’s just a short walk to the beautiful landmarks of this smart port city. Feel the old Austro-Hungarian charm of this pocket-sized, world class destination. After lunch near the main piazza, you visit the re-opened and truly impressive Campo Marzo railway station, now a splendid museum and formerly the terminus of the former Südbahn route from Vienna. Should Trieste’s iconic funicular tramway to Villa Opicina also have re-opened as scheduled, you’ll enjoy a trip on this wonderful 5 km long tram line, that only uses original heritage vehicles dating from the 1930s. After such a good day out, you have a fast and speedy return in the late afternoon on a ‘Freccia’ high speed service, allowing you to experience first-hand Italy’s ‘Ferrari on steel wheels’. (B L) Monday 7th November to Wednesday 9th November Individual discovery of Northern Italy with your Interail Pass For the next 3 days you are free to use your Interrail Pass to see Italy at your own pace and go to those places or on those railway lines that interest you most. From a cultural point of view, amazing cities like Verona, Bologna or even Milano are all within easy reach, as a daytrip from Mestre. You might also be tempted to head north to the Dolomites, where autumn colours are at their peak at this time of the year and places like Südtirol are particularly inviting. There are also iconic mountain branch lines to Edolo or Calalzo, which are superbly enjoyable journeys. The choice is yours and your Tour Manager will be happy to advise you about options and timetable connections. Go ‘track bashing’ or immerse yourself in all the amazing culture and architecture that only Italy can offer. Naturally, spending more time to simply relax in Venice and spend quality time on the lagoon is also an option. Dinner is served at the hotel restaurant each evening, inclusive of a farewell dinner to say goodbye to your fellow travellers. (B D)

Thursday 10th November Return to London You say ‘Ciao’ to Italy as you return to the UK with a direct flight to London Gatwick. (B)

Tour Summary

Tour price £1395 Single supplement £145 Ground only £1265 (Venice – Venice with First Class Interrail Pass)

Price includes:

• Direct return flights from

London Gatwick to Venice • 7 nights hotel accommodation with breakfast at the Leonardo Royal Hotel • 3 Lunches and 3 Dinners • All rail trips as detailed in the itinerary • All seat reservations and transfers • A 7-Day public transport rover ticket for Venice, valid on the local trams and vaparetto boats • A 6-Day Interrail Pass in First Class • The services of a tour manager

All prices shown are per person based on two persons sharing. Meals included each day are shown as: B = Breakfast - L = Lunch - D = Dinner

November 2022

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Steam and Christmas Markets in Saxony and Silesia

Thursday 1st December to Friday 9th December 2022

Discover the festive splendour of Christmas Markets in Eastern Germany, Western Poland and Northern Czech Republic on this unique steam holiday exploring historic towns and cities in a Winter Wonderland landscape. • This all-new winter tour based in the historic German cities of Leipzig and Görlitz. Offers travel refinement and a relaxed holiday experience for the seasoned traveller or Christmas Market newcomer alike. • You’ll steam through 3 different countries on 3 different gauges, while sightseeing historic cathedral cities on classic 1920s tramways. • The most idyllic narrow gauge railways in Saxony are a signature attraction of this holiday, including private charter trains on the Döllnitzbahn and Muskau Forest Railway, as well as famed ‘Plandampf¨ trains at Radebeul and Zittau. • Enjoy the very best of Czech main line steam with a private charter train on the mountainous route from Liberec to

Tanvald, crossing over stone-arched viaducts and running through thick evergreen forests. • Best of all, the tour concludes with a private main line steam charter around the wonderful Silesian city of Wroclaw, the socalled ‘Venice of Poland.’

Thursday 1st December London to Leipzig You travel to Leipzig from London St Pancras via Brussels and Frankfurt on Eurostar, Thalys and ICE high-speed services. On arrival, you check into your centrally located hotel, where a light dinner will be served. (D)

Friday 2nd December Leipzig Christmas Market; vintage tramway tour and Christmas Market in Halle

You have free time to explore the architecture and ambiance of Leipzig, Germany’s eighth most populous city, and its famous Christmas Market. In the afternoon, you have a scheduled excursion to the city of Halle, the birthplace of the classical composer Händel in 1685. You’ll enjoy a private sightseeing tour of this historic town by vintage tramway, followed by some free time at the festive market. You return back to Leipzig by DB service train, before enjoying drinks and an evening meal at the Bayerischer Bahnhof. One of the oldest preserved railway stations in the world, which features its own brewpub. (B D)

Saturday 3rd December Steam on the Döllnitzbahn with a Saxon Meyer locomotive and all new Kemmlitz extension

Today you visit “a best kept secret” railway, located southeast of Leipzig. The Döllnitz Railway is one of many narrow gauge railways in Saxony which locals refer to as the ‘Wild Robert’. You’ll have a four-cylinder 0-4-4-0 Meyer type steam locomotive, pulling the steam train over the 20.2 km long preserved railway with two branch lines. From the provincial town of Oschatz you make your way to the villages of Glossen and Kemmlitz. En route, you’ll experience street running in Oschatz before stopping in Mügeln, which features one of the largest narrow gauge yards in Germany. Several photo stops will be staged. A special highlight is the steam-hauled journey over the newly re-opened, 2.6 km long branch line from Nebitzschen–Kemmlitz. Lunch will be served at a typical German restaurant in Oschatz. Late afternoon you return to Leipzig by DB service train. (B L)