Lake Maggiore Departures & Prices Airport Departing Time Returning Time Cost Availability Heathrow 17 May 18 07:50 24 May 18 13:00 2390 Good Availability Heathrow 24 May 18 07:50 31 May 18 13:00 2390 2 spaces left Heathrow 14 Jun 18 07:50 21 Jun 18 13:00 2390 2 spaces left Gatwick 06 Sep 18 13:25 13 Sep 18 18:20 2420 Good Availability Heathrow 20 Sep 18 07:50 27 Sep 18 13:00 2420 Good Availability What's Included YOU RE IN GOOD HANDS This holiday includes the exclusive and dedicated services of a carefully selected One Traveller Tour Manager who is there solely for you and your fellow One Traveller companions, staying with you in your hotel and escorting you throughout. YOUR JOURNEY Return scheduled flights Executive Coach YOUR ACCOMMODATION Seven nights accommodation in a double room for sole occupancy, in the four-star Grand Hotel Bristol on the lakeshore of Stresa with privileged views of Isola Bella and the Borromeo Gulf. MEALS & DRINKS Meals: a full buffet breakfast each morning, one lunch on arrival, two evening meals in local restaurants with all other dinners in the hotel with a three-course choice menu. Drinks: welcome and farewell drinks. A glass of wine or soft drink and water is included with the lunch and all evening meals. EXCURSIONS & MANY EXTRAS Porterage Personal audio guiding system Exclusive boat to the Borromean islands Entrance to Isola Bella s Palazzo Entrance to Isola Madre s Botanical Gardens
Guided city tour of Milan Entrance to Milan Cathedral and Museum Private boat excursion on Lake Como Centovalli Railway excursion Mottarone cable car Tourist train to Sacro Monte in Lake Orta Exclusive boat transfer on Lake Orta Not Included Holiday Insurance You need to arrange your own but we can help. For more information, please see our suggested insurance services. Itinerary Key: Breakfast Lunch Dinner Drink Afternoon Tea Longer walks and steps may be involved on this day 1 Travel from the UK to Milan Morning: meet your One Traveller representative and fellow travellers and board your flight to Milan. On arrival, transfer to Lake Maggiore with an included stop for a light lunch on the way. Afternoon: check-in to your hotel and time to relax or use the hotel s facilities. Evening: welcome drinks reception followed by dinner in the hotel. Please note that our September 06th departure will fly from Gatwick to Turin. 2 Borromean Islands Morning: board your exclusive boat outside your hotel for a short crossing to Isola Madre. Enjoy a guided walk around the beautiful botanical gardens to discover a variety of plant species including tropical plants and a romantic English garden. View the precious porcelains and other treasures in the 18th-century Villa Borromeo.
Continue by boat to Isola dei Pescatori to wander the narrow lanes of quaint shops, artisan market stalls and restaurants, with time for lunch. Afternoon: travel by boat to Isola Bella for a guided tour of Palazzo Borromeo with its halls and rooms containing an array of art and artefacts collected by the family over many years. After, discover the exotic plants and topiary in the Italianate gardens before returning to your hotel by boat. Evening: dinner in the hotel. 3 Mottarone cable car Morning: a short walk from your hotel, the Mottarone cable car is one of the best ways to view Lake Maggiore. The first stage of the journey takes you to Alpino where you will find the Alpine Gardens consisting of terraces and unparalleled viewpoints. The second stage takes you to the summit, from where you have a 360 view of the seven lakes around the area. This is a great opportunity for photos of the stunning surroundings. Afternoon: free to make use of the hotel s facilities or stroll into Stresa. Evening: dinner in a local restaurant. 4 Milan Morning: a guided tour, part by coach, part on foot, taking in the main places of interest around the city, including the Monumental Cemetery, noted for the abundance of artistic tombs and monuments, and the remaining medieval walls and gates for which Milan is famous. Visit the red brick Sforza Castle, built in the 15th century, originally a Visconti fortress and later home to the mighty Sforza dynasty. Wander through the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, one of the world s oldest shopping malls, a four-storey double arcade covered in a glass and iron roof and nowadays hosting many prestigious labels and brand shops, famous cafés and restaurants. Afternoon: free time for lunch or shopping followed by a guided tour of the Gothic cathedral, with its dazzling white front façade dominating the cathedral square. The visit includes the crypt of St. Charles and Museum. Evening: dinner in the hotel.
5 Centovalli Railway Morning: a relaxed day on board the narrow-gauge train to Locarno, situated at the base of the Swiss Alps. Take a gentle journey along an attractive route through the Italian mountains and into Switzerland. From the panoramic windows, the scenery is extraordinary offering unspoiled nature, rocky mountains, spectacular waterfalls and rich vegetation. Afternoon: in Locarno there are ample shops, restaurants and cafés at which to sit and watch the world go by. Alternatively, take a stroll along the lake front through shady park areas before continuing your journey by coach back to Stresa with a stop en route to stretch your legs or have a coffee. Evening: dinner in the hotel. 6 Lake Como Morning: known for its dramatic scenery set against the foothills of the Alps and a favourite of the Italian aristocracy and the rich and famous; enjoy a guided tour of the city of Como, home to Renaissance architecture and situated on the shore of the lake. The traffic-free centre has a magnificent cathedral and many shops and restaurants. Time will be allowed for coffee in the centre, which has a wonderful café culture spilling out onto charming piazzas, before continuing up the lake to board your exclusive boat to transfer to the pretty historic town of Bellagio. Afternoon: time for lunch in Bellagio which retains its elegant and long-established charm, famous for world-class hotels and restaurants providing the perfect place to soak up the lake s famous panorama. Explore the stone lanes and picturesque cobbled stairways filled with shops showcasing the finest Italian wares. Continue your private guided boat tour along the lake to gain the best views of the cliffside villages and historic villas owned by the wealthy, the Guinness family and Sir Richard Branson to name a few. Evening: dinner in the hotel. 7 Lake Orta Morning: one of Italy s lesser known lakes, with a slower pace of life and much smaller than ritzier Lake Maggiore or Lake Como. Take the tourist train to Orta s chapel-dotted hillside, Sacro Monte. Most chapels are fully accessible (with fantastic frescoes), with religious
statues depicting the life of St Francis. At the end is a breath-taking view looking out over St Giulio Island. Continue to the captivating medieval village of Orta San Giulio, often referred to simply as Orta. A pretty traffic- free lakeside town full of cafés and pastel buildings, its narrow streets are elegant and charming with the occasional baroque architecture. Time for a coffee on the square and enjoy the views across the tranquil lake, before transferring by private boat to meet your coach. Late Afternoon: relax in the hotel and make use of the facilities. Evening: private boat transfer to Isola dei Pescatori to enjoy a farewell dinner amongst new found friends. 8 Fly home After breakfast transfer to Milan airport for the flight back to the UK, and bid farewell to your travelling companions. Please note that our September 06thh holiday will return on the 13th flying from Turin to Gatwick. Included excursions Borromean Islands Immersed in the waters of Lake Maggiore, the Borromean Islands are jaw-droppingly beautiful. Loved by Ernest Hemingway and, in more recent times, by the English Royals, this Archipelago is made up of the monumental Isola Bella, with its 17th-Century Palazzo Borromeo, surrounded by landscaped gardens. The picturesque Isola dei Pescatori (Fishermen s Island) popular with restaurants and independent shops and Isola Madre, noted for its botanical garden, rich in rare and tropical plants, there is even an English garden! On Isola Bella and Isola Madre you will experience the splendid palazzos and their gardens, famous throughout the world for their landscaping and for the attention to detail, care, and variety of the plant architecture, which is composed of over 2,000 different species. Of particular importance on Isola Bella is the scala dei morti, or staircase of the dead, which in recent decades has been embellished with an important collection of Wisterias. On Isola Bella, (from the name of the wife of Carlo III Borromeo, Isabella d'adda) is Palazzo Borromeo with its halls and rooms containing an array of art and artefacts collected by the family over many years. The lower portion of the house, contains stone-and shell-covered grottoes designed to stay cool during the hot summer months. The stunning garden, features multi-coloured flowers year-round, as well as a multitude of exotic plants. Isola Madre has a romantic English Garden and an 18th-Century villa, housing the precious porcelains and other remnants of the House of Borromeo. Considered to be among the best exemplars in the world of topiary art, today the gardens contain numerous faunal species, particularly winged varieties of the east, the first of the Lake's camellias and the imposing Kashmir Cypress. If you are lucky enough, there is
a chance to see the white peacocks, golden pheasants and parrots that live freely within this splendid natural setting. Isola dei Pescatori, also known as Isola Superiore, faces Stresa; it is the only continuously-inhabited island here. The island has narrow lanes with independent shops and small restaurants and characteristic markets selling local artisan crafts and souvenirs. Milan A guided tour of the city, part on foot and part by coach taking in some of the most popular attractions the city has to offer. Known as the global capital of fashion and design and home to the national stock exchange, the city is a financial hub also known for its high-end restaurants and designer shops. The Gothic Duomo di Milano cathedral with its dazzling white front facade, arguably the world's most beautiful, dominates the cathedral square. It is the largest and most complex Gothic building in Italy, 157 metres in length and covers an area of 11,700 m2. Sforza Castle built in the 15th century by Francesco Sforza, Duke of Milan, on the remains of a 14thcentury fortification is located close to the centre. This red brick castle was originally a Visconti fortress, and later home to the mighty Sforza dynasty, who ruled Renaissance Milan. Today it houses specialised museums. Close to Piazza Duomo are a variety of museums, art galleries and high-end department stores. Leading off the piazza is Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II one of the world s oldest shopping malls, a four-story double arcade covered in a glass and iron roof. Considered one of the sites of Milanese luxury shopping, it hosts many prestigious labels and brand shops, famous cafés and restaurants. If you wish to return to Milan, the tradition suggests that you have a spin with your heel on the mosaic bulls attributes that make up the pavement of the Galleria s splendid central octagon. Once a gesture to ward off evil, it has become part of the Milanese tradition. Centovalli Railway The Centovalli Railway (also known as the "Centovallina" or "Vigezzina" in Italy) connects Domodossola (in Italy) with Locarno (in Switzerland) situated in the north of Lake Maggiore. It represents the most attractive route between Lake Maggiore and the French part of Switzerland. From the panoramic windows of the narrow-gauge train, the scenery is extraordinary, passing over 83 bridges and through 34 tunnels. The gentle route passes through the enchanting Centovalli, a valley offering unspoiled nature, rocky mountains, spectacular waterfalls all framed by wonderful rich vegetation. The journey will take you through vineyards, chestnut woods and clearings, all coloured in the changing shades of the seasons, and through small villages lost in time. Its final destination is Locarno, an Italian speaking resort city in Southern Switzerland at the base of the Alps and on the shores of Lake Maggiore. There are ample shops, restaurants and cafés to sit and watch the world go by. Alternatively take a stroll along the lake front through shady park areas or enjoy a tourist road train for a tour of the city. Remember to take Swiss Francs for spending. Lake Como An upscale resort area, 80 miles from Lake Maggiore, Lake Como is known for its dramatic scenery set
against the foothills of the Alps. A favourite by Italian Aristocracy the lake is dotted with tiny pretty villages, offering breath-taking panoramic views with romantic villas on its shore line, many owned by the rich and famous including the Guinness Family, Barclays and Sir Richard Branson to name a few. (There is a question whether or not George Clooney still has a villa on Lake Como). The lake is narrow in comparison to the expanse of Maggiore. It is shaped like an upside-down Y, with three slender branches that meet at the resort town of Bellagio. At the bottom of the southwest branch lies the city of Como, home to Renaissance architecture. Como is the capital of the province and home to 80,00 residents. The traffic-free centre has a magnificent Duomo, many shops and restaurants. The bustling city has a cosmopolitan feel with a wonderful café culture spilling out onto charming piazzas. The pretty, historic town of Bellagio, known as the pearl of the lake is situated where the three branches of the lake come together. This elegant and long-established tourist resort still retains considerable charm. The world class hotels and restaurants provide the perfect place to soak up the lake's famous panorama. The village is characterised by century-old buildings, stone lanes and picturesque cobbled stairways filled with shops showcasing the finest Italian wares. There is a choice of restaurants and bars catering for all budgets along the shore line or along the upper level narrow shopping street. A private boat tour of Lake Como is included to give the best views of the cliffside villages and historic villas. Lake Orta Located to the west of Lake Maggiore, surrounded by thick dark green woodlands, the tranquil lake and somewhat hidden gem is small compared to its neighbour Maggiore, measuring 8 miles long by 1.5 miles wide. The focal point of the lake is the captivating medieval village of Orta San Giulio, often referred to simply as Orta. A pretty traffic free lakeside town full of cafes and pastel buildings. Its narrow streets are elegant and charming with the occasional baroque architecture. Sitting in the middle of the lake is the enchanting Isola San Giulio. At tiny island home to the mysterious monastery and many nuns that reside there. A circular interior path leads around the vast Benedictine monastery. In one direction, the signs say "the way of silence" and in the other "the way of meditation". The island has a Romanesque basilica whose interior is an opulent feast of art and sculpture. There is a 12th-century pulpit carved out of serpentine marble from a quarry at nearby Oira; the figures on it are said to be influenced by Saxon carvings. The religious complex of the Sacro Monte of Orta lies on the hill above the village, looking out over Lake Orta. In 1591 the Capuchin Franciscans authorised the start of work to build chapels dedicated to the life of St Francis, beginning with what is now chapel number XX, the first to be founded but the last in the cycle. This was concluded between the end of the 16th century and the end of the 18th. The chapels were arranged on a spiralling path which exploited the slope of the hill, surrounded by trees, which enabled pilgrims to pause on their upward journey to meditate for a while in the shade, emerging at the top to see the superb panorama of the lake. Many artists have worked on the decoration of the chapels from different periods, resulting in a mixture of styles Renaissance, Baroque, Rococo and Neoclassical. The purpose of every Sacro Monte was to give religious instruction to the faithful (most of whom were illiterate) through the descriptive images of the frescoes and the displays of terracotta statues. In 1980 Piedmont Region made the Sacro Monte of Orta a Special Nature reserve, to protect the valuable artistic and environmental heritage which the place represents.
Lake Orta is one of Italy s lesser known lakes and has a slower pace of life than ritzier Lake Maggiore or Lake Como. Mottarone Cable Car The Mottarone Cable Car departs every 20 minutes from the Lido in Stresa and is one of the best ways to view Lake Maggiore. The first stage of the cable car takes you to Alpino where, a 5-minute stroll from the cable car station, you will find the Alpine Gardens. Covering nearly 10 acres, the Alpine gardens are well worth a visit and are a welcome break from the heat in the summer. You can wander freely around the terraces, reaching an unparalleled view point where you can sit and admire the lake and the surrounding mountains. There is also a brief, sign-posted walk through the woodland. There are Alpine and Sub-Alpine species from the West, but also from China and Japan. The second stage of the cable car, a chair lift takes you to the summit of Mottarone where, a 10/15- minute walk will take you to the summit. From there you have a 360 view which includes 7 lakes and the beautiful Mount Rosa. Hotels Grand Hotel Bristol Originally a noble residence, the prestigious four-star Grand Hotel Bristol is located on the lakeshore of Stresa with views of the Borromean islands. The hotel retains its elegance and superior service. A ten-minute stroll along the lakeside promenade is the centre of Stresa, made up of three piazzas and cobbled, traffic-free streets. Here you will find independent shops and cafés. Hotel facilities: the hotel has an English-style bar with a large elegant entrance hall, perfect for relaxing and enjoying the soft strains of the grand piano. In the carefully manicured gardens is the pool bar and outdoor pool, with loungers, parasols and seating, open in summer months. Le Isole restaurant has a spacious dining area and is elegantly decorated and lit by large crystal chandeliers. It has a lovely terrace with views of Lake Maggiore, ideal for breakfast. There is an indoor pool, a sauna, whirlpool bath and gym. Your hotel room: a double-bedded room for single occupancy with mountain views, some with a balcony (requests cannot be guaranteed). It has air conditioning (from mid-june to mid- September), TV, safe, minibar and Wi-Fi. Hotel bathrooms: all bathrooms have a shower over the bath tub. Your bathroom will be equipped with hairdryer, slippers and bathrobe and complimentary toiletries.