Hidden Europe: unique experiences in Europe's cities
08/09/2020 · By Katie Shaw
Europe’s cities are treasure troves of culture, teeming with iconic, must-see sights to enthral even the most seasoned of tourists.
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2024 Tour code: SRL24
About the tour
The beautiful fortress town of Sirmione is our base, in an elegant Spa hotel, set on a picturesque peninsula overlooking Lake Garda. On this captivating tour, we glide through Venice's turquoise canals on an unforgettable gondola ride - passing Venetian palazzos, intriguing architecture and by zantine churches - we taste renowned wines and enjoy a delicious homemade dinner at a rural winery in Valpolicella, and explore history and culture in Roman Verona and medieval Malcesine.
Unforgettable experiences
What’s included
Itinerary
Our holiday begins when we meet our fellow travellers and Tour Manager at London St Pancras. We board the Eurostar service to Paris in Standard Premier Class, enjoying a light meal in our seats. From the French capital, we continue by First Class rail to Karlsruhe in Germany, passing through the Champagne and Alsace regions enroute.
In Karlsruhe, we change to the First Class train to Freiburg im Breisgau. Nestled at the edge of the magical Black Forest, Freiburg has a charming Old Town with cobblestone squares lined by gabled buildings and a magnificent Gothic cathedral. Our overnight hotel is near the train station and, after checking in, we head out to a local restaurant to enjoy our first dinner together as a group.
Additional information
Hotel
Trains
Enhance your holiday
Upgrades
Reviews
4.4 / 5 · 258 reviews
Andy Hornsby
Submitted 28/Jun
The Hotel Continental in Sirmione is excellent. Sirmione itself is lovely and the excursions were good and well organised. Our tour manager Les did a great job in some stressful situations. However, the journeys to and from Sirmione were not good. Far too convoluted, with too many issues, although non were caused by GRJ.
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Graham Martin
Submitted 25/Jun
Great hotel in good location. The organised trips were very good and a good variety. The travel to Sirmione was too converluted with too many changes. Problems with a key train on the return.
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A Davies
Submitted 25/Jun
The holiday was a lovely experience in regards to the Hotel Continental, the organised tours and fellow travellers. The journeys to and from Sirmione were blighted by circumstances beyond GRJ's control and were horrendous. Using First Luggage service helped as regional trains are not suitable for heavy luggage. I used it but was pushed off a train by group member dealing with large cases. Despite the journeys, I would recommend the holiday,
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Michael Camp
Submitted 23/Jun
We had a fantastic holiday, our tour guide did a great job from the time we left St. Pancras to the time we returned and was on hand when ever we needed advice or information. We will certainly be booking another Great Rail Journeys holiday soon.
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Carol Davies
Submitted 18/Jun
Our guide Gilly was excellent and very knowledgeable about the whole trip and attentive to everyone's needs. Journey was too long and arduous. Eating out on first night seemed unnecessary as Freiborg hotel had perfectly good restaurant and after a long days travel you didn't really want to go straight out again ! Sirmione hotel , in my opinion, only deserved four stars for its location ; room very basic and food, especially evening meal, very average. Return journey and staying in Lausanne marginally better with lovely rooms and good food. Sirmione extremely busy and crowded all the time even so early in June. Not as relaxing as I expected it to be but ticked the boxes for visiting Verona and Venice ; couldn't wholly recommend it and would really look more thoroughly at train journey and what it entailed if ever thought about this kind of holiday again.
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Paul
Submitted 18/Jun
Fantastic place and hotel. Thoroughly enjoyed our stay and the excellent balance between escorted trips and free time to explore and rekax
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Europe Holidays 2024
Rich history, diverse cultures, and stunning scenery await in Europe. Whether you want to reach new heights in the Swiss Alps, indulge in the culinary delights of Italy, or wander castles and vineyards in France, discover Europe’s best destinations.