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Buongiorno e benvenuto in Italia!
Welcome to the land of the once mighty Roman empire, where your passionate love affair with food and wine will flourish and the vistas are bountiful and the locals are generous.
Today we connect with your guide and your group in the beautiful fashion capital, Milan. It’s your opportunity to put to rest any last minute questions you have so you can free yourself for full immersion in this cool 10 day train trip around Northern Italy.
We head out after the meeting to find a local pizzeria for the first of many pizza and pasta evenings! Luigi, stand aside, Rail Trail Travellers are on the move!
Included activities: Meet & Greet with your U.Guide and fellow travellers. Evening tour of Milan central with a vino in the cobbled Piazza del Duomo
Accomodation: Twins and triples in Milan hotel
We kick off the adventure in stunning style. Our destination.. The picturesque coastal town of Riomaggiore.
Exuding tons of charm and insta worthy backdrops, Riomaggiore is part of the famous Cinque Terre region, known for its colourful buildings and tower houses, stacked side by side and separated by narrow lanes called carruggi. Framed by dramatic seaside landscapes, this is one heck of a way to kick off your Italian dream tour!
In the afternoon, you’ll have the chance to meander through Riomaggiore’s vibrant streets, explore its historic centre, and visit the local shops and restaurants. Immerse yourself in the laid-back coastal atmosphere, sample delicious Ligurian cuisine, and savour the local wines.
As the day transitions into evening, you’re in for a real treat. We’ll grab a bottle of vino, and maybe even some stuzzichine and witness the sun gracefully sinking into the Ligurian Sea from the harbour. The view is nothing short of mesmerising, and it’s an ideal insta moment to capture the village’s unique charm!
Included activities: Hiking the historical villages of Cinque Terra
Accomodation: Twins and triples at a Riomaggiore hotel
Today we head into the cultural capital of Italy, and the seat of the ancient Roman Empire – Rome.
After arriving mid afternoon, we’ll make our way to our accommodation, drop our bags off, take a breather and then head out a little later for a private cooking class where we’ll discover the secrets to creating outstanding fettuccine and tiramisu. Our local chef will welcome us into her kitchen and we’ll learn the tricks of the trade when tackling Italian cuisine!
After making both meals, sit back and relax, enjoy the company and a glass of local red wine, while your pasta is prepared with a sauce of your choosing and the meal is topped off by your homemade Tiramisu, an Italian coffee and a sneaky Limoncello!
Included activities: Visiting the Leaning Tower of Pisa, Italian cooking class
Accomodation: Triple and quad share in a funky Roman hostel
But we’ll do our best to take it all in today! So, chuck on the sneakers, pack a spare charger, and prepare for a big day of exploring this timeless city on foot. Rome, breathtaking Rome, with its intensive metropolitan vibe and thousands of monuments, hundreds of churches, spectacular fountains and one of the deepest archaeological heritages in the world!
From the coliseum to the Vatican, from Tivoli fountain to local trattorias – today is going to be a day of huge experiences and cultural immersion. We’ll explore from sun up to sun down, then find a bolt hold in a local restaurant to enjoy a genuine Italian pizza and a local brew.
Included activities: Guided Rome walking tour
Accomodation: Triple and quad share funky Roman hostel
It’s a relatively late start to the day today as we leave mid morning and head back north to Florence, the powerhouse city of mediaeval Europe and home to the start of the Renaissance period.
We arrive early in the afternoon, which gives us plenty of time to deal with our bags and freshen up before heading out to explore Florence by foot.
The old town of Florence is compact with a charming network of cobblestone streets that wind their way around famous places such as the Uffizi Gallery, the iconic Ponte Vecchio, the Duomo, and Piazzale Michelangelo. It’s also a shoppers paradise if you’re looking to pick up a leather jacket or bag!
Included activities: Florence guided tour by your U.Guide
Accommodation: Superior triple rooms in boutique hostel
A trip to Florence wouldn’t be complete without exploring the beautiful Tuscan hills that frame this iconic city.
We head out early to discover two awesome wineries in the stunning Chianti Hills on this half-day tour. Besides the pure beauty of the Tuscan landscape, we’ll meet cool local winemakers, stroll through gorgeous vineyards, and taste delicious local wines and local produce. It’s an authentic day spent soaking in the heart of Italian wine and food.
Returning back to Florence by mid afternoon, you’ll have the afternoon to revisit many of your favourite sights at your own pace and time.
Included activities: Tuscan wine and food exploration
Accommodation: Accommodation: Superior triple rooms in boutique hostel
As we take a later train to Venice today, you have time this morning to grab brunch, and pick up any last minute shopping or souvenirs for family and friends. We depart just after 1pm and arrive in Venice in the evening. The journey itself is worthy of a thousand postcards so grab that window seat and keep your eyes on the view!
Venice is always a highlight of any trip. It’s everything you could possibly imagine and more. This evening we’ll drop our bags and head out immediately to find a local restaurant to try the local seafood with an Aperol Spritz along one of the many iconic canals.
Included activities: Guided Venetian evening tour
Accommodation: Twin and triple hotel rooms on Grand Canal
Rise and shine team, we’re going to go ‘balls out’ today and walk, ferry and gondola as much as we possibly can in one day, spending the majority of the time on the main island before heading over to Burano late in the afternoon.
Sights? We tick all the boxes including the Basilica San Marco, the Doges Palace & the Canal Grande, the Ponti di Rialto & the Mercati di Rialto, and the Laguna di Venezia and a few of our own in between! If we still have legs after lunch, we’ll grab a ferry across to Murano and check out the famous Venetian tradition of glass blowing at an artisan’s workshop.
Back on the main island, we’ll close off the last night of our tour with a sunset cocktail over the Lido, before a giro di bacharie back to our accommodation. If you want to stay out and make the most of your last night on tour, then we encourage you to do so (safely!).
Included activities: Guided Venetian walking tour, glass blowing at an artisan workshop, giro di baccari
Optional activities: Gondola ride
Accommodation: Twin and triple hotel rooms
After an enormous sightseeing day yesterday we’re going to make our way back to Milan mid morning. Stay tuned to the sights outside your train window as we move through the rolling hills of the industrial north, arriving into Verona for a brisk walk around this walled city – home to Romeo and Giulietta, the famous balcony and the simply stunning ‘2nd biggest Roman amphitheatre’ in Italy! This is a sneaky northern treasure and we are stoked we can visit it en route to Milan!
We arrive in the evening after a very cool journey and we’ll head out for a final meal together!
Included activities: Verona walking tour
Accomodation: Twins and triples in a Milan hotel
So you’ve done the Pizza and Pasta, and sampled your way across Northern Italy. If this is the end of your journey with us, then arrivederci, addio, and buon viaggio! But, …why not stay with us for more adventures as we depart tomorrow on our alpine Cheese and Alps trip through Switzerland, Lichtenstein, Germany and Austria!
Finding GF easily in Italy is an exception rather than the norm. Italian cuisine will always have a meat or fish dish so there is always food available. Your U.Guide will know how to ask for a GF option so stick close to them and remind them early!
There will be ATMs at every destination on this trip. It can cost up to €5 euro per transaction to draw money out so
If you are a strapping lad with a healthy appetite, you may need to budget on 40-60 € a day for food + (moderate) alcoholic drinks. You’ll get well fed for that as an average pasta dish costs, depending on the restaurant, between 8 and 14 euro a dish. Most travellers can travel for around 30 to 40 € per day.
Top tip: buy house wine by the ¼, ½ or 1 litre to save money – it’s always good!
Nearly all trains have a food cart. But your U.Guide will factor in the timings of the trains and swing past an eatery or supermarket before boarding so you have the option to buy something more affordable before boarding.
On days where we get off the train for Pisa and Verona this is actually around lunch time so you are able to easily grab a cheap lunch then.
Talk to the U. crew as we can book you flights directly to Milan from almost any major city in the world. As well there is a lot of discount airlines in Europe such as Ryan Air, Easy Jet, German Wings and Volotea that fly to Milan.
$1,691
What a fun way to discover northern Italy! Travelling sustainably by train, you’ll complete the ultimate giro d’Italia while capturing all of the amazing scenery as you cruise your way around by train. Getting you into the heart of every town and city, train travel is the most sustainable way to travel over longer distances while not missing out on the cool vistas along the way.
This 10 day exploration of Italy visits the beautiful Ligurian coastline with a stop in the super picturesque fishing village of Riomaggiore before heading down to Rome to immerse yourself in the historical epicentre of arguably, the first superpower in the world!
Then it’s off to Florence to drink chianti and enjoy all things Tuscan! Our final destination is Venice where we’ll endeavour to get ourselves lost in the myriad of winding streets and canals between Santa Lucia and Piazza San Marco! We’ll dine on local seafood and compare pasta and pizza as we go. We’ll drink spritz aperol as the sun sets over Venice Lagoon and chianti amongst the vines in rolling tuscan hills.
This is the ultimate way to spend an extended week off work or between semesters at school. So choose to travel responsibly and embrace that travelling as a U. Rail Trail Traveller and having fun still creates the very best versions of ourselves!
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Transport:
Experiences:
You will need a backpack – cobble streets and ancient stairways munch wheelie bags. We do a lot of walking on our European trip exploring the back streets and sometimes we will also with our luggage to get from the train station to our accommodation or jump off the train and grab some fresh food at a local market or grab a great photo of a falling down ancient building etc. You don’t need to be super fit but exploring on your feet all day can be tiring so bring good walking shoes too.
The greatest adventures – at the best prices – 100% CO2 neutral.
If you have any questions or need help, you are of course always welcome to write to us in our live chat or by clicking below. We look forward to hearing from you.
If you are a group of 4 or more people, we can help you tailor your trip. We’ll take care of all the practicalities and make sure all the details are taken care of.
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