An Expressions rail holiday is
tailor-made according to your requirements and can be as simple or as complex
as you want it to be. From a single-centre stay in a destination that is
reached by train to a touring holiday that visits multiple locations, we cater
for your wishes.
Train travel to Italy
A rail holiday to Italy starts on the Eurostar from London St.
Pancras, Ebbsfleet or Ashford stations in the UK to either Paris Gare du Nord.
Eurostar offers almost hourly departures every day,
allowing you to travel from the centre of London to the centre of Paris on the
same train in three hours. Not all trains stop at the Ebbsfleet and Ashford
stations in Kent, but parking is plentiful at both stations and it allows you
to avoid London. Check-in is 30 minutes prior to departure, customs formalities
are completed before boarding and there is no limit to the amount of baggage
that can be taken on board. The Eurostar trains themselves have 8 coaches which
are split into Standard Class, Standard Premier and Business Premier as well as
2 cafeterias. Standard Premier customers are served a light cold meal and enjoy
a more spacious environment than Standard Class, while Business Premier
customers receive a hot meal and unlimited beverages as well as lounge
access.
You may wish to stay for a night or two in Paris in one of our
centrally located charming hotels, or you may prefer to board the train to
Italy straight away. There are either daytime rail services from Paris to Milan
and Turin, or overnight sleeper trains from Paris to Milan, Venice, Florence,
Pisa, Bologna, Parma, Verona, Vicenza, Padua, Brescia and Rome.
Thello is a basic overnight service linking Paris with key
Italian cities, namely Milan, Venice, Florence and Rome. You may travel in a
two berth sleeper, three berth sleeper, or 4 and 6 berth couchettes. Sleeper
cars offer a washbasin with power socket, toiletries bag, air-conditioning,
room bell, deadbolt lock, wake up call if required, welcome drink and snack in
cabin and newspapers. The couchettes offer air-conditioning as well as a
welcome drink and snack in cabin.
Another option is to travel to Paris
and then on to Switzerland by TGV with a stop in Zurich, Basel or Lausanne for
a night. You then continue your journey to Italy the next day by Eurocity
train, giving you breathtaking scenery as you cross the Alps.
TGV
trains are high-speed trains that serve most of France and cross into
neighbouring countries, covering large distances in a short space of time.
There is a choice between Standard Class and First Class, the latter offering a
more spacious seating environment but no meals included.
Most
Eurocity trains have a restaurant car, while seating can either
be in an open-coach or in 6-seater compartments. First Class entitles you to
more space, more storage and a quieter travelling environment, as well as
access to the First Class lounge at your origin station.
For a really
special experience, we can arrange a journey on the elegant and sophisticated
Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, either one way or both ways.
Train travel within Italy
Once in Italy, visitors can
travel between major cities on Eurostar Italia Frecciarossa trains. These
high-speed services offer standard class with comfortable seating and tables
for 4, as well as three different levels of First Class which are more spacious
and include some food and drinks. There is a restaurant car on all trains which
serves a variety of hot and cold options, as well as a café-bar which serves
more basic fare.
Our hotels
Each of the hotels
that are featured by Italian Expressions has been personally selected to offer
you exceptionally high standards of comfort, service and cuisine. Many of our
hotels are among the most highly acclaimed in the whole of Italy. Others are
full of charm and character or provide rest and relaxation amid an atmosphere
of luxury and style.
Star ratings are an important indicator of facilities
and price, but, just as important as a star rating is character and ambience.
We believe that whatever the official star rating of our hotels, each hotel has
unique qualities and a sincere individuality of its own.