Tuscany luxury rail-drive tailor-made touring holiday
This 9-night rail holiday to Tuscany transports you into Italy with just one night each way en route. We suggest Zurich on the way out and Turin on the way back. This allows as much time as possible to explore the region of Tuscany and in particular the Chianti region that lies between Florence and Siena, where you are based for seven nights. This region has inspired countless artists for centuries and you can immerse yourself in the classical landscape of cypress trees, rolling hills in shades of grey-greens and gold, ancient hilltop villages with terracotta roofs and golden-brown stone, shuttered houses and rows of vines or gnarled olive trees. Secreted away in seemingly unprepossessing churches are priceless works of art, masterpieces that have defined our civilisation. Start with the Chianti wine route through the villages of Greve, Radda and Gaiole. Visit wineries at Castenuovo Berardenga. Visit villas and their gardens that still reflect the principles of the Renaissance. Spend a day in Siena, don’t forget San Gimignano and perhaps venture further afield to Arezzo, with its fresco of Mary Magdalene by Piero della Francesca. The fruits of the land await you too; the Tuscan kitchen produces hearty and flavoursome fare. Your return journey overnights you in Turin before you reach Paris and the onward journey by Eurostar to London.
Highlights
Overnight train journeys both ways Paris to Milan • Stay in Chianti country • Chianti wine route • Visit Siena • Visit Arezzo • Visit Florence
Day by day
You start your Tuscany to train holiday with the Eurostar from London to Paris, where you change trains and stations to take the TGV to Zurich. You arrive here early evening with time to explore the old town, the Bahnhofstrasse and the banks of the River Limmat. Spend one night in Zurich.
Your train journey takes you south through the Alps and into northern Italy. You change trains in Milan and then it's a journey of just under two hours to Florence. Collect your hire-car and drive to your holiday base in the Tuscan countryside, in the Chianti region and only about 40 kms from Florence but is an ideal location to allow for much exploration of Tuscany.
You are here in Tuscany for six days. Explore at your leisure, combining your stay with time to seek out the cultural treasures and scenery that appeal to you, with relaxation at your hotel, and walks in the nearby vineyards. From your hotel you could travel south along the Chianti wine route, stopping off in the wine villages along the way, for example Greve, Radda and Gaiole. The countryside delights with its mix of fields and orchards, olive groves, vineyards and forested hills. There are villas and gardens to visit, as well as the picturesque, fortified town of San Gimignano and Tuscany’s rival city, Siena.
Drive into Florence and return your hire-car before heading to Santa Maria Novella station and the train to Turin via Milan. Allow yourself time in Turin, the capital of Piemonte and home to Fiat, to explore the grand streets, visit the splendid churches and to seek out a restaurant, of which there are many excellent ones, for dinner.
It is an early start this morning as the direct train to Paris leaves just after 7.30 am. However, with a journey time of under six hours it means an arrival in Paris at lunch-time. Let us know if you want to spend a few hours in Paris before taking the Eurostar from the Gare du Nord and we will allow for this with the Eurostar we book. Alternatively, you could be in London by late afternoon easily.
What particularly impresses us each time we use your services is that ‘what we expect we get’ eg car hire, rooms selected, all with no hassle. Not sure how you do it!!Mr W, July 2022
Holiday price guide From £2,740 per person based on two people sharing a double room including second class rail travel. First class rail supplement from £570 per person.
Holiday Code ITRD05
Call us on 01392 441245
Tuscany luxury rail-drive tailor-made touring holiday
You start your Tuscany to train holiday with the Eurostar from London to Paris, where you change trains and stations to take the TGV to Zurich. You arrive here early evening with time to explore the old town, the Bahnhofstrasse and the banks of the River Limmat. Spend one night in Zurich.
Your train journey takes you south through the Alps and into northern Italy. You change trains in Milan and then it's a journey of just under two hours to Florence. Collect your hire-car and drive to your holiday base in the Tuscan countryside, in the Chianti region and only about 40 kms from Florence but is an ideal location to allow for much exploration of Tuscany.
You are here in Tuscany for six days. Explore at your leisure, combining your stay with time to seek out the cultural treasures and scenery that appeal to you, with relaxation at your hotel, and walks in the nearby vineyards. From your hotel you could travel south along the Chianti wine route, stopping off in the wine villages along the way, for example Greve, Radda and Gaiole. The countryside delights with its mix of fields and orchards, olive groves, vineyards and forested hills. There are villas and gardens to visit, as well as the picturesque, fortified town of San Gimignano and Tuscany’s rival city, Siena.
Drive into Florence and return your hire-car before heading to Santa Maria Novella station and the train to Turin via Milan. Allow yourself time in Turin, the capital of Piemonte and home to Fiat, to explore the grand streets, visit the splendid churches and to seek out a restaurant, of which there are many excellent ones, for dinner.
It is an early start this morning as the direct train to Paris leaves just after 7.30 am. However, with a journey time of under six hours it means an arrival in Paris at lunch-time. Let us know if you want to spend a few hours in Paris before taking the Eurostar from the Gare du Nord and we will allow for this with the Eurostar we book. Alternatively, you could be in London by late afternoon easily.
What particularly impresses us each time we use your services is that ‘what we expect we get’ eg car hire, rooms selected, all with no hassle. Not sure how you do it!!Mr W, July 2022
Holiday price guide From £2,740 per person based on two people sharing a double room including second class rail travel. First class rail supplement from £570 per person.
Holiday Code ITRD05
Our prices include
● Second-class travel on all trains, with standard class on Eurostar (first and standard premier can be booked at a supplement)
● Hire of a Group B car from 2 to day 9
● 1 night’s bed and breakfast in a Standard room at the Hotel Europe or in a Comfort room at the Hotel St Gotthard, Zurich
● 7 nights’ bed and breakfast in a Classic room at Villa le Barone
● 1 night’s bed and breakfast in a Classic room at the Grand Hotel Sitea, Turin
● Concierge service and Expressions Holidays regional helpful hints
Our prices do not include
● Early check-in or late check-out at any hotels (although we can arrange this on request at additional cost)
● Any other services not mentioned above, such as transfers and meals except breakfast at hotels
● Personal holiday insurance. This is essential and cover should be in place from when you book the holiday.
● Local tourist tax, usually between Euros 1 and 3 per person per night, and payable locally to the hotel
● Transfers in Paris
Call us on 01392 441245
Tuscany luxury rail-drive tailor-made touring holiday
The Romantik Hotel Europe in Zurich is a charming, boutique, family-run hotel with 39 rooms just two minutes’ walk from the shores of Lake Zurich and by the Opera House.
Classic room
Hotel St Gotthard is a sophisticated 4-star hotel in an excellent central location. Haute cuisine and stylish, comfortable accommodation make this an excellent spot to recuperate after enjoying the cultural delights of Zurich.
Comfort room
Villa le Barone is an enchanting 4-star hotel in a beautiful rural location in the Chianti countryside. Exquisite gardens, delicious cuisine and excellent wine, alongside authentic, comfortable accommodation, afford guests an intimate, relaxing taste of Tuscany.
Classic room
Grand Hotel Sitea is a 5-star classic hotel in the heart of Turin. The gourmet cuisine and stylish, comfortable accommodation make it an ideal spot to recuperate after a day enjoying the city's historical and cultural sites.
Classic room
Special offers
Call to make your booking and save an extra £50 per adult Call us instead of emailing us when you are thinking of booking a holiday and save an extra £50 per adult (in addition to any special offers that might be available). We want to talk to you to discuss your requirements and a phone call is usually the best way for you to define what you want enabling us to respond more accurately. We want to talk to you and you save an extra £50 per adult.
What particularly impresses us each time we use your services is that ‘what we expect we get’ eg car hire, rooms selected, all with no hassle. Not sure how you do it!!Mr W, July 2022
Holiday price guide From £2,740 per person based on two people sharing a double room including second class rail travel. First class rail supplement from £570 per person.
Holiday Code ITRD05
Call us on 01392 441245
Tuscany luxury rail-drive tailor-made touring holiday
About Tuscany
An Expressions tailor-made holiday in Tuscany allows you to appreciate its classical landscape of rolling hills and vineyards dotted with olive and cypress trees, its misty green-grey mountains that are never too far distant, and hill-top towns of rich brown and gold stone houses. This combines with the beauty of the works of art contained in the towns and villages throughout Tuscany to create an inspirational union of the spirit and the senses. There is an intrinsic comfort in the supposed contrast between the delicacy of a Botticelli and the heartiness of Ribollita soup, yet both are typical of this fascinating region. As birthplace of the Renaissance, the impact of Tuscan and particularly Florentine traditions and culture on European heritage is fundamental to our way of life. In addition to the obvious attractions of the scenery of Chianti and the art cities of Florence and Siena, there are the less well-known regions south of Siena with its moon-like landscape of hills, the patchwork vineyards of Montalcino, the coastal marshlands of the Maremma, the spas of Montecatini and Saturnia, the islands of Elba and Giglio, and the Casentino with the source of the Arno and abundant mushroom crops. Wherever you travel on holiday in Tuscany, you will be inspired by the beauty of your surroundings and the way of life, which is quintessentially that of Italy too.
Highlights of Tuscany
Famous vineyards producing wines of Chianti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. Alabaster is produced in Volterra. Gold and silver are worked in Florence and the Ponte Vecchio is lined with jewellery shops. Marbled paper and stationery is a speciality of Florence. Ceramics and hand-painted majolica from raw terracotta from Impruneta to the glazed pottery of Siena are to be found throughout Tuscany. Lucca has traditionally produced silk and hand-woven fabrics. Leather goods including shoes, handbags and belts are to be found from market stalls to designer shops such as Gucci and Ferragamo. Interesting markets include the Mercato dell' Antiquariato which sells furniture from antiques to bric-a-brac in Arezzo on the first weekend of every month, in Pisa on the second weekend and in Lucca on the third weekend. The 'wild' Maremma is known for its long-horned white cattle and cowboys (butteri) and natural springs including Saturnia.
Cultural highlights of Tuscany
As birthplace of the Renaissance, Tuscany contains a wealth of treasures: Giotto`s Campanile and Brunelleschi`s Dome in Florence, the Tombs of Galileo and Michelangelo in Florence`s Santa Croce, Botticelli`s `Birth of Venus` and `Primavera` and the portraits of the Duke and Duchess of Urbino by Piero della Francesca in the Uffizi, Michelangelo`s `David` in the Accademia, the architecture of the Piazza della Signoria in Florence, `The Tuscan Maremma` painting by Giovanni Fattori in the Palazzo Pitti in Florence, the Piazza del Campo in Siena, `The Legend of the Cross` frescoes by Piero della Francesco in Arezzo, `The Creation` fresco by Bartolo di Fredi in the Collegiata in San Gimignano, Romanesque church of the Collegiata in San Quirico d`Orcia, 14th Century Fortezza of Montalcino, Renaissance masterpiece of the church of Madonna di San Biagio at Montepulciano, the abbey-church of Sant`Antimo, mediaeval Lucignano and the towers of San Gimignano, the Etruscan Museum in Cortona.
Festivals in Tuscany
Many of Tuscany`s festivals resound with the flamboyance of the Renaissance and keep Tuscans and visitors alike in touch with the region`s rich history. Others are linked to Tuscany`s hearty traditions of eating and drinking. The most famous is Siena`s Palio which takes place on 2 July and 16 August each year. Others include the Sagra del Tordo (Festival of the Thrush) in Montalcino on the last Sunday in October when there is an archery contest and charcoal-grilled thrush are a delicacy. In Florence, Calcio in Costume (a football match played in mediaeval costume) takes place in June. Pisa has the Giocco del Ponte (Game of the Bridge), a mock battle in Renaissance dress also held in June. Viareggio celebrates Carnival on Shrove Tuesday with a huge display of flamboyant floats. In May and August Massa Marittima holds the Falcon Contest.
Gastronomy in Tuscany
Simple country food is at the heart of Tuscan cooking. Regional dishes include Bruschetta (bread or ciabatta toasted and rubbed with garlic, olive oil and salt), Ribollita (bean, cabbage and bread soup), Pasta with hare or wild boar sauce, Porcini mushroom and truffle dishes, Bistecca all Fiorentina (thick cut of sirloin and fillet beef), Cantucci (almond and honey biscuits) served dipped in Vin Santo, Panforte (chocolate, nut and spice cake). Pecorino cheese made from sheep's milk. Local wines include the white Vernaccia di San Gimignano and the Bianco di Pitigliano. Famous reds include Chanti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino and the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. Vin Santo made from semi-crushed grapes left for several months is an excellent dessert wine.
