Northern Italy Cruise & Venice Simplon-Orient-Express

Start your holiday in style as you enjoy included airport lounge access before your flight to Venice. On arrival, a private transfer will see you to your ship – the S.S. La Venezia. Fully refurbished, and with decks named after the islands of the Venetian Lagoon, it’s an opulent home to three restaurants, a spa, a lounge and bar – the perfect home-from-home for your cruise through northern Italy.

Before departing Venice, you’ll have a day to explore the myriad wonders of Italy’s floating city, as an expert guide helps you to untangle the secrets and myths of its iconic waterways. There’s also time for a scenic cruise around the Venetian Lagoon and a very special after-hours private tour of St Mark’s Basilica. End the day in style with a Captain’s Welcome Reception and delicious celebratory dinner.

Choose from morning explorations of the Veneto region’s UNESCO World Heritage cities, Padua or Vicenza. In the afternoon, you'll join a guided walk in Venice to meet a local gondola artisan before a scenic sailing across the lagoon, heading for Mazzorbo and Burano.

The day is dedicated to exploring the northern lagoon of Venice and its varied islands. Visit Torcello's famous basilica with an art historian, then take a stroll through the agricultural island of Mazzorbo and the multi-coloured houses of Burano. Alternatively, you can take time in the afternoon to see the renowned glassblowing artist of Murano.

Today, you'll visit the Chioggia, quintessential Venetian Lagoon fishing village. A choice of excursions is on offer, including a visit to one of Europe’s most majestic castles - Castello del Catajo - or you could join a sommelier to learn about the long history of winemaking in the Veneto region, with private tastings at Dominio di Bagnoli, one of the oldest wine producing estates in Europe.

This morning, you'll join a sailing excursion to explore the Po Delta where the Po River and the Adriatic Sea meet. During a leisurely lunch and a relaxing afternoon you'll cruise back to Venice.

Back in Venice a choice of superb excursions is on offer, the first of which is a ‘do as the locals do’ appreciation of the city’s markets and culinary hotspots in the company of a guide, often the ship’s head chef. Alternatively, take a walking tour to Rialto Bridge and visit the sites made famous by renowned intellectual and part-time playboy – Casanova. In the evening, a Captain’s farewell reception and dinner will see you end your cruise in style.

After a delicious breakfast on board, you'll disembark for a private transfer to Verona and your five-star hotel. Take the time to relax and freshen up as you prepare for two full days exploring the delights of ‘Shakespeare’s city’. Indeed, be sure to take in the likes of Juliet’s balcony before enjoying skip-the-line access and a private tour of one of Italy’s most prestigious music venues – the Arena di Verona. 

Stay: NH Collection Palazzo Verona

Spend a final relaxing morning in Verona before taking your private transfer to the station where the blue-and-gold carriages of the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express will be waiting to welcome you. Settle into your wood-panelled cabin as you race across rural northern Italy, enjoying a delicious three-course lunch set against a backdrop of the Dolomites' granite spires. Then, following a relaxing afternoon, dress for dinner, mingle in the Bar car and order a signature cocktail while you listen to period pieces performed on the baby grand piano. Finally, settle down to a four-course, wine-paired feast, dining on dishes inspired by the train's route as you head across alpine Switzerland.

Wake to a Continental breakfast served in your cabin as you sweep across northern France towards the Channel. In Calais, you'll say goodbye to the fineries of your Art Deco accommodation for the short hop across the English Channel. It's then time for the final leg of your journey – a dash across Kent aboard the Belmond British Pullman. Relax with a delicious afternoon tea and English sparkling wine as you make your way to London's Victoria Station and the end of your holiday.