Italy - Desirable Dolomites & Stunning South Tyrol

Day 1

A morning departure (this will be in the early hours of your departure date) we travel to Dover for our ferry crossing to Calais. We then continue to the Mercure Hotel Saarbruken Sud for our overnight stay (Evening meal included).

Day 2

After breakfast at the hotel we continue our journey to the Hotel Paganella.

Day 3

Today, Fausto will play host and take us out for a gentle walk around this friendly village. We enjoy a picnic with great company, food and wine... and start to get into the relaxed ‘Paganella way of life’ in the mountains!

Day 4

Today we arrive in one of Italy’s best kept secrets – stunning Merano! In true ‘Sound of Music’ fashion, this beautiful spa town sits nestled between the Dolomites. The town centre abounds with shops, restaurants and cafés oozing with delicious strudel. For a birds’ eye view of the city, take the chairlift up to the panoramic viewpoint. Try out some mouth-watering ‘speck’ in a local stube or tempt yourself with ‘sachertorte’ in one of the pastry shops! In the afternoon, we head to the historic winery of Kettmeir, nestled amongst the vineyards of Alto Adige, where we enjoy a tour and tasting of some top quality wines - the South Tyrolean wines are so good they don’t export much as they prefer to keep them for themselves!

Day 5

Today we drive north towards Moena, based in the heart of the Dolomites, and ascend towards the vibrant town of Canazei. From here it’s just a short drive to get to the ‘Sella Pass’, an incredible viewing platform, from where we can enjoy lunch and appreciate the amazing 360 degree views across the Dolomites’ spectacular jagged peaks. We continue down into the alluring Val Gardena, a historic valley known for its wood making traditions and unique and ancient language, Ladin, which is only spoken here. Enjoy a break in the picturesque village of Ortisei and relax over a delicious plate of strudel, or perhaps shop for one of the other local specialities – handmade cuckoo clocks!

Day 6

Our route this morning takes us past the lesser known but incredibly scenic Lake Molveno, and from here we enjoy the relaxing route taking us through to the back of Lake Garda. Riva offers a lakeside historic centre and is the most northerly point in Europe where olive trees grow! We have free time to explore Riva and perhaps enjoy a delicious lunch or drink in the main square.

Day 7

Today we depart the hotel and begin the return journey with an overnight stay at the Mercure Strasbourg Aeroport Hotel (Evening meal included).

Day 8

We depart after breakfast and continue the journey home.

B=Breakfast, D=Dinner