From Belfast we cross to Stranraer by HSS and continue to Hull to catch the evening sailing of the P&O Cruiseferry to Zeebrugge (15th June departure via Europoort).

From Zeebrugge/Europoort we travel south to our first overnight stop in eastern France.

Our journey today takes us over the spectacular Susten and St. Gorthard Passes and into Northern Italy, to our principal hotel on the edge of Lake Maggiore.

Today we take the Centovalli Railway, passing over breathtaking bridges and viaducts on an exciting journey to Locarno, at the northern end of the lake, in Switzerland.

From Locarno our return journey is by boat, as far as the charming lakeside Italian town of Cannobio. We complete our round-trip by coach.

It's market day in Stresa today and our local guide helps us get a real flavour of Italy. The guide will stay with us this afternoon at nearby Lake Orta and the pretty, traffic-free town of Orta San Guilio. (The tour arriving on 13th August enjoys a special festive buffet dinner with music and a dramatic fireworks display over the lake to celebrate a major public holiday.)

This morning we abandon the coach and depart from the hotel by private motorboat, first to Isola Madre, the Mother island, for a view of the gardens and a guided tour of the Palace. We continue to Isola Pescatori, the Fisherman’s island and finally conclude our Lake Maggiore Islands excursion with a visit to Isola Bella, the largest and most spectacular island. We return to the hotel by around 4.00pm.

A day at leisure to relax and enjoy the hotel’s excellent facilities.

We resume our travels this morning and take the Simplon Pass into Switzerland. Built by Napoleon in 1805 to link Geneva with Milan, it takes us through the Rhone Valley, from where we continue up to Zermatt (the last leg by train). The alpine scenery, dominated by the towering Matterhorn, contrasts sharply with our Italian lakeside base.

We leave Lake Maggiore this morning and travel north, retracing our outward journey through Basel. We take the road through the Vosges Mountains to our final hotel, back where we started, in Nancy.

The last leg of our journey is through France and Belgium to Zeebrugge where we catch the evening sailing back to Hull.

P&O Cruseferry (cabins with facilities - all meals included)

We disembark in Hull and proceed to Stranraer where we travel by HSS back to Belfast, arriving at the Europa Buscentre around 10.00pm.