Northern Italy Including Cinque Terre
Experience Overview
The Italian Riviera meets Italy’s beautiful Lake District on a gourmet-filled journey through the north and its many treasures. All you need to do is live the high life on this most epic of Northern Italy trips, filled with the flavors of prosciutto and parmigiano.
Highlights
Dining Summary
- 3 Dinner (D)
- 7 Breakfast (B)
Be My Guest
- Baveno: Hear about the intriguing history of Lake Maggiore as you’re welcomed by the Cinque family for dinner and wine at their home, Villa Toscanini.
Dive into Culture
- Parma: Visit a working prosciutto factory and parmigiano reggiano cheese caseificio near Parma.
Iconic Experience
- Milan: See Milan's central highlights on an orientation tour with your Travel Director.
- Milan: Explore Italy's renowned fashion capital with your Local Specialist. See the magnificent facade of Milan Cathedral, La Scala Theater and the glass-vaulted shopping arcade of Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, lined with luxury boutiques.
- Parma: See the medieval Torrechiara Fortress.
- Parma: Discover Parma's rich history and cultural highlights with a Local Specialist. See the romanic Piazza Garibaldi and the baroque tower of Palazzo del Governatore.
- Cinque Terre: Led by your Local Specialist, visit this unique UNESCO World Heritage Site, tucked away on the mountainous Italian Riviera coastline. Admire the charming fishing villages and perhaps snap some memorable pictures.
- Genoa: Explore the birthplace of Columbus with a Local Specialist and see the city's iconic Via Garibaldi.
MAKE TRAVEL MATTER®
- Parma: Savor the exquisite taste of delicious, artisanal gelato from a historic shop, crafted with love and care. Your experience directly supports United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production.
Must-see Highlights
- Explore Milan, Parma, Cinque Terre and Genoa
- Visit a prosciutto factory near Langhirano, cheese factory in Montechiarugolo
- View The Cathedral, La Scala Opera House and Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan, Torrechiara Castle in Parma and the Renaissance Palaces in Genoa
- Scenic Cruise along the Cinque Terre
Trip Details
Product Code: 28221
Tour Type: Group Tour
Accommodation: Deluxe
Transport: Private
Guide Language: English
Travel Styles:
Family, 55+
Tour Operator:
Trafalgar (CA)
Supplier Code: 320.550B
Starts: Milan, Italy
Finishes: Milan, Italy
Duration: 8 days
Departures: Not Guaranteed
Physical Rating:
Easy
Includes
Whats Included
- An expert Travel Director and professional Driver
- Cherry-picked hotels, all tried and trusted
- All porterage and restaurant gratuities
- All hotel tips, charges and local taxes
- Breakfast daily and up to half of your evening meals
- Must-see sightseeing
- Audio headsets for flexible sightseeing
- Luxury air-conditioned coach with Wi-Fi in most countries or alternative transportation (such as rail journeys)
- Optional Experiences and free time
- On occasion, hotels of similar standard and location may be utilized
Price
Price per person: (Double Occupancy) CAD $2,776 ($347 /day)
Itinerary
Embrace the glamour of Milan, your introduction to the sights and sounds of northern Italy. Spend the day exploring this stylish city, home to many of the most renowned fashion houses in the world. Later, join your fellow travelers and Travel Director for a light supper, evening orientation drive and hint of the friendship and adventures to come.
Accommodation: Starhotels Tourist
Meals: Dinner
Wander through the sophisticated streets of Milan joining your Local Specialist on a tour that will reveal the city's iconic and unexpected highlights. See the Gothic Cathedral, glass-domed Galleria and La Scala Opera House, one of the finest opera houses in the world. Then it's time to pound the pavements and see Milan your way. Your Travel Director will share their personal favorites. Don’t miss an opportunity to join today’s Optional Experience visit to Lake Como for a cruise past some of the region’s most glamorous lakeside properties.
Accommodation: Starhotels Tourist
Meals: Breakfast
Leaving sophisticated Milan behind, today is the day to treat your taste buds. Gourmands will adore our Dive Into Culture visit to a prosciutto (ham) factory near Langhirano. There’s time for a photo stop at Torrechiara fortress, perched high above the Parma Valley, before arriving at a family-run caseificio where we’ll learn the ancient craft of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese production – perfected since the 1600s. On arrival in Parma, continue your day of tasting and feasting, deepening your knowledge of Parma’s foodie heritage at an Optional Experience dinner of local specialties paired with Italian wine.
Accommodation: Novotel Centro
Meals: Breakfast
Beyond its obvious attraction as a haven for foodies, Parma is also a fascinating historic center which you’ll come to discover this morning with your Local Specialist. Learn all about its history as a Roman settlement and medieval trading hub, including such sights as the Piazza Garibaldi, the site of a Roman Forum 2,000 years ago.
Accommodation: Novotel Centro
Meals: Breakfast
Today we explore the Cinque Terre region on a full-day excursion taking in the dramatic coastal setting of the UNESCO-listed Cinque Terre towns. The deep blue Ligurian Sea provides a stunning backdrop for the expanse of pastel pinks, yellows and oranges that cling to the rugged seaside cliffs. Cruising along the coast by boat, our Local Specialist will captivate us with tales of how the Cinque Terre region's isolated position protected it from pirates in years gone by. You have time to sightsee, shop and wander through the quaint streets in Monterosso before continuing to our hotel on the Italian Riviera, we’ll enjoy dinner with our fellow travelers, sharing stories of the magnificent cliffside villages we’ve spent the day admiring.
Accommodation: Starhotels President
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Based on the beautiful waters of the Mediterranean, the maritime city of Genoa is also the birthplace of Columbus. This morning join a Local Specialist for a guided walking tour to view the city’s majestic Renaissance and Baroque architecture. Visit Via Garibaldi, the historic center of Genoa lined by ancient palaces, and enjoy time for lunch in the city center, perhaps sampling some of the local focaccia before continuing to Lake Maggiore. Set against the backdrop of the Southern Alps, the scenic shores of this lake are your home for the next two nights, as they are for many well-heeled locals. Later, you have the opportunity to explore Lake Orta on an optional experience with a Local Specialist to delve into the delights of the Italian Lake District.
Accommodation: Simplon
Meals: Breakfast
Lap up gentle lakeside living during a full day spent at leisure in this picture-perfect setting. Spend the day relaxing or opt to take an alpine train journey to see the magnificent panoramic views of the north. Later, you could choose to join an optional experience to one of the Borromean Islands – Isola Bella, which includes a visit inside the aristocratic Borromeo Palace and its gorgeous terraced gardens. This evening, we cross the tranquil waters of Maggiore to secluded Isola dei Pescatori at a Be My Guest experience. Join the Cinque family and hear all about the intriguing history of Villa Toscanini situated on a tiny romantic island which was the hideaway of the great Italian conductor Arturo Toscanini - one of the most influential musicians of the 19th century.
Accommodation: Simplon
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
While your holiday has come to an end, the special memories made with new friends will linger long after you return home. Say farewell to your Travel Director as you prepare to take your transfer from your hotel in Baveno to Milan Malpensa airport for your onward journey home.
Meals: Breakfast
Similar Tours
Tour Operator
Trafalgar (CA)
Family owned and run since 1920, The Travel Corporation (TTC) is the world leader in immersive travel experiences across an extensive range of travel categories. Each year TTC's 40 award winning hospitality and travel brands connect over 1 million happy travellers to the world. We give you access to the 12 DMC’s behind these brands, so you can build your business by capitalizing on the extensive experience, local expertise, and financial assurance of TTC. LOCAL EXPERTISE The world leaders in travel for over 100 years, we offer unparalleled local expertise with a global footprint. Our 12 DMCs, led by experienced in-destination teams, deliver experience rich travel solutions in more than 80 countries. Additionally, our market based teams are on hand to support across our 40 offices worldwide
In Business Since 1931
Reviews
Maria S - Traveled, September 2024
Fabulous itinerary. Highly recommend this tour. Nothing negative to say about it. Enjoyed it very much. This group was amazing, always on time! Tour director, ************** was very knowledgeable and driver, Giuseppe drove exceptionally well —caring for everyone. Terrific itinerary, **************, our tour director and driver, Giuseppe were wonderful.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 09/27/2024
Trusted Customer - Traveled, September 2024
Northern Italy Service was excellent, everything ran on time and was well organized. Seven day excursion was very busy, lots of interesting sites and cities to visit. Good experience overall for my first bus tour. Hotels were very good, bus drive was interesting, beautiful vistas.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 09/28/2024
Ivana Minato - Traveled, September 2024
Great locations of North Italy. No problems with Service. My booking done with a Travel Agent. Great locations. Value for money. Had 2 great hotel upgrades. Bus driver was very good and pleasant. Tour Guide as well. Lovely group of people onboard. Just felt tour was very rushed. No downtime.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 09/29/2024
Trusted Customer - Traveled, September 2024
Our Travel Director and Bus driver were excellent. We had 1 disappointing local city tour though.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 09/29/2024
Trusted Customer - Traveled, September 2024
Our tour guide, Belinda, took care of every detail, including those of us with gluten issues. Proprietors were aware before we even sat down who had gluten issues. This tour took us from the city of Milan which is steeped in history, fashion and culture to the beautiful Lago Maggiore. It was a wonderful way to end our trip to Northern Italy. The lake is gorgeous at the base of the Alps. We took the excursion to Isola Bella which came highly recommended by my husband’s grandmother who grew up in the area. The palace and terraced gardens are indescribable. We look forward to returning to Lago Maggiore in the future to explore at our own pace.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 09/29/2024
Apryl Pierce - Traveled, September 2024
We thoroughly enjoyed this trip and definitely saw some beautiful places. We also liked that we got to stay in most places for two nights. Sally, our travel director, was very efficient and organized. We didn’t love the hotel in Milan just because it’s so far away from the city center and there aren’t any restaurants nearby. Other than that, we highly recommend this trip!
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 09/25/2024
Pamela Matera - Traveled, September 2024
Lake loving trip. They took care of our needs except as noted in the first part of my review. This is a great trip! We saw a lot and took advantage of all the additional optional outings. Our trip leader and bus driver were great. The one thing on the bus that happened is that several people were sick and because the bus was not sanitized each evening, therefore several more people got sick, including me. Trafalgar does a great job finding local things to do. Be prepared to go non stop.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 09/29/2024
Trusted Customer - Traveled, September 2024
Excellent service as usual from Trafalgar. Communication prior to the trip was well organized both from Trafalgar and from our guide. Our guide provided excellent service throughout the tour and beyond. An excellent tour of Northern Italy, covering the key places to visit. A good range of options from Lakes to cheese factories. Well appointed hotels. Our tour guide was extremely well organized and worked very hard to ensure everything ran smoothly to give us the best possible experience.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 09/28/2024
- Traveled, July 2024
Northern Italy. Trafalgar is excellent. The itinerary was great. We saw so many beautiful places. We loved the Splendid Hotel on Lake Maggiore.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 08/29/2024
Sam Bonanni - Traveled, August 2024
Loved my Trafalgar tour. The service was great no complaints at all. The itinerary was great, enjoyed all the places and especially that we were 2 days in some places rather than only one. I particularly enjoyed lake Maggiore and the hotel where we stayed. Hotel splendid was lovely. I think though that Cinque Terre was a little too long because we were left to shop for about one to one and a half hours at each of the towns and although very nice the heat made it very tiring. All in all the tour was lovely. Very Enjoyable Rebecca was lovely and informative and Giuseppe was a great driver.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 08/29/2024
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