BY RAIL
VIENNA, STYRIAN ALPS, SLOVENIA AND VENICE: A RAIL TOUR OF ALPS, LAKES AND WATERWAYS
12 nights / 13 days From £ 2,280 per person
Lake Bled
VIENNA • STYRIAN ALPS • SLOVENIA • VENICE
This luxury rail touring holiday offers you Vienna and Venice, two magnificent cities at the start and end of this progression through the southern Alps of Styria, into the lakes and mountains landscape of Slovenia and picturesque Lake Bled, also visiting the charming cities of Graz and Ljubljana.
DAY-BY-DAY ITINERARY
DAY ONE Travel from London to Cologne Your holiday begins by departing from London after lunch on a Eurostar service to Brussels. Change trains here and continue to Cologne where you will arrive 2 hours later. Once in Cologne, time for something to eat near the Dom, before you continue your journey to Vienna on an overnight sleeper train.( This holiday can be done in 10 nights if you fly to Vienna and return by air from Venice).
DAY TWO Arrive in Vienna You arrive in Vienna in the early morning and will spend two nights here. Drop your bags off at your hotel and begin exploring the city.
DAY THREE In Vienna Vienna, on the banks of the River Danube, has been at the heart of central European history since the Roman times.‘ Dream and reality’ still resonate and your days in Vienna can be filled with a mixture of galleries, museums, opera, concerts or eating and drinking in a‘ Heuriger’ in the Vienna Woods. The history of Vienna can be witnessed in the Roman Museum, the Neidhart frescoes dating from the 1400s, the mediaeval Basiliskenhaus, the Imperial Palace and the numerous Jugendstil buildings, and of course in the City of Vienna museum. The Hofburg contains numerous national collections from the Crown Jewels to the Imperial armoury. Take time to listen to the Mozart Orchestra playing in the Musikverein, and to enjoy coffee and cake at Demel’ s.
DAY FOUR Vienna to Graz by train Depart your hotel mid-morning and board a direct train to Graz. Upon leaving Vienna, your train speeds south passing spa towns towards the jagged peaks of the Styrian Alps, along the famous Semmering route, a UNESCO world heritage site and conceived as a feat of‘ landscape gardening.’ The history of Graz is very much bound to that of central Europe, the rule of the Habsburgs and the cultural identity of its both German and Slovene populations. Highlights of the city are the 473m-high Schlossberg that overlooks the city( and reached by a funicular), the 300-year-old clock tower and the 16th century bell tower.
DAY FIVE Graz to Ljubljana by train Check out of your hotel after breakfast and board a direct service from Graz to Slovenia’ s capital, Ljubljana. The landscape is pleasant with its rolling fields and forested hills and particularly scenic between Grobelno and Ljubljana when the route follows the Sava river, a tributary of the Danube. This journey will take approximately 3 and a half hours. Check-in to your hotel in Ljubljana for two nights.
DAY SIX In Ljubljana You have a full day to explore Ljubljana. Ljubljana, the Slovenian capital, has as its symbol the Ljubljana dragon, and is visible in the city’ s coat of arms, the bridge over the river Ljubljanica and on the top of the castle tower. Castle Hill is a good place to start your tour and it can be reached by funicular or a 20-minute uphill hike. Afterwards, come back down and explore the area around the main square in the city, Preseren Square and the Central Market area. Discover the Old Town or take a stroll along the River Ljubljanica crossing notable bridges such as Dragon Bridge, Butchers’ Bridge, the Triple Bridge, the Fish Footbridge and the Cobbler’ s Bridge.
DAY SEVEN Ljubljana to Lake Bled by train Today you travel to Lake Bled by train which takes just under one hour to cover the 55 kms. Your hotel is located about a 15-minute taxi journey from the rail station. Spend two nights on Lake Bled.
DAY EIGHT On Lake Bled Lake Bled is a popular Slovenian resort thanks to its emerald-green water, picture-postcard church and mediaeval castle. The tiny Bled island, tear-shaped towards the western side of the lake, adds a fairy-tale quality to the already picturesque surroundings. Lake Bled is fairly small in size measuring 2km by 1380m. There are bathing areas on the northern and western
100 To speak to our specialist rail holidays team telephone 01392 441250 or see www. expressionsholidays. co. uk