2024 ITALIAN LAKES TOUR
A 14-day tour with 9 nights spent in hotels on lakes: Lake Sarner near Lake Lucerne, 2 nights, Lake Orta, 2 nights, Lake Como, 2 nights, and Lake Garda, 3 nights.
We also visit other lakes, including, Lake Maggiore, Lake Lugano, Lake Piano and Lake Iseo,
DATES: June 15th-28th (14 days/13 nights )
COST PER PERSON: £3,995, based on 2 people sharing a car and hotel bedroom
The above cost is based on £1 sterling =1.15 euros and there may be a surcharge payable depending on future conversion rates of sterling to euros
The costs, per person, are based on two people per car sharing a hotel bedroom and include the following:
- Accommodation in 4-star or 3-star stylish hotels ( 13 nights )
- 3-course dinners ( 13 nights )
- Continental breakfast daily
- Rally plate
- DK Eyewitness guidebook, Italian lakes
- Comprehensive roadbooks with daily itineraries, detailed route notes
- Highlighted Michelin maps of France and Italy north-west
- Return ferry from Dover to Calais with priority boarding and premium lounge access,
- Services of a Tour Director throughout the tour
NOT INCLUDED ARE THE FOLLOWING:
- Lunches, snacks, coffees etc.
- Drinks with dinner including bottled water and coffee
- Entry to places of interest eg. museums, gardens, villas, chateaux etc.
- Lake ferries
- Autoroute tolls or Swiss autoroute vignette
Day 1 Saturday 15th June
Dover-Calais afternoon ferry
Then Calais to Saint. Omer, ( 25 miles )
Our tour starts with a 2.00 pm DFDS ferry crossing from Dover to Calais, see photos below:
You will have priority status so will be first to board and disembark and once on the ferry, you have access to the Premium lounge where there are complimentary beverages and snacks.
Arriving in Calais at 5.00 pm, French time, we then drive 25 miles south to our hotel in St. Omer,
Tonight we celebrate the start of our tour with drinks in the hotel's bar before dinner in the restaurant.
Day 2 Sunday 16th June
St. Omer-Luxembourg, ( 285 miles including 160 on motorways )
After breakfast, our morning route takes us on the motorway for two and a half hours south via Lille, Tournai, Mons and Namur towards Liege.
After Namur we leave the motorway and drive on country roads into the charming Ardennes countryside south-east towards Luxembourg where our lunch stop is Durbuy, a pretty village nestling in a river valley, see photos below:
The district of Durbuy is located in southern Belgium, Wallonia, at the foot of the Ardennes. It is made up of 40 small villages and hamlets and gets its name from one of the most important villages in the area:
Durbuy has been recognised as a “town” since the Middle Ages in view of the important legal bodies and commercial activities there. And so it was that the old town of Durbuy became known as ‘the smallest town in the world, putting this humble corner of the Belgian Ardennes firmly on the map.
After lunch, we continue south on minor roads across the border into Luxembourg where our hotel is located in Echternach, just over the border from Germany
Day 3 Monday 17th June
Echterncach, Luxembourg- Riquewihr, Alsace, ( 195 miles including first 50 on motorways)
Our morning route initially takes us south on the motorway for an hour skirting around Luxembourg City and continuing south to Metz where we leave the motorway and drive on fast scenic roads southeast to Chateau Salins stopping for a morning coffee.
After coffee, we continue south-east to Sarebourg and up the first mountain pass on the tour, the Col du Donon, see photos below:
Click here to watch a video of a Jaguar XKR driving up the Col du Donon
Just over the summit, we enjoy lunch at a mountainside restaurant, see photos below :
After lunch, we continue on scenic country roads eventually arriving in Riquewihr, where our hotel is located, in France's Alsace region.
One of France's most beautiful villages, Riquewihr, is famous for its wine and its charming olde-worlde buildings, see photos below.
Dinner tonight is in the hotel's restaurant.
Day 4 Tuesday 18th June
Riquewihr to Lake Sarner, near Lake Lucerne, Switzerland, 190 miles
Leaving Riquewihr, we drive to Eiguisheim, another of France's most beautiful villages, where we stroll around the picturesque streets, (see photos below).
We then drive 20 miles south to visit the world-famous Schlumpf Collection/motor museum at Mulhouse, the French National Automobile Museum which houses a fantastic collection of classic cars including the world's largest collection of Bugattis, (see photos below).
Click here to visit the official site: https://www.collection-schlumpf.com
We then cross the river Rhine into Germany and drive through scenic countryside climbing up to the summit of the third mountain of our tour, the Walparkplatz Kreuzweg at 1,079 metres,(see photos below).
Less than a mile over the summit is our lunch stop a traditional German auberge, where we can have lunch on the terrace with stunning views, see photos below:
After lunch, we drive through the Black Forest eventually crossing the border into Switzerland at Badsackingen.
We then drive up the first of our Swiss mountain passes, the Glaubenburg Pass,1,543 metres.
At the summit, we stop for a coffee and then start our descent with views of Lake Sarner below, see photos below.
Our hotel is located overlooking Lake Sarner, near Lake Lucerne.
Dinner tonight is in the hotel's restaurant overlooking Lake Sarner
Click here to watch a video on Youtube of a Mercedes SL55 AMG driving down the Glaubenberg pass
Day 5 Wednesday 19th June
Lake Sarner, local excursion over four mountain passes, 3 of them over 2,000 metres high, the Brunig, Susten, Furka and Grimsel passes ( combined altitude of 8,859 metres or 28,142 ft)
Our first full day in Switzerland and we drive over 4 mountain passes totalling over 8,859 metres in combined heights, ( 28,142 ft) with three major passes each over 2,100 metres.
Our circular route is over the Uri Alps traversing several spectacular mountain passes and high Alpine scenery. We head south down past Lake Sarner and over the Bruinig pass (1,002 metres) where we stop to take photos of Lake Lungern, see photos below:
We then drive to Meiringen our morning coffee stop before driving up the stunning Susten Pass, (2,224 metres), see photos below:
Descending the Susten pass we then drive south through a picturesque valley to Lake Lucerne, where our lunch stop has stunning views over the lake, see photo below:
After lunch we drive south to Andermatt and then drive up the Furka pass (2,436 metres), see photos below:
Our afternoon coffee stop is Gletch which nestles between the Furka and Grimsel passes.
After coffee, we drive over the Grimsel Pass (2165m), see photos below:
Click here to see a video of a Mercedes SL 55AMG following a Ford GT up the Grimsel Pass
Click here to watch a video of an AC Cobra ascending the Grimsel pass.
Arriving back in Meiringen we drive back over the Brunig Pass and return to our hotel overlooking Lake Sarner for a welcome drink to celebrate our first full day in Switzerland.
Dinner tonight is in the hotel's restaurant.
Day 6 Thursday 20th June
Lake Sarner to Orta san Giulio, Lake Orta, (150 miles)
Leaving Lake Sarner we head south along the west bank of the lake and then our route takes us across the Bruinig mountain pass, see photos below:
Descending the Brunig Pass we turn left to Meiringen and drive over the Grimsel Pass to Gletch, (click here to see a video of a Ford GT driving up the Grimsel Pass )
At Gletch we turn right and drive down a scenic valley to Brig and then up the Simplon Pass where we enjoy lunch on the summit, (see photos of cars below).
We then descend the Simplon Pass southern slope over the Italian border and continue to Domodossola and take the motorway southeast towards Lake Maggiore.
At Gravellona we turn south to Omegna at the northern tip of Lake Orta, the first of our Italian lakes. We then drive down the eastern shore of this pretty, yet little-known, lake to Orta San Giulio where our stylish hotel a converted monastery is based on the lake in the centre of this beautiful medieval town, see photos below :
Orta St Giulio is captivating with its cobbled streets and historic buildings with frescoes with a charming square on the lakeside, see photos below:
Dinner tonight is in the hotel's restaurant.
Day 7 Friday 21st June
Orta San Giulio, local excursion
Today we explore, on foot, the medieval town of Orta San Giulio.
Lunch is in the square overlooking the Isola San Giulio, a mysterious island where an order of nuns, sworn to silence, still live in a medieval convent.
This morning there is an opportunity to visit the island via a ten-minute boat ride, (see photos below).
On the island is a beautifully ornate church, see the photos below:
Dinner tonight is in a local restaurant
Day 8 Saturday 22nd June
Orta San Giulio to Lake Como, Italy (110 miles)
We leave the captivating Lake Orta then drive 20 miles east to Lake Maggiore where our morning coffee stop is the stylish Stresa overlooking the Borromean islands where we can stroll along the promenade and admire the grand hotels which look out towards the Borromean islands, see photos below:
We then continue north up the western lakeshore road to Cannobio our charming lunch stop, see photos below:
After lunch, we continue around Lake Maggiore crossing into nearby Switzerland through Brissago and Ascona to Locarno at the top of Lake Maggiore. Continuing around the lake we head down the eastern shore back into Italy to Luino on the northeastern shoreline.
From here we leave Lake Maggiore and drive east to Ponte Tresa where we drive around the southern shore of Lake Lugano on a charming, picturesque, minor road to Morcote.
We then drive through Lugano town up the western shore of Lake Lugano leaving Switzerland.
At the top of Lake Lugano at Porlezza, we leave the lake and drive east over the mountain pass by Lake Piano to Lake Como and Menaggio our afternoon coffee stop.
After coffee, we drive down the lake to our hotel, for the next two nights, overlooking Lake Como.
Dinner tonight is in the hotel's restaurant overlooking Lake Como.
Day 9 Sunday 23rd June
Lake Como, local excursion ( no driving today )
After a leisurely breakfast, we catch the pedestrian ferry to Belagio our lunch stop, see photos below:
Bellagio has been described as "the jewel in Lake Como's crown."
Bellagio, here we can enjoy lunch and a walk around this charming town.
We then return by ferry to our hotel where dinner tonight is in the hotel's restaurant.
Day 10 Monday 24th June
Lake Como to Bagni di Bormio via St Moritz and the Stelvio Pass
We leave our hotel and drive north along the eastern lakeshore to the north of the lake where we leave Lake Como and head north to Chiavenna.
Here we turn northeast across the Swiss border and through the scenic Bregaglia valley and then over the Maloja Pass, 1,815 metres,( see photo below),
We then descend and drive alongside Lake Silvaplaner, (see photo below )
We then continue to our lunch stop, a hotel in St Moritz overlooking the lake, (see photos below).
After lunch, we drive northeast to Zernez and turn right over the Ofen Pass/Pass dal Fuorn, (2,149 metres) to Santa Maria then over the border into Italy to Glorenza.
Here we turn right to Prato a Stelvio where we then head up towards the foot of the eastern slope of the Stelvio Pass.
Driving through Gomagoi, we stop at Trafoi for a coffee at a hotel with stunning views, ( see photos below).
From here we start to drive up the Stelvio Pass eastern slope with 48 hairpin bends all numbered individually from Trafoi, see photo below:
After 48 hairpin bends, we eventually arrive at the summit, 2,760 metres which is effectively a village. Here we stop to absorb the view down the eastern slope,(see photos below).
From the summit to the bottom of the western slope is approximately 10 miles and then it is 5 minutes to our 5 * hotel, at the foot of the Stelvio, just next to Bormio.
This is a wonderful, atmospheric hotel and is a spa resort so there will be an opportunity to relax in this magnificent setting surrounded by mountains, (see photos below).
Dinner, tonight is in the hotel's splendid dining room.
Stelvio Pass
The original road was built in 1820-1825 by the Austrian Empire to connect the former Austrian province of Lombardia with the rest of Austria, covering a climb of 1871 m.
The engineer and project manager was Carlo Donegani (1775 - 1845, Brescia). Since then, the route has changed very little.
The 60 hairpin bends, 48 of them on the northern side numbered with stones, are a challenge to motorists. Even Stirling Moss went off the road here during a vintage car event in the 1990s, with an onboard video of his incident being shown on satellite TV.
Before the end of World War I, it formed the border between the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Italian Kingdom. Even the Swiss had an outpost and a hotel (which was destroyed) on the Dreisprachenspitze.
During World War I, fierce battles were fought in the ice and snow of the area, with gunfire even crossing the Swiss area at times. The three nations made an agreement not to fire over Swiss territory, which jutted out in between Austria (to the south) and Italy (to the north). Instead, they could fire down the pass, as Swiss territory was up and around the peak.
After 1919, with the expansion of Italy, the pass lost its strategic importance.
The Stelvio Pass does retain importance for sport when it is open from June to September. Countless cyclists and motorcyclists struggle to get to the highest stretch of road in the Eastern Alps. The Giro d'Italia cycling tournament often crosses the Stelvio Pass.
In a 2007 episode of the BBC television programme Top Gear, presenter Jeremy Clarkson named it the best driver's road in the world, after driving it in a Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera with colleagues James May, in an Aston Martin V8 Vantage N24 track car, and Richard Hammond, in a Porsche GT3 RS.
In 2008 Moto Guzzi started selling a Stelvio model, named after the pass and Alfa Romeo later launched a Stelvio model.
For more information please click this link https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stelvio_Pass
Day 11 Tuesday 25th June
Bagni di Bormio to Desenzano del Garda, Lake Garda, Italy
For the real Stelvio Pass aficionados, there is an option to drive up the western slope of the Stelvio early morning at 7.00 am before the bikers, cyclists and other traffic arrive.
We leave our hotel and drive back up to the summit of the Stelvio Pass, but this time up the faster and more scenic western slope, as used by Jeremy Clarkson and his Top Gear musketeers on their Europe's greatest driving road programme.
Click here to see two videos of a Mercedes SL55 AMG driving up the southern slope of the Stelvio Pass part 1 part2
We stop halfway up to take photos of this impressive road, see photos below:
Click here to watch a video of the view of the western slope of the Stelvio Pass
Click here to watch a video of a Mercedes SL55 AMG driving up the western slope of the Stelvio part 1 part 2
We then continue driving up to the summit, from the bottom to the summit is approximately 10 miles.
We then stop for a coffee on the summit and then drive back to our hotel for breakfast.
After breakfast we leave our hotel and drive southwest over the Bernina pass, 2,328 metres then down to Tirano. we drive up the Aprica pass, 1181 metres high to Aprica our lunch stop.
We then continue to Edolo where we turn south to Lake Iseo and drive down the scenic west shore of the lake passing the Riva boat factory, see photos below:
Lake Iseo is also the home of Riva boats, see photos below
We then drive to nearby Brescia where we visit the Mille Miglia Museum, our afternoon coffee stop in the former Sant' Eufemia monastery in Brescia, see photos below:
Click here to visit the official museum website: https://www.museomillemiglia.it/en/where-we-are.aspx
It is then only half an hour to our hotel, for the next two nights, in Desenzano on Lake Garda, at the bottom left-hand corner of the lake.
Dinner, tonight is in the hotel's restaurant.
Day 12 Wednesday 26th June
A day relaxing and exploring Desenzano and Lake Garda with a boat ride to Sirmione ( no driving today )
After a leisurely breakfast, we walk into Desenzano town centre, see photos below:
After coffee, we take a boat ride to nearby Sirmione, our lunch stop, described as "the jewel in the crown" of Lake Garda.
Sirmione is a charming and atmospheric, medieval town on a peninsula at the south of the lake less than 10 miles east of Desenzano.
The town can only be accessed on foot by crossing the moat of a 16th-century castle at the town's entrance, see photos below:
Return to Desenzano del Garda by ferry in the afternoon.
Dinner, tonight is in the hotel's restaurant.
Day 13 Thursday 27th June
A clockwise tour of Lake Garda.
Today we enjoy a leisurely drive around Lake Garda in a clockwise direction enjoying dramatic scenery further north ending in impressive rocky cliffs, sometimes swathed in pines which hug the shoreline of the northern tip.
Our morning coffee stop is at Gardone Riviera just north of Salo where you can visit the fascinating Il Vittoriale Villa and beautiful botanical gardens.
The route then takes us clockwise up the western shore of Lake Garda stopping to admire Limone Sul Garda before arriving at Riva del Garda, our lunchstop, at the top of the lake and Lake Garda's most famous holiday resort.
In the afternoon we drive down the east shoreline of Lake Garda to our first coffee stop, Malcesine, which after Sirmione is arguably the prettiest village on the lake.
We then return to Desenzano-del-Garda.
Dinner tonight is in a local restaurant in Desenzano overlooking the small harbour.
Day 14 Friday 28th June
THE TOUR OFFICIALLY ENDS
After breakfast, participants make their way home
However, there is an option for those returning home to drive from Desenzano del Garda to Lake Annecy and spend the night in Talloires, a beautiful village.
There is an extra cost for those taking this option
THE MOUNTAIN PASSES if you have a head for heights and figures!
Just a little extra information for those with a head for heights! The official height definition of a mountain in the UK is 600 metres and Ben Nevis, Snowdon and Scafell, the three highest mountains in Scotland, Wales and England respectively are just over 3,000ft or 935 metres high at their summits which you certainly can't drive over!
Our tour route takes us over 20 mountain passes, ( this includes occasions when we drive both ways over the same mountain pass) with a combined height of 32,592 metres.
Ten of these mountain passes are higher than 2,000 metres,(6,576 ft) and seven are between 1,000-2,000 metres,!
By way of another reference, Mount Everest is only 8,850 metres, ( 29,035 ft) high!
These are some of the mountain passes, all over 1,000 metres and in ascending order, that we drive over on this tour
And passes over 2,000 metres high include the following
Col du Donon 1,009 m
Col de Ste Marie 772 m
Total 1,781 metres
DAY 4
Waldparkplaz Kreuzweg 1,079 m
DAY 5
Brunig Pass 1,002 m
Susten Pass 2,259 m
Furka Pass 2,431 m
Grimsel Pass 2,165 m
Total 7,857 metres
DAY 6
Brunig Pass 1,002 m
Simplon Pass 2,005 metres
Total 2,007 metres
DAY 11
Maloja Pass,1,815metres,
Ofen Pass/Pass dal Fuorn, 2,149 metres
Stelvio Pass 2,760 m
Total 6,720 metres
DAY 11
Stelvio Pass 2,760 metres
Umbrail Pass 2,502 metres
Foscagno pass, 2,291 metres
Bernina pass, 2,328 metres
Aprica pass, 1,181 metres
Total 11,062 metres
Here is what some of our clients say about our previous tours:
"great roads, wonderful scenery and terrific hotels- a marvellous holiday"
Martin and Lydia: Lotus Elise: Alps Summer tour 2011
"All in all a very enjoyable holiday spent in the company of some very entertaining and friendly people."
Rod and Ruth: Porsche Boxster: Alps Summer Tour 2010
"Firstly myself & Zah would like to thank you for organizing a memorable tour. Your choice and location of the hotels
will take some beating. The scenery was breathtaking and we both only wish that perhaps more time could have been spent in some of the locations-maybe a revisit is required!"Steve and Zah: Mercedes SL500 Alps Summer Tour 2010
"Thank you for the great 2010 Alps tour that we had with you. It lived up to all expectations, and was very enjoyable.The route planning, organisation and content were first class, as was all the accomodation.I'm sure we will be seeing you again in the future !"
Giles and Vicky: TVR Griffith 500 : Alps Summer Tour 2010
"Thank you for a fabulous holiday on your Alps summer tour"
Gavin and Sally:: JBA Falcon: Alps Summer Tour 2009
"Thank you for all the effort you put in on our behalf in organising the Alps Summer tour, I enjoyed your company"
Gordy:: Maserati 3200 S :: Alps Summer Tour 2009
"We have done five tours with Classic Car Tours International including their Alps, Mille Miglia, and Angoulême tours and now look forward to the sixth one! It is a long way from home to go for a drive but the scenery is fabulous and meeting many great people with their different cars makes it all worthwhile.We certainly enjoy the friendliness and fun !
Philip and Ailsa :: Ferrari Mondial T Cabriolet :: Queensland, Australia
"Thank you for the great 2010 Alps tour that we had with you. It lived up to all expectations, and was very enjoyable. The route planning, organisation and content were first class, as was all the accommodation. I'm sure we will be seeing you again in the future !"
"Best holiday ever, we had a brilliant time, good company, hope to join you on another tour soon"
Ceiriog and Morfydd:: Honda S2000:: Alps Summer Tour 2008 ( new clients)
OPTIONAL EXTENSION TO THE TOUR
Day 14 Friday 25th June
Desenzano del Garda to Talloires, Lake Annecy ( 265 miles including 211 miles on motorways )
Our route takes us on the motorways west to Lake Annecy where our hotel is in Talloires, arguably the prettiest village on Lake Annecy, see photo below:
