Travelzoo: Italian Riviera via the Swiss Alps
- 8
- £999
- Travel on a Saturday from London
- EXCLUSIVE Travelzoo Holiday
- Travel from London to Italy via the Swiss Alps
- Four days in Rapallo on the Italian Riviera
- An independent day trip to the Cinque Terre
- Stops en route in Karlsruhe and Cannes
- Decide when you would like to travel
- Adapt the route to suit your plans
- Upgrade hotels and rail journeys
- Add extra nights, destinations and/or tours
- FREE rail connections from your local station (on the same day as your outbound journey)
- Standard Class rail travel with seat reservations
- 7 nights’ handpicked hotels with breakfast
- Train travel to the Cinque Terre for one day
- Comprehensive directions to your hotels
- Easy-to-follow travel documentation
- Despatch of tickets by email from our London office
PLEASE NOTE: This holiday is only available for Saturday departures between 7 June 2025 and 13 December 2025
Suggested Itinerary
Take a late-morning Eurostar to Paris, where you make the short walk from Gare du Nord to the Gare de l’Est. Here, you pick up an afternoon service across eastern France, delivering you to the town of Karlsruhe in western Germany on the right bank of the Rhine. Stay overnight at the Schlosshotel Karlsruhe (or similar) next to the station.
Board the once-daily EuroCity just after 9am, taking you directly through the Swiss Alps on the beautiful Gotthard Route, arriving into Milan mid-afternoon. Connect with an Italian InterCity service bound for the coast, arriving into Rapallo in time for an evening pizza. Your accommodation for the next 5 nights will be the Best Western Plus Hotel Tigullio (or similar).
Spend four days in the elegant coastal town of Rapallo on the Italian Riviera. Unwind by the sea, explore nearby Portofino by boat and enjoy the laid-back charm of Liguria. We’ve included a day’s rail travel in the holiday to visit the beautiful Cinque Terre – picture-postcard colourful villages nestled along the cliffs. Using Rapallo as a base, you can explore the Ligurian coastline and surrounding area. Stroll along the palm-lined promenade, take a cable car up to the Santuario di Nostra Signora di Montallegro for the amazing views or just relax by the sea.
Today you embark on your journey home – your penultimate day’s travels take you along the coastline, changing first at Genoa and onwards along the beautiful Italian Riviera to the border town of Ventimiglia. Here, you change onto a French train, taking you through Menton, Monte Carlo and Nice before arriving into the glamorous city of Cannes in time for a stroll along La Croisette and a well-deserved dinner. You’ll be spending the night at the centrally located OKKO Hotel Cannes (or similar).
Boarding a TGV this morning, you are whisked back to Paris at impressive speeds approaching 200mph. Once at the Gare de Lyon, make your way across Paris with ample time to catch a late-afternoon Eurostar back to London, where you arrive with time to make your way home that evening.
Typical hotels on this itinerary
Karlsruhe
This historic hotel dates back to 1914 and offers a convenient location close to the main station. Guestrooms are furnished in a classic style with Wi-Fi internet access, air-conditioning, cable TV and en suite bathrooms with a hairdryer. The hotel also features a choice of two restaurants, a bar and a spa area with a gym, sauna and steam room. Massage treatments are available on request.
Rapallo
Cannes
The OKKO Cannes Central is a new hotel, situated adjacent to the main station. It’s also just 5 minutes’ walk from the famous Boulevard de la Croisette. The air-conditioned rooms are decorated in a classic, modern style with flat-screen TVs and complimentary Wi-Fi. There is also an on-site restaurant and bar.
Upgrade your accommodation
Santa Margarita Ligure
The Imperiale Palace Hotel occupies a Belle-Epoque villa amidst lush gardens overlooking the bay. Beautifully bedrooms come with air-conditioning, flat-screen satellite TV, a safe and a mini bar. The extensive facilities include an outdoor sea-water swimming pool, private beach, a gym with a Turkish bath and massage room and a restaurant with a sea-view terrace. During summer, you can enjoy lunch on the beach.
Cannes
The Hotel Martinez – in the Unbound Collection by Hyatt is located along the famous Croisette in Cannes. Bedrooms are decorated in an Art Deco style with air-conditioning, marble bathrooms and complimentary Wi-Fi internet access. There’s also a restaurant with an outdoor terrace and a Michelin-starred fine-dining restaurant. Spa services such as massages, body treatments and facials are available.
