Rail Holidays in Italy

Whether you are intending to visit for the Roman history or the Renaissance art, for the vertiginous mountains or the sun-soaked beaches, for the food, the wine, or the fashion, ultimately we all go to Italy for the same reason: to get a slice of la dolce vita.

Many visitors to Italy spend the majority of their time in the country’s major cities, and with good reason. Thousands of years of world-shaping history echo your every step in Rome; beautiful works of art by Michelangelo, Caravaggio and Leonardo da Vinci are dotted throughout Florence; and the canals, piazzas and squares of Venice are rightly world-famous. Each city offers incredible and varied food and whilst the south of the country is much warmer, the entire peninsula benefits from a beautiful Mediterranean climate. To only explore her cities would, however, overlook many of Italy’s greatest charms. The Dolomites form a formidable barrier to the North and provide fantastic skiing or hiking depending on the season. Tuscany’s rolling hills are home to charming medieval towns and castles, as well as terracotta-tiled farmhouses, and beaches on both the West and East coast offer the perfect chance to relax and enjoy seafood, freshly-made ice cream, or perhaps even a glass of prosecco!

Italy is very well connected to the rest of Europe, offering visitors an exciting choice of how and where to enter the country. If you are searching for that once-in-a-lifetime experience, the Orient Express runs from Venice to London and offers guests the ultimate luxury train experience. Alternatively, you might want to travel via one of the spectacular rail routes across the Alps, with stop en route in Germany, France or Switzerland. Once you have arrived, Italy has a good rail network with a mixture of high-speed and traditional trains enabling you to explore this beautiful country in ease and comfort.