Corsica & highlights of Italy

Join this fabulous tour of Italy, full of highlights and endless scenic opportunities, covering a myriad of picture-postcard locations. You’ll visit Corsica, renowned for its rugged rural scenery; the sleepy villages here ensure it remains one of the last unspoilt corners of the Mediterranean.

Itinerary

Day 1 Transfer to port for the morning ferry crossing to Calais. Drive south into Burgundy, home to fabulous chateaux, full-bodied ruby red wines and fine cuisine. You’ll stay here for an overnight stop, arriving at your hotel in time for an included dinner.

Day 2 Enjoy breakfast before continuing south, through the rolling hills of the Côte-d’Or, to Marseille, the capital of the French Riviera. One of the oldest settlements in Europe, its stepped streets, quiet squares and 18th century façades have an exotic and lively atmosphere. Guarded by two 17th century fortresses, the pretty gardens built by the Greeks offers pleasant surroundings for a stroll, and the Bourse shopping centre houses one of Marseille’s excellent museums.

The small islands off the coast hold the skeletal fortress known as Château d’If. A former prison, it was the setting for the ancient prison in Alexandre Dumas’ novel The Count of Monte Cristo. From here, take an overnight ferry to Bastia.

Day 3 Disembark in Bastia. A short sightseeing tour (on foot) will give us a great introduction to this charming town. Experience the colourful buildings around this old port, and head to the quarter known as ‘Terra Vecchia’, with tightly laid streets and grandiose baroque churches; this place really is full of character.

Continue to Calvi, and your hotel. Calvi is home to a marina, dotted with many colourful bars and restaurants with terraces looking across clear waters of the bay. It’s also steeped in history, with three immense bastions topped by a crest of ochre buildings. Used as a point for smuggling arms into the mainland in WWII, it was the haunt of the European Glitterati in the 1950s and remains an important base for the French Foreign Legion.

Day 4 Following breakfast, you have the day at leisure. Alternatively, you may like to join our optional excursion to Ile-Rousse a wonderfully relaxing and peaceful place to visit. This seaside town is named after the russet-coloured rocks which jut out of the sea, and its thriving port exports many wines and olive oil. The beautiful, white sandy beaches attract many visitors to its shores.

Day 5 Today you may like to explore Calvi further. Surrounded by a mighty waterfront citadel and fragrant pines, Calvi is a popular place to visit, with clear, pristine water and golden sands that are reminiscent of the Caribbean. Alternatively, explore the beautiful old town and take in the views of the peaks around you.

Or perhaps you’d like to join our optional St. Florent excursion and see this wonderful town; take a boat trip from the marina (not included), and head to the fabulous Saleccia beach; a location used in the Hollywood epic film, The Longest Day.

Day 6 Today we return to Bastia, where we will take the ferry for the crossing to Livorno, located on the Italian mainland. Enjoy a short stop in Pisa to view the amazing leaning tower and the Campo dei Miracoli, ‘field of miracles’. We then continue past Milan to the area of Lake Maggiore, unmistakably Mediterranean in atmosphere with citrus, palm and oleander trees lining lakeside promenades. We have an overnight stay here.

Day 7 After breakfast, journey through Switzerland, making a short stop in Lucerne. This beautiful lakeside resort is surrounded by stunning snow-capped Alpine peaks.

Stroll across the medieval chapel bridge for excellent views of Mount Rigi, Queen of the Alps, and Mount Pilatus, home to the world’s steepest cogwheel railway. Paddle steamers float gently around the lake, and the famous lion monument is a reminder of the Swiss Mercenary soldiers depicted in Alexandre Dumas’ novel; The Three Musketeers. Continue to Germany for an overnight stay.

Day 8 Enjoy breakfast before setting off early morning to reach port for your evening crossing. Upon arrival at Dover, you will be transferred to your original pick-up point.

Please note Passengers taking the overnight crossing from the north of England or Scotland will depart a day earlier and return to their original departure point a day later.

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Corsica & highlights of Italy

Tour Code CCI