London To Istanbul Rail Adventure

Our trip begins this morning at London's St Pancras Station, the home of the Eurostar. Here you'll check-in for your Eurostar train and board your (unaccompanied) Eurostar train to Paris. You will have your tickets before you travel. We meet our Tour Leader off the train at the Gare du Nord, and take the Paris metro together to the Gare de Lyon. Here we board our train to Milan, flying through the French countryside and saying 'buona sera' to Italy after arriving around 10pm this evening.

We'll have a full morning in Milan to explore the city at our leisure. A walk through the stylish streets of Milan should begin at the Duomo - Milan's cathedral. This flamboyant building began construction in 1368, and is an absolute masterpiece of Gothic architecture. Its 'rooftop terrace' gives outstanding views across Milan, surrounded by the cathedral's Gothic spires - we recommend that tickets are purchased in advance if you'd like to visit. Just opposite the Duomo is the Galleria Vittorio Emmanuel II - a glamorous European shopping gallery that is well worth a visit even if the world of high fashion isn't for you. This passage conveniently connects the Duomo with the famous La Scala theatre, and its elegant Renaissance stylings and wonderful mosaics are a fitting home for the fashion houses of Gucci, Versace and more. After taking lunch in Milan, we catch a 2.5 hour train to Mestre, a mainland offshoot of Venice, connected to the island by a short train ride. Our hotel is located close to the train station, and on arrival in Mestre we'll walk over to check in. There are plenty of options to eat locally tonight, but for those with some energy left may wish to take the short hop over to Venice Santa Lucia. Venice by night is wonderful for strolling and stopping at local bars to taste an array of 'ciccheti' - sort of Venetian small plates, or tapas.

This morning we'll take the train journey again into Venice. For a short ride this journey provides one of the most scenic arrivals into any city, right across the Venetian Lagoon. The Explore Leader will provide an orientation tour of the city to help us locate ourselves, but the rest of the day free is to explore on our own time. Those who haven't visited this captivating city before may wish to explore the Doge's Palace and St Mark's Basilica. Or if the weather is good, you may prefer to take a boat ride along the famous canals. Forgo the gondolas for a ride on a vaporetto (Venice's water-based answer to a bus service) if you'd rather travel like a local. Stops are located throughout the city and easily researched in advance on the ACTV website. If you've been to Venice and seen the sights before, you may wish to head further afield. The Cannaregio is an atmospheric district off the tourist path, which houses the Jewish Quarter and some lively cafe culture. Or try catching a boat over to Murano, famed for its glasswork, or Burano, with its array of colourful houses. At the end of the day, we'll make our way back to Mestre by train, where we spend the night. Similar to yesterday, the return train ticket is not included in the cost of the tour, in order to allow you flexibility to return whenever you choose.