The Austrian Tyrol and Lake Garda

Malcesine, Lake Garda

On the north-eastern shore, Malcesine, together with its quieter neighbours Assenza di Brenzone and Castelletto di Brenzone, boasts a delightful mix of twisting alleyways and bustling, flower-strewn squares. Visit the 13th-century castle, or take the funicular ride to the summit of Monte Baldo.

Goetzens, Austrian Tyrol

This typically beautiful Tyrolean village lies on the appropriately named Sun Plateau, above Innsbruck. Life here is warm and friendly, and in summer the emphasis is on outdoor recreation and holidaymaking, and there are countless walking trails and mountain bike paths for the energetic to follow.

Wining and dining

Should you choose to dine out, there will be no shortage of restaurants serving regional fare - pastas, meat sauces and dishes prepared with olive oil and garlic - which can be accompanied by the local spring water, a crisp white frascati or one of the famous, full-bodied Italian reds.

Austrian food is invariably rich, from filling Gulaschsuppe and Bohnen (bean) suppe to Wienerschnitzel. Sausages come in innumerable varieties, often accompanied by rosti-style potatoes. Above all, though, it is desserts and pastries for which Austria is most justifiably famed, and calorie-counters will need the strongest of wills to resist temptation.

Meals at the hotel will generally consist of a choice of soup or pasta to start, a main course of meat or fish served with vegetables, and dessert or fruit. Dining arrangements in the hotel may mean that you will share a table with fellow passengers.

Day One

Fly to Verona, and transfer to Malcesine and the nearby Hotel Sole. After check-in, spend the rest of your day relaxing.

Day Two

After a relaxing morning, join our optional excursion to "fair Verona". Explore this historic backdrop for the tragic tale of "Juliet and her Romeo", and home to the famous opera season held yearly in its Roman amphitheatre and bustling, cafe-lined Piazza Bra.

Day Three

Join today's optional excursion to explore incomparable Venice. With its labyrinth of alleys and waterways, spectacular St Mark's Square and Cathedral, the Doge's Palace, the Rialto Bridge and the mystique of the Palace of Prisons and the Bridge of Sighs, Venice has to be seen to be believed.

Day Four

Today we leave Garda and head into the Brenta Dolomites, a beautiful region of jagged peaks and green meadows dotted with Alpine villages. The leisurely day will include stops at the lakeside village of Molveno, and at Bolzano, famed for its local wine. In the afternoon you'll cross into Austria and head to Goetzens, calling en route at the famous border town of Vipiteno.

Day Five

Spend the morning relaxing, and then join our afternoon optional excursion to the Imperial city of Innsbruck. After a chance to see the city's outskirts, such as the imposing Wilten Monastery and Olympic ski-jump, we'll enter Innsbruck through the historic triumphal arch.

Our guided tour will reveal the historic old town, or Altstadt, Maria-Theresien-Strasse, the elegant main street that faces the sheer rock face of the Nordkette, and the famous copper-tiled 'Golden Roof' built for Emperor Maximillian I at the start of the 16th Century. After the tour, be sure to stop for 'coffee and cake' at one of the countless cafes in the Old Town.

Day Six

On today's optional excursion you'll leave behind the green valleys, and head for the frozen heights of the Hintertux Glacier. Ride the historic, narrow-gauge Zillertal steam railway through stunning scenery to a wilderness of ice and snow. Enjoy a glass of schnapps, and then take the coach to the foot of the Hintertux.

Our day also includes an exhilarating ride on the Tuxer Fernerhaus gondola, which transports you to the dizzy heights of 2660m and the mountain restaurant, from where you can enjoy wonderful views of the Zillertal Alps.

Day Seven

Rest and relax on our last day in the Tyrol, or join our final optional excursion - to the unusual, but fascinating and spectacular, Swarovski Crystal Worlds. See crystals large and small, and artworks by the likes of Andy Warhol and Salvador Dali, in a highly original setting 'guarded' by a green 'giant', one of the most unusual sights of the whole holiday.

Day Eight

Bid "auf wiedersehen" to the Tyrol, as we board the coach for our journey back to Verona and the flight home, at the end of a truly memorable holiday.