Paris, Switzerland & Italy — 12 Nights

Met at the airport and driven to your hotel, with the evening kept light — a first walk along the Seine and the Eiffel Tower lit after dark. Overnight in Paris.

The Eiffel Tower with pre-booked tickets, the Trocadéro across the river, then the Champs-Élysées and the Arc de Triomphe in the afternoon. A river cruise in the evening, when the bridges are lit. Overnight in Paris.

A guided route through the Louvre in the morning — the pieces you came for, without the rest — then Montmartre and Sacré-Cœur in the afternoon, with the Marais or the Latin Quarter for dinner. Overnight in Paris.

From Gare de Lyon to Basel by high-speed train, then Swiss trains via Bern to Interlaken — about six hours in all, with the last hour along Lake Thun. Harder Kulm for sunset if the sky is clear. Overnight in Interlaken.

Up through Lauterbrunnen and Kleine Scheidegg to Jungfraujoch at 3,454 metres, with the Aletsch Glacier from the Sphinx terrace and snow on the plateau. Down the Grindelwald side for the second valley. Overnight in Interlaken.

A free day, with two suggestions: a boat across Lake Brienz to the Giessbach Falls, or the Lauterbrunnen valley and Trümmelbach Falls, with Grindelwald in the afternoon. Families may prefer a morning at the Interlaken adventure park. Overnight in Interlaken.

South through the Lötschberg and Simplon tunnels into Italy, with the change at Milan for the fast train to Venice. Arrive by water taxi or vaporetto along the Grand Canal — the only city where the transfer is the first sight. St Mark's Square at dusk. Overnight in Venice.

St Mark's Basilica and the Doge's Palace in the morning before the day-trippers arrive, then the Rialto and the quieter lanes of Dorsoduro. A gondola in the late afternoon, or the boat out to Murano for the glass furnaces. Overnight in Venice.

Two hours south to Florence. The Duomo and Brunelleschi's dome in the afternoon, the Ponte Vecchio, and the climb to Piazzale Michelangelo for the city at sunset. Overnight in Florence.

The Uffizi Gallery with a timed entry in the morning — Botticelli, Leonardo and the Medici collection — and a last walk through the centre before the ninety-minute train to Rome. Evening in the centro storico. Overnight in Rome.

The Colosseum, the Forum and the Palatine with pre-booked entry, walked as one site while the morning is cool. The Pantheon, Piazza Navona and the Trevi Fountain on foot in the afternoon. Overnight in Rome.

The Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel with a timed entry, then St Peter's Basilica. The afternoon is free — Trastevere for lunch and a wander, or the Borghese gardens. A last Roman dinner. Overnight in Rome.

A private transfer to Fiumicino for your flight home.