Uncover the extraordinary hidden treasures of Venice and Northern Italy.
8 days From €2799 (Per Person)
Italy
5
River Cruises
Venice and Gems of Italy
From €2799 per person (including flights & port taxes)
No Single Supplement on select dates
Other dates and room types available and prices may fluctuate subject to availability
Ship: S.S. La Venezia / Venice to Venice
Travel to romantic Venice and treat yourself to a private evening opening and lighting ceremony at St. Mark’s Basilica. Depart the enchanting “City of Water” to explore the waterfront shops, colourful facades and peaceful canals unique to Burano, Mazzorbo and Torcello. Farther south, discover Chioggia—a charming southern port loved by fishermen, artists and anyone looking for unique gifts or souvenirs. Enjoy additional shopping time in “bountiful” Bologna and medieval Padua, once home to Galileo and Copernicus. Each of these enchanting locales is yours to uncover on “Venice & the Gems of Northern Italy
Day 1: Venice (Embark)
Arrive at Venice Marco Polo International Airport, where you will be transferred to the ship. Unpack, relax and enjoy your first evening on the Venetian Lagoon.
Day 2: Venice
Hoping to escape marauding Huns, Goths and Vandals as the Roman Empire collapsed in the fifth century, refugees built a little settlement they called Venice on tiny islands in a lagoon in the Adriatic Sea. By the 12th century, Venice was the wealthiest and most powerful city-state in Europe, controlling the Mediterranean and all European trade with the East. Its merchant-aristocrats lavished their wealth on palaces and churches, art and music, creating a city that is truly like no other. Now, seawater laps at the foot of thousand-year-old houses— and sometimes rises above the doorsteps—but the glorious palaces and romantic canals enchant visitors just as they have for centuries. Today you will embark on your own personal voyage of discovery through this entrancing city. An expert guide will show you iconic sites as well as quiet lanes and secret spots known only to locals (shhhh….). Also on deck today: a scenic cruise around the Venetian Lagoon.
Day 3: Chioggia
The River Countess sails from Venice, cruising through the lagoon, past the Lido, the colorful fishermen’s houses of Pellestrina and the huge ongoing flood-control project called MOSE (which is designed to protect Venice from rising seawater), before docking in Chioggia, sometimes called “Little Venice,” at the southern end of the lagoon. Join a local expert for a stroll around this picturesque fishing village, a popular place for artists, or “Let's Go” with a bike ride along the beaches lining the lagoon, or, for something really unique, hop aboard a small boat to go mussel harvesting with local fishermen out in the lagoon. The seaside air and sweeping views are simply spectacular. IMPORTANT: We are obliged to comply with Italian Maritime Authorities who require that the ship is only manned by crew during the Adriatic Sea passage. Therefore, our guests must disembark the ship and partake in the featured excursions. We thank you for your cooperation.
Day 4: Polesella (Bologna or Ferrara)
Today you face a tough decision: Do you spend a full day in Bologna, the culinary capital of Northern Italy, or visit UNESCO-designated Ferrara, a beautifully preserved Renaissance city? Let your passions be your guide today. If you have an appetite for pasta, head to Bologna—the heart of Italian culinary traditions—and learn how to make (and eat!) your own lunch. Or indulge your appetite for art with an excursion to Ferrara, an ancient center for the arts that once rivaled Medici Florence.
Day 5: Taglio di Po, Chioggia
Chioggia is such a delight that we’ll return there today to experience something completely different. You can visit the village’s bustling once-a-week market—a colorful and boisterous scene, and quintessentially Italian. IMPORTANT: We are obliged to comply with Italian Maritime Authorities who require that the ship is only manned by crew during the Adriatic Sea passage. Therefore, our guests must disembark the ship and partake in the featured excursions. We thank you for your cooperation.
Day 6: Venice Islands (Burano, Mazzorbo, Torcello)
Venice is an island surrounded by hundreds of smaller islands, three of which you’ll visit today—Burano, famous for its lace-makers and houses painted in eye-popping colors; Mazzorbo, where you’ll taste a historic golden-hued wine; and Torcello, home to beautiful Byzantine mosaics.
Day 7: Venice
Lovers of food and wine flock to Italy to immerse themselves in a true farm-to-table epicurean experience. If that sounds like you, you’ll love today’s walking tour to the famous fish and produce market next to the Rialto Bridge. Prefer a more visual feast? Join an art historian for a highlights tour of the Accademia gallery.
Day 8: Venice (Disembark)
Disembark the ship. If your cruise/tour package includes a group departure transfer or if you purchased a private departure transfer, you will be transferred to Venice Marco Polo International Airport for your flight home.
Platinum Travel are delighted to be working with Uniworld - Boutique River Cruises with the five star all-inclusive boutique experience
Spend even one night in one of the magnificent riverview staterooms and you will agree, sailing with Platinum Travel and Uniworld is truly a stunning way to see the world.
Each Uniworld ship combines old world elegance with modern conveniences. Your stateroom includes marble bathrooms, flatscreen TVs featuring musiic movies and satelite cahnells, in room safe and individual climate control.
When you choose a Uniworld River Cruise with Platinum Travel, you can be assured there is so much included in the price - All meals with various dining options including unlimited beverages onboard, scheduled airport transfers and shore excursions with English speaking local guides. Your gratuities are also included.
Uniworld are committed to giving their valued guests the ultimate strsss free, luxury five star all-inclusive boutique experience. So relax, unwind, and leave the rest to Platinum Travel and Uniworld.
UNIWORLD BOUTIQUE RIVER CRUISES
Uniworld—the world’s best and most awarded luxury river cruise line—offers itineraries in spectacular destinations throughout Europe, Russia, Egypt, Asia and Peru. The company’s European fleet features luxurious ships with an average capacity of 120 guests, the highest staff-to-guest ratio in the river cruise industry, enticing shore excursions, world-class gourmet cuisine, impeccable hospitality and numerous other all-inclusive benefits.
The Highest Standards in Luxury River Cruising
In 2004, Uniworld was acquired by The Travel Corporation (TTC), a highly successful international travel group founded by Stanley Tollman. TTC has more than 30 top brands, including Trafalgar, Insight Vacations, and Contiki, as well as Red Carnation Hotels, a renowned collection of four- and five-star luxury properties.
TTC has made major investments in Uniworld's ships, crew, and staff, with an eye towards providing guests with all the elements of an unforgettable Six-Star Experience: Expertise; Service; Luxurious Ships, Uniquely Designed; Culinary; Choice; and Truly All-Inclusive. Combining the tour planning and hotel management expertise of TTC’s sister companies with Uniworld’s decades of superior nautical experience has created an entirely new category of luxury river cruising.
The Boutique Experience, Onboard & Onshore
The renowned Red Carnation Hotel Collection was founded in the early 1980s by Beatrice Tollman, who has many years of experience as a chef, cookbook author, and hotelier in South Africa, Europe, and the US. The family-run business now spans four generations—including her husband Stanley and three children—and owns and operates 17 boutique properties in five countries. Mrs. Tollman was named Hotelier of the Year at the European Hospitality Awards in 2012.
Boutique hotels are known for their destination-specific interior décor, gracious service, and carefully selected amenities, all of which provide an intimate, elegant, and relaxed experience. Similarly, Uniworld’s boutique river cruises allow guests to travel from one exciting destination to the next aboard a stylish floating hotel with inviting lounges, cozy libraries, panoramic restaurants, sumptuous cuisine, exquisite antiques and original art and luxurious riverview staterooms and suites. Meticulous attention to detail is readily apparent on every company-owned ship, including Uniworld’s six stunning Super Ships—the S.S. Antoinette, S.S. Beatrice, S.S. Catherine, S.S. Joie de Vivre, S.S. Maria Theresa and S.S. Bon Voyage.
Gracious and Attentive Service
In partnership with its sister company, Red Carnation Hotels, Uniworld takes pride in its long-lasting relationships with guests, for whom there is “No request too large, no detail too small.” Uniworld employs a professionally trained, dedicated, English-speaking staff, so guests never have to worry about communication.
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