Italy

Italy is the dream European holiday for many Indian travellers, and it delivers on every promise: ancient Rome, Renaissance Florence, the pastel villages of the Ligurian coast and the canals of Venice, all linked by some of the fastest and most comfortable trains in Europe. Every city feels like an open-air museum, and the food alone is reason enough to go.

Our seven-night package starts in Rome, where you walk through the Colosseum and Roman Forum, throw a coin into the Trevi Fountain and visit Vatican City for St Peter's Basilica, the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel. A high-speed train then brings you to Florence, the birthplace of the Renaissance, with Brunelleschi's Duomo, the Uffizi Gallery and Michelangelo's David at the Accademia, plus a side trip to Pisa for the Leaning Tower. From there you head to the coast for the Cinque Terre, five cliffside villages connected by train, boat and hiking trails.

The trip finishes in Venice, a city built on more than a hundred small islands, where you explore St Mark's Square, the Doge's Palace and the Rialto Bridge before drifting through the canals on a gondola. Italy suits honeymooners, couples and families with older children. Indians need a Schengen visa, so plan at least a month or two ahead, especially for summer travel. Travelling by train between cities means no airport queues, city-centre arrivals and beautiful views of Tuscany and the Ligurian coast. Vegetarian food is easy to find, and Indian restaurants operate in every major city.