Alassio
Genoa
Portofino
Santa Margherita port
GENOVA
Genoa
MONACO
MONACO AND MONTE CARLO
Portofino
MONACO
MONTE CARLO
GENOVA
Seaside resorts - Alassio is a delight
Glamour - enjoy the glitz of Monte Carlo
Historic ports - Genova is fascinating
Typical Italian towns - quaint, laid back and gorgeous
A popular tourist destination since the early 19th century after its beauty was much extolled by the Romantics, this dramatic coastline is a delight to explore with small coves crowded by villages tumbling down their cliffs, colourful harbours full of yachts and fascinating, historic cities. Your base is the charming Alassio, a peaceful yet atmospheric seaside resort with visits to Genoa, Santa Margherita, Portofino and Monaco.
Available Departures |
From |
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| 22 - December - 2024 | £ 1750.00 | Travel Info Book Now |
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Provisional Timings London Gatwick Departing: 22nd December 2024 at 12:50 Returning: 29th December 2024 at 16:25 |
Day 1: Fly from London Gatwick to Nice. On arrival in Nice transfer over the border into Italy and on to Alassio (approx. 1 hour 30 minutes).
Day 2: Full free day in Alassio to relax or explore at your leisure.
The seaside resort of Alassio is well-known for its spectacular natural setting and beautiful views. Along its seafront of sandy beaches you'll find a lovely promenade lined with excellent bars and cafes, and the cobbled streets of the pedestrianized town centre make for a relaxed afternoon stroll. Essential listening is Edward Elgar's concert-overture In the South (Alassio) which he composed while on holiday here in the winter of 1903.
Day 3: Full day tour to Santa Margherita and Portofino. Christmas Eve festive dinner at the hotel.
Santa Margherita is a small, lovely and picturesque resort set on an inlet. The town is full of grand hotels and villas in lush gardens all looking out over the sparkling blue of the bay. As well as a gentle stroll or relaxing in a café watching the world go by, Santa Margherita’s church of San Michele contains a work by Van Dyck. Tiny Portofino nestled in a protected inlet amongst cypress and olive trees, with colourful houses, mansions shrouded by trees and plenty of bars and cafes. Just above the town you’ll find San Giorgio church, said to contain relics of the dragon slayer himself.
Day 4: Day free to relax and enjoy the delights of Alassio with Christmas Day lunch at the hotel.
Day 5: Morning tour to Villa Hanbury Gardens with the afternoon free.
Morning tour to Villa Hanbury Gardens laid out by Sir Thomas Hanbury in the mid-19th century. A dramatic 100 acre site on a promontory, the garden is planted with a wide range of specimens. Afternoon free to explore or relax in Alassio.
Day 6: Full day tour to Monaco.
The principality of Monaco may be a tiny 1.9 square km, but you’d be hard pushed to find as much luxury anywhere else. Ruled over by its famous royal family and full of lavish hotels, luxury tower blocks, gleaming super cars and a harbour stuffed with multi-million pound yachts, Monaco is a fascinating place to visit. See the famous Grand Casino and Hotel de Paris and soak up the ambience.
Day 7: Full day tour to Genoa.
Italy’s largest port, Genoa has been a prosperous economic centre for centuries, which has created a city full of impressive landmarks and a glorious heritage and earning the nickname ‘La Superba’. The old town is a medieval warren, part of which is UNESCO-listed, spotted with palazzi that have been converted into world class museums and art galleries.
Day 8: Transfer to Nice airport for flight to London Gatwick.
NB: Exact order or excursions may vary according to local conditions and tour manager's discretion
Please note the maximum group number on this tour is 35 passengers.
INCLUDED
NOT INCLUDED
Hotel Toscana, Alassio
The four-star superior Hotel Toscana has been run by the Tuscan Mantellassi family since 1934. Centrally located, just 80 metres from Alassio's sandy beach and a short walk from the 'budello', the hotel has excellent facilities including a wellness centre that features a sauna, Turkish bath, hot tub and fitness centre, a restaurant that uses both local and Tuscan produce, and lounge. Rooms are welcoming and comfortable with air-conditioning, private bathroom, mini-bar, TV, safe and wi-fi.
Hotel Toscana Website
OUR VIEW ON THE HOTEL
This family-run hotel is cosy and welcoming in a wonderful location right in the centre of Alassio and close to the seafront and has been greatly enjoyed by our guests over the past few years.
An excellent choice for my first Christmas abroad since 2019. Tessa was a great tour manager, and my fellow travellers were an interesting and very friendly bunch of people. The Hotel Toscana was wonderful - the staff made us feel so welcome, and it was clear that they enjoyed their roles in doing so. I was most impressed that our rooms were cleaned on Christmas Day. My only negative comment is concerning the “Orchid Room” - it might be ok for meetings, but was rather soulless as a venue for Welcome Drinks, and even the Christmas Day Quiz. Some softer lighting might help.
Review by Kurti who travelled 21-December-2023
The trip was so well organised and the guide, Tessa was excellent. Nothing was too difficult for her and it was pure pleasure having her. There was the right amount of information and nothing was a bother for her as she has followed all our requests and has even organised a surprise birthday treat for my husband, Thomas. The hotel staff was really happy seeing us there and they all wanted us to have a good time. We have had a great time and have already recommended your company to other people.
Review by Shanagher who travelled 21-December-2023
First trip with Travel Editions met all our expectations. A special word of thanks to Tessa, our excellent guide. One small thing; it would be helpful if the coach hired for our excursions was equipped with USB charging points. Our phone/cameras were in constant use with so many photo opportunities. The hotel staff were kind and helped us enjoy Christmas while missing their own.
Review by Petty who travelled 21-December-2023
The hotel staff were absolutely excellent!
Review by Thomson who travelled 21-December-2023
An excellent trip, visiting beautiful and intresting places along the coast. Tour Manager, Tessa, was excellent, adding in some extras not included in the itinerary, which made the holiday even more special.
Review by Rogers who travelled 21-December-2023
A Delightful Christmas Break. Hotel staff particularly helpful and competent.
Review by Anonymous who travelled 21-December-2023
Lovely holiday, accommodation was excellent and the tour manager did a wonderful job ….even the sun shone. Thank you
Review by Alase who travelled 21-December-2023
Alassio is a delightful location for spending Christmas, and the Hotel Toscana is conveniently central for the beach and the town. 'La famiglia Mantellassi' and their staff were very welcoming and helpful hosts, and the food was plentiful and of high quality. Tessa, our tour manager, was very knowlegable about the history and general background of the region, and went the extra mile to provide added value to the trip: the additional bus trip to Albenga on our first full day was especially enjoyable. Altogether, this was a very enjoyable and stimulating tour, thanks in no small way to our excellent Tour Manager.
Review by Keightley who travelled 21-December-2018
A number of additional comments on various aspects of the holiday: 1.Sightseeing tours: We chose not to go on any of these for two main reasons: first, we are not keen on coach travel, particularly if it involves travelling on motorways to reach our destinations; and secondly, neither of us are very good at walking, particularly if it involves, hills, steps or uneven ground. Instead, we were quite content to sample the local colour, food and drink in Alassio, which we found a delightful town with friendly and welcoming people. We would also single out for a special mention the trip on the little tourist train on Christmas Day, particularly the climb to the Chapel! 2.The overall travel experience: We are great fans of European high-speed rail travel, but we didn't always experience the best of it on this trip. Most of the negative aspects were outside the control of Travel Editions (e.g. the delays at St Pancras caused by spin-off from the Gatwick drone scare), but there are a couple of points that you might like to consider for future reference. First of all, the outward trip involved a very early start and a very late arrival, further prolonged by a 90-minute coach journey, mostly on a motorway in the dark. Surely with the options of changing at Lille or the new direct trains to Marseilles a more comfortable solution not involving the cross-Paris coach trip and the permanent chaos of checking in at Gare du Nord could be found? 3. What a splendid service the Baggage Man is! It instantly removes one of the main problems involved in long-distance rail travel and allows travellers to pack for various weather options without overburdening themselves on the journey. Their service and communication were exemplary 4. In conclusion, may I say that we thoroughly enjoyed our holiday. We met some very nice people; we were particularly impressed with the hotel and its loyal and willing staff, and we greatly appreciated the help and support of Tour Manager Tessa.
Review by Bush who travelled 21-December-2018
Very well organised. Tessa the Tour Manager was incredible... she worked so hard to ensure we had a lovely holiday , including organising a quiz night! The hotel was delightful and the staff couldn’t do enough to help. Alassio was a real delight!!
Review by Collier who travelled 21-December-2018
The hotel was absolutely fine, except it was so overheated it was impossible. Also I never managed to master the very complicated shower. We had far too much food. Our guide was outstanding.
Review by Langdon who travelled 21-December-2018
We enjoyed Alassio town and would have liked the opportunity to spend a couple of evenings dining out in the town, rather than all evening meals offered at the hotel with the group
Review by Bynoe who travelled 21-December-2018
I felt our tour leader cared for us and was concerned for our welfare
Review by Chapman who travelled 21-December-2018
The train journey was on time both ways. The hotel was excellent, comfortable with very welcoming staff and excellent food. The tour guide, Stella, was very knowledgeable and helpful. All in all an ideal Christmas break.
Review by GRIMSHAW who travelled 20-December-2017
Everything about this tour exceeded expectations and I am have taken over 10 Travel Editions tours. The hotel owner and staff were an absolute delight, going out of their way to personalise and provide a service over and beyond the regular. Alassio was a wonderful winter destination and Tessa a first rate guide who complemented the trips with her relaxed and informed manner. Must mention the menu, it was fabulous and 'top rate' of any Travel Editions tour that I have been part of. The bar has been set high now for Travel Editions!
Review by who travelled 20-December-2017
This tour exceeded our expectations. All arrangements went smoothly and according to plan and our Tour Manager Tessa was top notch, friendly and thoughtful, efficient and informative. Of course it was Christmas, which the hotel management and staff embraced with vigour and imagination.
Review by Redfern who travelled 20-December-2017
Tessa was magnificent! Just an ideal guide: well-informed, well-organised, cheerful, friendly, kind and helpful (both to the group overall and to various individuals; for instance, she suggested a great side trip for me, and even printed out a map and the train schedules). Our driver, Luca, was also excellent: pleasant, punctual and careful on the roads. The hotel was comfortable and nicely located, and the staff were all lovely, particularly the wait staff. I actually didn't think the quality of the food was all that great, but there certainly was a lot of it at every meal! :-) The itinerary also was very good, giving us a taste of interesting and diverse locations. And Alassio was a wonderful base -- a charming little city with good train connections to other towns along the coast. My only small complaint is that in order to take part in the excursions, we had to get up and be on the road early every day except the first one (following a late arrival and a dinner that didn't end until midnight), including on Christmas Day. I could have done with at least one nice lie-in!
Review by Singer who travelled 20-December-2017
Excellent Hotel. Good choice of menu daily. Reasonable wine prices. Very interesting tours. Reletively small group (28)
Review by Watts who travelled 20-December-2017
This was my first experience of travelling on an organised tour and I was very impressed. Tessa, our Tour Manager, worked hard and successfully to make our holiday enjoyable - she was very approachable, knowledgeable and friendly. Hotel Toscana in Alassio was clean and comfortable; the meals good and the staff friendly and well-motivated to provide a good service. The hotel manager, Enrico, was very welcoming from start to finish. I very much enjoyed the tours. Tessa gave us a lot of background and historical information on the places we were visiting and I got a great deal from her input. Her personality and good communication were important to the success of the trip. Aside from the final afternoon and evening, we were blessed with good weather! My fellow-travellers were generally pleasant and interesting people. I'd been apprehensive about going on an organised trip, but am very glad that I chose your company and Alassio for my first experience! Many thanks to all, Iain Lindsay
Review by Lindsay who travelled 20-December-2017
I really enjoyed the Christmas brake, and as for the hotel it was so comfortable the staff and every one made you so welcome, the excersions I took part in I found very interesting.
Review by Eke who travelled 20-December-2017
Tessa was one of the best and most caring tour managers we have had. It was also a good thing that our party was fairly small. When the party gets to be around 35-40 you never really get to know everybody and it becomes a problem assembling everyone together at stations etc. Also you tend to be a nuisance to other travellers when a large group is blocking the way.
Review by Felmingham who travelled 20-December-2017
The hotel and staff were excellent, going out of their way to be helpfu and the menu provided a broad spectrum of delicious Italian food with local specialities. The star of the tour was the tour manager, Tessa, whose local knowledge and fluent Italian made all the outings memorable. She also organised surprise extra visits and excellent places to eat lunch. This was our first tour with Travel Editions and we would certainly travel with them again.
Review by who travelled 20-December-2017
The hotel staff were excellent,efficient and very friendly providing a first class service. Our Tour manager can only be described as first class. She displayed a great deal of patience and understanding whilst remaining totally professional. Tessa possesses a huge anount of knowledge about Italy and is able to impart this knowledge in an interesting fashion. She has a very friendly and likeable personality. She thoroughly deserves full marks!!
Review by Mr Crawford Stoddart who travelled 20-December-2016
Genova has deteriorated to a marked extent, especially the old town.
Review by Mr Victor Cracknell who travelled 20-December-2016
Tessa was an excellent tour manager. Giving precise instructions as to what when how and why we would be doing things. Always cheerful and very knowledgeable about the areas and places we went to
Review by Mr John Shuttleworth who travelled 20-December-2016
Another very enjoyable holiday from Travel Editions. The tour manager, Tessa, was excellent in every aspect and helping those who were less able. One comment, maybe the tour to Genoa would be better on a day when most things were open.
Review by Mr Steve Michener who travelled 20-December-2016
Review by Mr Richard Barrett who travelled 20-December-2016
Tour manager very effective and knowledgeable.
Review by Mrs Elizabeth Rigg who travelled 20-December-2016
Really enjoyed this holiday. Brilliant destination. Lovely hotel and staff. Nice food - very accommodating of vegetarian diet. Found the travelling to and from tiring but this was obviously going to be the case given the distance. As with all your tour managers that we have had, Tessa was great at sorting things out and providing info, though we did find she made a few minor errors when telling us stuff - none of which was crucial and by no means affected our enjoyment. Would have preferred it not to be half-board so we could have experienced some of the local restaurants.
Review by Mrs Jane Stirling who travelled 20-December-2016
Very enjoyable tour overall. Excellent hotel, especially the dinners and the staff. Tessa, the tour manager was outstanding; not just efficient but very knowledgeable and very aware of potential problems that participants might encounter. One small quibble: only two chances in seven days to enjoy a leisurely breakfast (and one of those was on the day of a 8 or 9 course lunch!) but a lot of free time during hours of darkness between end of excursions and evening meal; a later start and finish to excursions (30/45 mins?) would have been preferable.
Review by Dr Ian Roe who travelled 20-December-2016
Travel Editions feedback:
Glad you enjoyed the holiday. Your comments regarding timing on the itinerary have been passed to our Operations Department. Many thanks
On several evenings the Hotel Toscana provided musical entertainment to accompany dinner. Unfortunately it was much too loud making conversation at table difficult, particularly for the elderly people in the group wearing hearing aids. Subdued background music would have been welcome. Otherwise, the family-owned and run hotel was excellent, with good food and a very hospitable host always welcoming and friendly to his guests. Our tour manager, Tessa Say, was competent thorough and efficient in all respects and ensured the group was well organised and looked after in all respects.
Review by Mr David Longbottom who travelled 20-December-2016
Tessa was a brilliant tour manager. I have had 3 xmas trips before with TE but she is the best of all the excellent tour managers I have met. Please pass on this to her.See you next Xmas.
Review by Mr Ian Roper who travelled 20-December-2016
We did the same trip 2 years ago and were delighted that Tessa was again the tour manager and we also had the same highly efficient coach driver. Enrico and his hotel staff are amazingly caring and helpful. The bed a little hard and in our opinion 8 courses for the special meals are 3 or 4 too many, but certainly no other complaints. Tessa is a gem of a tour manager and we truly hope that the tour manager you hired for the Christmas trip to Bruges last year is no longer with you, if it had been our first holiday with TE we would never have travelled again,, but we know that is not your usual standard. Please continue to offer excellent holidays for good value.
Review by Mr Ian Stewart who travelled 20-December-2016
all the excursions excellent and our tour guide Tess was friendly and helpful at all times. We could have benefited from 10 am departures on some as we had to get up by 7.am most days in order to get breakfast in time before departure. Otherwise all first class
Review by Mr Colin Wood who travelled 21-December-2015
Review by who travelled 21-December-2015
Review by who travelled 21-December-2015
Review by who travelled 21-December-2015
Minor adverse points - 1. Boxing Day in Genoa suffered from closed shops etc. Would this be better before Christmas with (say) Hanbury Gardens on Boxing Day? 2. TGV from Nice ran out of water - no hot drinks and toilets not good! 3. You should have mentioned the boat trip to Portofino in your brochure - a major selling point! I stress how good Tessa was as our Tour Manager.
Review by Mr Denis Loretto who travelled 21-December-2015
Review by who travelled 21-December-2015
Travel was much enhanced by our tour manager finding out rail platforms in advance, allowing us to stow luggage and settle in before the rush.
Review by Mrs Rosalind Field who travelled 21-December-2015
Review by Mr Malcolm Rea who travelled 21-December-2015
Very enjoyable holiday. Hotel was very pleasant and meals were excellent. Tessa, the tour leader, was the best we have had so far in 5 holidays, and all they have all been good so this is high praise. we enjoyed it so much that we went back to Alassio this summer.
Review by Mr Hugh Paton who travelled 22-December-2014
hotel was superb. Tessa was brilliant!
Review by Mrs Shelagh Stewart who travelled 22-December-2014
Excellent holiday, well organised by Tessa. Our only slight criticism was of the local guide in Genoa (who was very boring and bored) but I suppose that you have no control over who the local tourist office allocates.
Review by Mrs Margaret Dixon who travelled 22-December-2014
This was a very good tour which I am sure we all enjoyed. Our tour guide Tess was always cheerful, helpful and knowledgable. The local guide In Genoa was very dull and boring. Her English was not easy to understand
Review by Mrs Joan Brazier who travelled 22-December-2014
Hotel "Toscana" was excellent as was the food and the Variety on offer. The Tour Manager (Tessa) was First Class and most considerate and helpful with a very comprehensive knowledge of the areas visited.
Review by Mr Ian Stewart who travelled 22-December-2014
Super holiday,with special thanks to Terrsa for making it so.
Review by Mr Derek Boon who travelled 22-December-2014
A very enjoyable tour
Review by Thornton who travelled 01-December-2013
