The French Lakes, Chamonix & Mont Blanc

We depart our dedicated Departure Office in St Pancras International by Eurostar for Paris. After crossing the city by coach, we continue by TGV, travelling eastwards into the Savoy Alps. Our destination is Aix-Les-Bains, a thermal spa town nestled on the edge of scenic Lake Bourget. Here we spend three nights at the Mercure Aix-les-Bains Domaine de Marlioz.

Please note: Departure CAL1902 will travel to Chambery and transfer by coach to their hotel in Aix les Bains.

Today is one of the real highlights of our tour, as we take sail on the crystal clear waters of Lake Bourget. The tranquil water reflects the vistas of the surrounding mountain scenery, providing us with incredible panoramas during our relaxing cruise, which includes a three-course lunch. Along the way we make a visit to Hautecombe Abbey which juts out into the lake and dates back to the 12th century.

Enjoy a full-day excursion to Vienne today. Known for its Roman remains, we embark on a guided tour that includes sights such as the Temple d'Auguste et Livie, the city's cathedral, the Theatre Romain and Renaissance Courtyard.

Today we travel by coach to Annecy for a walking tour to before some free time to uncover the delightful medieval centre, criss-crossed by a network of pretty canals, cobbled bridges and winding street for ourselves. After lunch you are free to sightsee on your own, a popular option is to take a cruise on fabulous Lake Annecy. We then continue to the bustling mountain town of Chamonix- Mont-Blanc for four nights, travelling via the Col des Aravis, a mountain pass from where you can admire truly stunning views.

We depart late morning for a journey on the Montenvers Mountain Railway, which climbs from the valley floor through the pine forests above Chamonix to Montenvers at 6,275 feet (1,913m). The train arrives at Montenvers station and you have free time to look around. It may be possible to descend by cable car to the glacier itself and visit the ice grottos inside. Day 6 is at leisure.

We leave Chamonix this morning and head to Lake Geneva in Switzerland where we begin our journey on the fabulous Mont Blanc Express- a narrowgauge railway built over 100 years ago - to Martigny and back. We transfer to Annecy on Day 8, catching the high-speed train to Paris where we connect with the Eurostar back to London.