Cruise & Rail: Venice & The Swiss Alps

Experience the varied wonders of Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Liechtenstein and Slovenia from every angle with a one-of-a-kind adventure by land, cruise and train.

Complement your journey with a 4-day train trip to Zurich. You’ll sleep on the luxury Golden Eagle Danube Express with ever-changing views at your window – the perfect introduction to a river cruise. Along the way, visit the glittering lakes of Zurich and Bled, explore medieval towns and capital cities, enjoy a private concert in the caves of Postojna and more.

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, colorful 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 discover on “Cruise & Rail: Venice & the Swiss Alps”.

Arrive at the Zurich Airport. If your cruise/tour package includes a group arrival transfer or if you have purchased a private arrival transfer, you will be greeted by a Uniworld representative and transferred to your hotel.

Board the Golden Eagle Danube Express and settle into your cabin as the train departs Zurich Hbf (Main Station) and runs along the Lake of Zurich and Walensee on the way to Sargans, where you’ll detrain for a visit to Liechtenstein and its capital city of Vaduz. Back onboard the train for lunch, you’ll pass into Austria and the Vorarlberg as you head to St. Anton for an afternoon in a year-round Alpine resort.

After breakfast, explore the Tyrolean city of Innsbruck before enjoying a scenic lunchtime train ride through the Italian South Tyrol, over the Brenner pass and onto Fortezza and San Candido. You’ll return to Austria for a late-afternoon visit to the medieval town of Lienz, where you can visit its 13th-century hilltop castle, Schloss Bruck. During dinner on the train, you’ll head to Slovenia and arrive in Jesenice in the Julian Alps.

Today you’ll visit the picturesque Lake Bled, including a morning ride in a traditional pletna boat to Bled Island. Later your train will head to the Slovenian capital of Ljubljana, where your afternoon tour will take you on a boat cruise along the Ljubljanica River. Dinner will be served early on the train tonight as you travel to Postojna for a private evening concert in the caves.

Your train will cross into Italy early in the morning, where you’ll stop in the medieval port city of Trieste, once amongst the oldest and largest cities in the Habsburg Empire. Then return to the train and prepare to disembark at the Venice Santa Lucia Station on the Canal Grande, where you will be transferred to the ship. Unpack, relax and enjoy your first evening on the Venetian Lagoon.

With your early morning arrival at Doge’s Palace, you’ll be able to marvel at the estate in total peace. Wander through a Venetian neighborhood and experience daily life in an authentic Venetian residential quarter. Later in the evening, cap the day off with a private once-in-a-lifetime experience at an after-hours lighting ceremony inside St. Mark’s Basilica without the crowds.

Featured Excursions:
* A morning walk in Venice with Doge’s Palace visit
* Private after-hours visit to Saint Mark's Basilica

Choose between a full-day in medieval Padua, home to Italy's second oldest university, or a Venice walking tour and a choice of several exciting ways to see Chioggia: riding on a traditional bragozzo or biking through this authentic fishing town.

Featured Excursions:
* Venice morning walk with gondola shipyard visit
* Padua walking tour and "Drink like an Italian"
* “Let's Go” biking Chioggia with Ca’zen visit and tasting
* Bragozzo ride with Ca’zen visit and tasting

A special Captain’s Welcome Reception and Dinner will be prepared for you this evening.

IMPORTANT: We are obliged to comply with Italian Maritime Authorities who require that only crew may be on the ship during the Adriatic Sea passage. Therefore, our guests must disembark the ship and partake in the featured excursions.

Explore Italy’s culinary capital Bologna on a full-day tour packed with an exclusive pasta-making workshop and lunch or explore Ferrara on a half-day tour.

Choice of Private pasta-making and Italian lunch in Bologna or Ferrara: Renaissance, elegance and Italian lifestyle town walk

Today, you’ll admire the greatest sites of charming and coastal Chioggia, including a stop at the local and lively market. Your ship will move to dock overnight in Burano, where you’ll enjoy a lovely evening stroll through this multicolored island.

Featured Excursions:
* Chioggia market visit
* Evening stroll in Burano

IMPORTANT: We are obliged to comply with Italian Maritime Authorities who require that only crew may be on the ship during the Adriatic Sea passage. Therefore, our guests must disembark the ship and partake in the featured excursions. We thank you for your cooperation.

Spend the day exploring the northern lagoon of Venice and three of its captivating islands. Explore a basilica with an art historian in Torcello before heading to the peaceful, agricultural island of Mazzorbo. End the tour with a stroll through Burano’s rainbow of colorful homes and visit a lace-making atelier.

Featured Excursion:
* Full-day Magic Island Day–hidden treasures of the lagoon

As your water taxi glides past narrow side canals and the Canal Grande, you’ll arrive in style at the Rialto Bridge and Fondaco dei Tedeschi. The iconic stone arch bridge sits at the narrowest point of the Canal Grande and holds numerous shops and restaurants.

Featured Excursions:
* “Do as the Locals Do” Venice walking tour
* Rialto walking tour with Casanova

A special Captain’s Farewell Reception and Dinner will be prepared for you this evening.

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.