Escorted Holidays 2020

The Slovenian Alps, Lake Bled,
Trieste & Venice
8 days from £869 May & September
A tasty combination of Italian cities and coast with the mountains of the
Julian Alps in Slovenia. The coast comes in the shape of the long sandy
beaches of Lido di Jesolo . Two Italian port cities – the first is Venice, queen
of the Adriatic, and the second is Trieste, perhaps not as Italian as you
might think as it was the major maritime hub for the Austro-Hungarian
Empire. Kranjska Gora is your mountain home for a few days – at 2500ft
rising to over 9000ft in the Alps near the Austrian and Italian borders.
• 3 nights hb on the Venetian coast, 4 nights hb in the Slovenian Alps •
Included excursions to Lake Bled and to the Carinthian lakes in Austria •
Visits to Venice, James Joyce’s Trieste and Udine
PROGRAMME
DAY ONE: Flight to Venice or Treviso
airports. Transfer to your hotel (40
minutes from Venice airport, one hour
from Treviso) for two nights half board
accommodation in Lido di Jesolo, a resort
town with 10 miles of beach.
DAY TWO: After breakfast, you set off for a
full day excursion to nearby Venice. There
is a 40-minute coach transfer to Punta
Sabbioni for the scenic boat trip across
the lagoon – you arrive close to Piazza
San Marco. After a walking tour with
local guide, you will have time to explore
the world’s most romantic city, the city
of canals and islands. You return to your
hotel, again by boat and coach, in time for
dinner.
DAY THREE: Today you drive east towards
the border with the former Yugoslavia.
Your main stop today is Trieste, once
the major port of the Habsburg Austro-
Hungarian Empire. While the maritime
republic of Venice was the most
important sea-trading centre of late
medieval Europe, Trieste’s docks and
dockyards were the outlet to the sea for
the mighty Austrian Empire until WWI.
After WWII, it was carved up between
Italy and Yugoslavia, the main city being
Italian. The wide avenues, squares and
baroque buildings date from the early
18th century. You will have a guided tour
of the town – have your photo taken with
the statue of James Joyce (who lived,
wrote and drank here for 10 years) – and
visit the ornate, beautiful Miramare Castle,
seat of Maximilian from the time of the
Austro-Hungarian Empire, and with
stunning sea views – as its name would
suggest. You cross into Slovenia and head
for the mountain resort of Kranjska Gora
in the Upper Sava Valley, for four nights
half board accommodation. 218 miles
today.
DAYS FOUR TO SIX: Free in Kranjska Gora
to enjoy the dazzlingly beautiful valley
with two included excursions.
The first excursion is to Lake Bled and
the Slovenian capital city of Ljubljana
(or, if you prefer, spend the whole day at
Lake Bled). Just half an hour away from
Kranjska Gora is the shimmering magic
of the lake. You can spend the whole
day visiting the famous castle and the
very pretty 15th-century church on Bled
Island and relaxing. Or, after time for
a coffee and a stroll, you can continue
to Slovenia’s capital, with its town hall,
cathedral, castle, parks and old quarter.
Ljubljana was a Habsburg city, and
evidence of this period can be seen in its
skyline although many buildings were
destroyed in the earthquake of 1895.
Nowadays the architecture is a pleasant
blend of Baroque, Art Nouveau and the
wonderful buildings and bridges of Jože
Plecnik. After a walking tour and boat
ride through the city, you have free time
until you return to Lake Bled and thence
to Kranjska Gora. 120 miles return to
Ljubljana, 50 miles return to Lake Bled.
The second excursion is over the border
to the Austrian region of Carinthia - a
land of azure lakes, set before a backdrop
of alpine splendour and unspoilt towns
and villages. You will see three lakes –
Faakersee, Ossiachersee, and Worthersee,
where you will have time to explore the
lakeside town of Velden. 74 miles today.
DAY SEVEN: Today you leave Slovenia
for Italy. You cross the border and head
to Udine, an interesting city with a long
history. A Roman city in origin, it stands at
a crossroads of languages and cultures: a
mix of Italian, Slav and German elements,
with a castle and stunning, marble,
Romanesque Duomo. From there you
continue back to Lido di Jesolo for one
nights half board accommodation. 153
miles today.
DAY EIGHT: Transfer to the airport for
your return flight.
YOUR HOTELS
HOTEL SALUS HHHH,
Lido di Jesolo (first two and last
nights)
The hotel is a two-minute walk from
the beach and has a bar, restaurant
and lounge and an outdoor pool.
Bedrooms have air-conditioning,
satellite tv, minibar, and a bathroom
with shower and hairdryer.
(www.hotelsalus.com)
HOTEL KOMPAS HHHH,
Kranjska Gora (four nights)
The hotel lies 200 yards from the
village centre. It has a restaurant,
lounge, bar, garden, indoor pool, and
comfortable modern bedrooms with
cable tv, phone, safety deposit box,
hairdryer, and bath/shower and wc.
There is also a spa (charges apply). The
hotel is part of the HIT hotel group and
guests are welcome to avail themselves
of the facilities of nearby sister hotels
including the wellness centre (charges
apply).
(www.hit-alpinea.si/en/kompas-hotel)
A WALKING HOLIDAY is also available
from this hotel. Please ask for a copy
of our Walking Holidays brochure or
visit preferredts.com.
Please refer to the enclosed ‘Dates and Flight Information’ for details of departure dates, prices and flights.
www.preferredts.com | 27