GENERAL INFORMATION
This tailor-made touring holiday is one of several suggested touring holidays we can offer you exactly as it is but also with any alterations you might want including extra nights in one or more places or adding in extra places . All our tours can be extended so that you can include a longer stay in one mountain or lake resort too , perhaps at the end of the itinerary . Do call to discuss the options with our travel consultants .
OUR TOURS
Our rail tours are for individuals travelling on their own or in their own family group . You do not join a group and you are not escorted .
FLEXIBLE ARRANGEMENTS
Our arrangements are very flexible in that you choose to travel on any day you want , subject to availability of trains and hotels . As mentioned above , additional nights can be added at any point .
EUROSTAR
A rail holiday to Italy starts with a journey by Eurostar from London St Pancras , Ebbsfleet or Ashford stations in the UK to either Paris Gare du Nord or Lille Europe . In summer months there are direct trains on Saturdays from London St Pancras to Avignon with no change required . Eurostar offers almost hourly departures every day , allowing you to travel from the centre of London to the centre of Paris on the same train in three hours . Not all trains stop at the Ebbsfleet and Ashford stations in Kent , but parking is plentiful at both stations and it allows you to avoid London . Check-in is 30 minutes prior to departure , customs formalities are completed before boarding and there is no limit to the amount of baggage that can be taken on board . The Eurostar trains themselves have 8 coaches which are split into Standard Class , Standard Premier and Business Premier as well as 2 cafeterias . Standard Premier customers are served a light cold meal and enjoy a more spacious environment than Standard Class , while Business Premier customers receive a hot meal and unlimited beverages as well as lounge access .
FIRST OR SECOND CLASS
We will automatically include travel in second class but lots of our clients do upgrade to first class service . On Eurostar this is called Premier Standard for leisure travellers as it gives you an upgraded on-board service and more spacious seating but without paying for the fully-flexible business tickets . On the Inter-city trains , upgrading to first class gives you more spacious seating with increased legroom . The price of upgrading varies from route to route but is something that is not always proportionately a lot more on the price of the overall holiday , so well-worth considering .
TRANSFERS
Transfers in Paris between stations and from the station to each hotel are not automatically included in the price of the holiday . In Paris most clients choose to take a taxi between the stations rather than go on the Metro but we can arrange a private car with driver to take you in between . This is quite useful if you are a family group that can ’ t fit into one Paris taxi .
TRAIN TIMES
We have planned our itineraries based on train times that work day by day at the time of planning which can be up to a year before you travel . Usually train times stay more or less the same every day , season by season . The times we have planned will be discussed with you at the time you enquire about the holiday and they are detailed to you in your written holiday quotation . It may be that the timetable changes between the planning of the itinerary and when you come to book but we can always adjust the itinerary to suit the actual train times and any requirements you have for particular times of travel .
Telephone number 01392 441250 Email info @ expressionsholidays . co . uk 6