Group Travel Tour Operator for holidays to the Italian Riviera

Depart the UK

Travel to your chosen airport for the flight to either Nice or Genoa.  On arrival, you will be met and transferred to your hotel in either Alassio or San Bartolomeo al Mare on the Italian Riviera for the next 7 nights.   Enjoy a welcome drink at the hotel before dinner.

Hanbury Gardens and Menton

Hanbury Gardens is located just a few miles from the French border in Ventimiglia and created in 1867 by Sir Thomas Hanbury who collected many of its specimens which includes a perfume garden, a Japanese garden and a succulent garden, all overlooking the Mediterranean.

Combining elements of the original 19th century garden design and with further specialist input from several landscape designers and botanists, today’s gardens feature almost 6000 species of plant and generally considered to be one of the finest botanical gardens in Europe.  Many of the semi-tropical plants are also among the longest established examples to be found in Europe.

During the Second World War, the gardens suffered very serious damage and were sold to the Italian State in 1960.  Now they are managed by the University of Genoa and are now a regional protected area.  Optional guided tours of the gardens are available.

The afternoon will be spent in nearby Menton, located just over the border in France, and one of the best places to visit on the French Riviera.  This city has the best of everything – fantastic food, beautiful beaches against the pure blue Mediterranean Sea, and a warm year-round climate   On a guided tour see the rich architecture, incredible heritage and its status as an important fishing port from the glorious Belle Epoque palaces and sumptuous hotels, the Basilique Saint-Michel, the chapels of the Penitents, the squares and narrow streets of the old town to the monumental cemetery at the summit offering great views.

Head back to the hotel for dinner and an evening at leisure.

Villa and Gardens Ephrussi and Monte Carlo

Villa Ephrussi is more than just a place of residence, it is a magnificent palace and a symbol of the Belle Epoque era and created by the wealthy and eccentric Beatrice de Rothschild.  Your visit starts inside the villa, with a series of grand rooms radiating off a large open two-storey covered central courtyard surrounded by marble columns. The rooms accessed from here include salons, bedrooms and other rooms tastefully if opulently decorated with 18th century furnishings, tapestries and paintings, and smaller rooms containing some of the collections amassed by Beatrice such as porcelain or drawings by Fragonard, and a tea room.  It is from the rooms upstairs in the villa that you can best appreciate the French style gardens directly in front of the villa which are designed to be seen from above and represent the shape of a prow of a ship.

After exploring the villa your tour continues in the extensive gardens including both formal and informal areas of garden, these are divided into separate garden areas and include Provençal, French, Japanese and Spanish gardens and others dedicated to exotic plants and roses. There are frequent views across the coast and villas below as you explore and every 20 minutes there is a ‘music and fountains’ show in the French gardens in front of Villa Ephrussi

This afternoon we will visit one of Europe’s smallest countries – Monte Carlo – home to the rich and famous. On a guided tour, discover the historic cliff-top old town and it’s Exotic Garden which overlooks the sea before heading down to see iconic buildings such as the Royal Palace and the Changing of the Guard, the Cathedral, the Casino and the port whilst driving along some of the route of the famous Grand Prix circuit.

After some free time we will head back to the hotel for dinner and and evening at leisure.

Villa Durazzo Pallavicini and Genoa

Home to the Museum of Ligurian Archaeology and to the Botanical Garden established in 1794, the romantic park of the villa, located  west of Genoa, is one of Europe’s most important historical gardens. It was built between 1840-1846 by the Marquis Ignazio Alessandro Pallavicini and designed by Michele Canzio, the set designer of the Teatro Carlo Felice opera house who created a pathway around the park inspired by the theatre and where visitors find themselves winding down paths surrounded by Neoclassical, Neo-Gothic and rustic architecture, fringed with palm trees, exotic plants, holm-oaks and laurels.

The park is also home to one of Italy’s oldest collections of camellias which are a striking Spring highlight, as well as  important specimens of cork oaks, camphor laurels, Araucaria, Lebanon cedars and many types of palm trees.  Optional guided tours of the gardens available.

Continue to Genoa for a guided tour.  Once Venice’s rival and a maritime superpower, this is the birthplace of Christopher Columbus, a city rich with history, art, and culture.  Walk in the footsteps of Charles Dickens who lived here for a year and explore the narrow streets of the Caruggi district, the largest Old Town in Europe.  There are many viewpoints to see the city from above and a lot of markets, the most famous one ibeing the Mercato Orientale located in the city centre.  Ligurian cuisine is also one of the best in Italy, from focaccia, farinata, paniccia, to the world-renowned Pesto alla Genovese, these dishes will definitely whet your appetite.

Return to the hotel for dinner and an evening at leisure.

Giardini Pallanca and Sanremo

The private collection at the Pallanca Exotic Garden is a botanical garden specialising in cacti and succulent plants and since 1989 the garden has become a private museum.  The garden winds it way through sandstone rocks which were formed by the ancient volcano, Monte Nero and which gives the appearance of a rock garden because of the layers of rock and the terraces which also gives unmissable views of the sea and the bay.  There are over three thousand species of plants and the oldest plant – a “Copiapoa” native to Chile, which grows on the slopes of the Andes – is three hundred years old.  The gardens also offer an extensive library which must be prebooked if wishing to visit.

After our visit we will head for Sanremo with its broad palm tree-lined streets with villas which were once home to famous people such as Tchaikowski and Alfred Noble and a promenade with a harbour where yachts jostle with fishing boats, busy shopping streets and a market. Attractions include the pretty domed Russian Orthodox church built by the town’s many wealthy emigres in the early 1900s and the Casino, a glaring white palace.  The most atmospheric of all is the old town, the Pigna, named after a pine cone for the way the tight-packed buildings cling to a steep hill which consists of winding narrow alleys diving under arches and buttresses towards the hill’s summit, crowned with a church.

Return to the hotel for dinner and an evening at leisure.

Villa Durazzo Centurione and Santa Margherita Ligure

Villa Durazzo is a magnificent palace, located on the hill, with a stunning park.  Inside it is possible to visit the Prince apartments which has many rooms to discover and a museum dedicated to a local writer Giovanni Rossi. The park has an Italian-style garden with typical Ligurian paths made of black and white pebbles called risseu.  The Villa was built  in 1678 by Marquis Durazzo, who used it as a summer residence. In the XVIII century, it was purchased by the Prince family Centurione who enlarged and enriched a new park with exotic plants and marble sculptures. If you climb the hill where the villa is located, you can visit the Baroque style church of San Giacomo. As part of the palace complex, below the villa’s hill, next to the local fish market, there are the ruins of a castle which was restored after World War II and nowadays it is a house of the exhibitions of the local artists.

After some free time in the town, embark on a short boat trip along the coast to the picturesque and iconic resort of Portofino.  The town is clustered around its small harbour, and is renowned for the colourfully painted buildings that line the shore.  Wander around the Piazza Martiri dell’Olivetta, better known as the small square with its arcades lined with shops and boutiques, restaurants and ice cream parlours, which also surround the marina.  Or visit the church of St. George, a very small temple built on the cliff of the picturesque promontory.

Return to the hotel by coach for dinner and an evening at leisure.

Villa della Pergola, Alassio

The gardens of the Villa della Pergola, winners of the Most Beautiful Park in Italy 2020/2022 award, consist of ponds and fountains, Mediterranean vegetation and thousands of flowers, rare exotic plants and botanical collections.  It is world famous for over 40 varieties of wisteria which are a highlight in the month of April and a unique collection of agapanthus which bloom in June and July.  The 22,000 square meters of gardens offer incomparable views of the sea and in 2012 was confirmed as one of the botanical wonders of the Riviera and the Mediterranean.  In December 2024 the gardens were honoured with the distinction of becoming a member of the British Royal Horticultural Society, the most prestigious in the world.  (Please note that access to the gardens can only be reached in mini-buses)

The rest of the day can be spent in Alassio, a beautiful resort with crystal blue sea and golden sandy beaches.  Historic atractions such as the famous ‘Muretto of Alassio’ and the charming streets of the old town make it a place full of charm and history. Discover the exquisite local cuisine, with its abundance of fresh seafood and delicious traditional dishes such as ‘trofie al pesto’. Stroll through the downtown alleys and discover small craft stores and unique boutiques.

Return to the hotel for our final dinner and evening in Italy.

Return to the UK

Board the coach for the transfer to your chosen departure airport for the flight back to the UK.