Final-year school trip to Venice and Florence: St Mark’s Square, the Grand Canal, Murano, Burano, the Duomo, the Ponte Vecchio and Michelangelo’s David (8 days)

Day 1: Departure from your school and drive to southern Germany

• Departure from your school early in the morning, at the agreed time, and daytime drive to Germany (about 550 to 700 km, i.e. 7 to 8.5 hours excluding breaks depending on the departure point).
• Our drivers drive for a maximum of 3 hours, then take a 30-minute break, day and night.
• Two drivers take turns at the wheel; lunch at your own expense at a motorway service area.
• Overnight stop in the Ulm or Augsburg area, dinner and a quiet evening.

Day 2: The Brenner Pass and arrival in Venice

• Departure after breakfast, around 7.30 am, and drive through Austria, over the Brenner Pass and past Verona (about 600 km, i.e. 7.5 hours excluding breaks).
• Lunch at your own expense on the way, in South Tyrol.
• Arrival in the late afternoon at the accommodation in Venice-Mestre, Lido di Jesolo or the surrounding area, for three nights.
• Dinner and a quiet evening.

Day 3: Venice, from St Mark’s to the Rialto

• Boat crossing to the centre and trip down the Grand Canal by vaporetto, past palaces and churches.
• St Mark’s Square and visit to St Mark’s Basilica and its golden mosaics (on request).
• Visit to the Doge’s Palace and walk across the Bridge of Sighs (on request).
• Lunch at your own expense, then a walk through the alleys to the Rialto Bridge and its market.
• Dinner and supervised evening.

Day 4: Murano, Burano and Dorsoduro

• Vaporetto to Murano and glassblowing demonstration in a glassworks (on request).
• On to Burano, the island of multicoloured houses and lace.
• Lunch at your own expense, then back to Venice and a walk through Dorsoduro, from the Accademia Bridge to the Zattere.
• Gondola ride (on request).
• Dinner and last evening in Venice.

Day 5: Drive to Florence and Piazzale Michelangelo

• Rooms vacated after breakfast and drive to Florence via Padua and Bologna (about 260 km, 3.5 hours excluding breaks).
• Lunch at your own expense, then a stop at Piazzale Michelangelo with a view over the whole city, the Duomo and the Arno.
• Walk down through the Oltrarno to the Ponte Vecchio and its goldsmiths’ shops.
• Check-in at the accommodation in or near Florence for two nights, dinner and supervised evening.

Day 6: Florence, cradle of the Renaissance

• Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral, the Baptistery and Giotto’s Campanile, then climb to Brunelleschi’s Dome (on request).
• Visit to the Galleria dell’Accademia and Michelangelo’s David (on request).
• Lunch at your own expense at the Mercato Centrale or in the San Lorenzo district.
• Piazza della Signoria, the Palazzo Vecchio and the Loggia dei Lanzi, then visit to the Uffizi Gallery (on request).
• Dinner and last evening in Italy.

Day 7: The Brenner and overnight stop in Bavaria

• Rooms vacated after breakfast and departure around 7 am.
• Daytime drive via Bologna, Verona, the Brenner Pass and Innsbruck (about 650 km, i.e. 8 hours excluding breaks), with two drivers taking turns.
• Lunch at your own expense on the way.
• Overnight stop in the Munich or Augsburg area, dinner and a quiet evening.

Day 8: Return to Belgium

• Departure after breakfast, around 7.30 am.
• Daytime drive back to Belgium (about 650 to 800 km depending on your school), with two drivers and regular breaks.
• Lunch at your own expense on the way.
• Arrival at your school in the evening.