Final-year school trip to Venice and Verona: St Mark’s Square, the Grand Canal, Murano, Burano, the Verona Arena and Padua (7 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 and arrival in Verona

• Departure after breakfast and drive through Austria and over the Brenner Pass (about 450 to 500 km, i.e. 6 hours excluding breaks).
• Lunch at your own expense on the way and arrival in Verona in the afternoon.
• Piazza Bra and the Arena, Via Mazzini and Piazza delle Erbe.
• A look at the courtyard of Juliet’s House and its famous balcony.
• Check-in at the accommodation in or around Verona for one night, dinner and a quiet evening.

Day 3: Verona, Padua and arrival in Venice

• Visit to the Verona Arena, one of the best-preserved Roman amphitheatres (on request).
• Castelvecchio and its fortified bridge over the Adige, then Piazza dei Signori.
• Lunch at your own expense, then drive to Padua (about 85 km, 1 hour).
• Visit to the Scrovegni Chapel and its Giotto frescoes (on request), then the Basilica of St Anthony and Prato della Valle.
• Drive to the accommodation in Venice-Mestre, Lido di Jesolo or the surrounding area (about 45 minutes) for three nights, dinner and a quiet evening.

Day 4: Venice, from St Mark’s to the Rialto

• Boat crossing to the centre and a trip down the Grand Canal by vaporetto, between palaces and churches.
• St Mark’s Square and a visit to St Mark’s Basilica and its golden mosaics (on request).
• Visit to the Doge’s Palace and 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 5: Murano, Burano and Dorsoduro

• Vaporetto to Murano and a glassblowing demonstration in a glassworks (on request).
• On to Burano, the island of brightly coloured 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 a last supervised evening.

Day 6: Drive to the overnight stop

• Rooms vacated after breakfast and departure around 8 am.
• Daytime drive over the Brenner Pass and through Austria to Germany (about 500 to 550 km, i.e. 6.5 to 7 hours excluding breaks).
• Lunch at your own expense on the way.
• Overnight stop in the Augsburg or Munich area, dinner and a quiet evening.

Day 7: Return to Belgium

• Departure after breakfast, around 8 am.
• Daytime drive back to Belgium (about 600 to 750 km), with two drivers taking turns and regular breaks.
• Lunch at your own expense on the way.
• Arrival at your school in the evening.