We could get extra secured spots on our Brussels Airlines flight for this trip. You can book now a single room or double/twin room without problems. However, if you travel alone and would like to share a room with another person (ladies only), we might offer you a spot. Please contact us by mail or telephone (any day 09h00 – 22h00). For questions, contact us at 0495-345144 or info@expatclub.org.
Attending an opera in the 2.000 year old Arena of Verona must be on everyone’s bucket list. The atmosphere in this 15.000 seats arena during a summer-evening opera is magical. The warm air, the snow-capped alps in the distance and thousands of stars above you, all while the world’s top opera stars perform the most famous operas, such as Aïda, Nabuco and La Traviata. Verona is a city of love and romance. No wonder, it’s also the home of Romeo and Juliette. During this long weekend trip we also a few other magnificent places close to Verona, which allows you to add 3 UNESCO World Heritage Sites! What to think about Sirmione in the beautiful Lago di Garda, a stunning little town with a medieval castle situated on a peninsula in the lake? On the last day we visit the small but stunning Lago d’Iseo.
Overview
What is included in the trip fee?
This trip will be rather inclusive, meaning that we will arrange many things beforehand. More items will be added until the trip is fully confirmed. Please check the final package upon reservation.
Direct Brussels Airlines flight to Milano Linate
1 checked luggage of 20kg, 1 hand luggage of 8kg
Local transfers in Italy
1 night in a good 4* hotel in Milano, including breakfast
2 nights in a good 4* hotel in Verona, including breakfast
Guided tour in Milano
Visit to Bergamo
Guided tour in Verona
Visit to Sirmione
A boat tour on Lago di Garda
A guided visit to Isola del Garda
Entrance ticket Opera Turandot
Entrance ticket Opera Carmen
Visit to Brescia
Scenic tour around Lago d’Iseo
Welcome dinner
A great group of international people
A lifetime memory
What is optional?
This trip is already rather inclusive. You can opt for a single room. The surcharge will be shown during the reservation process.
What about the flights?
Expat Club arranges perfect return flights with Brussels Airlines to Milano Linate, the airport at just a few kilometers from Milan. Transportation in Italy is included, both to/from the airports and between the cities.
Thu 25/8 – Brussels Airport 09h45 – Milano Linate 11h20
Sun 28/8 – Milano Linate 18h50 – Brussels 20h20
Who can join?
Expat Club welcomes everyone who feels like joining an open-minded international group of expats and Belgians. Most of our participants are 30-65 years old with some younger and some older, and work in a variety of fields (EU, NATO, NGO, diplomacy, corporate, academics and freelancers).Â
Members & non-members
Expats & (international) Belgians
Visiting friends and family
All ages, including children (minimum 8 years advised due to trip theme)
Expat Club welcomes families on board. For this trip, however, be aware that the operas are long and possibly boring. Please contact us before making a reservation, so we can give you a proper discount and can assign the right rooms for you.
Pictures
A picture says more than a thousand words, so before giving you more details about the trip, let’s just have a look at some pictures of the places we are visiting during this trip.
The program for this trip to Verona (and surroundings), like any other Expat Club trip, is carefully designed. We value realistic departure, travel and arrival times, and put a lot of effort into allocating enough time to visit each destination. Of course still much depend on traffic situations, but you can rest assured that we always do our best to give you the most optimal experience.
Thursday 25 August 07h45 – Meeting at Brussels Airport
09h45 – Departure Brussels Airlines flight to Milano Linate
11h20 – Arrival Milano Linate & transfer
12h30 – Arrival hotel (check-in follows later) & lunch
14h00 – Guided tour Milano city
20h00 – Dinner
Friday 26 August
08h00 – Breakfast
09h00 – Check-out & transfer to Bergamo
10h30 – Guided tour Old Town
12h00 – Lunch
13h00 – Transfer to Verona
14h00 – Arrival Verona
14h15 – Check-in hotel
15h00 – Walk to city & Guided tour
18h00 – Dinner in city
20h45 – Opera Turandot (Giacomo Puccini)
00h00 – End opera & drinks in town
Saturday 27 August
08h00 – Breakfast
09h00 – Daytrip to Lago di Garda with private speed boat
– Guided tour at Sirmione
– Long boat tour on Lago di Garda
– Visit to Isola del Garda
18h00 – Return to Verona
20h45 – Opera Carmen (Georges Bizet)
Sunday 28 August
08h00 – Breakfast
09h00 – Checkout from hotel
09h45 – Visit to Brescia
11h00 – Drive around Lago d’Iseo
12h30 – Lunch at Lago d’Iseo
14h00 – Afternoon program
17h00 – Check-in Milano Linate
18h50 – Departure Brussels Airlines to Brussels
20h20 – Arrival Brussels
Itinerary
Our itinerary for this 4-day trip will take us to some of the most beautiful cities and parts in Northern Italy, including Milano, Bergamo, Verona, the legendary 2000-years old Arena, the “peninsula town” Sirmione at the Lago di Garda and on our final day, Brescia and Lago d’Iseo, possibly the most beautiful lake in Northern Italy with stunning panoramic views and ancient villages.
Milano
We start our trip in the Italian metropolis of Milano. Known for its fashion industry, the majestic Duomo and the world-famous La Scala theater, this is a great place to visit. Unfortunately we only have an afternoon and evening, but we might as well enjoy our time here since our flights arrive and depart from the city airport Linate. After arrival we’ll enjoy a guided tour in the center of the city and of course walk by all the major highlights. In the evening we foresee a dinner in a great local restaurant, away from the touristy areas. You’re gonna love it!
Bergamo
Many people only know Bergamo from the Milano-Bergamo Orio-al-Serio airport, one of the main Ryan Air hubs. But driving by this city on the highway would be a total waste. Its old own is built high up on a mountain overlooking the valley below. The stunning views from various parts of the city are worth it alone, but so are the old buildings and its rich history. We’ll spend here a few hours and enjoy a good lunch before we continue to Verona for the afternoon and evening program.
The 2000 year old edifice stands in the middle of the city | Alexandr Medvedkov – Shutterstock
Verona & Opera
The city of Verona in the Veneto region in Northern Italy dates back to the 1st century B.C., although there are indications of previous settlements in the same area. It’s city centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
“The historic city of Verona was founded in the 1st century B.C. It particularly flourished under the rule of the Scaliger family in the 13th and 14th centuries and as part of the Republic of Venice from the 15th to 18th centuries. Verona has preserved a remarkable number of monuments from antiquity, the medieval and Renaissance periods, and represents an outstanding example of a military stronghold.” – Unesco website
The city is situated on the Adige river and acquired Roman citizenship in 49 B.C. After that the development of the city went fast, with the construction of temples, bridges, theatres, city walls and of course the world famous Verona Arena, one of the most important monuments from that era. During our visit to the city we will discover them all with a professional guide.
The city of love | Kavalenka – Shutterstock
Verona is also the “City of Love” of Romeo and Juliet. We’ll visit their houses and of course see the famous balcony. But of course the most famous place of all is that magnificent 2000 year old arena. Â Nowadays it is still a beloved venue by the world’s biggest stars, including Paul McCartney, Roger Waters, Pearl Jam and many more. But the Opera Festival that takes place in the summer is probably the reason why so many people choose Verona as their holiday destination.
The Opera Festival of Arena was founded well over 100 years ago with a performance of Verdi’s Aïda, in 1913. This Opera is still the must-see opera, although Nabucco is performed also virtually every year. Can you imagine a 250-strong Hebrew slave choir performing Va Pensiero on the steps of the arena? It is an incredible experience that is virtually always repeated after a minutes-long standing ovation by the 15.000 attendees under the Italian star-filled night sky.
During the final August weekend two other Masterpieces are on the calendar for us, namely Pucini’s Turandot on Friday, with the super famous Nessun Dorma aria, and Bizet’s Carmen on Saturday.
Sirmione on a long peninsula in Lago di Garda | by BNFWork – Shutterstock
Sirmione and Lago di Garda The Lago di Garda is with Lago Maggiore and Lago di Como the most famous lake in Northern Italy. The surroundings are simply stunningly beautiful. Against the backdrop of the Italian Alps, the shores are covered with lovely villages, exquisite villas and endless promenades. A visit to Verona would not be complete without a visit to Lago di Garda, so our Saturday we’ll be spending mostly there.
The Garda lake stretches out over 50km from the planes near Verona to Riva del Garda and Torbole in the North and between the mountains. We will discover it first from the shores on the spectacular peninsula Sirmione in the very South. This resort town also dates back to well B.C. and contains another UNESCO World Heritage Site:
Prehistoric Pile Dwellings around the Alps
This serial property of 111 small individual sites encompasses the remains of prehistoric pile-dwelling (or stilt house) settlements in and around the Alps built from around 5000 to 500 B.C. on the edges of lakes, rivers or wetlands. Excavations, only conducted in some of the sites, have yielded evidence that provides insight into life in prehistoric times during the Neolithic and Bronze Age in Alpine Europe and the way communities interacted with their environment. Fifty-six of the sites are located in Switzerland. The settlements are a unique group of exceptionally well-preserved and culturally rich archaeological sites, which constitute one of the most important sources for the study of early agrarian societies in the region. - UNESCO website
The stunning Villa Borghese-Cavazza at the Isola di Garda | by drown69 (own work), via Wikimedia Commons
After lunch we are probably ready to cool down a bit, so Expat Club arranged a private speedboat to further explores Lago di Garda from the water. Feel the warm-cool breeze on your face while we are sailing Northbound to the hilly Northern region of the lake. No doubt we stop at the exquisite “Isola di Garda” for a guided tour through the gardens and the villa.
Lago d’Iseo On our last day we still have a full morning and lunch time before going to the airport. We could stay in Verona, but we’ve already seen it. So we decided to drive slowly back to Milan with a bit of D-tour, staring in the beautiful small town of Brescia, followed by a a drive around the little jewel among the Great Lakes of Northern Italy, Lago d’Iseo. We’ll drive around the lake, stop in some of the greatest historic villages, including Iseo, Pisogne and Lovere, before driving onward along the Western shore towards Milan for our flight back to Brussels. It will be a day to never forget.
Hotels
Expat Club always arranges good hotels for our trips. For this trip we have found a good 4* hotel in Milan and a good 4* hotel in Verona. This way we can see much more of this region in Northern Italy.
Windsor Hotel Milano**** We start our trip in the 4-star Windsor Hotel at a great location in the city of Milan. Just 10 minutes walking to the center and from there we can visit many of the most famous buildings and areas of this fashion capital of the world. The rooms are everything you can expect, a comfy bed, a private bathroom, free wifi and of course a good and healthy breakfast. Update. 29/7: please note that some of our group may be in another equally good 4* hotel at just a few minutes walking from the Windsor.
Hotel Fiera Verona***
Our 4-star hotel in Verona is situated just 2 kilometers outside the Old Town of Verona. After arrival, we freshen up a bit, before we go to the centre for a guided tour, a nice dinner and of course the opera . All the air-conditioned rooms come with a private bathroom with a shower and hairdryer. A satellite TV, a desk and a mini-bar are also available. Free WiFi is available throughout the hotel and breakfast is included.
In each hotel you can choose between the following room options, all include a private bathroom:
Single room (normally with 1 large bed, with surcharge)
Double room (1 large bed, for couples, no surcharge)
Twin room (2 single beds, for 2 friends traveling together)
Twin room (2 single beds, for 2 single female travelers who would like to avoid the single surcharge)
Triple / family rooms (double bed + single bed / sofa, upon request only)
Expat Club room sharing for single travelers
If you are joining this trip on your own, you can of course take a single room, but then you pay a surcharge (start the booking process). However, you can also opt for the Expat Club room sharing service. This means you do not pay the single surcharge. During the outbound journey we will introduce you to the other travelers who also want to share a room. We do not assign a room partner, but you can mutually agree to share the room. We only offer female/female and male/male rooms. This is a great way to save some money while you get to know another nice person on this trip.
Flights
We fly directly from Brussels to Milano Linate, the airport located very close to the city of Milan. We depart in the morning and we stay one night, so we can really enjoy the city. We also fly back from Milan on Sunday evening, so we maximally stretch our time in Italy. These are the flight times.
Sun 28/8 – SN3150 – Milano Linate 18h50 >> Brussels 20h20
Transfers from Milano Linate to the center of town and back to the airport on Sunday are included in the price.
Comments
The flights will be carried out by Brussels Airlines.
The trip is carefully planned. Still, all timings are indicative and may change if required by circumstances.
The trip is sold as a package. You cannot go with your own transportation or arrange your own accommodation. If there are specific things that you do not want in the package, please let us know and we’ll see what we can do for you.
You are personally responsible for getting good cancellation and/or travel insurance that covers you for unforeseen emergencies and medical expenses before or during the trip.Â
You are personally responsible to make sure you adhere to local, national, and international corona measures, including arranging your covid certificate and masks wearing (if applicable).
You are personally responsible for using the hotel room in an appropriate way. Any missing or broken items will be billed after the trip.
Expat Club cannot be held liable for unforeseen delays that influence the program (e.g. missed guided tours), neither can Expat Club be held liable for weather-related cancellations or any other unforeseen events that influence the course of the trip, including, but not limited to technical problems with the flights, coach, strikes, weather etc.
Expat Club cannot be held liable for personal injuries during the trip, such as, but not limited to, things that happen during the guided tours. Joining this trip is safe but still at your own risk.
If you do not find a room partner on your own, we will find one for you (male/male, female/female). During the outbound trip we will connect you with others in the same position. If you decide to take a single room during the trip, then you will have to fully pay for it yourself. We only have 1 male room available.
If you book a double / twin room and your travel partner cancels, you will have to pay the single room supplement or share a room with another person (if available).
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