11:00 am: Meet at Ljubljana Central Train Station. Drive to the medieval village of Skopja Loka for a visit and lunch. Continue to Lake Bohinj, passing by the beautiful Lake Bled with its fairytale castle. Check into Hotel Jezero, a 4-star hotel with an indoor pool overlooking Lake Bohinj. Later in the day, enjoy a scenic walk along a gorge dotted with waterfalls to a viewpoint, where we can enjoy an aperitif overlooking the lake. Dinner in a local Gostilna (Inn).

(6.5 km/4.1 miles)

Hike from the hotel into lush alpine pastures typical of the region. The walk takes us up to Rudnica (946m) before descending through beech woods and across fields to a small farming village for a picnic, including local cheese tasting. Enjoy some free time to stroll by the lake or take a dip in the pool before dinner in the hotel.

(10.5 km/6.6 miles)

Take a cable car above Lake Bohinj to 1534m to start our hike. The trail climbs past mountain dairies and through flower-filled pastures. A short scramble leads us to a spectacular ridge at 1800m, where we picnic with magnificent views. Descend via a different route and return to the valley by cable car. Visit the Alpine Dairy Museum on our way to dinner in a local restaurant. (8 km/5 miles) – no van access today. Both guides will accompany the group and carry the picnic.

Depart Lake Bohinj after breakfast and drive through to central Primorska. After a coffee break in Cerkno, start our walk climbing through woodland to the 12th-century church of St. Ivan. Meet a local guide for a visit to a prehistoric cave, believed to have been inhabited over 35,000 years ago, where the oldest musical instrument was found. In the afternoon, drive following the turquoise Soca River to Kobarid (Caporetto), where we stay for two nights. Dinner and wine tasting at Topli Val restaurant.

(4.6 km/2.8 miles)

Explore the hills behind Kobarid, passing ancient fort remains and World War I trenches of the Isonzo front. Cross the Soča River on a suspension bridge and visit a stunning waterfall before continuing through woods and farmland to a small village overlooking the valley. Visit the fascinating museum in the afternoon. Enjoy a Degustation Menu with matching wines in the hotel’s fabulous restaurant tonight.

(9.5 km/6 miles)

Depart Kobarid and start our walk at a small village at 860m. Hike steadily through beautiful woods and pastures, crossing the border between Slovenia and Italy at Mount Matajur (1648m). Take in views of Slovenia, Austria, and the coast near Trieste, Italy. Descend through Alpine pastures, enjoy lunch, and end our walk at a mountain refuge. Visit the Unesco World Heritage city of Cividale di Friuli before a short drive to the Collio wine region for a 3-night stay. Dinner in a local restaurant close to the hotel.

(9.3 km/5.8 miles)

Non-walking day. Drive to the UNESCO World Heritage town of Aquileia, known as a cradle of Italian and European civilization. Visit the Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta, which houses one of the most impressive mosaics in the world. After lunch at the coast, return to Castello di Spessa to relax before dinner in the hotel restaurant.

Walk between Slovenia and Italy in the Collio (Italy) and Brda (Slovenia) hills surrounding Gorizia. Explore vineyards known for their white wines, past small villages and castles, and experience the hospitality of local wine makers. Return to the hotel by van. Our final evening is at the renowned La Subida restaurant in Cormons.

(10.5 km/6.6 miles)

Return to Venice Marco Polo Airport for 11:00 am.

Meet in Innsbruck at 10.30 am at the Hotel Innsbruck on Innrain 3. A short drive takes us to the Tyrol. We stop en route for a light lunch and a visit to the “Silberstadt” or silver town of Schwaz, a medieval gem which once rivalled Vienna in its wealth and importance. We stay for two nights in a resort hotel in the charming village of Hopfgarten nestled into a lovely valley at 622m. Dinner in a local restaurant this evening.

We take the cable car from the centre of the village up to 1178m. Our hike takes us past a couple of pretty lakes, climbing through pine forest to an easy trail through the lush alpine pastures on the slopes of Hohe Salve mountain. We enjoy wonderful views down to the valley, across to Kitzbuhel and, on a clear day, to the snow-capped peaks of the Hohe Tauern National Park. We picnic just below the summit before descending to a popular Gasthof for a refreshing drink before taking the cable car back to the village. No van access today, both guides hike with the group and carry the picnic. Dinner in a local restaurant.

(11.5km/7 miles)

We depart Hopfgarten and head to the Hohe Tauern National Park. We drive the Grossglockner High Alpine Road, one of the most fascinating panoramic roads in Europe taking us to over 2500m. Enjoy stunning views of Austria’s highest mountain and the Pasterze glacier, the longest in the Eastern Alps. Our home for the next three nights is the welcoming Macher family hotel in the lovely village of St Jakob in Defereggen at 1390m. Dinner in the hotel this evening.

We hike up a lush valley, following the path of a pretty mountain stream surrounded by magnificent mountain peaks. Our destination is Jagdhausalm, a cluster of a dozen stone houses embedded in a picturesque natural backdrop at over 2000m altitude. The hamlet is one of the oldest alpine pastures in Austria dating back to the early Middle Ages. We eat in a tiny inn with magnificent views before descending down the valley. (18km/11 miles). Today both guides hike with the group and there is no van access during the day. Dinner this evening is in a local restaurant.

We take a cable car and chair lift above the tree line to 2300m from where our hike starts. Quiet trails ascend up to a saddle at 2700m, through beautiful pastures with delightful wild flowers, from where we enjoy fabulous views of small mountain lakes, waterfalls and magnificent snowcapped mountains. We descend on a pretty rocky trail following the trail of a mountain stream and take the cable car back to the village. No van access today, both guides hike with the group and carry the picnic. Dinner in the hotel restaurant.

(12km/7.5 miles)

We depart St Jakob and hike up to the border with Italy at a spectacular mountain lake. We picnic whilst still in Austria and then hike across the border on foot. (11km/6.8 miles) From here a beautiful drive takes us to the Val Pusteria and onto Sesto in the Dolomites where we stay in a luxurious hotel with a magnificent spa for the final three nights of the tour.

A short drive takes us to the start of our hike. We follow an easy trail through ancient pine forest before climbing, steeply at times, to emerge above the tree line at the 1918 Austro-Italian border. We see vestiges of the intense fighting that took place in the region in World War I. Picnic in an alpine meadow. No van access today, both guides hike with the group and carry the picnic. In the afternoon we enjoy spectacular views of Dolomite peaks. Descend to the hotel by cable car. Dinner in a local restaurant this evening.

(12km/7.5 miles)

Our final hike is a magnificent circuit starting in the Fiscalina valley from where we climb on a well-graded mountain trail to the heart of the Sesto Dolomites/Dolomite peaks. Stunning scenery with picturesque lakes and ever-changing scenes of spires and pinnacles, soaring peaks – including the renowned Tre Cime – and vast scree slopes with beautiful alpine blooms. No van access during the hike today, both guides hike with the group and we eat lunch in a mountain refuge. This is a very challenging but extremely rewarding day, we ascend/descend over 1000m, but it is well worth the effort!

(19.5km/12.1 miles)

We depart Sesto after breakfast and drive to the city of Bolzano (approx 2 hours) where we visit the museum dedicated to the 5,300 year old Otzi frozen man. After lunch in a nearby trattoria we continue on to the city of Verona to arrive at the airport by 4.30 pm, followed by Verona train station.

We meet in the centre of Nice at 9:30 am at the Hotel NH Nice, 2-4 Parvis de L’Europe. A short drive takes us to Cap Ferrat where we enjoy a guided visit of the stunning Belle Epoque palace and gardens of Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild. After a leisurely lunch, overlooking the sea, we drive about 1 hr 30 mins north into the Mercantour National Park. We stay in the charming Hotel La Bonne Auberge in the centre of the lively town of Saint Martin Vesubie, which will be our base for the next three nights. Dinner in the hotel restaurant.

We drive to the Sanctuary of La Madone de Fenestre at 1904 m in the Mercantour National Park where our hike starts. We follow a trail walked through the centuries by traders, pilgrims, soldiers, and migrants as they crossed from the French coast over to the Po Valley. It climbs up past a beautiful mountain lake before reaching a high pass leading into Italy. We descend by a different trail via a mountain pass, used by smugglers, affording magnificent views of the Boreon Valley, to return to the Sanctuary. Dinner in a local restaurant.

(10 km/6.2 miles)

We drive up a wide valley, carved by glaciers, passing a pretty village to the starting point of our walk. We hike up the Gordolasque valley, following a path alongside the banks of a cascading river. We cross the water a couple of times on wooden bridges and have spectacular views of a small waterfall. We picnic by the edge of Lac de Fous, dwarfed by the surrounding mountain ridges at 3000 m, before descending back to the start.

(11 km/6.8 miles)

We depart Saint Martin Vesubie after breakfast and drive over the mountains into Italy via the Col de la Lombarde at 2350 m. We start our hike mid-morning, departing from Santa Anna di Vinadio, the highest sanctuary in Europe situated just over 2000 m. A circular trail climbs on small tracks and former military roads to a mountain pass at 2460 m. We pass several pristine alpine lakes before descending to arrive back at the sanctuary. There is no road access today so we picnic en route. From here, a short drive brings us to the Val Stura where we stay in a delightful family-run hotel in the village of Vinadio for two nights. Dinner in the hotel this evening.

(12 km/8 miles)

We head out from the hotel on foot, passing through the formidable fortress walls to climb high up above the town. We pass remote hamlets and enjoy wonderful open views of the Stura valley and the fortified town of Vinadio below. After our picnic, we descend back to the town. Later in the day, we enjoy a guided visit of the fort which protected the town from the 1800s to the Second World War. Dinner tonight in a local restaurant.

(11.5 km/7.2 miles)

We depart Vinadio after breakfast and a leisurely drive, stopping to visit a couple of important sites, brings us to Cuneo, one of the most important regional cities in Piedmont. It enjoys a stunning location in the valley, at the confluence of the Stura di Demonte and Gesso rivers, and has spectacular views to the Alps. We enjoy a fun cooking class of local specialties, followed by a relaxed lunch, where we dine on the fruits of our labour matched to some excellent local wines. After lunch, we check in to our hotel, the Palazzo Lovera, in the centre of the city. There is time in the afternoon for shopping. Later in the day, we follow the tradition of an apéritif in an elegant bar with delicious local nibbles, whilst watching the daily passeggiata. The rest of the evening is at leisure.

We drive out of the city and head up the Valle Maudagna. Our hike sets out from a charming mountain refuge – to which we return for our lunch. We climb up Monte Mondolè at 2382 m. On a clear day, the views take in Monviso, the Ligurian coast, and even Monte Bianco and Monte Rosa. After lunch, we drive to Vicoforte to visit the impressive Santuario di Vicoforte, built by Duke Carlo Emanuele of Savoy in the 16th century, which boasts the largest elliptical dome in the world. Dinner in a fabulous restaurant in Cuneo.

(8 km/5 miles)

For our final hike, we head to one of the less visited areas of the Maritime Alps National Park, starting out from a quaint village with pretty stone houses. Our trail touches on the Grande Traversata delle Alpi, a high mountain trail that unites the whole Alpine arc of Piemonte. We picnic by a beautiful alpine lake and pass by another on our descent. On this day, there is no vehicle access at lunch so your guides will hike the picnic in for you. Wonderful final dinner in a renowned restaurant in Cuneo.

(13 km/8 miles)

We return to central Turin for 11:00 am. The drop-off point is Hotel Concord, Via Lagrange, near Porta Nuova train station.