Arrival at Abano Terme in the late afternoon. Check-in at hotel, welcome cocktail, dinner and overnight stay.

Departure after breakfast for a guided visit to Padua, a city that still conserves important signs of its prestigious past, including first and foremost the Scrovegni Chapel, with a series of masterpiece frescoes by Giotto. After these works were painted, many of the city’s other monuments were decorated with frescoes by leading artists, and Padua therefore boasts Europe’s highest concentration of painted fresco cycles. Many architectural and artistic treasures can be admired in the Saint Anthony Basilica, in the Church of the Eremitani, with frescoes by the young Andrea Mantegna, and in the Baptistery of the Cathedral, the grandiose Basilica of Santa Giustina, and the Palazzo della Ragione. Free time for lunch. Visit to the city in the afternoon with a cruise along its waterways, boarding at the Porte Contarine lock and following the river as it passes the old Venetian walls from the Renaissance period and the gardens of the Roman arena. Beyond the former abattoir and the 16th-century walls lies Portello, the most important river port during the times of Venetian rule, and the cruise continues around the walls to return to Porte Contarine after about 90 minutes. Return to hotel in the late afternoon for dinner and overnight stay.

Breakfast in hotel and departure by coach for Venice, then boarding a private boat at Tronchetto and continuing to St Mark’s Square to meet the guide for a visit to the city centre. Given its significant heritage of arts and monuments, Venice is universally considered to be one of the world’s most beautiful cities, and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Guided visit to St Mark’s Square and surrounding area, including the Basilica, the famous Doge’s Palace, the Campanile and the Bridge of Sighs. Free time for lunch, and afternoon free in the city centre. Transfer to Tronchetto in the late afternoon by private boat. Return to hotel for dinner and overnight stay.