GETTING THERE

Eurostar (eurostar.com) return fares to Paris start from £58 (€66). For onward rail travel to Italy, visit loco2. com.

The Gritti Palace, Venice, has rooms from €470 per night. Visit thegrittipalace.com.

Hotel d’Inghilterra, has rooms from €270 per night including breakfast. Visit slh.com/hoteldinghilterra.

Great Rail Journeys (greatrail.com) offers a range of rail holidays to France and Italy. Belmond (belmond. com) offers an overnight journey aboard the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express from London to Venice from £2,129 (€2,412). A RIOT OF COLOUR: Venice’s spectacular Grand Canal, left