Meet up with your Contiki Crew before we hit the road and take a ferry past the White Cliffs of Dover. We travel via World War 1 battle fields in the Valley of the Somme to Paris.

If you’re adventurous, get right into French culture when you arrive at the campsite. Your Contiki Cook will prepare authentic escargots (snails) for the group. It’s a perfect opportunity to try out this national delicacy.

You’ll also get to toast the start of your tour together in style with our special “Taste of France” welcome. Your Crew will serve champagne and local cheeses before we kick start Paris with the “Tour of Illuminations”, where the French capital transforms into the ‘City of Lights’. Lamp-lit bridges and cool little cafes give us a real taste of Paris’ romance. Your Tour Manager will fill you in on the world’s most recognised monuments, like the Arc de Triomphe and Eiffel Tower.

• Contiki Village

• Dinner

Southbound, we stop off at the massive 12th Century chateau, Fontainebleau. Walk around the imperial gardens and check out the chateau’s imposing, regal exterior.

We continue on through Burgundy’s wine country to Beaujolais’ green hills and vineyards.

Our team will make you feel right at home in Contiki’s very own 16th Century chateau. There’s a wine tasting within the chateau’s working winery, where our resident expert will teach you about Beaujolais wine as you swirl and sip on wines made in the area for centuries.

• Contiki Special Stopover

• Breakfast
• Dinner

There’s loads of time to catch up on some sleep, laze about the Chateau or position yourself poolside. Explore the French countryside with a walk through the vineyards and picnic in the hills above the chateau. In the afternoon, get a feel for a real French country town and head into nearby Thiezé.

• Contiki Special Stopover

• Breakfast
• Dinner
• Picnic Lunch

Today, it’s on to Pont du Gard in Southern France. It’s a stunning bridge with 2000 year old arches spanning across the river. This imposing Roman Aqueduct is an impressive feat of ancient engineering.

We keep heading south through the rugged and dramatic scenery of the Pyrénées mountains, over the border into Barcelona.

A sizzling, festive capital any night of the week, Barcelona is all about action. In Spain, fiesta time starts late, so park yourself at one of the city’s many outdoor squares to enjoy a glass of sangria and nibble on tapas (plate sized snacks) before a fun night out exploring Barcelona’s nightlife with your new friends.

• Hostel

• Breakfast
• Dinner

First stop: Mont Juic. The hilltop has full-blown vistas of the city and it’s where we stop to check out the 1992 Olympic Games complex. Afterwards, get a look into Spanish architect Gaudi’s wild imagination with his art nouveau masterpiece, the Sagrada Familia cathedral. Your Tour Manager walks you through the cobbled lanes of Barcelona’s oldest district, the Gothic Quarter.

There’s free time to discover more of Barcelona’s creative core. Pick up some quirky buys in the side streets or hit the big label shops on Plaça de Catalunya. Take in all of Barcelona’s buzzing street life on the tree-lined La Rambla – a boulevard packed with street performers, artists, shops and stalls.

Other ideas for your afternoon off include hanging out in the colourful gardens of Parc Güell or kicking back with the locals on the beach and taking a swim in the Mediterranean sea. For lunch, there’s plenty of delicious local seafood to try like Spain’s signature dish, paella.

Wrap up your time in this hot city with an optional Flamenco dance show for a closer look into Spanish culture. Get some tips on regional food from your Tour Manager and head to one of the excellent local restaurants to try out the flavours of Catalan cuisine, like crema catalana (caramalised custard), cargos a la llauna(cooked snails) and the fantastic Rioja wine! Afterward, hit the pumping clubs of Port Olympico, by the water.

• Contiki Village

• Breakfast
• Dinner

Unwind on the coach and take in the rustic beauty of Provence, known for its pretty landscapes of lavender, sunflowers and wild herbs. A stop for lunch in Arles means a look at the ancient Roman Arena and at a typical provincial French town.

It’s back on the road to the rugged coast line of the stunning Cote d’Azur. Follow the beautiful sapphire waters past the movie-star glamour of Cannes (famous for its annual film festival), to Antibes.

• Contiki Village

• Breakfast
• Dinner

Next stop on the Riviera and home to the French perfume industry is Fragonard Perfumery. Learn about how perfume is made and some of its more surprising ingredients. It’s also a chance to pick up a bottle or 2 at great prices.

In your free time live a bit of the lifestyle with a visit to the local markets. Try out the region’s produce like lavender honey, aioli (garlic mayonnaise) and mouth-watering rosé wine.

Window shop the chic boutiques or choose a beach and catch some sun among all the bronzed bodies!

Tonight get a taste of the high life in Monaco, the glamorous principality packed into just 1.92km2 and home to the Formula 1. Get the inside story on the royal family and their place of residence from your Tour Manager. Try your luck at a casino later on.

• Contiki Village

• Breakfast
• Dinner

Onwards to Italy and Verona, another UNESCO World Heritage site. Get romantic and stand under one of the world’s most famous shrines to love, Juliet’s balcony from Romeo and Juliet. Check out the main shopping street and the Roman arena, before heading on to Venice.

• Contiki Village

• Breakfast
• Dinner

Known as the “floating city” Venice is packed with character, crammed with hidden lanes and linked by a network of canals.

The group travels on our private boat through the waters of the lagoon to visit the city’s historical heart. The limestone Bridge of Sighs, the gothic arches of Doges’ Palace and the expanse of St Mark’s Square (pigeons and all!) show off Venice’s unique beauty and way of life.

Learn about local artistry with a traditional glass blowing demonstration – a craft the city has been famous for since the 13th century.

Take some time to explore the floating city and lose yourself in the backstreets. There’s an optional walking tour where you can discover the labyrinth of interweaving lanes, waterways, palaces, piazzi and markets with our Local Guide. You’ll see historic monuments, hidden treasures and the Rialto market – a local favourite for food shopping.

Maybe grab a table on St Mark’s Square and eat some delicious Italian food al fresco.

Cap off the day with an optional gondola ride with your friends. Take a bottle of prosecco (Italian champagne) and toast this unforgettable experience as you are punted through the waterways.

• Contiki Village

• Breakfast
• Dinner

Wind through the Apennine Mountains and Tuscan countryside to the Renaissance city of Florence, with a stop at the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa.

The scene-stealing Duomo cathedral rises above Florence, which serves up frescoes, markets and priceless art. After dinner, walk along the River Arno with your Tour Manager, take in the atmosphere and head into the heart of Florence, where you can sit back and relax Tuscan style with a glass of chianti wine.

• Contiki Village

• Breakfast
• Dinner

Jump start the day uncovering this open-air museum and its UNESCO World Heritage city centre..

Our Local Guide gives you the inside track as the group learns about Florence’s cultural beginnings and explores streets crammed with artworks from masters like Michelangelo. Then take a look into a skillful demonstration of Florentine leather making and understand this region’s traditional art.

With bargains and bustle, the city’s markets are a great place to hang out. Grab a gelato and enjoy this gorgeous city.

Tonight, there’s a choice of a group dinner – an authentic Tuscan feast. Try regional dishes in the heart of Florence. Then keep it moving with a night out and get your groove on at Florence’s biggest club.

• Contiki Village

• Breakfast

Travel through Tuscany’s rustic hills, past the recognisable cypress tree landscapes of this olive-oil producing region, to vibrant Rome.

Stylish Rome oozes energy and overflows with relics from another age. In the afternoon, make the most of our local guide’s inside knowledge and uncover the remains of an ancient empire with a fantastic optional tour of the Roman Forum and Colosseum.

Our special access coach tour gets you right into the thriving atmosphere of this living timeline as your Tour Manager shows you the Colosseum and Piazza Venzia. Continue on foot to check out the Pantheon and Piazza Navona. Honour tradition at the Trevi Fountain and throw a coin in the fountain’s waters (it’s meant to improve your chances of returning to Rome!) or maybe hang out with your new friends at the Spanish Steps, sit back with a few slices of pizza and people watch.

Get into the thriving atmosphere of this living timeline as your Tour Manager shows you the Colosseum, the Pantheon, Piazza Venezia and Piazza Navona. Honour tradition at the Trevi Fountain and throw a coin in the fountain’s waters (it’s meant to improve your chances of returning to Rome!) or maybe hang out with your new friends at the Spanish Steps and eat a few slices of pizza.

• Contiki Village

• Breakfast

This morning, check-out the smallest country in the world and home to the Pope, the Vatican City. You’ve got plenty of time to take a closer look at St Peter’s Basilica or Michelangelo’s masterpiece, the Sistine Chapel.

Take off into the city and absorb the atmosphere, as vespas flash past timeworn monuments that are surrounded by fountains, pizzerias, cafes and bars.

Before you hit the shops, let your Tour Manager point you in the right direction with some tips on the best buys.

In your free time, live the local lifestyle by indulging in a long lunch on a paved piazza or knock back a shot of espresso at the bar, like the Romans do.

• Contiki Village

• Breakfast
• Dinner

Pass gritty Naples, see Mt Vesuvius and plunge into Pompeii’s well-preserved past in an interesting optional excursion and retrace ancient history with our expert Local Guide.

Then there’s time to chill out on the coach, crossing through the rugged landscapes of Southern Italy, before boarding the overnight ferry to Greece in Brindisi. Check out the amazing 360 degree views from the deck!

• Adriatic Ferry

• Breakfast

From Corfu, head to the mainland and travel to the impressive, man-made Corinth Canal.

Athens is next, a city crammed with myth and ancient wonders, and busy with modern, urban soul. Wrap up the day on the shady slopes beneath the Acropolis, with an optional dinner in the rustic district of Plaka, full of traditional tavernas spilling out onto the pavements.

• Hotel

• Breakfast

Step back in time in Europe’s oldest city to the birthplace of democracy. Get the run down on the Parthenon and the Acropolis from our Local Guide, as you wander around the marble columns perched above the city sprawl. Then we check out the first modern Olympic Stadium from the 1896 games.

The tour winds down in the heart of the city at Syntagma Square, home to the Greek parliament. Make the most of a last look at the Parthenon before you farewell friends.

• Breakfast