Itinerary
- Day 1
Dubrovnik
You'll arrive in Dubrovnik and have time to check out the city before your 6 pm welcome meeting. The Church of St Blaise is worth seeing if you get there early, and the cable car up Mount Srd gives you views across the whole coast. If you're into that sort of thing, there are Game of Thrones filming spots around town too. After the meeting wraps up, you'll grab dinner with your group and get to know your fellow travelers.
Optional Activities
- Visit Church of St Blaise
- Take cable car to Mount Srd
- Discover Game of Thrones filming locations
- Mt Srd Museum of Croatian War of Independence - EUR4
- Lokrum Island Boat Trip - EUR27
- War Photography Museum - EUR10
- Rector's Palace - EUR13
- Discover Game of Thrones Filming Locations Urban Adventure - EUR69
- Srd Hill Hike - Free
- Franciscan Monastery - EUR4
- City Walls Walk - EUR35
Landmarks Church of St Blaise Mount Srd 
- Day 2
Elafiti Islands - Dubrovnik
Today takes you out to the Elafiti Islands, a small group of islands northwest of Dubrovnik. You'll explore some churches along the way and then spend time relaxing at the beach or swimming. Lunch happens at a coastal restaurant, and you'll head back to Dubrovnik in the afternoon. That leaves the rest of the day free, so you could visit Big Onofrio's Fountain or the Franciscan Monastery. Banje Beach is a nice spot for an evening wind down, or you might find a dinner spot with a sunset view.
Included Activities
- Dubrovnik - Elafiti Island Day Trip
Optional Activities
- Visit Big Onofrio's Fountain
- Visit Franciscan Monastery
- Relax and swim at the beach
- Dine at a coastal restaurant
Landmarks Elafiti Islands Big Onofrio's Fountain Franciscan Monastery Banje Beach - Day 3
Dubrovnik to Split
The journey up the coast to Split takes most of the day, so bring something to keep yourself entertained, whether that's a book or podcast. When you arrive in the afternoon, you'll have time to walk through the historic streets on your own. The Diocletian's Palace is a UNESCO site and worth checking out, or you could join a local guide if that appeals to you. End the evening with dinner by the water, either trying some seafood or catching the sunset.
Optional Activities
- Wander through historic streets
- Visit Diocletian's Palace
- Join a tour with a local guide
- Dinner by the sea
Landmarks Diocletian's Palace - Day 4
Split
You've got the whole day free in Split's Old Town. At the center of everything sits Diocletian's Palace, a 3rd-century structure built for the Roman Emperor. Walking through the passageways and courtyards, you'll find shops, cafes, and restaurants tucked throughout. There's a 16th-century synagogue to see as well. If you want a higher view, climb up the Cathedral of Saint Domnius. Later, settle at a waterfront cafe and try some of Croatia's coffee culture.
Optional Activities
- Explore Diocletian's Palace passageways and courtyards
- Visit 16th-century synagogue
- Climb Cathedral of Saint Domnius for views
- Sample Croatian coffee at Riva waterfront promenade
- Fish Market - Free
- Cellars of the Diocletian's Palace - EUR8
- Ethnographic Museum - EUR3
- City Museum - EUR4
- Gallery of Fine Arts - EUR5
- St Domnius Cathedral and Tower - EUR10
- Highlights of Split Urban Adventure - EUR64
Landmarks Cathedral of Saint Domnius Diocletian's Palace Riva Waterfront Promenade - Day 5
Split to Zagreb via Plitvice Lakes National Park
Plitvice Lakes National Park is your destination today, a UNESCO site known for its natural beauty. You can explore on your own or stick with your leader through wooded hills, turquoise lakes, and waterfalls. The trails are well marked and easy to walk, and you might spot some local wildlife in the primeval forest. After that, you'll head to Zagreb, Croatia's capital, where you'll spend the night.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Plitvice Lakes - National Park Visit
Optional Activities
- Self-guided exploration of Plitvice Lakes trails
- Follow leader to best spots in the park
Landmarks Plitvice Lakes National Park 
- Day 6
Zagreb
Your guide leads an orientation walk around Zagreb after breakfast, then you'll head to Dolac Market, the city's main market. The upper level has seasonal produce while the lower level sells cheese and meats. Stop by a bakery to try cevapcici, a traditional grilled minced meat snack. The rest of your day is open, so you could see the Gothic Zagreb Cathedral or check out the Museum of Broken Relationships. Zagreb has several good museums if you're into that.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch (At Dolac Market)
Included Activities
- Zagreb - Leader-led Orientation Walk
- Zagreb - Dolac Market Lunch
Optional Activities
- Visit Zagreb Cathedral
- Visit Museum of Broken Relationships
- Explore excellent museums
- Mirogoj Cemetery - Free
- Cathedral - Free
- Kula Lotrščak - EUR3
- The Croatian Museum of Naive Art - EUR5
Landmarks Dolac Market Zagreb Cathedral Museum of Broken Relationships - Day 7
Zagreb to Ljubljana
Today brings a train ride across the Slovenian border to Ljubljana, the country's capital. After checking in, you'll take a short orientation walk with your leader. The rest of the day is yours to explore this sophisticated city. The old city centre is unique and worth wandering through. Ljubljana Castle, the Town Hall, Dragon Bridge, and Preseren Square are all interesting spots to visit.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Short orientation walk with leader
Optional Activities
- Explore old city centre
- Visit Ljubljana Castle
- Visit Town Hall
- Visit Dragon Bridge - Free
- Visit Preseren Square
- Metelkova Neighbourhood - Free
- Castle and Funicular - EUR16
- Sights & Bites Urban Adventure - EUR130
Landmarks Ljubljana Castle Town Hall Dragon Bridge Preseren Square - Day 8
Ljubljana / Bled
You have a free day in Ljubljana or the option to take a day trip to Bled. The alpine resort has a fairy-tale feel with its castle, peaceful lake, and island church. You can take a traditional Pletna boat across the lake to the island and climb 99 steps to St Mary's Church. Bled cream cake is famous here and worth trying at a local cafe. If you want something more active, there's rafting, caving, cycling, and canoeing available. Your group might get together for dinner to try local dishes like struklji or potica.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Optional Activities
- Day trip to Bled by public bus - EUR15
- Bled Castle - EUR15
- Pletna Boat Trip across Lake Bled - EUR14
- Try Bled cream cake
- Rafting
- Caving
- Cycling
- Canoeing
- Swimming
- Dinner with group trying struklji or potica
Landmarks Lake Bled St Mary's Church Bled Castle - Day 9
Ljubljana to Venice
A bus takes you to Venice, the capital of northern Italy's Veneto region, known for its canals and nearly 400 bridges linking small islands. You'll have the day free to explore. St Mark's Basilica and the Rialto Bridge are must-sees, and the Doge's Palace is worth your time. You could ride a gondola through the romantic canals or hunt down tiramisu, the region's specialty. Your group has dinner together tonight to mark the final evening of this leg.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Optional Activities
- Visit St Mark's Basilica
- Cross Rialto Bridge
- Tour Doge's Palace
- Ride a gondola
- Try tiramisu
- Dinner with group
Landmarks St Mark's Basilica Rialto Bridge Doge's Palace 
- Day 10
Venice
Today you'll explore Venice's watery maze of bridges, towers, piazzas, canals, churches, and gondolas, which have stayed practically the same for 600 years. Walking through the streets behind San Marco Square helps you understand how the canal system works, and you'll find great food along the way. Venice combines artistic masterpieces with contemporary life through food, performance, art, and architecture. There's a group meeting tonight at 6 pm with new tour members joining.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Optional Activities
- Walk through maze of streets behind San Marco Square
- Explore canals
- Visit churches
- Dine at local restaurants
Landmarks San Marco Square 
- Day 11
Venice
Your leader takes you on an orientation walk around San Marco Square, pointing out Classical, Gothic, and Baroque architecture and where to find cicchetti, Venice's famous local snacks. For lunch, join the crowd at a local bacaro or sit at a waterfront restaurant watching life go by. The afternoon and evening are free. You could take the Vaporetto water bus to San Giorgio island and climb the bell tower for city views, or take a gondola ride down the Grand Canal.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Venice - Leader-led Orientation Walk
- Venice - San Marco Square
- Venice - Cicchetti Snack Stop
Optional Activities
- Take Vaporetto to San Giorgio island and climb bell tower
- Take gondola ride down Grand Canal
- Lunch at local bacaro
- Doge's Palace & Bridge of Sighs - EUR30
- Gondola Ride - EUR80
- Peggy Guggenheim Collection - EUR17
- St Mark's Campanile - EUR12
- Accademia Gallery - EUR16
- Ca' D'Oro - Galería Franchetti - EUR15
- Ca' Rezzonico Museum of Eighteenth Century Art - EUR11
- Glass Museum Murano - EUR11
- Museum of St Mark's Basilica - EUR5
- Scuola Grande di San Rocco - EUR14
- Chicchetti & Wine Tour of Venice Urban Adventure - EUR112
- St Mark's Basilica Treasury - EUR5
Landmarks San Giorgio Island Grand Canal - Day 12
Venice to La Spezia via Cinque Terre Gateway
A morning train takes you through scenic northern Italy to La Spezia, your gateway to Cinque Terre. After settling into your hotel, take a short walk around the pedestrian zone on Via del Prione or head out for dinner with your group. There's not much time to explore today, but tomorrow is all about the five gorgeous villages.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Optional Activities
- Walk around pedestrian zone on Via del Prione
- Dinner with group
Landmarks Via del Prione 
- Day 13
Cinque Terre
Your included pass gets you into the UNESCO World Heritage Cinque Terre. Your leader walks you to two of the five villages (Monterosso, Vernazzo, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore). With 24-hour access to trails and trains, you can mix walking and riding depending on what suits you. Some sections have challenging uphill stretches, narrow paths, steep cliffs, and foot bridges, so talk with your leader about which routes work for you. There's an optional pesto class, and focaccia makes a good lunch.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Cinque Terre - Day Trip, including Cinque Terre Pass
Optional Activities
- Walk to two villages with leader
- Self-guided exploration of trails
- Train between villages
- 'Il Laboratorio del Pesto' Making & Demonstration - EUR25
- Coastal Cruise - EUR41
- Via dell'Amore trail - EUR10
- Try focaccia for lunch
Landmarks Monterosso Vernazzo Corniglia Manarola Riomaggiore - Day 14
La Spezia to Florence
You'll catch a train from La Spezia to Florence, one of Italy's most culturally rich cities. After checking into your hostel, take a quick walk around the area to get oriented. Florence is the heart of Tuscany, with ties to the Medicis, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, and Michelangelo. Food matters deeply here. There's an optional Florence Foodies Walk if that interests you, or try the famous Bistecca alla Fiorentina, a huge T-bone steak.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Optional Activities
- Brief walk around immediate area
- Explore city's culinary history
- Florence Foodies Walk Urban Adventure - EUR79
- Try Bistecca alla Fiorentina
Landmarks Florence Old Town 
- Day 15
Florence
You have another day in Florence to make the most of. With so much to see in this Renaissance city, pick a few things that really appeal to you. The Galleria dell'Accademia has Michelangelo's famous David statue. The Uffizi is one of the world's oldest art galleries. Piazzale Michelangelo sits on a hill south of the Arno River and offers beautiful city views. Lots of optional activities are available, so ask your leader what matches your interests.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Florence - Leader-led Orientation Walk
Optional Activities
- Visit Galleria dell'Accademia to see Michelangelo's David
- Visit Uffizi Gallery
- Walk to Piazzale Michelangelo for panoramic views
- Siena - Day Trip by Public Bus - EUR24
- Brunelleschi 3 Days pass - Baptistry, Museo Opera del Duomo, Giotto Bell Tower and Brunelleschi Dome - EUR30
- Palazzo Vecchio - EUR12
- Accademia - EUR20
- Uffizi Gallery - EUR29
- Pitti Palace (Boboli Gardens, Museo Argenti, Costume Gallery, Porcellain Museum) - EUR22
- Bargello Museum - EUR16
- Medici Chapels - EUR17
Landmarks Galleria dell'Accademia Uffizi Gallery Piazzale Michelangelo - Day 16
Florence to Rome
The morning train takes you to Rome, where your leader guides an orientation walk past the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, and Piazza Navona. After all that walking, grab a slice of pizza and strong espresso at Piazza Navona. Your afternoon is free to explore what calls to you. The Vatican and St Peter's Basilica, the Sistine Chapel, or the Pantheon are all options. Rome has trattorias for every taste and budget, and your group will meet for dinner.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Rome - Leader-led Orientation Walk
- Rome - Trevi Fountain
Optional Activities
- Visit Spanish Steps
- Visit Pantheon
- Visit Piazza Navona
- Grab pizza and espresso at Piazza Navona
- Enter Vatican and visit St Peter's Basilica
- Visit Sistine Chapel
- Walk through Pantheon
- Dinner with group
- Castel Sant'Angelo - EUR19
- Christian Catacombs - EUR10
- Colosseum, Roman Forum & Palatine Hill - EUR19
- Keats-Shelley Memorial House - EUR6
- Vatican Museum - EUR25
- Pantheon - EUR5
- St Peter's Dome Climb & Elevator - EUR10
- Venezia Palace - EUR17
- Galleria Borghese - EUR17
Landmarks Spanish Steps Trevi Fountain Pantheon Piazza Navona Vatican St Peter's Basilica Sistine Chapel 
- Day 17
Rome
Your journey ends today with no planned activities. You're free to leave after checkout. Rome has so much more to see that you might consider staying longer. Your booking agent can help arrange extra accommodation if you want to extend your stay.
- Meals
- Breakfast
