Explore the UNESCO-listed Old Town on a guided walk, entering through Pile Gate to the polished limestone of the Stradun. Landmarks line the way: Onofrio’s Fountain, Sponza Palace, the Rector’s Palace, and elegant baroque churches.

Unfold the legacy of a seafaring republic and note film locations that spotlight the city’s dramatic walls and red roofs. Local tips point toward tucked-away alleys, markets, and breezy terraces for later.

Share a home-hosted dinner in Sarajevo, gathering around a family table laden with stuffed dolma, flaky burek, and honeyed baklava. Conversations flow as recipes and traditions are explained between courses, wrapped in warm Bosnian hospitality.

Gain insight into everyday life during and after the siege while you support local households directly. This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Settle into a traditional konoba dinner in Split for Dalmatian cuisine—perhaps grilled Adriatic seafood or a peka slow-cooked feast—paired with robust Plavac Mali wines. Stone walls, candlelight, and coastal flavors set the mood.

Hosts explain island ingredients, olive-oil heritage, and the rhythm of the Adriatic table as the evening unfolds. This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Cruise the Danube at dusk as Budapest’s riverfront glows. Glide past the Hungarian Parliament lit up and under illuminated bridges toward the terraces of Buda Castle, all mirrored in the inky water.

Sip a drink, enjoy gentle commentary, and frame perfect photos from the open deck as the skyline drifts by. This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Enjoy a traditional Slovenian evening with live folk dance and music alongside regional dishes such as jota stew and sweet štruklji. Local wines and rakija add convivial warmth to the celebration.

Hear the stories behind costumes and steps as performers share Alpine and Karst traditions that shape Slovenian identity. This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Follow wooden boardwalks through a maze of turquoise lakes and silver-thread cascades in UNESCO-listed Plitvice. Mist rises from travertine steps as dragonflies skim waters so clear you can count the fish below.

Learn about karst geology while admiring Veliki Slap, the park’s tallest waterfall, and quiet forest glades where beech and fir close overhead. Each turn reveals new angles on Croatia’s most cinematic landscapes.

Join a guided panoramic tour across both banks of Budapest, pausing for photos at Heroes’ Square and the grand boulevards of Andrássy Avenue. Cross the Chain Bridge to the Buda Castle district and the neo-Romanesque terraces of Fisherman’s Bastion.

Hear how Habsburg elegance and Magyar identity shaped this river city as domes and spires line the Danube. Capture Parliament’s lace-like facade from the water’s edge and trace centuries along elegant embankments.

Walk the shores of Lake Bled, where mirror-still waters frame the island church and Bled Castle perched high above. Pine-scented paths open to quiet viewpoints perfect for photographs and lungfuls of crisp mountain air.

Hear stories of Carniolan nobles and wartime chapters while watching traditional pletna boats glide across the water. The Julian Alps form a jagged, snow-dusted backdrop to this serene pocket of Slovenia.

Stroll the Roman Forum and the cylindrical Church of St. Donatus before reaching the Sea Organ, where Adriatic waves play haunting harmonies through hidden pipes along the promenade.

Consider Venetian-era ramparts and playful modern art, especially the luminous Greeting to the Sun that mirrors the sky. Zadar distills antiquity, design, and seaside mood into a compact, walkable stage.

Walk a section of the Ston Walls for sweeping views across the Pelješac Peninsula and the geometric shimmer of ancient salt pans. Stone stairways and crenellations serve up striking coastal panoramas.

Hear how the Republic of Ragusa built these fortifications to guard one of Europe’s oldest active saltworks, a prized commodity since the 14th century. The town’s grid plan and quiet lanes hint at maritime wealth.

Experience a ruin bar crawl through District VII, where derelict courtyards became arty hangouts filled with mismatched furniture and plant-filled atriums. Iconic Szimpla Kert sets the tone with collage-like interiors and pop-up art.

Join a hosted evening that showcases creative nightlife across a handful of venues with time for toasts and music. This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Visit Stari Most, the elegant single-span bridge soaring over the emerald Neretva River. From the stone parapets, see local divers gauge the currents and take in minarets and market stalls that frame Mostar’s Ottoman heart.

Hear how the bridge—destroyed in 1993—was painstakingly rebuilt using traditional techniques and local stone. Wander the cobbles of the Kujundžiluk bazaar for artisan metalwork and the aroma of thick Bosnian coffee drifting from snug cafés.

Join a guided walking tour through Bašcaršija, where copper workshops ring and pigeons circle the Sebilj Fountain. Step past historic mosques and cafés scented with freshly roasted beans and sesame-dusted somun.

Trace turning points at the Latin Bridge, where 1914 history ignited, and read the city’s story in the Sarajevo Roses and Austro-Hungarian facades. Your guide connects Bašcaršija bazaar, Yugoslav memories, and present-day resilience into a vivid narrative.

Ramble Knez Mihailova and Republic Square before reaching the leafy ramparts of Kalemegdan Fortress for sweeping views of the confluence of the Sava and Danube. Street musicians and bookstalls add a lively local soundtrack to this grand promenade.

Explore Beogradska Tvrdava, layered with Roman, Ottoman, and Habsburg defenses, and pause by the Belgrade Victor statue surveying the rivers. Handy orientation tips point toward café-lined quarters and riverside paths for independent discovery.

• 14 Breakfast (B)
• 3 Dinner (D)

• London: A modular trip means fellow travellers will join and leave at various locations. There’ll be some goodbyes, sure, but there’ll also be plenty of hellos with new like-minded travellers.

• Tirana: Take an orientation around the rainbow-coloured Albanian capital with your Contiki gang. Familiarise yourself with the landmarks and best places to grab a coffee.
• Tirana: Wanna dive into Albania’s past? Then you need visit Bunk’Art – a massive underground bunker turned museum. It was once built to protect leaders from nuclear attacks. And now it tells the story of Albania’s communist era with art, history (and even a few surprises!). Explore eerie tunnels, snap some pics, and experience a slice of Cold War history you won’t find anywhere else.
• Mostar: See this epic piece of Ottoman architecture, which was destroyed by war in 1993 and then rebuilt.  
• Sarajevo: See the sights of the Bosnian capital and get up to speed on 500 years of history, from the Ottomans to the present day. 
• Belgrade: Ramble around the Serbian capital. It’s brimming with culture and history for you to soak up. 
• Budapest: An expert walking tour that’ll take you past the Royal Palace, Chain Bridge and Fisherman’s Bastion.
• Lake Bled: Take it easy with your new besties as you walk around the scenic lake, framed by the Julian Alps. 
• Plitvice Lakes National Park: Turquoise lakes. Sparkling waterfalls. Lush green forests. You’ll never want to leave this little slice of heaven. 
• Dubrovnik: Stroll through the UNESCO-listed old town with a local guide. And play a game of ‘spot the Game of Thrones film set’ as you go.  

Explore Tirana on a guided walking tour, taking in Skanderbeg Square, the mosaicked Et’hem Bey Mosque, and pastel facades along Italianate boulevards. Your guide points out Blloku’s cafés and street art that capture the capital’s youthful energy and creative pulse.

Descend into the BUNK’ART museum, a Cold War bunker once built for Albania’s leadership. As you move through echoing tunnels and staged rooms, exhibitions unpack decades of isolation under Hoxha and the city’s rapid reinvention in the 21st century.

Contiki