The included meals are noted on the daily itinerary.

Vegetarians and other dietary requirements can be catered for, but there may not be the same variety as you have at home. Please advise us upon booking.

The leader will accompany the group to a restaurant each evening but will provide recommendations if you wish to explore separately.

Gather for a farewell dinner in a welcoming lokanta, where shared plates of meze, chargrilled kebabs, and syrup-glossed baklava celebrate the city’s culinary lineage from Anatolia to the Balkans. Savor layered spices and warm hospitality.

Reflect on highlights from the Danube to the Bosphorus as you trade stories over steaming glasses of cay. This convivial finale caps the journey with flavors and conversation that linger long after the last bite.

Join a guided walking tour to understand the rhythm of Budapest, a city defined by the Danube’s curve and the union of Buda and Pest. Trace grand boulevards and stately squares, admire the river views from the Chain Bridge, and pause at the neoclassical grace of St Stephen’s Basilica.

Hear how Ottoman baths, Habsburg grandeur, and Art Nouveau design forged a singular identity. Your guide’s stories illuminate the city’s café tradition, thermal culture, and the layered history visible in its facades and monuments.

Descend into a cool, stone-lined cellar to visit a historic Tokaj wine cellar and sample Tokaji Aszú, the golden dessert wine once prized by kings. Sip nectarous vintages with notes of apricot and honey while learning how botrytised grapes are carefully harvested and blended.

Your host explains how volcanic soils and the Zemplén foothills shape Tokaj’s character, and how mossy, volcanic cellars provide the ideal environment for aging. A light snack complements the tasting and deepens the region’s gastronomic story.

Join a guided walking tour through Bucharest’s layered cityscape, from Belle Époque boulevards to the mighty Palace of the Parliament. Navigate the revived Lipscani Old Town, where courtyards and cafés occupy former merchants’ houses and Orthodox churches punctuate the lanes.

Unpack the city’s contrasts—interwar elegance, socialist monumentalism, and contemporary creativity—while your guide shares how Bucharest rebuilt and reimagined itself across the 20th century. The result is a capital of striking architectural contrasts and surprising charm.

Follow your Tour Director on an orientation walk that blends markets, parks, and sacred spaces. See the Roman Serdica ruins integrated into the metro, pause by the gilded domes of the Russian Church, and stroll the tree-lined calm of Borisova Gradina.

Discover how Thracian foundations, Byzantine layers, Ottoman heritage, and socialist-era architecture combine into a relaxed, livable capital. Suggestions for local specialties and a cozy mehana ensure you can continue exploring Sofia’s flavors independently.

Discover the ancient Roman amphitheatre of Philippopolis with a local expert, then trace history through the Djumaya Mosque, the second-century Roman stadium, and the hilltop ruins of Nebet Tepe. Cobblestones, courtyards, and painted facades reveal layers of Thracian, Roman, and Ottoman Plovdiv.

Gain context for one of Europe’s oldest continuously inhabited cities as your guide unpacks urban life across millennia. Scenic viewpoints and time-polished streets make this a richly textured cultural encounter.

Explore Sultanahmet with a local guide, taking in the Hippodrome monuments before admiring the exterior elegance of the Blue Mosque and the courtyards of Topkapi Palace. Continue into the Grand Bazaar, where vaulted lanes hum with metalwork, carpets, and spice-laced air.

Hear how Ottoman sultans shaped a city bridging continents, and how daily rituals still animate its mosques and markets. This orientation focuses on exteriors and atmosphere, giving clarity for deeper, self-paced discoveries afterward.

Soak in mineral-rich waters at one of Budapest’s celebrated thermal complexes, such as Széchenyi or Gellért. Move between steamy outdoor pools and mosaic-lined interiors, then unwind beneath Art Nouveau halls and cupolas where locals have bathed for generations.

Learn how geothermal springs shaped local wellness culture and the city’s social rituals. This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour, with your Tour Director assisting with tickets and timing during your free time in Budapest.

Step inside the Hungarian Parliament Building, Budapest’s neo-Gothic masterpiece on the Danube. Walk vaulted corridors to the central hall, view the Hungarian Crown Jewels, and admire stone tracery and gilded ornament that rival Europe’s grandest legislatures.

Hear how national identity and turn-of-the-century ambition shaped this 1900s landmark. This ticketed interior visit is at additional cost and bookable on tour, subject to parliamentary schedules and availability.

Explore Tsarevets Fortress, the clifftop stronghold of Bulgaria’s medieval rulers. Follow stone ramparts to the Patriarchal Cathedral, climb defensive towers, and pause for photos and reflection over the Yantra River’s loops and the tiled roofs below.

Unpack the rise of the Second Bulgarian Empire and the fortress’s role in royal ceremony and defense. Entry is at additional cost and bookable on tour, with timing arranged during your stay in Veliko Tarnovo.

Begin your adventure by meeting your Tour Director and fellow travellers for a convivial evening in Budapest. Join a hosted welcome dinner where classic Hungarian flavors—from paprika-laced stews to poppy-seed pastries—set the tone for the journey, and raise a first toast to the Danube city’s café culture and Belle Époque elegance.

Your Tour Director outlines the route from the heart of Hungary to the Bosphorus, sharing practical tips and cultural insights to enrich each stop. This relaxed kickoff builds camaraderie and sets expectations for smooth travel in the days ahead.

Explore the UNESCO-listed village of Hollóko, where whitewashed, timber-framed houses and flowered wooden porches line narrow lanes. Wander cobbles past artisan workshops and folk museums that preserve distinctive Palóc traditions of embroidery, costume, and song.

Climb to the 13th-century hilltop castle for countryside views that frame this rare intact rural settlement. The village’s living heritage—festivals, crafts, and seasonal customs—reveals a Hungary often bypassed by modernity yet rich in character and continuity.

Visit the UNESCO-listed Wooden Churches of Maramure?, where needle-like spires, shingled roofs, and painted icons speak to centuries of craftsmanship. Pass carved wooden gates and hay meadows to encounter villages that still move to traditional rhythms.

Continue to the Merry Cemetery of Sapân?a, famous for bright crosses and playful epitaphs that capture the humor and humanity of local life. This fusion of spirituality and folk art offers a poignant, distinctly Romanian meditation on memory and community.

Stroll the World Heritage-listed Sighi?oara Citadel, a Saxon hill town of cobbled lanes, pastel guild houses, and fortified walls. Ascend to the 14th-century Clock Tower, whose wooden galleries and timeworn mechanisms overlook tiled rooftops and church spires.

Hear tales of medieval craft guilds and the birthplace of Vlad the Impaler, whose legend ripples through Transylvanian lore. The Citadel’s intimate scale and storybook ambiance reveal Central Europe’s trading past at its most picturesque.

Step inside Pele? Castle, King Carol I’s Neo-Renaissance showpiece set amid fir-clad Carpathian slopes. Explore lavish rooms adorned with carved walnut, stained-glass skylights, and silk-draped salons, alongside a spectacular armoury and intimate royal apartments.

Learn how this turn-of-the-century residence became among the first in Europe to be fully electrified, reflecting Romania’s modernising ambitions. The mountain setting and craftsmanship reveal a royal retreat designed for spectacle as much as comfort.