• 4 Dinner (D)
• 16 Breakfast (B)
• 1 Picnic Lunch (PL)

• London: You’ll need Essential Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA)From?January 8, 2025, UK law means that if you’re entering/transiting through border control in the United Kingdom (UK) and Northern Ireland you’ll need an?Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA)?before you travel. Confused? Don’t be – just read on here.
• 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.
• London: Your Trip Manager will advise you on who you’ll share your room with. On this trip, you’ll stay in a multi-share room with other travellers of the same sex.
• Athens: The climate in this region is extremely varied. In shoulder season (May, September, and October) you can expect temperatures to vary between single digits and warm sunny days, while from June until September temperatures can reach well above 30 C (86 F).
• Athens: It’s always a good idea to bring a warm windproof jacket. No matter which time of year you decide to travel, it can get quite cool at night (especially outside of the cities), so we recommend that you bring a warm jacket or fleece. You’ll also need to pack comfortable shoes for walking during the day, plus sunscreen, a hat, swimwear and a light/beach towel. And if you wanna visit any basilicas, cathedrals or sacred sites during your trip, we recommend you bring a few outfits that cover your knees and shoulders. 
• London: You’ll stay in a Twin share room (meaning you’ll be paired with a fellow traveller of the same gender, and will have two separate beds). If you’re booking your trip with a friend/travel companion – just let us know, so we can join your bookings and ensure you share a room. Need a lil’ more privacy? You’re welcome to opt for a single supplement if you like.

• Paris: Take a dreamy jaunt around the city of romance. Fall in love with landmarks like the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Louvre, Champs-Élysées and Notre-Dame Cathedral.
• Fontainebleau: There’s your everyday châteaux and then there’s Château de Fontainebleau. The medieval palace was once home to Napoleon. And it’s another level of luxe. 
• Beaujolais: Be a VIP at the epic Contiki Château and fill up on a banquet of classic French dishes and wines. Ooh la la! 
• Beaujolais Wine Region: Set within the rolling hills of the Beaujolais wine region, the legendary Contiki Château special stay has been wowing travellers for decades. From the luxe bar to the elegant new bedrooms, our Château is the perfect backdrop to long summer days lounging by the pool, capped off with French feasts, local wine and dancing the night away in ‘La Cave.’
• Beaujolais: Enjoy a French-style picnic while admiring the gorgeous Beaujolais countryside.
• Beaujolais: Clear out the cobwebs and get in touch with you zen side with a guided yoga session on the sweeping lawns of the château.
• Arles: Visit the historic city of Arles, famous for inspiring the paintings of Van Gogh.
• Monaco City: Walk in the footsteps of Grace Kelly at the Royal Palace and see the Monte Carlo Casino (where the car park looks like a Fast & Furious set).
• French Riviera: Glide through the winding coastal roads of the French Riviera with your Contiki crew.
• Nice: Your chance to learn the art of fragrance at a French perfume house. You know it makes scents! (soz).
• Venice: Speed across the lagoon to the aqueous island of Venice.
• Pisa: Your ultimate chance to ‘hold the tower up’ as you pose for that classic Insta snap. 
• Rome: Stroll around the Italian capital, ticking off some sights on your bucket list! 
• Amalfi Coast: Definitely one for the bucket list. Your chance to view one of Europe’s active volcanoes from a distance. 
• Corinth Canal: The world’s deepest canal is an epic sight. It was carved through the rock, as a link between the Aegean and Ionian Seas.
• Athens: Even if you’re not a sports nut, this is probably the most iconic Olympic stadium in the world and you won’t want to miss it.
• Athens: Walk in the footsteps of Gods and Goddesses, as you take a guided tour around the Ancient Greek monuments and explore the Parthenon temple. 

Glide the winding coastal roads of the French Riviera with bays unfolding in every shade of blue. Look for Belle Époque villas, palm-lined promenades and the sapphire Mediterranean glittering below cliffside corniches.

Your Trip Manager highlights headlands like Cap Ferrat and film-famous resort towns, blending anecdotes of artists, billionaires and yacht culture. Windows down, camera ready—this is the Riviera’s glamour presented as a moving, sea-breezed panorama.

Pause at the Corinth Canal, a dramatic man-made cut that joins the Ionian and Aegean seas. Peer down at sheer limestone walls where ships thread a narrow 21-metre-wide channel through the Isthmus.

Opened in 1893 after centuries of dreamt schemes, the canal runs over six kilometres. It’s an engineer’s vision turned reality—and a striking contrast of blue water and sunlit rock worth a pause for photos and reflection.

Drift along narrow canals on a traditional Venetian gondola, slipping under arched stone bridges as facades ripple across the water. Hear snippets of history and the occasional barcarolle from passing gondoliers.

Glances of the Grand Canal, quiet calli and hidden courtyards reveal Venice’s more intimate side. This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour; boats are shared in small groups for the classic feel.

Walk Roman streets halted in time by Vesuvius on a guided tour of Pompeii. See frescoed villas, bakeries and bathhouses, and view poignant plaster casts that humanise the eruption of 79 AD.

Your guide reveals daily life through mosaics, forums and sacred spaces, framing archaeology with compelling storytelling. This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour; timing typically coincides with your transit south.

Taste the region where you sleep, with a convivial château feast paired to local varietals. Sample Beaujolais Gamay as your host leads a relaxed wine tasting, highlighting fruit-forward aromas and the area’s granitic soils.

Dine in characterful salons or on the terrace, then peer into the château’s vaulted spaces like the lively ‘La Cave’. This is French country hospitality distilled—rustic recipes, clinking glasses and a convivial atmosphere beneath stone walls and creeping vines.

Unfold blankets on the lawn for a relaxed French-style picnic amid rows of vines and golden-stone villages on the horizon. Graze on fresh breads, cheeses and seasonal produce while you pause for photos and reflection across the undulating Beaujolais hills.

Your Trip Manager adds local color—how sunshine, slopes and granite shape the wines; why this gentle landscape birthed easy-drinking styles. Expect birdsong, soft breezes and that contented countryside hush.

Ease into the day with a guided yoga session on sweeping lawns scented with herbs and early-morning dew. Stretch beneath soft skies as the estate stirs awake, breathing deeply in rhythm with the rustle of vines.

Your instructor focuses on simple flows that ground body and mind—an energising complement to tastings and travel. Expect an unhurried mood, panoramic views and the gentle reset only nature can provide.

Step into Provence’s layered past with a walk by the Arènes d’Arles (Roman Amphitheatre), city walls and sun-warmed squares. Absorb the southern light that inspired Van Gogh as you admire pale-stone facades and shuttered townhouses.

Your crew points out the UNESCO-listed Roman remains and café terraces where artists lingered. Hear how gladiators once thrilled crowds and how the Rhône shaped Arles’ prosperity and distinctive Provencal culture.

Experience Monaco after dark, when terraces glow and superyachts light up Port Hercules. Stroll to the Royal Palace on the Rock of Monaco and wander Casino de Monte-Carlo Square, ringed by haute-couture facades and humming with sleek cars.

Hear tales of Grimaldi princes and Riviera legends as you explore elegant lanes between palace ramparts and Belle Époque landmarks. Expect polished streets, sea breezes and a taste of old-world glamour by the Mediterranean.

Learn the craft of scent at a traditional French perfume house in Èze. Discover top, heart and base notes before you blend your own fragrance, guided by experts amid gleaming alembics and essences.

Unpack how Riviera botanicals—jasmine, rose, citrus—shaped the Côte d’Azur’s perfume heritage. Leave with a deeper appreciation of composition and a personal creation that captures your time by the Mediterranean.

Cross the water like a local aboard a private boat skimming Venice’s lagoon toward the city’s historic heart. Glide past timber pilings and brick campanili before stepping out near St Mark’s Square and the Byzantine domes of its basilica.

Soak up scenes of boatyards, bell towers and the shimmer of the St Mark’s Basin. Your arrival by water sets the tone for days of canals, marble palazzi and time-softened bridges.

Visit the UNESCO-listed Piazza dei Miracoli to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Romanesque cathedral and the circular Baptistery set on emerald lawns. Capture the classic perspective or get creative with angles and arches.

Hear how soft subsoil caused the tower’s famous tilt and how modern engineering helped stabilise it. Between marble stripes and blind arcades, this ensemble is a masterclass in medieval Pisan style.

Wander Rome’s atmospheric core as twilight glows on travertine. Toss a coin at the Trevi Fountain, gaze up at the Pantheon’s oculus, and linger by Bernini’s fountains on Piazza Navona, framed by cafés and Baroque facades.

Along the way, hear stories of emperors, popes and painters that shaped the Eternal City. Culinary tips and gelato stops are part of the mood, as lanes echo with vespas and clinking glasses.

Join an expert Local Guide to ascend the Acropolis and stand before the Parthenon, masterpiece of Doric harmony. Explore gateways and sanctuaries that reveal Athens’ classical power and enduring mythology.

Continue to the all-marble Panathenaic Stadium, host of the first modern Olympic Games in 1896, and see neoclassical boulevards shaped by Greece’s 19th-century revival. Expect sweeping views, layered history and the city’s lively streetlife at your feet.

Slip into Parisian nightlife with a cabaret in Montmartre, where feathered costumes, live music and quick-fire choreography bring Belle Époque glamour to the modern stage. Toast the moment with bubbles as lights glitter on the hill.

Your Trip Manager coordinates tickets and timing so you can simply enjoy the show. This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour; venue may vary to showcase the best available performance.

Feel the pulse of Andalusian art at an intimate tablao flamenco. Guitar, palmas handclaps, soulful cante and percussive zapateado footwork blend into a powerful hour of storytelling and rhythm.

Set in a charismatic venue, this is a deep dive into Spanish identity—dramatic, expressive, unforgettable. The experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour, with seating arranged by your Trip Manager.

Pedal seafront paths and gentle corniches on a guided coastal cycle, pausing at lookouts where the Mediterranean shimmers and pastel harbours bob with fishing boats. Expect breezes, bougainvillea and sunlit facades.

Guides share Riviera vignettes—from Belle Époque resort life to modern yacht culture—while keeping the pace relaxed and scenic. This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour; route may vary with conditions.

Trace Renaissance footsteps on a guided walk past Piazza del Duomo, Ponte Vecchio and Piazza della Signoria. Learn how Medici patronage shaped art and politics as sculptures and palazzi frame every turn.

Venture into markets and leather workshops to see living Florentine craft traditions. Your guide shares foodie hints and photo angles en route. This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Step inside the Colosseum with a specialist guide to unpack gladiatorial spectacle, imperial propaganda and ingenious Roman engineering. Continue through the Roman Forum along the Via Sacra, where temples and triumphal arches trace the city’s heartbeat.

Context brings stones to life—from the Arch of Titus to Senate houses and basilicas. This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour; entry arrangements are handled by your Trip Manager.

Savour a shared feast at a classic Greek taverna—mezze plates, grilled souvlaki and seasonal salads—paired with local wines or ouzo. As bouzouki melodies rise, the room warms to claps and convivial toasts.

Set in the lantern-lit streets of Plaka or a similarly atmospheric quarter, this evening blends flavours and folk rhythms for a fitting finale in Athens. This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Explore the Château de Fontainebleau from the outside, wandering its formal gardens and courtyards framed by mirror-like ponds and clipped hedges. Stroll the Grand Parterre and the Cour du Cheval Blanc, where royal processions once arrived.

Learn how this palace evolved from medieval hunting lodge to a Renaissance and baroque residence of French kings and emperors. Hear about Napoleon I and his abdication here, and admire the surrounding Forest of Fontainebleau that shaped royal life and leisure.

Contiki

Join a guided panoramic tour to trace Paris from grand Haussmann boulevards to the River Seine embankments. Take in icons including the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, the Champs-Élysées and the flying buttresses of Notre-Dame Cathedral as you orient yourself in the City of Light.

Hear stories of revolution, empire and artistic reinvention while passing the Louvre and the Tuileries. Your guide points out neighbourhoods to revisit later, pairing landmark views with local tips for cafés, galleries and photo spots.