Refine search

Your itinerary

London to Barcelona Quest | Hostels | Start Paris | Winter | 2027/2028 route map

Depart London, see the White Cliffs of Dover, ferry across the English Channel to Calais, and learn about World War I battlefields in the Somme Valley. Arrive in Paris for a night tour of the city’s illuminated sights.

Meals: Dinner

Free time to explore Paris: admire Notre-Dame Cathedral and visit the Louvre. Optional dinner and a cabaret show in the evening.

Meals: Breakfast

Travel to Bordeaux. See the Miroir d’eau and join an optional wine-tasting stroll through the city.

Meals: Breakfast

Drive via Saint-Jean-de-Luz to San Sebastián. Enjoy free time, with an optional pintxos tour in the evening.

Meals: Breakfast

Explore Parte Vieja, Playa de la Concha and the Centro Romántico; wander cobblestone streets and soak up the coastline.

Meals: Breakfast

Travel via Zaragoza (noted for its baroque basilica and blend of Islamic and Gothic influences). Arrive in Barcelona for beach time and city sights; optional Flamenco evening.

Meals: Breakfast

Explore Barcelona: visit Parc Güell, hit the beach, and sample tapas and paella. Optional MAKE TRAVEL MATTER experience: hands-on cooking class.

Meals: Breakfast

Trip ends in Barcelona.

Meals: Breakfast

What’s included

7 breakfasts and 1 dinner included, as per the Dining Summary.
Transport between listed destinations throughout the trip, including an English Channel ferry crossing from Dover to Calais.
Trip Manager support during the journey, including rooming arrangements advice.
7 nights in hostel/budget accommodation (e.g., Jo&Joe Gentilly, Ibis Budget Bordeaux Centre Mériadeck, Cats Hostel San Sebastián, Generator Barcelona) in multi-share rooms with same-sex rooming (or similar properties).
Included city highlights and orientation experiences: Paris by night; Paris icons such as the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Louvre, Champs-Élysées and Notre-Dame; stroll in Bordeaux including the Palais de la Bourse and downtown; Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter and Las Ramblas; plus views of the White Cliffs of Dover and the Somme battlefields en route.

What’s not included

International flights to the start and from the end of the tour are not included.
Visas and travel authorisations are not included and must be arranged by the traveller (e.g., UK ETA if entering/transiting the United Kingdom).
Travel insurance is not included and should be arranged independently.
Meals not specified in the itinerary: all lunches and dinners except the 1 included dinner.
Optional activities and entrance fees are not included (e.g., Paris cabaret dinner, San Sebastián Pintxos tour, Flamenco evening in Barcelona, cooking class MAKE TRAVEL MATTER experience, museum entries such as the Louvre).
Personal expenses such as drinks, snacks, laundry, and souvenirs.
Single supplement for a private room is available at an additional cost.

Additional information

  • 1 Dinner (D)
  • 7 Breakfast (B)
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Bordeaux: Stroll around this chic metropolis to see the Palais de la Bourse and downtown Bordeaux. Then make time for a nice glass of red by the river. 
  • Barcelona: Combat boots at the ready, folks! Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter and Las Ramblas are so cool, you won’t know what to photograph first!

Discover the tangled lanes of the Gothic Quarter, where Barcelona Cathedral hides cloistered palms and geese and the old Roman Barcino walls still trace the city’s bones. Step out to the theater of Las Ramblas, alive with florists, buskers and the glow of Art Nouveau kiosks.

Hear tales of medieval guilds, modernist visionaries and market culture as you pass Placa Reial’s arcades and La Boqueria’s iron-and-glass hall. It’s a compact, story-rich walk that anchors your Barcelona explorations.

Settle in for dinner and a cabaret show as glitter, feathers and precision kicks light up a classic Parisian stage. Crystal chandeliers, mirrored walls and a live band revive the Belle Époque spirit in the city that wrote the cancan.

Toast the spectacle with wine while performers sweep through feathered costumes and big-band numbers. This experience is at additional cost and is bookable on tour; availability may vary by season and venue.

Join a hosted tasting walk to sample regional wines in cozy wine bars, and compare Merlot-led and Cabernet-driven blends from surrounding appellations. Learn how gravel, clay and limestone shape aroma and texture in the world’s benchmark reds.

Swirl, sniff and sip with a local expert as you decode labels and terroirs, pairing bites with your pours. This experience is at additional cost and is bookable on tour.

Embark on a flavorful pintxos crawl through Parte Vieja, moving from counter to counter for skewered gildas, seared txuleta bites and creamy cod. Glass in hand, clink crisp txakoli or local cider as bartenders call orders across a sea of small plates.

Pick up the unwritten rules of ordering, tipping and toothpick tallying while discovering house specialties at time-honored bars. This experience is at additional cost and is bookable on tour.

Take your seat for an intimate flamenco performance as guitar rasgueados spark and palms clap in tight rhythm. Dancers unleash staccato footwork and swirling skirts while the raw cry of cante jondo fills the room.

Feel the tension and release of this Andalusian art in a Barcelona tablao that channels centuries of tradition. This experience is at additional cost and is bookable on tour.

Roll up your sleeves to cook a seasonal Catalan menu, turning market-fresh produce into classics like rustic rice dishes, romesco sauces and citrus-bright desserts. Work hands-on in a welcoming kitchen, learning the rhythms of Mediterranean home cooking.

This MAKE TRAVEL MATTER Experience champions market-to-table values and local producers while you share the meal you’ve created. This experience is at additional cost and is bookable on tour; venues support community-minded culinary initiatives.

Explore on a hosted orientation, threading the tight lanes of Parte Vieja before skirting the crescent sands of Playa de la Concha. Belle-Époque balconies, fishermen’s churches and bar counters stacked with pintxos hint at a city that lives for the sea and for food.

Gain your bearings between Monte Urgull and Santa Clara Island as Basque language and traditions colour every corner. Expect salt air, soft Atlantic light and a relaxed rhythm that invites unhurried wandering.

Pause for photos and reflection in Plaza del Pilar, where the domes of Basilica del Pilar rise above the Ebro. Across the square, La Seo’s brickwork and glazed tiles reveal Aragon’s Mudéjar heritage in an unforgettable skyline.

Savour the artistry and spacious scale of this civic stage anchoring Zaragoza’s historic center, where pilgrim traditions and river life meet in a grand open square.

Contiki

Join a guided panoramic tour as the capital dazzles in lights, gliding past the glittering Seine to admire the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe and the grand sweep of the Champs-Élysées. Watch the Louvre Pyramid glow and elegant bridges shimmer while café terraces buzz and winter air sharpens the skyline.

Learn why “La Ville Lumière” became synonymous with Paris by night, from Haussmann’s boulevards to the romance of Île de la Cité. Your team points out photo spots and stories that bring the city’s icons to life without the daytime crowds.

Walk the riverfront as you stroll the Garonne quays to the theatrical curve of Place de la Bourse, catching mirror-perfect reflections in the Miroir d’eau. Elegant facades glow softly, cyclists hum by, and the water square ripples with playful mist.

Absorb Bordeaux’s 18th-century urban grace, part of the UNESCO-listed Port of the Moon. Hear how wine merchants shaped these harmonious streets and why the city’s limestone architecture pairs so well with its celebrated reds.

Price & availability

October 2027 November 2027 December 2027 January 2028 February 2028 March 2028
Be first to hear about our latest news and special offers.

Be first to hear about our latest news and special offers.

Newsletter