Explore sweet Paris on a patisserie walking tour through artisan quarters such as Le Marais or Saint-Germain. Learn how butter and time create those buttery croissant layers, compare ganaches in ganache-filled macarons, and sample éclairs and mille-feuille from award-winning counters.

Along the way, peek into glass-fronted ateliers and hear how Meilleurs Ouvriers de France elevate classic recipes. This curated tasting showcases technique, terroir, and tradition. Optional experience at additional cost, bookable on tour.

Settle in for a scenic rail journey that skims Lake Geneva, threads past the Lavaux terraced vineyards and climbs into high country. Watch glacier-carved valleys and slate-roofed hamlets slide by before the line pierces the Alps via the storied Simplon Tunnel, descending towards the sun-warmed Italian Lakes.

This route is a gallery of engineering and alpine grandeur, where castle silhouettes, vineyard walls, and river gorges tell cross-border stories. Windows become wide-angle lenses as light shifts from cool mountain blues to Lombardy’s softer palette.

Join a guided stroll through Rome’s illuminated heart and share a Roman dinner at a neighborhood trattoria. Wander cobblestoned lanes to the Trevi Fountain, admire the timeless columns of the Pantheon, and feel baroque piazzas unfold into lively night scenes.

Hear how emperors, popes, and artists shaped this city’s layers, from ancient forums to Bernini fountains. Between forkfuls of cacio e pepe and the glint of marble at twilight, this evening distills la dolce vita into flavors, history, and street-corner theater.

Dress for a glittering night at a Parisian cabaret, where high-kicking choreography meets live music. Settle in for dinner and champagne as costumes shimmer under spotlights and the room evokes Belle Époque glamour with modern flair.

From the can-can’s exuberant origins to today’s polished revue, your host explains the show’s legacy in Paris nightlife. Expect sequins, orchestras, witty stagecraft, and a celebratory mood. Optional experience at additional cost, bookable on tour.

Settle into a traditional black-lacquered boat and glide the canals as facades of Renaissance palazzi drift past. Slip beneath stone bridges, follow quiet rii into hidden courtyards, and emerge to glimpses of the Grand Canal where life moves to the rhythm of the tide.

Your gondolier shares local lore and rowing traditions born in lagoon waters. Hear about squero boatyards and family crafts while the city’s echoes soften to oar strokes and lapping water. Optional experience at additional cost, bookable on tour.

Trade the passenger seat for the prow and learn to row like a Venetian with a local instructor. Practice the distinctive voga alla veneta stance and standing rowing technique as you navigate calm canals or lagoon edges, reading currents and steering with finesse.

Discover how this style powers everyday boats and legendary regatas, and why asymmetrical hulls track straight with a single oar. It’s hands-on, heritage-rich, and quietly thrilling. Optional experience at additional cost, bookable on tour.

Taste Venice like a local as you sample regional wines and graze on cicchetti in bacari around Cannaregio or Dorsoduro. Try baccalà mantecato on polenta, artichoke hearts, and seafood bites while sipping an ombra or classic spritz in convivial, standing-room bars.

Hosts share how fishermen, market traders, and gondoliers shaped this snacking culture, tied to Rialto’s bounty and evening rituals. It’s social, savory, and distinctly Venetian. Optional experience at additional cost, bookable on tour.

Walk in the footsteps of gladiators as you step inside the Colosseum with an expert Local Guide. Hear how emperors staged spectacles to awe the masses before continuing to the Roman Forum, where temples, arches, and the Via Sacra frame the city’s earliest power center.

Stories of senators, triumphal parades, and daily markets bring these ruins vividly to life, with viewpoints that reveal how ancient Rome still anchors the modern cityscape. Optional experience at additional cost, bookable on tour.

Follow your host through Trastevere backstreets or Testaccio on a walking food tour that celebrates regional Roman specialties. Taste suppli al telefono, porchetta, pecorino romano, seasonal contorni, and a finale of artisanal gelato under lamplight.

Learn how Jewish-Roman and pastoral traditions shaped cucina romana, why few ingredients and precise technique define classics, and where locals actually queue. It’s story-filled eating with a neighborhood pulse. Optional experience at additional cost, bookable on tour.

Visit a historic Parisian perfume house near the Opéra district and learn the art of fragrance with an expert host. Explore how perfumers balance top, heart, and base notes as you test essences, from bright citrus to velvety florals, and discover how a personal scent is composed.

Uncover the lineage from Louis XIV’s court to today’s ateliers, and the role of Grasse jasmine, iris, and amber in French perfumery. The workshop blends sensory play with heritage, leaving you with a deeper understanding of Paris’s most elegant craft.

Begin in style with a convivial welcome meal at a neighborhood bistro before you cruise the River Seine as Paris glows after dark. Glide beneath the Pont Alexandre III and past the Louvre and Musée d’Orsay, watching the Eiffel Tower shimmer above the waterline and Île de la Cité drift by in reflections.

Hear stories of Parisian boulevards shaped by Haussmann and bridges older than the Republics, and feel the city’s rhythm from the water. With skyline silhouettes and soft wake ripples, this pairing sets a confident, celebratory tone for your journey.

Age 27-35

• 8 Breakfast (B)
• 2 Dinner (D)

• Paris: What could be better than sailing down the Seine with the Contiki crew, taking in all the chic Paris landmarks? Sign us up!
• Paris: Your chance to learn the art of fragrance at a Parisian perfume house. You know it makes scents! (soz).
• Lausanne: Jump on a train and let the views do the talking as we roll through Switzerland and into Northern Italy. Think lakes, mountains, and totally stunning storybook towns.
• Rome: Stroll around the Italian capital, ticking off some sights on your bucket list! 

Contiki