• 3 Dinner (D)
• 9 Breakfast (B)

• Cairo: Tipping’s a big deal in Egypt – it’s part of the culture and helps support locals (especially those working in tourism). During your trip, you’ll be expected to tip people like hotel staff, local guides, porters, and restaurant crews.
  To keep it simple (and avoid the awkward maths), your Trip Manager will organise a tipping kitty. They’ll let you know the suggested amount upon arrival in Egypt, and collect it in USD or Egyptian Pounds to cover group service tips along the way.
  Heads-up: this doesn’t include a tip for your Trip Manager.

• Rome:  Kick back with your Contiki crew and feast on some yummy Italian cuisine – served at a local restaurant working to train and provide jobs for members of the community with disabilities.
   
• Rome: Stroll around the Italian capital, ticking off some sights on your bucket list! 
• Rome: Wander through the ruins of the ancient Roman Empire’s political heart, while our Local Guide peels back the layers of history & reconstructs the past. From the assassinations at the Forum to the bloody battles in the Colosseum, learn how the roots of Western culture started here. 
• Athens: A locally guided tour of Athens, including entry to the legendary Acropolis.
• Cairo: The world’s largest archaeological museum complex is no joke. You’ll find 100,000 artifacts here (including King Tut’s ENTIRE treasure collection). You don’t wanna miss this one…
• Cairo: Needs no introduction! Marvel at the Great Pyramid and the Sphinx. #bucketlist

Explore the cobbled lanes of the Centro Storico on a guided stroll to see Rome’s headline sights glowing after dusk. Toss a coin as you pause at the Trevi Fountain, climb the Spanish Steps, and admire Baroque facades framing the lively stage of Piazza Navona.

Glide past centuries of layered history—Renaissance palazzi, ancient columns reused in churches, and neighborhoods humming with café chatter. Your guide’s pointers help you orient quickly, so you can return to favorite spots with confidence and soak in the city’s evening atmosphere.

Step inside the Colosseum, the Flavian amphitheatre that staged gladiatorial spectacles before tens of thousands of Romans. Stand on ancient stone as your guide brings to life the engineering feats, the arena floor, and the social drama that unfolded here.

Continue into the Roman Forum along the Via Sacra, passing triumphal arches and temples where the Republic rose and fell. Stories of senators, emperors and everyday Romans animate ruins like the Curia and the Arch of Titus, revealing the political heartbeat of an empire.

Join a guided panoramic tour through modern and classical Athens before ascending the Acropolis, the limestone citadel that crowns the city. Walk through the Propylaea to the Parthenon and the Erechtheion with its graceful Caryatids, gazing across rooftops to Mount Lycabettus and the Saronic Gulf.

Your guide links Pericles’ 5th-century BCE building program to today’s city, pointing out Pentelic marble details and mythic stories carved in stone. Expect stirring views, a palpable sense of heritage, and an appreciation for the birthplace of democracy.

Cruise the Saronic Gulf to Aegina, an island known for pistachio groves, serene bays and neoclassical facades. Stroll the waterfront of Aegina Town, browse family-run shops, and taste the island’s famed pistachios while fishing caiques bob along the quay.

Use your time to explore landmarks such as the hilltop Temple of Aphaia or the Monastery of Agios Nektarios, or simply linger at a seaside café as church bells echo over the harbor. Sea breezes, island rhythms and coastal light define this relaxed day out.

Stand before the Pyramids of Giza—the Great Pyramid of Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure—anchored in the desert since Egypt’s 4th Dynasty. From a panoramic vantage, feel the wind over the plateau and trace the geometry that has fascinated travelers for millennia.

Walk closer to the enigmatic Great Sphinx, carved from bedrock, as your Egyptologist guide unpacks pharaonic funerary beliefs, construction theories and royal legacy. Sand, sky and stone create an elemental stage for one of humanity’s most enduring achievements.

Roll, cut and shape your own fresh pasta under the guidance of a Roman chef. Learn nonna-approved techniques for silky dough, craft tagliatelle or ravioli, and master a sauce like cacio e pepe or pomodoro.

After the hands-on fun, sit down to your handmade meal in a convivial setting, swapping tips with fellow cooks. Expect flour-dusted smiles, aromas of pecorino and pepper, and the simple pleasure of food you created. This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Follow a local through backstreets and market quarters on a culinary walk that celebrates Greek flavors. Graze on meze tastings—think creamy tzatziki, grilled halloumi and tangy dolmades—before trying skewers of souvlaki and honey-drizzled loukoumades.

Along the way, hear how regional ingredients, Orthodox fasting traditions and island recipes shape Athenian cuisine. Toast the evening with a clink of glasses and the anise notes of ouzo. This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Explore the vast Grand Egyptian Museum, a landmark complex showcasing pharaonic art and archaeology. With a knowledgeable guide, encounter Tutankhamun’s treasures, monumental statues, gilded coffins and everyday objects that illuminate 5,000 years of Nile-valley civilization.

Architectural vistas frame artifacts against desert light, while curated galleries trace craft, belief and power from Old Kingdom to Greco-Roman eras. Expect context, scale and awe in equal measure. This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Discover the fortified Salah El-Din Citadel, seat of power for centuries, and step into the alabaster-clad Mosque of Muhammad Ali with its Ottoman domes and sweeping views over Cairo’s skyline.

Wander atmospheric quarters where Coptic churches, medieval gates and artisan workshops reveal layers of faith and craft. Conclude amid the color and cadence of the Khan el-Khalili Bazaar, a marketplace steeped in Mamluk history. This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Cruise the Nile at night as Cairo’s bridges and towers shimmer on the water. Settle in for a buffet of Egyptian and international dishes while the city drifts by in soft evening air.

Entertainment unfolds with a classic belly-dance and tanoura show, the whirling skirts a kaleidoscope against the skyline. It’s an atmospheric way to mark your time in Egypt’s capital. This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Contiki

Savour Rome’s cucina romana during a feel-good evening at a local social enterprise where hospitality creates opportunity. Gather with your group to meet your Tour Manager and connect over seasonal antipasti, hand-made pasta and classic flavours like cacio e pepe and amatriciana.

Hear the venue’s story of inclusion as you dine, adding heart to the first taste of the Eternal City. This experience pairs warm Italian hospitality with social impact, setting a tone of shared table and conversation for your journey.