Mega European

This morning: free time en Français. From the Louvre and the Musée d'Orsay to the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs Elysées, you'll be sure to make a solid dent in your bucket list. Later on, you can stretch those legs on an optional bike tour of Paris, or simply roam the streets on your own. End your day with an optional Seine River cruise or a #throwback bohemian cabaret show.

Today we roll on to Bordeaux, where half the city is UNESCO World Heritage-listed and vineyards reign supreme. Take an optional stroll around Château de Chambord, the largest château in the Loire Valley, and learn why French Renaissance architecture is famous around the world.

Wake up and roll out of bed! Before you know it, we’ll be eating pintxos and tapas x 100 in San Sebastián. All. The. Food.

Say hey, Barcelona! Bienvenidos to the city of art nouveau, alluring accents and (most importantly) tapas. Tick off the likes of the Sagrada Família, the Columbus Monument and Las Ramblas on an included driving tour before we set you free into the buzzing city. Tonight: shall we dance? Prepare for an optional flamenco show.

What do you want to do today? Well, you could hit the side streets and alleyways of Las Ramblas, go boho in the Gracia neighborhood, go Gaudí at Parc Güell or give in to your inner football fanatic and kneel to the sporting gods at the Nou Camp. Barcelona’s got plenty to keep you occupied!

Bye bye, Barça. Hello, turquoise waters and lush stylings of the French Riviera. Get that selfie stick out as we roll on north along the coast to rub shoulders with the rich and famous. Oh, and by the way - we’ll be making a pit stop at a traditional French perfumery en route. Later, swap your patatas bravas for hearty French cooking and get ready for tomorrow's adventures.

Hit the beach with the paparazzi posse, or go wild in the designer boutiques in Nice's Old Town. Later: roll with the jet set on a guided tour and see how the 1% live (hint: it involves Ferraris and bathing in caviar). Feeling lucky? Hit the tables at the Monte Carlo Casino and make it rain (or not).

Home to the ‘Top of Europe’, 72 waterfalls and one of the largest nature conservations in Switzerland, Lauterbrunnen is where we'll be spending the night. Upon arrival, chow down on fondue and hit the bar for a nightcap.

Scenic hikes and jaw-dropping views are high on today's agenda. Go low key with a mountain walk or hop on board the Jungfraubahn railway for an optional visit to the Jungfrau Mountain summit. Expect fairytale villages en route and skydiving out of a helicopter upon arrival (if heights don't scare you). Another feast awaits your return, regardless of how you make your way back down.

Maketh haste to fair Verona, the place where Romeo and Juliet found love. Snap a selfie at Juliet’s balcony and join throngs of lovers leaving notes on the wall (or avoid the crowds and just marvel at the ancient arena). Then: say ciao to Venice from across the lagoon as we check into our campsite, have an Eat Pray Love-worthy relationship with an irresistible Italian (meal) and get pumped for living out our own version of The Italian Job tomorrow.

You know it as The Floating City, but this place is actually sinking (slowly). Today we’ll check out a who's who of Venice's usual suspects on a guided walking tour (ticking off the likes of St Mark's Square and Accademia Bridge), then jump on a vaporetto to explore the Grand Canal. If that’s not enough, you can also hop on an optional gondola ride. Throw away your map in the afternoon and try to find the world's most epic little bookshop, Libreria Acqua Alta, or just go on a mission to find the perfect gelato.

Stop for THAT photo at Pisa, then make your food baby sing as we roll into the land of hearty Tuscan cuisine and birthplace of gelato: Florence. Whip around Santa Maria del Fiore before tucking into amore on a plate. The evening is yours to stroll along the the Arno River and watch the sunset. #Bliss

It’s onwards to Rome today. Time to give that bucket list a workout! Make like Caesar (the emperor, not the salad) and work up a ‘colossus’ hunger as you pass by the Pantheon, throw your two cents in the Trevi Fountain, sit on the Spanish Steps and visit ancient history's version of the Hunger Games set at the Colosseum. Tonight, you're in Disneyland for foodies. Have fun.

Create the ultimate Roman Holiday in one day with a whirlwind of Vespas, espresso, two-cheek kisses and pizza the way it's supposed to taste. Count your blessings on an optional tour of the Vatican City, then play ‘I-spy’ with two-and-a-half millennia worth of history. Want more? Then you could always shop till you drop on Via Condotti, head to Capitoline Hill for awesome views of the Roman Forum and Colosseum or just kick back in Piazza Navona for some dolce far niente (delicious idleness).

Play connect the dots with the stars or let the swell rock you to sleep as we ferry our way from from bella Italia to Greece. Restaurants, bars, and cosy cabin rooms will keep you comfortable.

A short drive along the Greek coastline, then it’s on to our flotilla of yachts for three days of sun, sand and sailing on the Ionian Sea. By night, flaunt those European tan lines as we drop anchor and hop between authentic Greek tavernas for a hat-trick of feasting, table dancing and ouzo. You know the saying ‘too much of a good thing’? Neither do we.

A free day to sail, swim, eat, sleep, repeat. Spend the day your way.

More turquoise water. More swimming. More diving off boats. More epic Instagram shots. You could probably get used to this.

It doesn’t get feta than this! Orient yourself as you tick off the likes of the Greek Parliament, Syntagma Square and the Acropolis on a driving tour.

Today we hop on a ferry over to Mykonos (aka 'that island with the cute windmills’). Epic beaches, sinfully good local restaurants and a bustling nightlife. What's not to love?

Free day in para-para-paradise. Loving it? We hope so! Soak up those rays and dive into 50 shades of blue.

You could totally get used to Mykonos’ dreamy backdrop of chalky villages, sky blue churches and laze-worthy beaches. Another free day to spend exactly how you please.

Wave goodbye to Mykonos and try to contain your excitement as we arrive in Santorini - home to the world's best sunset.

Get ready for more rom-com-worthy landscapes and views to write home about. After dark, hit the taverns and mingle with the locals.

Whip out your camera and snap one last shot of Santorini’s postcard-worthy scenery. We're catching the ferry back to Athens for a final dose of ancient architecture and tragic myths.

Today is all about YOU! Spend it however you please. Explore during the day, then spend your evening searching for Greek grub and live entertainment at a traditional taverna.

Leave your fear of heights in Athens. We're driving to Meteora, perched on the nail biting cliffs of Thessaly (Google it). Later, round off the day with good friends, good food and some FaceTiming.

Next stop, Tirana! Your Trip Leader will clue you up on everything you need to know about this former hardline communist state. Add a splash of colour to your Insta story today as you take a wander around.

Press your nose to the window and soak up all the stunning views that race past the coach window as we head up Montenegro’s coast on our way to the most famous walled city in Europe (stopping at Budva on the way). Later, we’ll take a wander around Dubrovnik's tiny cobblestoned streets and explore a few hidden cafés and shops before grabbing dinner and checking out the glitzy nightlife.

Yay! A free day in Dubrovnik! Spend some time checking out the residential homes further up in the Old Town for some awesome views, then relish a cold beer on the wall as the sun sets over the Adriatic.

Today, we’ve got some optionals that’ll knock your socks off. Choose from sea kayaking around the city walls, or head out to explore ‘King’s Landing’ on a Game of Thrones tour.

Roll out of Dubrovnik and into Sarajevo, a city that’s still shaking off its tragic past. We’ll show you the sights on a guided tour and round off the day with some delicious local food.

Gritty but charming Belgrade is up next. Honour the victims of the 1995 genocide at the haunting Srebrenica Genocide Memorial, a sobering reminder of the greatest atrocity on European soil since the Second World War.

Hungary for more? Budapest is up next! A driving tour will get you down and Danube (that being the river) with twin cities Buda and Pest. Check out Hero's Square, Parliament House, the National Palace, Fisherman's Bastion and the swanky Andrássy Avenue. Then it's time to meet the major food groups: goulash, cabbage rolls and dumplings.

A free day to take on a city with enough baroque, neoclassical and art nouveau architecture to keep you entertained for hours. Tonight, hang with the hipsters and drink local fruit brandy at one of the original ruin bars. Wanna go one step further? An optional dinner cruise on the Danube has your name on it.

Prepare your retinas - there’s gonna be some amazing scenery playing outside the coach windows today as we make our way to Bratislava for a walking tour. Then: Vienna. Don’t forget to wave hello to the President as we go past the Hofburg Palace! Vienna is famous for three things: musicians, grand coffee houses and, of course, apple strudel. Classical music fans, opt in for a night out to hear the works of Mozart, Beethoven, Bach and Strauss at the Viennese Chamber Orchestra.

Legend has it a dragon had to be defeated in order for Kraków to be built - bit tougher than the usual council approvals, no? Get acquainted with Poland's beating heart (and the largest medieval town square in Europe) with a walking tour. Buff up on history at Wawel Castle, feed the ducks from the banks of the Wisla and slay a few glasses of mead after dinner. Did someone say optional pub crawl?

After breakfast it’s your day, your choice. Our recommendations? Well, you could discover Kraków's inner hipster in the Jewish district or shop for amber in the UNESCO-listed Cloth Hall. If all else fails, there’s always pierogi and potato pancakes to keep you busy.

First, a visit to former concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau for a lesson in the resilience of humanity. Then, on to Prague. Get Insta-happy and seek out the John Lennon Wall, soak up some Czech history at the National or Communist Museum or get a taste of the quirky local culture at a marionette puppet opera (you gotta see it to believe it).

Another free day for the win. Snap a selfie at Prague's own Eiffel Tower, visit a miniatures museum, eat roast pork from one of the street vendors lining Old Town Square and wash it all down with a beer. As in, a really good beer. Prague, we love you.

Get acquainted with 800 year-old Dresden - a city virtually destroyed in WWII and then rebuilt - and check out the Frauenkirche before we make tracks to Berlin. Prep yourself for currywurst, absinthe and more hipsters per capita than anywhere else. We'll drive you around to see (what's left of) the Berlin Wall, Checkpoint Charlie, the Brandenburg Gate and the Reichstag building.

Today, why not step out on an optional Third Reich walking tour for a local insight into what the city was like under Nazi rule during World War II? Kreuzberg is a hit for lunch. Afternoon suggestion? Have a picnic at the historic Tempelhof airport-turned-public park. Tonight: explore the city after dark on an optional alternative street art and nightlife tour.

On to Copenhagen to find out why this city keeps popping up among the top five most liveable cities in the world. Get your bearings on a guided driving tour and discover why Copenhagen is home to half of the nation's population.

Today you have the chance to explore the city in true local fashion: on a bike. Romantic streak? Check out The Little Mermaid, a tribute to the fairytale writer Hans Christian Andersen's pre-Disney masterpiece. Spoiler alert: the original version has the lovestruck mermaid become foam on the sea after she fails to win the prince's affections. Even back then, it seems, #thestrugglewasreal.

With more bridges than Venice and Amsterdam combined, no skyscrapers (read: views for days) and the first zoo with no enclosures, Hamburg is one of the hippest cities in Europe. It’s also got 3 km of funfair shenanigans and Europe’s biggest Japanese garden. What are you waiting for? Get exploring! Later, check out the nightlife at the Port.

Start dreaming of cheese, clogs and cheeky café stops as we roll through tulip and windmill dotted fields to Amsterdam. DAM, it's going to be a good day! Learn how gouda and clogs are made, then get your bearings on a walking tour of the vibrant capital. We’re talking the Dam Square, the Royal Palace and the National Monument, so get your cameras at the ready. For the perfect end to the perfect day, give in to temptation and grab a cone of hot chips with mayo. Mmm.

Join 881,000 bikes and get your cycle on with an optional bike tour of Amsterdam's iconic canals, bridges and parks. Culture fiends, delve deeper with a visit to the Anne Frank House or the Van Gogh or Rijksmuseum. Still thirsty for more? Check out the Heineken Experience and indulge in a spot of beer tasting. What better way to toast the final night of your Europe Inspired adventure than with a dinner cruise on the canal?

Phew! That. Was. MEGA! Love and leave Amsterdam this morning as we head back to London, where this trip of a lifetime ends.