Play & Pause: Central & Eastern Europe

Stock up on snacks and perfect those playlists – it's cheerio to London as we hit the road early to jump across the English Channel. The home of Coco Chanel, the Mona Lisa and crumbly pastries of dreams – Paris deserves its rep as the European capital for all things haute couture, culture and drool-worthy food. Get to know the City of Lights better with a driving tour before our first dinner with the fam.

Today is all about free time à Paris. Create a solid dent in your bucket list with a visit to the Louvre (book your tickets in advance!) and the Musée d'Orsay. Flash some plastic along the Champs Elysées. Or discover some hidden gems down the backstreets and alleyways. Walking not your thing? Give those thighs a workout on an optional bike tour. Later, you can jump aboard an optional river cruise down the Seine, or dress to impress for an optional cabaret show.

From cityscapes to landscapes, today we’re off to the Swiss Alps! Warm up those vocal cords, we’ll be busting out some bangers on the ride into the mountains. Alternatively: plug in your AirPods, fire up a podcast or catch some zzzs. Then: cue the fairytale villages of your imagination – the oh-so-quaint Engelberg is where we'll be spending the night. This evening, we’ll get stuck into a group dinner before heading to the hotel bar or relaxing in the fresh alpine air.

Yep, you’re finally here. So, don’t muck about – get exploring! Hiking. Biking. Thrill-seeking. Cheese-eating (unless you’re lactose intolerant). Need some suggestions? You could take the revolving gondola to the top of Mt Titlis for all the epic views (without the effort), then head back down in search of the world's best hot chocolate. Or sit back and enjoy a cold beer back at the hotel. How you spend today is 110% up to you.

Trade in your gruezi for bonjour as we follow in Napoleon's footsteps down to the glamorous French Riviera. After dumping your stuff at the accommodation, this afternoon is totally up to you! Indulge in a bit of celeb spotting. Head to the beach for a dip. Or find a local haunt for some seriously good seafood. Tonight, it’s happy hour with the gang (happiness guaranteed, discounted cocktails are not).

This morning, you do you! Sleep in. Laze on the beach. Go wild in the designer boutiques in Nice's Old Town. Try all the decorative pastries your elastic waistband can handle – then work them off with a walk up Castle Hill for alll the views. Later: roll with the jet set on a walking tour of Monaco 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).

Squeeze in one last swim. Down your coffee. And wave goodbye to France – we’re heading for the land of the long boot. First stop: Pisa – better think of a creative pose for THAT photo. After, make your food baby sing as we roll into the capital of Tuscan cuisine. We’ve got an al fresco dinner on the cards tonight – so go easy on gelato. Or don’t.

Florence has more stories than Bilbo Baggins, more culture than a London hipster AND it gave the world David (you know, the giant naked guy). We’ll get the lay of the land on an in-depth walking tour with a local guide. Then: take your new-found knowledge and hit the streets solo. Uffizi Gallery. Ponte Vecchio. Piazza della Signoria. The Duomo. You can’t see it all, but you sure as hell can try! Tonight, catch the epic sunset from Piazzale Michelangelo. Trust us, this is what you came for.

Southward and downward with a pit stop at the hilltop town of Orvieto to see the grand cathedral and dig into a wild boar panini (unless you’re a vegetarian). Then: bella Roma awaits! Dump your stuff at the hotel and prepare for a walking tour to end all walking tours. We’ll pass by the Pantheon, throw our two cents in the Trevi Fountain, (don’t) sit on the Spanish Steps and check out the mighty Colosseum – getting the scoop on allllllll the ancient history as we go. And tonight? Go show that pizza who’s boss.

Time to live out your Lizzie McGuire Movie fantasies – today is all about Vespas, espresso, two-cheeked kisses and pizza (the way it’s supposed to taste). Head up to Capitoline Hill for awesome views of the Roman Forum and Colosseum. Battle the lunchtime rush for a slice at Pizzarium Bonci. Hunt down the Mouth of Truth. Or simply do as the locals do and indulge in a little dolce far niente (delicious idleness) at a local cafe. Tonight, it's another round of You vs Delicious Cheesy Carbs at our included group dinner. We believe in you.

Not ready to say ciao yet? DW we’ve got you. You’ve got another full day to really destroy that ancient Roman bucket list. Castel San Angelo. The Baths of Caracalla. Circus Maximus. Go get it. There’s an optional guided tour of Vatican City on the cards too. Or take a slice to Villa Borghese Park for some chill-out time away from the crowds. Tonight, ask your Trip Leader where to find the best cacio e pepe – trust us, you won’t be disappointed.

Down that macchiato, we’re heading to that famous sinking city today. After checking in at the hotel, it’s time to see what all the fuss is about. Acquaint yourself with the who's who of Venice's usual suspects on a walking tour – ticking off the likes of St Mark's Square, Doge’s Palace and Accademia Bridge. And then, this beautifully romantic city is yours for the taking. Our suggestion? Enjoy a spritz overlooking one of Venice’s fuchsia-pink sunsets. This is your moment.

Centuries-old architecture. Inventive cuisine. And a bucket-load of culture. Venice is just begging to be explored. After an optional gondola ride along the Grand Canal, you’ve got the whole day to do just that. Need suggestions? Insider tip: spend some time seeking out the epic Libreria Acqua Alta bookshop or head off the tourist trail with a trip to Giudecca Island. Go wandering. Discover the maze of canals and piazzas. Soak up the atmosphere. That’s what makes memories.

Order one last coffee in poor Italian (hey, you tried!) – we’re setting course for the Croatian coast. Dump your bags, change into your togs and make a beeline for the glittering water of the Adriatic. We’ll get our bearings around the Old Town before tucking into dinner with the gang. Then: hit up one of the local bars, take a closer look at the Roman arena or relax back at the beach. It’s totally up to you.

After breakfast, we’re off to Ljubljana (lyoob-lya-nah), aka the capital of Slovenia. But first: a round of stalagmite spotting at the beautiful Postojna Cave. Fun fact: this all-natural maze of tunnels and caverns was hollowed out by the Pivka River around two MILLION years ago. When we get to L-town, there’s an optional food tour on the cards. Fancy something a little more chilled? Go for a stroll to discover the city’s colourful street art, or hop on the funicular up Castle Hill for sunset views galore.

So much more than strudel and The Sound of Music, we’re setting course for Salzburg today. You’ve seen it on everyone’s #wanderlust feeds but now experience the magic of Lake Bled without the filter. In Salzburg, we’ll tick off the likes of the Mirabell Gardens, Mozart’s birthplace, Fortress Hohensalzburg and the Cathedral. Getting hangry? Pull up a pew at a local restaurant and dig into a weiner schnitzel, washed down with a pint of Ottakringer for good measure.

First today: a visit to former concentration camp Mauthausen for a lesson in the resilience of humanity. Then: on to Prague. Our Trip Leader will help us get acquainted with this picture-perfect city on a walking tour. Wander through Wenceslas Square, cross Charles Bridge into the Castle district and check out the capital’s quirky clock tower in Old Town. Tonight? We’ll tuck into a delish dinner together before hitting the town to try some local Czech beer, or grabbing some R&R back at the hotel. You do you.

How you spend your day is 100% up to you. And trust us, there’s plenty to Czech out (ha!). Seek out the John Lennon wall. Soak up some history at the Communist Museum. Take the funicular up Petrin Hill for allll the views. Or grab a delish roast pork roll at one of the street vendors lining Old Town Square. Fancy yourself as a bit of a beer connoisseur? Don’t miss the beer tasting optional this afternoon. 11 different Czech beers + tapas = good times all around.

Another day, another food-obsessed European city. God, we love this place. But first: get acquainted with 800-year-old Dresden – a city virtually destroyed in WWII and then rebuilt – before we make tracks to Berlin. Prep yourself for currywurst and more hipsters per capita than anywhere else. We'll drive you around to see the main sights including (what's left of) the Berlin Wall, Zoo Gardens, the Holocaust Memorial, Charlottenburg Palace and Alexanderplatz. Then: a group dinner to test how far your jeans really stretch.

You’ve got 24 hrs here. Make the most of it. Our advice? Opt in for a historic walking tour that’s, you know, not boring. Get a local insight into what the city was like under Nazi rule and tick off the likes of the Reichstag, Checkpoint Charlie and Brandenburg Gate. Or put those taste buds to the ultimate test on an awesome AF food tour. We’re talking kebabs, pastries, more currywurst, pierogi and local beers (you’re in Germany after all). Tonight, it’s time to see whether this city’s nightlife really lives up to the hype.

The trip may be coming to a close, but it’s not over yet! We’ve got our eye on Amsterdam today. Hit the cobblestones and check out the likes of Dam Square, the Royal Palace and the National Monument. Then, this place is a foodie’s haven – so you’ll have no trouble finding somewhere to settle in for dinner. Later: head to Hannekes Boom for waterfront views and all-round good vibes. Or grab a bar (or six) of Tony’s Chocolonely and watch life go by on the canals. This is what it’s all about.

This is our last full day together. So, don’t hang about – get on your bike! Check out Amsterdam's iconic canals, bridges and parks on an optional bike tour. Or for the culture fiends, delve a bit deeper with a visit to the Anne Frank House (don’t forget to book in advance!) or the Van Gogh Museum and Rijksmuseum. Whatever you get up to, make sure you’re back in time to toast the final night of our European adventure at tonight’s group dinner.

Time to hit the road back to ol’ Blighty. Blast the Trip Song and swap Insta handles – you’ll need them to organise next year’s reunion trip. Where to next?