Europe

Great tours of Europe

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Look out, Europe, we’re coming for you! Whether you’re planning a backpacking trip, dream of seeing the sights with the family, or have already been and can’t wait to go back for more, these awesome tours will have you moving up your dates. Get ready to get excited!

Grand tour of Europe

If time is on your side, or you don’t want to miss out on any of Europe’s must-see attractions, a tour of all the highlights is for you. Start in London and plan an itinerary that takes in all the icons of Europe in one fun-filled trip – the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Colosseum in Rome and the Acropolis in Athens are all absolute musts to visit in your lifetime. And don’t miss Germany for Neuschwanstein Castle – it’s straight out of a fairy tale. Make your way around Europe by train to take in the scenic countryside between cities – Switzerland by train is magnificent – or join a bus tour that takes you from place to place.

The Game of Thrones Tour

If you loved Game of Thrones, you’ll love immersing yourself in the fantasy world of dragons and kingdoms at key filming locations in Croatia. Walk the streets of King’s Landing in Dubrovnik, visit the imposing fortress of Klis, and marvel at the beauty of Split, which served as the backdrop for many well-known scenes. Take a day tour from Klis to the Blue Cave while you’re there – this sea cave on the island of Biševo is famous for its luminescent blue light caused by the sun rays reflecting off the cave’s sandy floor and bouncing onto the limestone rock walls inside.

Food and wine tour

Europe is heaven for foodies and wine aficionados and there’s no better place to indulge than Italy and France. Enjoy the bistros, creperies, boulangeries and fromageries of Paris (salivating yet?), before making your way to the south of France for regional delights in vineyards and villages dotted along scenic rivers. In Italy, meanwhile, you can eat your weight in pizza and pasta, sure, but you can also learn the art of pasta-making in Florence, try rustic dishes in Tuscany’s trattorias and discover the finer points of Chianti and other local wines. Need to burn off some calories? River cruises usually have bikes on board for you to ride during the many stops, along with a range of walking tours. That’s what I call guilt-free gastronomy!

Northern Lights tour

Seeing mystical green waves of light dancing through the sky is an otherworldly experience that should be high on your European wish list. A tour through Scandinavia during the long nights between November and February is peak season for those wanting to see the aurora borealis, but clear skies are most likely to occur in March. Start out in Tromsø, Norway, known as the Gateway to the Arctic, before making your way to Finland and Sweden by bus or train. By day, soak up the Scandi culture and enjoy some wintertime fun – think dog sledding, tobogganing and snowmobiling. You can even drive your own reindeer sleigh and meet the big man himself at Santa’s Lapland in Northern Finland.

The Harry Potter Magic Tour

Muggles of all ages will get a kick out of this UK tour. Start your journey into the magical world of Harry Potter with a visit to Platform 9¾ at King’s Cross Station in London (you can pose for photos with a luggage trolley embedded into the subway wall). Take the short train ride from London to explore where Harry’s wizarding world came to life on the sets of Warner Brothers. You’ll explore the actual Diagon Alley, Great Hall and Hogwarts Express, see the real props used during filming, and even learn to ride a broom (and take home the video to prove it). Allow at least four to five hours to take it all in. From London, make your way to Edinburgh, Scotland where J.K. Rowling wrote the first few novels in cafes. You can also visit a graveyard, cobbled street, and castle that are said to have served as inspiration for scenes in the books.


Author

I grew up in the US, Germany and Australia, so it feels more foreign for me to stay in one place than to move around. Since then, I’ve called Boston, London, Seattle, Brisbane, Madison and Sydney home for study and work as a journalist, travel writer and photographer. I specialize in adventure travel, social issues and interiors/architecture. Home is now an 1890s cottage in the Blue Mountains near Sydney. I traveled to my seventh continent last year – an action-packed expedition to Antarctica – and have memories galore of my travels. Snowshoeing in the Canadian Rockies, galloping with gauchos in Chilean Patagonia, trekking through Japan, and camel riding in Jordan are among the most memorable. My least favourite travel hiccup was being stranded in Cameroon when I should have been winging my way to Paris for a little me-time. You win some, you lose some.

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