Travel responsibly across Europe with over 4,800 eco-friendly tours spanning the continent. Experience sustainable travel practices, support local conservation efforts, and explore natural wonders while minimizing your environmental impact, rated by more than 38,300 eco-conscious travelers.
A very pleasant and enjoyable holiday with great accommodation, views ,walks and guides.
Enrico our rep was fantastic. Friendly, funny and engaging. A brilliant ambassador for EXPLORE.
Would have no hesitation in going with them again. Thank you.
Walking toursCity sightseeing
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
This was a great trip to explore each city. Personally, this felt a bit more independent type travel (exploring the city by yourself or if you made a friend with them) vs other Contikis (more time with the group). Hotels were great and fantastic locations (centrally located near metros and the main train station). Fantastic free time add ons as well.
Excellent trip and very good guide in AJ.
Only negative was hotel in Florence. Good location (change from original hotel) but was tired and cleanliness could have been better. Very cramped solo room 🙁
Highlights were Pienza and Castellina in Chianti. Great hotels, beautiful walks and really good food and wine. 😀
Walking tours
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
Accommodation
Hotel
Age Range
16-99 yrs
Operated in
english
Destinations
Florence, Pisa, San Gimignano, T
Florence, Pisa, San Gimignano, Tuscany, Pienza, Montalcino
Awesome tour, Many fantastic sights throughout the tour, great experience I'll never forget. Well organised and good value for money. Thanks for all you do. We really appreciated it.
Glories of Türkiye 15 day tour
This small group (in our case just 8 people) tour was excellent and provided a perfect introduction to this country. The first thing that stands out is how clean everywhere is. Not so much as a candy wrapper anywhere, city streets or country by-ways. The Turks are hospitable, polite and friendly people, eager to please everywhere you go. English is spoken in many places and commnication is never a problem. Our escort and guide, Fatih, was both knowledgeable and informative about the many sights; but also thoughtful and concerned for the well-being of his group members. Highly organized and experienced, he had everything under control. Our fellow travelers were all delightful company.
Istanbul is a vibrant city with a history dating back thousands of years. Divided by the Bosphorous, it is both in Europe and in Asia. The Kadikoy district, on the Asian side, is not part of the tour but should be. If possible try to spend a couple of additional days there.
The ancient sites are all interesting and cover thousands of years of history, including Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman and many associated with biblical writings. This is also a good opportunity for non Muslims to learn about the Islamic faith.
Dining was always a pleasure. Although the Turkish population is almost entirely of the Muslim faith, it is politically secular. As a result, alcoholic beverages are widely but not universally available. Tap water is generally avoided, but bottled water is available everywhere.
Prices in stores and dining establishments were significantly cheaper than Europe or North America.
There was no sense anywhere of a threat to personal safety. Indeed we saw no signs of homelessness or drug or alcohol abuse or criminality. Toilets were clean and fresh everywhere.
In summary, Turkey was a wonderful vacation experience, and the Glories of Türkiye 15 day tour met and exceeded our expectations.
Art and architecture
Tour Type
Group Tour
Accommodation
Hotel
Age Range
8-99 yrs
Operated in
english
Destinations
Istanbul, Pamukkale, Ankara, Ant
Istanbul, Pamukkale, Ankara, Antalya, Cappadocia, Canakkale, Izmir, Ephesus, Bodrum
The best. It suited me. Lovely walks, lovely food, historical locations, wonderful guide. I loved the local input - visits to the farms, bakery. A visit to a working Truli house would have been a plus ( very touristy visit to Alberobello) and the last walk could have been more varied scenically. Could have stayed much longer in Matera! Altogether it was the best trip I’ve done with Explore. It helped having a lovely group too.
Where next?
Active and outdoor
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
Accommodation
Hotel, Hut
Age Range
16-99 yrs
Operated in
english
Destinations
Bari, Altamura, Gravina, Alta Mu
Bari, Altamura, Gravina, Alta Murgia National Park, Matera, Cisternino, Monopoli
We had the best time on the Greek Caique Cruise. The itinerary was fantastic and Thanos knew everything and everyone. We swam off the boat every day and when we docked in various ports Thanos was able to point us to the best places to go, organise taxis for us if necessary and in the evening recommend the best restaurants.
Active and outdoorCruise
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
We chose this tour for our honeymoon and we were extremely happy with it. The hotels we stayed in were wonderful, and Spain is such an amazing country. We had been here before and loved it.
