Spain, Italy, and Greece

Experience Spain’s capital with a licensed guide. Visit the Royal Palace, Europe’s largest, to see lavish halls and frescoes. Stroll Calle Mayor and lively Gran Vía with its theaters, shops, and cafés. Admire the Cibeles Fountain depicting the earth goddess Cybele. See the Neoclassical Puerta de Alcalá in Plaza de la Independencia, a ceremonial gateway to the city. Conclude at Columbus Square, a hub of monuments and museums.

Tour Toledo, long considered the spiritual capital of Spain and once home to El Greco. Visit Toledo Cathedral, a Gothic masterpiece filled with treasures such as alabaster sculpture, El Greco’s paintings, and a gilded monstrance carried in Corpus Christi processions. Step into St. Mary’s Synagogue, a symbol of coexistence among three faiths, and explore Toledo’s famous sword-making tradition at a local factory.

Discover this world-famous gypsy dance, its music, and rich history as you watch professional dancers perform, and give the intricate footwork and elaborate arm gestures a try yourself.

Take interactive learning to another level with a Tour Director-led scavenger hunt on Las Ramblas, Barcelona’s most famous pedestrian street. Complete exciting activities and solve fun clues, each designed to maximize experiential learning on tour.

Discover Barcelona with a licensed guide as you explore its mix of Gothic charm and modernist brilliance. Visit Plaza de España, then marvel at Gaudí’s Sagrada Familia, the soaring church that defines the city’s skyline. Wander through Park Güell with its colorful mosaics and sweeping views, and journey to Montjuïc Hill, home to historic fortresses and the 1992 Olympic grounds.

Montserrat is famous for its monastery, its caves, its weirdly shaped crags of rock and its amazing mountain. The town lies just 40km northwest of Barcelona and is a summer escape for many.

Travel to the coastal resort town of Sitges. Once a quiet medieval village of farmers and fishermen, Sitges blossomed into a countercultural haven in the 1960s and today ranks among Spain’s most beloved seaside destinations. Stroll its charming old streets, admire Modernist architecture, and relax on its beautiful beaches.

Enjoy a paella lunch! Paella is a Valencian rice dish with ancient roots originating in the mid-19th century near Albufera lagoon on the east coast of Spain.

Discover Rome’s iconic landmarks on a guided walk. At the Spanish Steps, see the “sinking ship” fountain, designed that way because of low water pressure that forced the artist to sink it below street level. Marvel at the Trevi Fountain’s Baroque grandeur, the Pantheon’s soaring dome, and Piazza Navona, where Bernini’s Fountain of the Four Rivers anchors the bustling square.

Step inside the Colosseum with a licensed guide, once the stage for gladiators, naval battles, and wild beast hunts, and explore the underground chambers where animals were kept. Continue to the Forum Romanum, the hub of Roman politics, religion, and commerce. Conclude at Piazza Venezia, framed by its grand palaces and the striking Victor Emmanuel Monument.

From the Bay of Naples, the island of Capri is less than an hour away by boat. Weather permitting, you’ll visit the Blue Grotto, where sunlight reflecting beneath the water bathes the cave in a shimmering silver-blue light.

Pompeii is a vast archaeological site located in southern Italy’s Campania region. Once a thriving and sophisticated Roman city, Pompeii was buried in meters of ash and pumice after the catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. Near the coast of the Bay of Naples, the well-preserved site features excavated ruins that visitors can freely explore.

Once a major site of ancient Greece, Olympia hosted the original Olympic Games and still inspires awe today. Among shady olive trees and flowing rivers, you can see the remains of temples and the stadium where athletes once competed—and maybe even take a victory lap yourself.

The Ancient Olympic Games were a major event for the Greeks, showcasing athletic competitions and values of excellence, respect, and friendship. Debate their impact on legacy, politics, diplomacy, and global controversies.

Visit Epidaurus, once a sacred healing center, and see its 4th-century BC amphitheater. Continue to Mycenae, framed by twin mountains and overlooking fertile plains. Explore the citadel ruins where treasures like gold cups and bronze armor were unearthed, and picture the bonfires celebrating Troy’s fall.

Explore Athens with your local guide, where ancient history and modern life meet. Visit the Acropolis, the heart of classical Athens, to see the Parthenon, dedicated to the goddess Athena, and the elegant Temple of Athena Nike. Admire sweeping views of the city before stopping at the 2004 Olympic site, a symbol of Greece’s enduring athletic spirit. Continue to Syntagma Square to watch the ceremonial changing of the guards at the Parliament, then to Omonoia Square, a lively gathering place surrounded by cafés and olive trees.

In Athens, history is never far away. Walk with your Tour Director through the Plaka district, where winding streets reveal balconies filled with flowers and tavernas alive with traditional dancing. Then visit the Temple of Olympian Zeus, begun in the 6th century BC and finished by Hadrian in AD 132, and see Hadrian’s Arch, once marking the divide between ancient and imperial Athens.