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Scenic view of a lush green valley with red cable cars, a turquoise lake, and surrounding mountains under a clear blue sky.

CENTRAL & EASTERN EUROPE

Five countries. Zero filler.

From the emerald gorges of Slovenia's Soča River to the Mediterranean waters of the Dalmatian coastline, up through the mountain valleys and peaks of Austria and the Eastern Alps—Central and Eastern Europe packs more contrast into a single trip than most travelers think possible.

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FIND YOUR CENTRAL & EASTERN EUROPE

The way you move through Central and Eastern Europe shapes your experience. We offer two travel styles, each one unlocking a different side of the region.

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Hikers with backpacks walk along a narrow trail through a lush, green mountain landscape under a partly cloudy sky.

Hiking & Walking

The Alps don't care which country you're standing in. From the Julian Alps above Lake Bled to the Bernese Oberland's high-altitude ridgelines, these trails reward effort with the kind of views that justify every hard mile and then some. Lace up. The mountains are waiting.

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Group of people in helmets and life jackets white-water rafting on a river, surrounded by lush green trees.

Multi-Adventure

Every landscape here demands a different kind of movement. Raft the Soča. Paddleboard on Lake Bled. Kayak the Adriatic. E-bike through Goriska Brda's vine-covered hills. Central and Eastern Europe doesn't ask you to pick a lane—and neither do our Multi-Adventure tours.

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Map highlighting Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Switzerland, and The Alps in Europe with labeled locations.

One region. Endless sides.

Central and Eastern Europe doesn't announce itself—it reveals itself. Slowly, over the course of a hike above the Julian Alps or a paddle through the Adriatic. Slovenia packs glacier peaks, emerald rivers, and vineyard-covered hills into a country the size of New Jersey. Croatia's Istrian Peninsula offers a quieter, more local version of the Mediterranean—truffle farms, Venetian harbor towns, and coastline that hasn't been overrun. To the north and west, Bavaria and Tyrol deliver the Alps you picture in your head: fairytale castles, glacier-backed valleys, and mountain villages where the beer is cold and the views are earned. Switzerland raises the stakes further—Zermatt, the Matterhorn, the Bernese Oberland. Most travelers never make it past the obvious. These tours do.

Central & Eastern Europe by region

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Kayakers paddle in clear blue water near scenic cliffs and historic fortified walls, with a Mediterranean landscape in the background.

Croatia: Dalmatian Coast & Istria

Croatia beyond Dubrovnik feels like a different country entirely. On the Istrian Peninsula—a wedge of coastline that juts into the Adriatic with strong Italian influence and centuries of Venetian history—you'll find pastel harbor towns like Rovinj, hilltop villages, and a truffle culture that rivals anything in Périgord or Tuscany. Kayak the Adriatic in the morning. Sit down to a farm lunch built around black and white truffle in the afternoon.

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A scenic view of Lake Bled, with a small church on an island, surrounded by lush hills and distant mountains under a partly cloudy sky.

Slovenia

Slovenia shouldn't fit this much variety into one country. And yet. The Julian Alps rise sharply above Lake Bled's cobalt water; the Soča River cuts an emerald path through Triglav National Park; the Goriska Brda wine region rolls gently toward the Italian border. It's a place that keeps surprising you—and one that most travelers still haven't found.

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Hiker with a red backpack stands on a cliff overlooking Neuschwanstein Castle, surrounded by lush greenery and mountains under a blue sky.

Germany & Austria: Bavaria, Tyrol & Salzburg

Neuschwanstein Castle from a hiking trail. E-bikes rolling through alpine valleys beneath the Zugspitze. High-altitude huts in Tyrol with glacier views and cold beer waiting at the top. Bavaria and Austria deliver the Alps you've always pictured—and then some. Salzburg adds a layer of baroque grandeur and a soundtrack you already know.

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A red train travels through green hills with the snow-capped Matterhorn in the background under a clear blue sky.

Switzerland

The Matterhorn reflected in Riffelsee. Car-free Zermatt at the end of a long day on the trail. The Bernese Oberland's ridgelines stretching in every direction from 10,000 feet. Switzerland's alpine scenery is the most iconic on the continent—and on foot, it earns every bit of that reputation.

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Our most popular Central & Eastern Europe tour

Slovenia & Croatia Multi-Adventure: Istria & Julian Alps

Slovenia has a way of catching people off guard. You come for Lake Bled—the castle, the island church, the paddleboard on cobalt water—and you leave having rafted Class IV rapids on the Soča River, hiked to 6,725-foot views in Triglav National Park, and e-biked through Goriska Brda's vineyard hills with the Adriatic on the horizon. Then Croatia's Istrian Peninsula takes over: truffle hunting with an expert and their dog, a farm lunch built around grandma Danica's truffle-infused specialties, and a final morning kayaking the Adriatic coastline into Rovinj.

Snow-capped mountain peaks under a bright blue sky with scattered clouds, framed by dark evergreen trees.
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UNIQUELY EF ADVENTURES

A handful of the experiences that define our Central and Eastern Europe tours.

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Neuschwanstein Castle perched on a lush hilltop, surrounded by forests and fields under a blue sky with scattered clouds.

Hike to Neuschwanstein's secret viewpoints

Everyone photographs Neuschwanstein Castle. Almost no one sees it like this. A 4.3-mile loop around Alpsee lake leads to hiking-only viewpoints of King Ludwig II's 19th-century fairytale palace—angles that tour buses and cable cars simply can't reach. The castle, framed by alpine forest, looks exactly like the thing it inspired.

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Scenic view of a turquoise lake nestled between rugged mountains under a partly cloudy sky, with rocky foreground.

Toast at the top of Olpererhütte

At nearly 7,500 feet in Austria's Zillertal Alps, the Olpererhütte earns its reputation. The 5.7-mile climb gains more than 2,400 feet through alpine meadows and rocky switchbacks before the valley opens up below you. At the summit: a traditional schnapps tasting, a suspension bridge on the way back down, and a rooftop pool waiting at the hotel.

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A person in a striped shirt shucks an oyster on a black cutting board, with one oyster half already opened and placed nearby.

Taste fresh oysters on a wooden boat in Mali Ston

Mali Ston Bay has been farming oysters since Roman times. You'll board a traditional wooden boat, cruise to a working oyster farm, and eat them freshly shucked—paired with crisp Pelješac Peninsula wines—right on the water. It's the kind of lunch that takes about 20 minutes to eat and stays with you for years.

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Two cyclists ride on a road lined with lush grapevines under clear blue skies.

E-bike through 2,400-year-old Greek farmland

The Stari Grad Plain on Hvar Island is a UNESCO World Heritage site where Greek land divisions from 384 BCE still dictate the geometry of the vineyards and olive groves below. You'll pedal through it on an e-bike, stop at a traditional lavender distillery in a mountain village to watch copper stills transform freshly harvested blooms into essential oil, then sit down for a three-course Dalmatian lunch at the estate.

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A person scrapes melted cheese onto a plate with a knife, serving a creamy dish in a cozy indoor setting.

Lunch at a Swiss cheese farm in Engelberg

After days of high-altitude hiking in the Bernese Oberland, the Engelberg cheese farm is a different kind of reward. Tour the farm, meet the resident cows and goats, watch the cheesemaking process from start to finish, then sit down for a lunch built around the farm's own raclette—melted, scraped, and served the way it's been done here for centuries.

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OUR TRAVELERS HAVE SPOKEN

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Central & Eastern Europe through their eyes

See the latest from our travelers on the ground in Central and Eastern Europe.

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