Get Social: Central Europe Highlights 2024

Meet the crew in London and load up the coach – we’re hitting the road early to jump across the channel. The home of Coco Chanel, the Mona Lisa and world’s craziest roundabout – Paris deserves its rep as the European capital for all things culture, fashion and bloody good food. Get to know the City of Love with a driving tour. Then? Switch Paris mode ON and get exploring! The first holy-sh*t-we're-really-here optional to tick off: an evening cruise down the River Seine.

This is your day, your way. So make every second count. Create a solid dent in your bucket list with a visit to the Louvre (get your tix in advance!). Snap a pic of the Arc de Triomphe. Wander the Champs Elysées. Or discover the hidden back-streets on your own. Walking not your thing? Stretch out those legs on an optional bike tour. Tonight, it’s time for a welcome meal with the gang. Then dress to impress for an optional cabaret show. Think: sparking lights, death-defining acrobatics, OTT costumes and the can-can (of course).

Trade in Parisian streets for snowy peaks. Warm up those vocal cords, we’ll be blasting some tunes on the ride into the mountains – stopping for a few pics on the way. Home to the ‘Top of Europe’, 72 waterfalls and one of the largest nature conservations in Switzerland – tonight we're bunking down in the jaw-dropping Swiss Alps. Sit back in the fresh alpine air with a cold beverage and crack open that new pack of playing cards. Who knows Rummy?

If the Swiss Alps had a Tinder bio, it’d be: fun, outdoor enthusiast – looking for a fellow adrenaline junkie to share adventures with. And we’d swipe right. Hiking. Biking. Skydiving. Helicopter-ing. It’s all here. If you’re wanting something a bit more low-key, strap on the Nikes and walk the valley floor. Or hop on board the Jungfraubahn railway for an optional visit to the Jungfrau Mountain summit. Expect plenty of fairytale villages en route. Haven’t had cheese fondue yet? Go. Now.

Buy that mini-fondue set. Down your coffee. And wave goodbye to Switzerland – we’re off to the land of the long boot. Get your creative juices flowing for THAT photo at Pisa, then make your food baby sing as we roll into the birthplace of gelato: Florence. Tonight, it’s time to hunt down some of that hearty Tuscan cuisine you’ve been dreaming about – plus a scoop (or two) of the good stuff. Challenge: decide on your favourite flavour in two days.

Florence has more stories than Bilbo Baggins, more culture than a London hipster AND it gave the world David (the massive marble naked guy FYI). We’ll get the lay of the land on a walking tour with a local guide. Then: bella Roma awaits! Dump your stuff at your digs and prepare for a walking tour to end all walking tours. Pass by the Pantheon, throw your 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. You're in Disneyland for foodies, so you know dinner tonight is gonna be good wherever you end up.

Time to live out your Eat. Pray. Love. fantasies – today is all about Vespas, espresso, two-cheeked kisses and pizza (the way it’s supposed to taste). Get your fill of i-con-ic sights on an optional walking tour. Vatican City AND Colosseum, yes pls! Feeling something a bit more relaxed? Do as the locals do and indulge in a little dolce far niente (delicious idleness) at a local cafe or piazza. Tonight, shake out those fat pants for round two. Thought you’d tried all the gelato flavours? Head to Fatamorgana – and think again. Later: gather the gang and get ready to party Roman style (but with fewer togas, more cocktails).

Order one more espresso in poor Italian (hey, you tried!) – we’re off to Venice after breakfast. You know it as The Floating City, but this place is actually sinking (slowly). Check out the usual suspects on a walking tour with our Trip Leader – ticking off the likes of St Mark's Square, Doge’s Palace and Accademia Bridge. Then: take a gondola ride down the Grand Canal. When in Venice, right? Dinner tonight is on you, what delicious carb-laden Italian meal haven’t you tried yet? Order two.

Next up? A country where beer is officially considered an essential food group (right next to sausage and sauerkraut). Helloooo Germany! We’ll kick things off with a walking tour of Munich, then it’s the moment you’ve been waiting for – an appropriate occasion to wear lederhosen. Head to the 428-year-old Hofbräuhaus for a royal Happy Hour experience or find the Chinese beer garden (or any beer garden for that matter) for a stein-sesh with your trip mates. Prost!

Another day, another food-obsessed European city. Berlin we love you. Prep yourself for currywurst, bratwurst 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 Museum, Charlottenburg Palace and Alexanderplatz. Then: the afternoon is 100% up to you! Our suggestion? Head to Burgermeister: a public toilet turned best-burger-joint-in-Berlin. Trust us.

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 to the ultimate test on an awesome AF food tour. We’re talking kebabs, pastries, currywurst, pierogi and local beers (this is Germany after all). Tonight, it’s time to see whether the nightlife here really lives up to the hype.

Ok, nobody panic – we’ve only got two days left. But the adventure sure as hell isn’t over yet! We’ve got our eye on Amsterdam next – time to hit the cobblestones and explore. Check out the likes of Dam Square, the Royal Palace and the National Monument with your free time. This place is a foodie’s haven, so you’ll have no trouble finding somewhere to settle in for dinner. Try traditional Dutch pancakes (sweet/savoury/both at once) or head to the Foodhallen for alllll the world snacks. Later, make a beeline for a canalside wine bar or brewery to keep the good times rolling.

This is our last full day. 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 history fiends – delve a bit deeper with a visit to the Anne Frank House (don’t forget to book in advance!). If you *do* forget this top piece of advice, we got you (cos we’re good like that) – with an optional virtual reality tour of the Secret Annex. Culture more your thing? Hit the Van Gogh and Rijksmuseum. Whatever you get up to, make sure you’re back in time for tonight’s group dinner – we’ll be going out with a bang.

Two weeks. Six countries. Countless good times. What-an-epic-trip. After breakfast, it’s time to hit the road back to ol’ Blighty. Blast the Trip Song one last time and swap Insta handles – you’ll need them to organise next year’s reunion!