THE BEST OF THE MED in 11 days
This tour weaves together three counties, five cultures, four languages and some of the best scenery along the Mediterranean coast. You’ll begin with two action-packed days in Barcelona. Then, head to France to experience medieval castles, Roman ruins and jet-setting adventures along the French Riviera. Cap off your tour with three relaxing days on the beautiful Italian Riviera.
Your Adventure Starts Here!
| PRICE FROM | DATES | |
|---|---|---|
| $4339 + air | May 13-22, 2026 |  |
| $4339 + air | Oct 13-23, 2026 | |
Barcelona – 2 nights
Carcassone – 1 night
Arles – 1 night
Luberon – 2 nights
Nice – 1 night
Italian Riveria – 3 nights
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Single Room Additional Cost ~$890
ITINERARY
DAY 1: Welcome to Spain – Barcelona is the proud and longing-to-be-independent capital of Catalonia. Join your Exploring Europe guide at 3:00 p.m. for tour greetings and a stroll down Las Ramblas, the most festive street in town. Then, we will visit La Boqueria, Barcelona’s famous market, and enjoy a stroll through the Barri Gòtic, learning of Rome’s influence in the city’s history. We’ll finish at Barcelona’s massive gothic-era Cathedral. We will end our day with dinner together. Sleep for 2 nights in Barcelona. Walking: moderate. Dinner.
DAY 2: Art and Culture –Today, we will tour Antoni Gaudí’s modernista architecture, La Sagrada Familia, and walk along the Avenue of Discord. Then you’ll have the remainder of the day all to yourself to explore on your own. Walking: moderate.
DAY 3: Vive la France – This morning, travel along coastal Spain and France. La Cité of Carcassonne is Europe’s largest medieval fortified city. After a walking tour around the historic old town, we’ll set you loose to wander the cobbled lanes, cute cafés, and rocky ramparts. Sleep 1 night in Carcassonne. Driving or train for 4 hours. Walking: moderate.
DAY 4: Arles – Enjoy a walking tour lacing together this town’s impressive history. The well-preserved Roman arena is second only to Rome’s famous Colosseum. Woven into the town’s medieval lanes, you’ll find an ancient theatre and forum. You’ll also learn about Vincent van Gogh who lived and painted scenes from this town in the 1890s. Enjoy the remainder of your day with a stroll along the river and a walk through Arles’ quaint cobbled streets and squares. Walking: moderate. Sleep in Arles for 1 night.
DAY 5: The Pont du Gard & Provence – Visit to the Pond du Gard, a well-preserved Roman-era aqueduct. It once carried fresh water to one of Rome’s largest outpost cities. This is quite possibly the ancient world’s best-preserved technological and architectural structure. Later, we will settle into our hotel in the Luberon area and have dinner together. Sleep for 2 nights in the Luberon area. Driving: 4 hours. Walking: moderate. Dinner.
DAY 6: Provencal Hill Towns – Experience small hill towns, sweeping vistas, and Provencal outdoor markets. Driving: 2 hours. Walking: moderate.
DAY 7: The Riviera and Nice – Today, we’ll dip down to the coastal Riviera, finally arriving in Nice for an orientation walk and dinner. Sleep 1 night in Nice. Driving: 5 hours. Walking: moderate. Dinner.
DAY 8: Nice and Italy – Enjoy some free time this morning in Nice. Take a stroll along the seaside promenade and wander through the Old City. Later, we’ll hop on a train bound for the Italian Riviera, where you will arrive in time for an Italian seafood dinner. Sleep 3 nights on the Italian Riviera. Train: 3 hours. Walking: light. Dinner.
DAY 9: Enjoy the Italian Riviera – You’ll have the day to explore the Cinque Terre on your own. Your guide will be available to help you plan hikes and schedule activities. Traveling to and from the “five villages” in the region is easy by train, boat, or foot. The National Park is loaded with scenic trails providing endless opportunities to get out and explore the outdoors. You may wish to stake your claim on one of the many beaches to catch some sun. Each village has its own character, decor, and ambiance, as well as plenty of shopping and dining options. Walking: your choice.
DAY 10: Enjoy the Italian Riviera – Take another day to enjoy the Italian Riviera. This evening we will meet for a grand farewell dinner to share tour memories. Dinner.
DAY 11: Your tour ends today after breakfast – Trains run hourly to Pisa’s central train station and the airport. Your guide can assist with directions and suggestions to get you on your way. Buon viaggio, bon voyage e buen vieja!
Itinerary specifics are subject to change.
INCLUSIONS
Transportation is provided by coach, train, or minibus from your Barcelona hotel to your Cinque Terre hotel.
10 nights’ accommodation in centrally located hotels, guesthouses, and B&Bs. All rooms have private en-suite baths.
All tips and gratuities to guides, drivers, restaurant, and hotel staff.
Strictly Small Group with 6-18 travelers.
All breakfasts and five of your dinners or lunches.
Traditional dining experiences at some of David’s personal favorite restaurants. Eating well is a priority, and you’ll enjoy fine regional fare featuring the best each locale has to offer.
Water is included with all group meals. Sodas, wine, beer, and other drinks are your responsibility.
All tours and admissions at no extra cost: Guided walking tour in Barcelona; Visit Gaudi’s La Sagrada Familia; Walking tour of medieval Carcassonne; Walking tour of historic Arles; entrance to the Roman Amphitheatre in Arles; Entrance to visit the Pont du Gard; Nice orientation walk; Cinque Terre village orientation and more!
A Cinque Terre train and trail pass for the duration of your stay.
A full-time Exploring Europe guide and local experts dedicated to bringing to life the art, history, and culture of the tour destinations.
David’s tour handouts are delivered electronically and detail each day’s historical and cultural experiences.
Free luggage tags and David’s custom-designed drawstring backpacks.
Our Unconditional Tour Price Guarantee, once locked in, will never change.
$50 Tour Alumni discount for each David McGuffin tour you’ve taken prior to this travel year.
EXCLUSIONS
Comprehensive Trip insurance. We strongly recommend comprehensive insurance for tour.
Fee for passports.
Beer, wine, spirits, and soda during the tour.
Laundry, phone, internet, and personal items
Extras and optional activities.
Anything not mentioned in the itinerary.
TERMS & CONDITIONS
CANCELLATION POLICY
CANCELLATIONS AND REFUNDS:
Deposits- Deposits for tours are fully refundable for 30 days from your initial application and deposit date, unless otherwise noted. If you book a tour less than 90 days before its departure date, full payment is due immediately, and the entire tour cost becomes non-refundable after seven days. After these dates, deposits are not refundable and will be forfeited if you cancel your tour reservation.
Payments- Tour payments are due in full 90 days before your tour departure date. If you find you must cancel between 90-0 days before your tour departure, please contact us immediately. We will work with you to transfer your payments to another tour departing within 18 months. We strongly recommend that everyone purchase comprehensive travel insurance that covers tour cancellations, emergency medical, and other unexpected events.
Cancellations will be effective when the written notification is received at David McGuffin›s Exploring Europe by mail, e-mail, or fax.
SIGN UP BY EMAIL OR POST
If you do not want to sign up online:
You may download a tour application and send it to us with payment.
-OR-
You may return it by:
- FAX 1-800-570-1351
- Email – info@davidmcguffin.com
- email – take a photo of the form with your smartphone and attach it to an email
- TXT – take a photo with your smartphone and TXT to 904-612-8149
KEY TO WALKING & ACTIVITY
Walking and Physical Activity: We have planned this trip to provide maximum tour experiences. The basic nature of Europe does require some degree of physical activity to get out and see the sights, especially in the big cities. To help you plan, we’ve included a daily projection of physical activity. Here is the key for our walking activity ratings:
Light – Walking done on level surfaces with some hills and elevation gains. Two miles or less of required walking during the day.
Moderate – Walking done on paved and gravel paths and cobbled city sidewalks. To enjoy the full tour experience, some uphill and downhill walking is expected, as is standing while viewing sights or museums. Four to six miles of walking per day.
Strenuous – Walking done on rugged and rocky paths and city-cobbled sidewalks. There will be steps and stairs. Up to three hours standing in museums or experience sites. Up to eight miles of walking per day.
Your Choice – No matter what your walking ability, we will help you find alternative ways to enjoy and experience all Europe has to offer. To get the most out of our tours, you should be able to operate at the light level every day with spurts of moderate and strenuous.
PRE-TOUR RESOURCES
Now that you’ve decided to join this tour, we are sure you’ll have some questions. Don’t worry. We are here to help you through each aspect of your tour from start to finish.
DAVID’S 60 SECONDS DESTINATION VIDEOS
Join David as he shares impromptu moments from his travels in Spain, France, and Italy. Watching these short 60-second segments are a great way to experience David’s travel style and adventures. Watch David’s Explore Italy, Explore Spain, and Explore France.
DAVID’S TRAVEL TALK TUESDAY ALMOST-WEEKLY BROADCAST AND VIDEO SERIES BLOG.
Every week, when David is not traveling in Europe, he presents a LIVE broadcast on Zoom and Facebook. Check it out on Tuesdays at 7:30 PM Eastern Time.
Each Travel Talk Tuesday session is recorded. Watch them here.
DAVID’S BLOG ARTICLES
David and his team have answered many travel-related questions, and they are all tucked away on his blog. But, no need to go there. Just type in a keyword in the search box at the top or bottom of this page (it’s the gray rectangle with a small magnifying glass icon), and you will get results for your query.
PLEASE SEND US AN EMAIL OR GIVE US A CALL.
We are happy to answer your travel questions and give advice and suggestions. tours@davidmcguffin.com or 800-570-1351.
Testimonials & Reviews of our Tours
The Sicily tour was incredible! After touring with David, I felt that I had truly seen all that this special island has to offer: terrific historical sights, vibrant cities, incredible museums, majestic land and seascapes, as well as a delectable cuisine. Throughout the tour David was informative, hospitable and open to suggestions and adjustments. He has a very pleasant and accommodating persona and we were fortunate to have him as our escort. The guides he hires are excellent and really enhanced our experience. The only recommendation I have is to have a guide for EVERY excursion! Our driver, Paolo, was exceptional.
I have longed to go on safari since I was a teenager! When I learned about David's explorations BEYOND Europe, I couldn't wait to secure my spot! The Serengeti Safari was the first trip on my retirement agenda! I had high expectations, and this trip EXCEEDED every one of them. David has a network of skilled professionals at every bend in the road. I highly recommend this trip for anyone hoping to experience the beauty of Tanzania, its abundant wildlife, its rich cultural heritage, and its beautiful people!
This trip truly was a trip of a lifetime. The ability to see all of the animals in their natural habitat was really something so hard to describe in words. In so many ways it seemed surreal. I have visited over 50 of our US National Parks, so being able to visit and stay inside the Serengeti National Park made the trip even more special to me. Our guides were simply outstanding. They were knowledgeable and always made sure we had the best experience possible. Our accommodations were top of the line- even our safari tents were exceptional. If going on an African Safari is on your bucket list I highly recommend traveling with David!
This was our first of what I hope are many tours with David McGuffin’s Exploring Europe. We chose The Best of Scotland and Wales in 11 Days tour from 9/24/25 - 10/4/25. Our tour guide, David Gray, made this tour very special. He is very knowledgeable about the destinations on the tour but was also very personable……which made for a very relaxing tour experience. He’s just a nice man! Our driver, Ian, has a beautiful coach and really made us comfortable. He and David make a good team. We were able to go to places that I never thought I’d see because of them. The drive through The Highlands was breathtaking and something we will never forget. All of our hotels were very comfortable and close to the town centers they were in. We really liked our travel mates which also made for a very positive experience. This tour is very well thought out and planned. There was ample free time as well. My husband and I had a very memorable trip and we highly recommend David McGuffin’s Exploring Europe.
I have traveled with David for over a quarter of a century on 22 trips soon to be 23. I’ve traveled with as few as 3 total people and as many as an entire high school marching band. No matter where the destination or the adventure David has researched it and will have all the details taken care of before you ever get there. I often joke that on his trips all I ever worry about is getting to the airport on time- he takes care of all of the rest! I highly recommend David McGuffin’s Exploring Europe— I trust him explicitly and would never consider traveling abroad with anyone else. Knowing David and his wife Charlotte is a blessing in my life and traveling with them is always a pleasure.
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