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
I’m quite pleased with my first experience with David McGuffin tour company. The itinerary was spot on - from sites (expected tourist highlights to less known treasures) to hotels (especially Barr Na Straide) & restaurants (Rinuccini❣️) to planned time balanced with free time. And our guide David Grey was THE BEST! David is respectful, thorough, flexible, & a wealth of knowledge and all the while just being plain fun. As my late mother would say, “he’s a keeper.”
We were a family of 5 with three adults and two children 7 and 9. In London we had great food, site seeing and special moments like tea at Harrods, seeing Wicked live and a trip to Harry Potter WB studio experience as well as a trip to Abbey Road for a photo moment. We rode The Eye, boats, busses and the subway. John and Audra guided us expertly . On to Paris via train and more wonderful sites and food. We absolutely loved the Eiffel Tower both from the top and from the river. Spectacular experience of seeing the lights coming on at dusk. Took a cooking class and it was fantastic. The macarons were delicious. Lots of walking. This hotel was convenient to transportation but room too small for a family. All the hotels had delicious breakfasts. Flew to Rome and the hotel there was very nice. Very hot here but enjoyed all the sites and food. No water in Trevi Fountain but lots of other things to enjoy. Had a wonderful memorable time. Came home exhausted but with lots of lasting memories. Thanks to David, Leslie John and Audra for a trip of a lifetime.
The trip to Ireland was just GREAT. David McGuffin Exploring Europe really provides a very nice itinerary and very comfortable everything, very nice hotels, great food, highlighted places and experiences. The part I liked best was David the personal full time tour guide, he was exceptional. The company took care of all of the details like where to go, where to stay, all attraction payments, the beautiful motorcoach. All we had to do is relax and enjoy. And what a great group of people. It couldn't have been better!
My wife and I traveled to Italy last month for David’s “Essence of Italy” tour and we had a great time. Traveling with David and Charlotte was so much easier not having to worry about our hotel, food, and transportation arrangements.
Due to the Jubilee and the Pope’s death, Rome was extremely crowded. We missed the Sistine Chapel and Saint Peter’s Basilica because of the Conclave. We plan on returning to Rome with David to see these sites.
The train ride to Cinque Terre was fun with a lot to see. Once there, we were able to visit a few of the five villages using local trains. The views of the mountain villages next to the ocean were fantastic.
Our next stop was to the hilltown of Volterra in Tuscany. Now I know why David calls Volterra one of his favorite places. It’s really beautiful and has a lot of history. We would never have thought of visiting some of the locations David took us.
We finished our trip visiting Siena and Florence. The museums, Cathedrals, and famous historical sites were great to see.
Traveling with David, Charlotte and our group was very enjoyable. We have already booked our next trip with David in 2026.
Essence of Italy 10 days our first David McGuffin Tour and we were thankful to have David and Charlotte with us on this tour. Rome was quite the experience 2 full days of site seeing with the Vatican, Spanish Steps, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain to name a few all so beautiful, but a little over whelming with the crowds.
Our hotels in every location were quaint and lovely! Not having A/C is some of them was an adjustment , I definitely recommend you bring the portable fan that David mentions to bring we used it.
We really enjoyed our small group 10 people including our guides it was perfect. We had so much fun at our group dinners having a guide for the restaurants was definitely a plus, as well as what food to order.
Cinque Terre- Monterosso was my favorite village and Volterra the Tuscany area was also a favorite of ours! The tour guides in Rome (Guilai was amazing) and Volterra were informative and enjoyable as well as David and Charlottes information on each area.
We packed just like David suggested and we didn’t have any issues or problems handling our own luggage but we did do laundry once while there. David’s tour prep instructions were spot on.
We had the most enjoyable time making new friends and seeing beautiful Italy our next adventure is hopefully Greece!
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