9 Unique European Experiences You Can Enjoy With Exodus

Europe is too often defined by its major landmarks: the glittering lights of the Eiffel Tower at night, the vast curved walls of the Colosseum, even the shimmering blue of the Mediterranean Sea.

But – as you’ll know if you’ve ever travelled to Europe with Exodus before – the soul of the continent and its nations is often found in lesser-known experiences and the people who keep the culture alive.

So, if you want to dive deeper into Europe, here are nine unique European experiences you can enjoy on an Exodus small-group adventure.

1. Master Pesto Making in a Grand Italian Palace

Your pestle meets basil in a cooking class held beneath the frescoed ceilings of Palazzi dei Rolli – a grand palace in the port city of Genoa. A local chef presides over the class with quiet precision: pine nuts crack, oil gleams, and the air sweetens with garlic. Moments later, you’re tasting your own pesto on warm focaccia with a glass of Ligurian white.

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9 Unique European Experiences You Can Enjoy With Exodus

Italy

Walks & Food of the Italian Riviera

Stay in the Riviera’s ‘secret city’ for an adventure of glorious walks, regional food and renowned wines

7 Days from £ 2399

Walking & Trekking

2. Explore Leonardo da Vinci’s French Home

Midway through our Cycle the Loire Valley adventure, we pause at Château du Clos Lucé – Leonardo da Vinci’s final home. In the vaulted workshop where he dreamed of flight, you examine models of his sketches brought to life, before exploring the gardens where life-size versions of his inventions line the pathways. With time at your leisure, wander through Leonardo’s chambers and step into the Renaissance mind that changed the world.

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France

Cycle the Loire Valley

Cycle through France's Loire Valley and discover fairytale chateaux and prestigious vineyards

7 Days from £ 3149

6 reviews

Cycling

3. Discover a Desert in Lithuania

On the Curonian Spit of Lithuania, dunes rise higher than cathedrals and shift like tides – a landscape the locals have nicknamed the Lithuanian Sahara. We cycle a slender strip between the Baltic Sea and a lagoon, where wind-carved pines and wooden fishing huts mark our route. With us, the journey goes beyond the scenery; local guides share folklore of buried villages and the delicate dance that’s keeping this moving desert alive.

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Estonia

Cycle the Baltics

Cycle through three countries from Estonia to Lithuania

11 Days from £ 2149

115 reviews

Cycling

4. Toast to the Wine Heritage of Hungary

In the vaulted cellars of Tokaj, a historic town in northeastern Hungary, you can taste the golden Aszú wines once reserved for kings. Our expert local guide explains how ‘noble rot’ works its magic on each grape, before inviting you to sample straight from the barrel. With the air rich in honey and oak, it’s not just a tasting – it’s a lesson in one of Europe’s oldest vinicultural alchemy.

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Hungary

Budapest to Istanbul Adventure

Dive deep into Europe’s up-and-coming culture trail: Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey

14 Days from £ 3129

Culture

5. Explore the Hidden Tunnels of Albania

In the Albanian city of Kukës, our expert local guide unlocks a warren of concrete tunnels built during Enver Hoxha’s communist regime – part of a vast Cold War network designed to withstand a nuclear attack. A subterranean city once sealed from the world, its walls hold stories of refuge, resistance, and rebirth. Step underground here, and you uncover the resilience that shaped a nation.

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Albania

Discover North Albania & Kosovo

Join the best guides in the region for an adventure of old traditions, natural beauty and tales from the people

8 Days from £ 1599

Culture

6. Chew Churros in an Andalucían Cliff Town

Carved into cliff face, the Andalucían town of Setenil de las Bodegas took its name after defying seven sieges before falling to Catholic Monarchs. Beneath the same cliff overhangs, cafés now serve churros and chocolate to passersby where soldiers once stood guard. With sunlight spilling across Calle Cuevas del Sol, this is Andalucía at its most unexpected – sweet, storied, and steeped in history.

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Spain

Walking in Andalucia

Romantic countryside, rugged hills and villages of Andalucia on foot

8 Days from £ 1949

148 reviews

Walking & Trekking

7. Trace the Greek Islands in a Traditional Fishing Boat

Aboard a traditional kaiki – a handcrafted wooden boat once used by island fishermen – you follow Symi’s coastline past whitewashed chapels and hidden coves. These sturdy vessels have linked the Dodecanese for centuries, carrying goods, stories, and songs between islands. Today, they deliver you to a deserted bay where the crew grills fresh fish and the sea sparkles like spilt salt.

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Greece

Hiking Greece's Dodecanese Islands

Discover three idyllic Greek islands

8 Days from £ 2599

Walking & Trekking

8. Meet the Makers Who Restored a Romanian Church

Above the Saxon village of Viscri in central Romania, a 12th-century fortified church rises behind towers and thick defensive walls. Here, you meet the blacksmiths and brickmakers who restored it using centuries-old techniques of hand-forged iron. Their crafts helped preserve the village that later inspired King Charles III to buy a house here – a living reminder that medieval Transylvania still endures through skilled hands.

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Romania

Cycle Romania

Cycle through the ancient villages and landscapes of Romania

9 Days from £ 2499

42 reviews

Cycling

9. Chat to the Oyster Farmers of Croatia

In Mali Ston Bay, a designated nature reserve in southern Croatia, you can meet oyster farmers continuing a 17^th-century tradition that helps to reduce the impact on the local environment, compared to other more modern techniques. The European flat oysters (Ostrea edulis) they cultivate filter the water, require no feed or chemicals, support local livelihoods, and preserve a coastline shaped by centuries of mariculture.

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