8 grand journeys in Southern Europe and the Mediterranean

From a luxury rail journey to an unforgettable journey hiking the Camino de Santiago, you’ll never run out of adventures. Here are 8 amazing trips to experience the best of the Med and Southern Europe.

1. Europe by luxury train

An opulent suite aboard the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, A Belmond Train. (Image: Helen Cathcart)

To travel on the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, A Belmond Train, is to relive the golden age of rail travel, but even more luxurious than before. Its 17 ravishingly restored carriages, each with their own story to tell, house opulent suites and cosy heritage cabins lined with exquisite marquetry. Plush dining cars feature original Lalique glass panels and lacquered Chinoiserie walls, while the famous bar sports a grand piano. But it’s the glamorous fellow travellers and disarmingly charming waiters and stewards who bring the experience to theatrical life, serving Champagne and caviar upon boarding, three-course lunches and dinners as you pass through cinematic European landscapes, and cocktails until the last guest goes to bed. Most journeys are one night, to and from fabled cities like Paris, Venice, Budapest, Vienna and Prague. The ultimate journey: five nights from Paris to Istanbul, or vice-versa.

2. Island-hop the Mediterranean

Embark on a Greek odyssey. (Image: Getty/borchee)

Cruising is a magical way to go island-hopping around the Mediterranean. It’s also a great way to gain your bearings. A  Journey of Sunsets in the Cyclades and Bosphorus with Explora Journeys is bookended by overnight stays in Istanbul and Venice. Wander around the whitewashed village of Mykonos. Drop into the sacred isle of Delos. Climb to the top of the hill in Plaka to enjoy sunset views over the Cyclades. And bask in the days at sea in between.

3. Hiking the Dolomites

Hike the Dolomites. (Image: Getty/Oleh Slobodeniuk)

There are many beautiful hiking trails in the boot of Italy, but few are less trodden than the Cammino Retico – so far. Billed as one of Italy’s best new slow travel options, the 170-kilometre-long circuit in the country’s north-east is gaining attention for its stunning mountain landscape and points of interest including Neanderthal fossil grounds and a century-old brewery. Not keen on going the full distance? Check out its just-opened sibling trail, the 80-kilometre Cammino Retico Southern.

4. The Caucasus region

Visit an ancient cave city in Georgia.

The Caucasus region is no stranger to visitors as it has facilitated cultural exchanges for centuries on the ancient Silk Road network. Visit the countries where Asia and Europe meet and you’ll find wineries, mountains, monasteries and more. Drink in that rich history with operators like Wendy Wu Tours, which has curated a detailed Georgia, Armenia & Azerbaijan tour. The 24-day adventure begins in Baku, the glittering capital of Azerbaijan, and includes highlights such as a lunch at a family-run winery, a visit to an ancient cave city in Georgia and a masterclass in carving Armenian khachkar (stone).

5. A tour of Türkiye

Cappadocia’s cave houses are in the heart of Anatolia. (Image: Getty/ galitskaya)

If you source your travel inspo from Insta, you might think Türkiye’s main calling cards are the hot-air balloons of Cappadocia. But the nation at the crossroads of civilisations for millennia has long been a captivating place to visit for its art, history and architecture. Wander through Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia, visit Byzantine basilicas and Ottoman palaces, and Cappadocia’s cave cities on Limelight Arts Travel’s 16-day Türkiye: Crossroads of Cultures tour led by trusted scholar Dr Helen Pope.

6. Walk the Camino de Santiago

Slow down on the Camino de Santiago. (Image: Getty/Vuk Saric)

Pilgrims have been tracing the Camino de Santiago path from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, France to Santiago de Compostela, Spain for centuries. Those who have had a long-held dream of walking the entire 770-800 kilometres can now do so with UTracks at a more relaxed pace. The extended 58-day format of the Camino Rambler tour invites walkers to complete the route with more time along the trail to explore.

7. Cruise the Douro River

Wind and wine along the Douro River. (Image: Lauren de Sousa)

It’s said the Douro River was derived from the Portuguese word dourado, or golden, for the way the sun pours honey over the waterway. Honey lingers on the palate with Porto wine, too. And you can taste this forward flavour on river cruises with AmaWaterways, Tauck and Avalon Waterways, which include visits to celebrated cellar doors and tutored tastings onboard while sailing through the heart of Portugal’s wine region.

8. The Mediterranean island of Malta

Dive into the pristine waters of Ta’ Marija Cave.

If you took the most fascinating threads of world cultures and braided them all together, you’d end up with a place like Malta. This small Mediterranean island in the maritime crossroads of Europe and Africa holds layers of history: mysterious Megalithic temples that outdate the Pyramids; medieval citadels shaped by Arabic influence; Renaissance architecture housing masterpiece artworks; and 19th-century shipwrecks sunken off the coast, such an attraction for divers that they’re complemented by underwater sculptures like Christ of the Sailors. Making your way around the island is like playing a highlights reel of the past 6000 years.

The underwater statue of Christ of the Sailors. (Image: Visit Malta)