12 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, and the soaring spires of Barcelona’s Sagrada Família.
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 12 unique European experiences you can enjoy on an Exodus small-group adventure.
1. 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.
2. 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.
Experience it on:
Walks & Food of the Italian Riviera
Stay in the Riviera’s ‘secret city’ for an adventure of glorious walks, regional food and renowned wines
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.
Experience it on:
Cycle the Baltics
Cycle through three countries from Estonia to Lithuania
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.
Experience it on:
Budapest to Istanbul Adventure
Dive deep into Europe’s up-and-coming culture trail: Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey
Browse our Europe Trips
5. Build (and Sleep in) a Quinzee Shelter
Accommodation is always provided on Exodus adventures. But journey to the remote north of Finland and you can choose to build your own!
Led by a wilderness expert, you’ll be provided with shovels and taught how to turn a mound of snow into snug sleeping quarters – the ancient art of quinzee building. You can sleep in yours, if you wish. If not, our comfy lodge is a short walk away.
Experience it on:
Finnish Wilderness Week
Mixed activity week in a remote part of Finland
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.
Experience it on:
Walking in Andalucia
Romantic countryside, rugged hills and villages of Andalucia on foot
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.
Experience it on:
Hiking Greece's Dodecanese Islands
Discover three idyllic Greek islands
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.
Experience it on:
Cycle Romania
Cycle through the ancient villages and landscapes of Romania
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 17th-century tradition that helps to reduce the impact on the local environment, compared to other more modern techniques.
The European flat oysters (Ostrea edulis) cultivated here filter the water, require no feed or chemicals, support local livelihoods, and preserve a coastline shaped by centuries of mariculture.
Experience it on:
Discover Croatia
Enjoy Croatia’s many wonders, from waterfalls and renowned wines to Roman ruins and the Plitvice Lakes
10. Try Your Hand at Crete’s Pottery Tradition
In the hillside village of Margarites, step inside a master potter’s workshop, take the wheel yourself and learn how to centre, open and coax spinning clay into shape with your hands.
Once famed for pithoi – enormous jars used to store olive oil, wine and grain – the village’s potters travelled across Crete each summer to ply their craft. Traditional kilns had no temperature gauges, so every firing relied on experience and instinct.
So this is a unique opportunity to shape your own ceramic keepsake and become part of this centuries-old story.
Experience it on
Signature Greece | Songs of the Lyre
11. Hunt for Tuscany’s Buried Treasure
In the truffle-rich Tuscan countryside around San Miniato, follow a family and their skilled dogs into the woods in search of one of the region’s most prized ingredients.
Learn why truffles thrive underground among oak and poplar, how to recognise different varieties and what makes the elusive white truffle so coveted.
Then settle around the family table for a home-cooked lunch, where fresh truffles take center stage in simple dishes of fresh pasta and eggs designed to let their distinctive flavour shine.
Experience it on
Signature Italy | Allure of Renaissance Tuscany
12. Meet the Sisters Keeping a 300-Year-Old Craft Alive
Situated in Alentejo, Portugal, lies the historic city of Estremoz. Here, meet the Flores Sisters, who have spent more than 50 years preserving the town’s distinctive clay figures.
They began as teenagers, learning from master craftswoman Sabina Santos, and today continue a 300-year-old tradition once at risk of disappearing.
Their brightly painted figures depict shepherds, farmers, local trades and religious characters, offering miniature snapshots of Alentejo life and are now recognised by UNESCO.
Experience it on
Signature Portugal | Alentejo’s Land & Legacy
From age-old crafts to flavours you won’t find anywhere else, there’s always another side of Europe to uncover. So why not explore with the people who know it best? View our full collection of European adventures.
