European Odyssey Madrid to Budapest

Seventeen days, six countries, one long run from Madrid to Budapest. You start with Madrid's nightlife and Barcelona's modernist streets, then work east through France, Switzerland, Italy and Austria before finishing on the Danube.

It's a broad sweep rather than a deep dive — a night or two in each place, with cities like Florence and Venice sitting alongside quieter stops like the Abbey of Poblet and Lake Geneva's Chillon Castle. Partially guided, so some days are led and others left free to explore.

Good fit for a first big Europe trip or anyone who wants a lot of ground covered without planning it themselves.

What you'll do

• Take in Madrid's nightlife and Barcelona's modernist architecture
• Visit the Abbey of Poblet in Spain
• Stop in Arles, France, for its art history
• See Chillon Castle on the shores of Lake Geneva
• Look out over Florence from Piazzale Michelangelo and explore Venice's canals
• Cruise Austria's Traunsee Lake and hear about Salzburg's musical past before ending with a Danube cruise in Budapest