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Audley is excited to announce the launch of three new countries within Europe: Greece, Croatia, and Iceland

Boston, MA — Choosing which destinations to launch is always an exciting task and one that requires careful consideration. This year’s additions come from carefully listening to what our clients are asking for and staying up to date on industry trends.

“Europe has continued to be our fastest growing department. Italy is consistently our most popular destination and launching both Greece and Croatia enables us to create some really intriguing multi-country itineraries. Iceland’s popularity has been soaring, with high demand both for comprehensive touring vacations, as well as shorter layovers en route to Europe. We’re excited to offer more dynamic routing possibilities within Europe as well as cultural variety by adding these new countries,” says Katie Stearn, Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±¼Ç¼’s regional product manager for Europe.

Below are a few of the team’s top picks for new excursions being offered in the region:

Greece

Explore Meteora at sunset by e-bike

Sunset at Meteora is very popular with tourists visiting the area; the stillness and peacefulness against the changing tones of the sky is very moving. A great way to stay as much away from the crowds as possible is to take part in an e-bike tour with guide Vasilis or his wife Jenny. Your journey takes you through the area to various monasteries where Vasilis or Jenny will explain the history of each location and provide glimpses into the daily life of the monks who live there today. You’ll end with a grand view and (hopefully) a stunning sunset.

Santorini private boat tour

Enjoy a full day out on the water on a private boat excursion around the island. Enjoy time for both cruising and stops for swimming, you’ll see spectacular views of the towns overlooking the caldera and swim past unique rock formations in clear, turquoise water. Dinner is served on board before your captain finds the perfect spot to anchor, so you can watch the iconic Santorini sunset from the water. The views of the sun glittering gold on the water before dipping below the horizon are remarkable.

Athens food walking tour

Greek cuisine is well-known around the world and the most diverse range of food can be found in Athens. Explore the heart of Athens while also sampling your way through a range of flavors. Begin in the Syntagma Square area where you’ll stroll the nearby streets and lanes before reaching your first stop of the day at a historical bakery where you can choose from a variety of tasty Greek pies. Walk past Byzantine and Greek Orthodox churches until you reach Athens’s Central Market, try local cheeses and cold cut vendors along with an ouzo or tsipouro to wash it down. Walk through Psirri to stroll through an area of famous artists where you’ll see some interesting street art and design. Your next stop is at a local souvlaki restaurant in the popular Monastiraki Square, where you can enjoy a tasty souvlaki with the meat of your choice. The final leg of your tour is in Saint Irene’s Square where you’ll enjoy a sweet Greek dessert of loukoumades, a type of fried donuts with honey.

Croatia

Trogir historic walking tour and prepared lunch/wine with a chef

Start your day with a tour of Trogir’s market where a local chef will talk you through the range of produce and fish on offer and buy you ingredients for your lunch. You then enjoy a walking tour of the historic medieval town before rejoining the host in a quiet hillside house outside of the city for a 5 course meal cooked in front of you and paired with local wines by an expert sommelier.

Private boat tour of Hvar and Pakleni Islands

You’ll be picked up from your hotel and brought to the pier where you’ll join your private captain for the day to explore the Adriatic Coast. During the day you can visit several towns of Hvar and the Pakleni Islands. Your captain will provide snacks, refreshments and snorkeling equipment while you explore the numerous isolated bays and beaches, making stops for swimming, lunch or just to relax on your own spot of pebble stone beach away from the crowds.

Day trips to neighboring destinations

In addition to Croatia Audley will be able to include short stopovers in the city of Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, day trips or overnights in Montenegro including the luxurious Aman property, Sveti Stefan, as well as day trips to Mostar and Pocitelj in Bosnia and Herzegovnia.

Walking tour of Dubrovnik’s City Walls and Old Town (can be Game of Thrones focused as well)

You’ll explore the marble streets of Dubrovnik’s Old Town with your own private guide who will detail the city’s storied history. Learn how the 25 meter high walls have managed to protect the city from the 12th century on, including the most recent events during the Croatian War of Independence in 1991. If you are particularly interested in Game of Thrones we have partnered with a guide who worked on the show and offers amazing insight into the production and shooting locations from the show. The tour can then be tailored to focus on the parts of town which were used extensively in the show’s creation, as the setting of King’s Landing.

These tours are not official Game of Thrones tours and are not licensed, approved, or endorsed by Home Box Office, Inc., the owner of the trade marks for Game of Thrones.

Iceland

Super jeep tour on Eyjafjallajökull

This is an exciting day exploring Eyjafjallajökull glacier, journeying across the snow and ice in an enormous super Jeep. Your local driver will skillfully maneuver the Jeep up this infamous volcano, traversing seemingly unpassable rocks, rivers, steep ice and deep snow with relative ease. Views are spectacular and can include the nearby Westmann Islands, as well as Hetla volcano and the mountains of Þórsmörk (or ‘Thor’s Valley).

Snorkeling with whales

This experience takes place either early in the morning or in the evening, to ensure that there are no boats in the vicinity and you have the whales to yourselves. On your way out to the best location to find the whales you’ll learn all about these majestic creatures from your knowledgeable marine guide, before spending an hour or so in the water with the whales themselves. Back at the base, you have the opportunity of relaxing in the hot tub with a local beer.

Culinary coastline tour

This is a unique chance to explore the beautiful Eyjafjörður coastline of snow-capped mountains, inlets and black sand beaches, while learning about Icelandic cuisine and visiting several local producers. You’ll spend time at Iceland’s first microbrewery to learn about their history and production process while sampling the beer, taste freshly caught cod on the island of Hrísey, then try Iceland’s most famous dish — salted cod — at a local processing plant.