The Best Private Trips to Book in Southern Europe

Discover the true meaning of la dolce vita on this 10-day itinerary, which explores the very best of Italy’s western and eastern coastlines. Things kick off in lively Naples, where a street food tour serves as the perfect introduction to Italy. Then you’ll wind along the dreamy Amalfi Coast by road and by boat, stopping off in some of the region’s most charming seaside towns. The journey from west to east is broken up with visits to some of Puglia’s most scenic towns, before eventually reaching the crystal-clear waters and golden beaches of Polignano a Mare. On the east coast you’ll visit a local olive oil farm, as well as the gorgeous city of Lecce, known as the Florence of the South.

If the concept of Mediterranean bliss can be distilled into one place, then we reckon it’s Santorini at sunset, when the island’s whitewashed buildings and blue-domed churches are bathed in a warm glow. That moment is usually accompanied with a cocktail on a terrace bar, after a day of classic Greek island indulgence. That’s essentially the final day of our eight-day island-hopping epic in Greece. Your Santorini sunset will be accompanied with recent memories of the Acropolis in Athens, hidden beaches in Milos and a traditional Greek cooking class in Naxos. We’ll certainly raise a glass to that. Will you?