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Travel Ideas
Private Shore Excursions
Step ashore in style
Embarking on a cruise in Europe? Let us help you create the best custom shore excursions for your time off the ship. From the most intriguing ports along the Baltic and Adriatic seas, the Eastern Aegean, and the Black Sea, as well as river ports in Central and Eastern Europe, our land tours maximize your time in town. You’ll receive personalized service throughout, allowing you to travel in style, at your own speed, while enjoying the best private guiding. The options are endless, and you will never be lost amongst the masses.
Hand-Selected Guides
Simply put, our guides are the best in each locale and will ensure you make the very most of each destination.
Maximize Your Time In Port
We work meticulously with the ship’s schedule to customize your tour to fit your preferences.
Unlimited Choices
Let us curate a program specifically to your interests.
Travel At Your Own Pace
A private excursion means you are in complete control of your time.
Sample Itineraries
Come get some ideas from previous trips we’ve planned in this region. These are only samples since every itinerary we create is customized around your specific interests, travel style and wishlists
See The Beautiful Countryside of Austria
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See The Beautiful Countryside of Austria
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See The Beautiful Countryside of Austria
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Contact us to plan your personalized Europe trip today.
Reviews
We just returned from a memorable trip to Poland, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic. Having used Exeter International for the first time, we were not disappointed and would highly recommend them to those who seek customized rather than cookie cutter travel. Virtually all arrangements exceeded our expectations! Exeter offered a website with our individualized itinerary, length of daily sightseeing tours, names of guides, and emergency contacts in each country. The itinerary they proposed included the key places we wanted to see plus some wonderful things that were unknown to us. We asked countless questions, and the guides offered significant insights into each country's unique history and evolution. Free time was mixed in with sightseeing, and sightseeing was adjusted if requested. Poland, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic are not only incredibly beautiful, but their cities are clean, green, and safe, and the people are very welcoming.
BALKANS EXPERIENCE April 24 - May 21, 2025 It is really difficult to condense a 28-day, 5-country trip into a review that does justice to the incredibly detailed work that went into my recent solo trip to the Balkans. I initiated trip planning with Greg Tepper, Exeter International (Greg’s team curated a phenomenal trip to Russia for me in the early post-Covid days). After hearing my level of interest in the Balkan Region, Greg referred me to Ala and Arina, also with Exeter, for next level planning. Ala and Arina listened attentively, offered a lot of variety to choose from, provided advice and counsel when necessary and followed through on every single detail. Both were a joy to work with.
The trip included travel to five of the six Balkan countries formerly known as Yugoslavia … Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro (Macedonia is the sixth). While a complicated and extensive political and religious history connects these countries, each had its own fascinating identity, culture and people. My local guides were phenomenal, most having been born and raised in each city/town that I toured, which made their storytelling all the more rich with unique detail. Milan, my guide in Belgrade, was also a professor of art history at the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts as well as an opera singer and an actor. He had just published a book which he graciously signed and gifted to me.
Highlights from each country …
Slovenia … Old Town Ljubljana was a delightful mix of history, art, architecture, nightlife and shopping … I could plan a trip there this fall and do ALL of my Christmas shopping … a day trip to picturesque and historic Lake Bled provided a great contrast.
Croatia … a fascinating combination of food and cultures (depending upon which border we were close to) … truffle hunting with a cute young brother and sister in Prodani, casual strolls through picturesque historic walled towns in the mountains of Istria, fresh oysters and mussels prepared by a local farmer in Ston ( just outside of Dubrovnik), a stunning flight along the Adriatic coastline from Istria to Dalmatia, waterfront dining in harbors tucked away among the Pakleni Islands, a private cooking class in Split, and a sunset boat ride accompanied by dolphins off the coast of Rovinj.
Serbia … in Belgrade a deep dive into the history of Yugoslavia and Tito’s regime from a scholar’s perspective … personal time with a master violin maker and local “naive” artists and their galleries in Kovacica … and shopping at a local grocery store for the favorite foods Serbs like to eat.
Bosnia and Herzegovina … my biggest and most pleasant surprise of the trip (Belgrade came in a close second) … Sarajevo was a fascinating city with something to see and learn about around every corner. My local guide, Muhammad, was instrumental in describing a very complicated history, but also showing me the very vibrant multicultural atmosphere that it is now his adopted city.
Montenegro … a coastline and atmosphere that consistently makes you think you are on a movie set … Kotor, Perast, and Herzeg Novi … a tour by boat of the hidden submarine tunnels from WWI, and a day trip up the historic Serpentine Road (22 switchbacks that follow the old caravan route that Roman traders used) to the Old Royal Capital of Cetinje.
I would be remiss if I didn’t say a word about the very personal attention that Arina paid both leading up to my departure and also as my trip progressed in real time. A few weeks before my departure I developed some concerns about news that I was reading about political unrest in Bosnia and Serbia. Arina, who lives in Belgrade, was able to assure me that everything remained very peaceful. I’m really pleased that I followed her advice because I didn’t find anything remotely similar “on the ground” to what I was reading in the international press. Arina also arranged many lovely personal touches during my travels and helped me understand occasionally unique local logistics.
Sent from my iPad
The trip included travel to five of the six Balkan countries formerly known as Yugoslavia … Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro (Macedonia is the sixth). While a complicated and extensive political and religious history connects these countries, each had its own fascinating identity, culture and people. My local guides were phenomenal, most having been born and raised in each city/town that I toured, which made their storytelling all the more rich with unique detail. Milan, my guide in Belgrade, was also a professor of art history at the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts as well as an opera singer and an actor. He had just published a book which he graciously signed and gifted to me.
Highlights from each country …
Slovenia … Old Town Ljubljana was a delightful mix of history, art, architecture, nightlife and shopping … I could plan a trip there this fall and do ALL of my Christmas shopping … a day trip to picturesque and historic Lake Bled provided a great contrast.
Croatia … a fascinating combination of food and cultures (depending upon which border we were close to) … truffle hunting with a cute young brother and sister in Prodani, casual strolls through picturesque historic walled towns in the mountains of Istria, fresh oysters and mussels prepared by a local farmer in Ston ( just outside of Dubrovnik), a stunning flight along the Adriatic coastline from Istria to Dalmatia, waterfront dining in harbors tucked away among the Pakleni Islands, a private cooking class in Split, and a sunset boat ride accompanied by dolphins off the coast of Rovinj.
Serbia … in Belgrade a deep dive into the history of Yugoslavia and Tito’s regime from a scholar’s perspective … personal time with a master violin maker and local “naive” artists and their galleries in Kovacica … and shopping at a local grocery store for the favorite foods Serbs like to eat.
Bosnia and Herzegovina … my biggest and most pleasant surprise of the trip (Belgrade came in a close second) … Sarajevo was a fascinating city with something to see and learn about around every corner. My local guide, Muhammad, was instrumental in describing a very complicated history, but also showing me the very vibrant multicultural atmosphere that it is now his adopted city.
Montenegro … a coastline and atmosphere that consistently makes you think you are on a movie set … Kotor, Perast, and Herzeg Novi … a tour by boat of the hidden submarine tunnels from WWI, and a day trip up the historic Serpentine Road (22 switchbacks that follow the old caravan route that Roman traders used) to the Old Royal Capital of Cetinje.
I would be remiss if I didn’t say a word about the very personal attention that Arina paid both leading up to my departure and also as my trip progressed in real time. A few weeks before my departure I developed some concerns about news that I was reading about political unrest in Bosnia and Serbia. Arina, who lives in Belgrade, was able to assure me that everything remained very peaceful. I’m really pleased that I followed her advice because I didn’t find anything remotely similar “on the ground” to what I was reading in the international press. Arina also arranged many lovely personal touches during my travels and helped me understand occasionally unique local logistics.
Sent from my iPad
Dana,
We had an amazing trip and could go back tomorrow. All the guides were great (as well as the drivers) and were well prepared for our requests and also had great suggestions for other things to do. Everything went as planned which is a real bonus these days. The hotel locations were great and we especially enjoyed the Raffles in Warsaw and our room with a balcony in Gdansk at Blu.
Thanks again for all of your help in planning this trip, and look forward to working with you on a future trip.
Bill
We had an amazing trip and could go back tomorrow. All the guides were great (as well as the drivers) and were well prepared for our requests and also had great suggestions for other things to do. Everything went as planned which is a real bonus these days. The hotel locations were great and we especially enjoyed the Raffles in Warsaw and our room with a balcony in Gdansk at Blu.
Thanks again for all of your help in planning this trip, and look forward to working with you on a future trip.
Bill
We wanted to thank you all for creating an amazing trip and lasting memories for us on our trip to Munich, Salzburg, and Vienna! We had a fabulous time from the moment we stepped off the plane in Munich. The guides you secured for us rocked. We have had travel specialists arrange guides for us in many parts of Europe and I must say your guides you paired us with have been some of the best by far. We loved them and we just can't stop talking about all of the extraordinary experiences you gave us. Truly fantastic!
We just returned from a journey to Slovenia and Croatia. Our trip was FANTASTIC! The itinerary Silvia put together for us was diverse and interesting and really showcased some amazing aspects of both countries. The pace of our days was perfect for us, and there were no surprises or unexpected glitches. But I have to say the highlight for us – and this is consistent with the previous trips I've taken through Exeter – was the amazing guides and drivers who charmed us, educated us and took care of us. They were all first rate. We felt like we were among friends.
We're very glad we listened to Silvia’s hotel recommendations (they were so nice) and acted on many of her preferred restaurant recommendations. We ate extremely well and enjoyed the wines immensely.
Overall, we could not have been more pleased.
Thank you to Exeter and especially Silvia for bringing us this enchanted journey. We cannot wait for the next one.
We're very glad we listened to Silvia’s hotel recommendations (they were so nice) and acted on many of her preferred restaurant recommendations. We ate extremely well and enjoyed the wines immensely.
Overall, we could not have been more pleased.
Thank you to Exeter and especially Silvia for bringing us this enchanted journey. We cannot wait for the next one.
Croatia Trip Review for Five Couples
We are a group of 10 (five couples) who were matched with Ala to plan a fall trip to Croatia. Ala designed a terrific trip for us that was filled with interesting activities, great lodging, and a good balance of busy time and free time. It’s not easy to manage five couples who all had different arrival and departure plans and other assorted issues (food allergies for one, recovery from recent back surgery for another). All was handled well.
The “little things,” such as airport transfers and the timeliness and quality of the vehicles and drivers we had everywhere, were flawless. Ala was easy to work with and very responsive as questions came up when we got close to the actual trip. We had 11 days of picture-perfect weather and several highlights (all Ala’s suggestions) were Krka National Park, our 5-bedroom oceanfront villa at the incredible Maslina Resort in Hvar (several in our group said it was the best place they’d ever stayed), the sound healing under an open-air tent at Maslina, the wine tasting at Dubkovic Winery, the bicycle tour and farm lunch on Hvar, walking the walls of old Dubrovnik, and the all-day boat ride in the Elaphite Islands. I would be hard pressed to find a favorite but I know we would never have found some of these things on our own. And our guides in each location were terrific and well matched to our group personality. We requested guides who could joke around with us and that’s exactly what we got. Good guides can make such a big difference.
Restaurant suggestions were always good but sometimes we opted for just pizza or bar food instead. When we told Ala we’d like suggestions for good pizza places, two were presented for each location in our itinerary.
Croatia really surprised me. I had heard it was beautiful and always was curious about Dubrovnik but it really surpassed my expectations. I would highly recommend it and wouldn’t hesitate to use Ala.
We are a group of 10 (five couples) who were matched with Ala to plan a fall trip to Croatia. Ala designed a terrific trip for us that was filled with interesting activities, great lodging, and a good balance of busy time and free time. It’s not easy to manage five couples who all had different arrival and departure plans and other assorted issues (food allergies for one, recovery from recent back surgery for another). All was handled well.
The “little things,” such as airport transfers and the timeliness and quality of the vehicles and drivers we had everywhere, were flawless. Ala was easy to work with and very responsive as questions came up when we got close to the actual trip. We had 11 days of picture-perfect weather and several highlights (all Ala’s suggestions) were Krka National Park, our 5-bedroom oceanfront villa at the incredible Maslina Resort in Hvar (several in our group said it was the best place they’d ever stayed), the sound healing under an open-air tent at Maslina, the wine tasting at Dubkovic Winery, the bicycle tour and farm lunch on Hvar, walking the walls of old Dubrovnik, and the all-day boat ride in the Elaphite Islands. I would be hard pressed to find a favorite but I know we would never have found some of these things on our own. And our guides in each location were terrific and well matched to our group personality. We requested guides who could joke around with us and that’s exactly what we got. Good guides can make such a big difference.
Restaurant suggestions were always good but sometimes we opted for just pizza or bar food instead. When we told Ala we’d like suggestions for good pizza places, two were presented for each location in our itinerary.
Croatia really surprised me. I had heard it was beautiful and always was curious about Dubrovnik but it really surpassed my expectations. I would highly recommend it and wouldn’t hesitate to use Ala.
The Founder's Trip to Turkey this month was amazing in every respect. From start to finish, just perfection! Greg's personally curated outstanding itinerary set the stage for the best small group trip we have ever taken. From our greeting at the Istanbul Airport to our goodbye in Bodrum, everything was seamless ---first class hotel accommodations; fabulous guide; excellent drivers/vehicles; and wonderful dining venues. Every day was filled with history, joy and new friends. We cannot wait to travel with Exeter International again! Kris & Chris
All my trips with Exeter have been amazing. I worked with Ala and Gwen for different trips and they go above and beyond to make the trip exceptional. They have access to places others don’t, they plan everything from the perfect hotel, experiences and even incredible restaurants. Even better, they communicate within so Ala was able to get with Gwen and tell her my likes and dislikes. You work with the person with the most knowledge of the area you are going and they genuinely know it inside and out. I totally trust Exeter with my travel planning. They are the best.
This trip was as close to perfection as one can get.
Ala and her team created the most perfect Croatian vacation trip for me, my husband and the other couple that we were traveling with this month. I've had the good fortune to have travelled all around the world and never have I experienced such an incredible team to ensure that literally every detail, every activity, every hotel we stayed at was top-notch.
If you are even considering a vacation to this incredible country, I would highly recommend speaking with Ala and her team first. I know I will be recommending Ala friends and family that want to visit Croatia and I can do it with complete peace of mind knowing I am referring them to the best!
Nikki Davidson
Ala and her team created the most perfect Croatian vacation trip for me, my husband and the other couple that we were traveling with this month. I've had the good fortune to have travelled all around the world and never have I experienced such an incredible team to ensure that literally every detail, every activity, every hotel we stayed at was top-notch.
If you are even considering a vacation to this incredible country, I would highly recommend speaking with Ala and her team first. I know I will be recommending Ala friends and family that want to visit Croatia and I can do it with complete peace of mind knowing I am referring them to the best!
Nikki Davidson
We just returned from a fabulous trip that included Stockholm Sweden, Helsinki Finland and Amsterdam Netherlands, all arranged by Leigh Landis at Exeter International. Leigh was amazing. She put together individual excursions in each country, arranged hotels, assisted with restaurant suggestions and reservations, purchased train tickets and the tickets for the Silja Line ship to cross the Baltic Sea. Leigh gave us the phone number of an Exeter contact in each city in case of a problem but we did not have to contact them. Still, it was reassuring knowing that we had someone to contact if needed. Each of them reached out to us when we arrived to let us know they were available. The itinerary, guides and tickets were all arranged in advance by Leigh. She spent a lot of time with us before booking anything. We communicated by emails or phone. It was clear to us from our first contact with Leigh that she wanted to make sure the trip had exactly what we wanted.
The guides in each city were so fantastic. They each had a wealth of experience as guides, planned the routes well and asked about our interests when we first met so they knew what we wanted to see and do. They were all spot on time! The guides made the trip a truly special experience. They helped us to understand each city, its history, special characteristics and helped us with questions about how to navigate the city and use public transportation. The guides expedited getting into busy museums or other venues because our guides had passes to jump queues. They maximized our time so that it was spent enjoying the sights and venues instead of standing in lines and figuring out how to purchase tickets. They knew where to go and when to go there. Some venues required advance tickets and Leigh took care of that. Leigh arranged our very own private saloon boat tour of the canals of Amsterdam. Leigh checked in on us along the way on our trip and sent us special notes. She arranged to have a gift sent to my hotel room in Helsinki on my birthday.
Leigh arranged really great hotel rooms with the best views possible. And our stateroom on the Silja line cruise from Stockholm to Helsinki had an amazing view so we saw the sunset and sunrise over the Baltic from our room and that was stunning. With Exeter involved in making the hotel reservations we were treated like special guests at each hotel by the staff.
The drivers were all outstanding. They were polite, helpful, on-time and made all our connections and excursions seamless and stress free. We actually started our trip in Gothenburg Sweden at the Volvo factory. After that Exeter took over and we proceeded on our dream trip to Stockholm, Helsinki and Amsterdam. We did no driving. We used trains and boats all arranged by Leigh at Exeter. And in each city we used drivers arranged by Exeter for excursions outside the city centers, such as when we went to the delightful town of Porvoo, Finland.
When we took the train from Gothenburg to Stockholm our train was over an hour delayed and it was late evening when we arrived in Stockholm. The driver who met us in Stockholm, arranged by Exeter, had waited for us. While waiting she arranged for the hotel to have food for us upon arrival. Also when we arrived at our room at the hotel Leigh had arranged for a lovely charcuterie tray to be sent to our room. So although we arrived late and were worried about being hungry, everyone involved made sure that was taken care of without having to ask.
I can't say enough positive about Leigh Landis and Exeter International. I feel we got more than our money's worth. Without Exeter we would have wasted so much time trying to figure out what could be seen each day in each city, how to get tickets, how to find a good restaurant and figure out how to make reservations etc. We did not have to worry about any of that. All the details were taken care of in advance and all we had to do was enjoy it!
We will be forever grateful for Leigh and Exeter!
The guides in each city were so fantastic. They each had a wealth of experience as guides, planned the routes well and asked about our interests when we first met so they knew what we wanted to see and do. They were all spot on time! The guides made the trip a truly special experience. They helped us to understand each city, its history, special characteristics and helped us with questions about how to navigate the city and use public transportation. The guides expedited getting into busy museums or other venues because our guides had passes to jump queues. They maximized our time so that it was spent enjoying the sights and venues instead of standing in lines and figuring out how to purchase tickets. They knew where to go and when to go there. Some venues required advance tickets and Leigh took care of that. Leigh arranged our very own private saloon boat tour of the canals of Amsterdam. Leigh checked in on us along the way on our trip and sent us special notes. She arranged to have a gift sent to my hotel room in Helsinki on my birthday.
Leigh arranged really great hotel rooms with the best views possible. And our stateroom on the Silja line cruise from Stockholm to Helsinki had an amazing view so we saw the sunset and sunrise over the Baltic from our room and that was stunning. With Exeter involved in making the hotel reservations we were treated like special guests at each hotel by the staff.
The drivers were all outstanding. They were polite, helpful, on-time and made all our connections and excursions seamless and stress free. We actually started our trip in Gothenburg Sweden at the Volvo factory. After that Exeter took over and we proceeded on our dream trip to Stockholm, Helsinki and Amsterdam. We did no driving. We used trains and boats all arranged by Leigh at Exeter. And in each city we used drivers arranged by Exeter for excursions outside the city centers, such as when we went to the delightful town of Porvoo, Finland.
When we took the train from Gothenburg to Stockholm our train was over an hour delayed and it was late evening when we arrived in Stockholm. The driver who met us in Stockholm, arranged by Exeter, had waited for us. While waiting she arranged for the hotel to have food for us upon arrival. Also when we arrived at our room at the hotel Leigh had arranged for a lovely charcuterie tray to be sent to our room. So although we arrived late and were worried about being hungry, everyone involved made sure that was taken care of without having to ask.
I can't say enough positive about Leigh Landis and Exeter International. I feel we got more than our money's worth. Without Exeter we would have wasted so much time trying to figure out what could be seen each day in each city, how to get tickets, how to find a good restaurant and figure out how to make reservations etc. We did not have to worry about any of that. All the details were taken care of in advance and all we had to do was enjoy it!
We will be forever grateful for Leigh and Exeter!
My wife and I completed our second trip with Gwen's team at Exeter last month. Our first trip a few years back included Vienna, Prague, Budapest. This trip was Amsterdam, Berlin and Munich. Gwen is absolutely terrific and does a fabulous job of listening to client interests and preferences ex ante and then presenting options and framing the trips. Gwen's advice on hotels and specific rooms in hotels and the Exeter private touring options was consistently spot on. And ALL the guides she uses are terrific which really makes the trip. I was very pleased with both itineraries before the trips started and like any travel experience, circumstances and weather changed during the trip. Gwen and her team were always on top of quickly making changes. They possess the unique combination of pliancy about the route taken coupled with an adamantine resolve to give the client the experience they want and get them to see the things they wish to see. The team also has access to private experiences that were amazing. A tour of a tulip farm, a visit to a closed museum and medieval library, a wine and cheese tasting with a local expert. Not only did we have two good trips, on the second trip, Gwen started with all her notes and preferences from our first trip which made things even easier. I have used many operators in my travels and my experience with Exeter and Gwen Kozlowski in particular was truly top notch.
FAQs
What makes your shore excursions special?
We fully customize all of our trips and the same level of care goes into one of our customized shore excursions as a complex, multi-country program!
If I am on a private shore excursion, can you guarantee I will be back on ship on time?
We plan well-paced excursions and have never had a passenger miss their ship yet!