Eastern Europe Strenuous Tours & Trip Packages

Eastern Europe Strenuous Tours & Trips

424 Eastern Europe trips. Tours from 139 tour companies. 798 reviews. 4.7/5 avg rating.

29 trips exactly matchall of the the filters you selected.
My selections:
Strenuous
West Macedonia MTB Tour
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5/5 Excellent
7 reviews
Small Group Tour
Lodging level
Premium - 4 star
Physical level
Strenuous
Trip pace
Balanced schedule

Visits

Athens

Highlights

  • Explore Agios Germanos village in West Macedonia
  • Enjoy biking from Agios Germanos to the next village of Lemos
  • Ascent towards to the top of mount Varnounta
  • Opportunity to leave the bikes and hike to nearby peaks border between Greece and FYROM
  • Experience mountain biking focused around the two Prespa lakes in this northwest corner of Greece
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Themes

Cycling & Biking

What travelers are saying

"The best tour on a bike I had experienced in Greece! Very kind, and super service - in general, a great experience! Highly recommended to anyone who wants to see more of Greece and have fun exploring!"

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Rila Mountains Backcountry Ride (Weekend)
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4.7/5 Excellent
100+ reviews
Vacation / Holiday Package
Why we love them
They offer something for every kind of traveler and their excellent customer service is available throughout the whole process.
Lodging level
Basic - 2 star
Physical level
Strenuous
Trip pace
Flexible schedule

Visits

Sofia

Highlights

  • See the best trails of Borovets Mountain Bike Park
  • long natural single tracks of Rila, with a vertical drop of about 1000m each
  • use the chair lift and try out all of the trails in the bike park
  • Drive on meadows, rocky forest sections and sandstone trails
  • See beautiful cascade of three waterfalls
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Themes

Cultural, High Adventure, Relaxing Retreats

What travelers are saying

"We completed the three day tour with the glacier hike today! It was awesome and the sub vendor, Troll Expeditions, is definitely worthy of staying on the vendor list. 3 Day Blue Ice Cave + Golden Circle + Northern Lights"

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Ultimate Enduro Tour
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4.7/5 Excellent
100+ reviews
Vacation / Holiday Package
Why we love them
They offer something for every kind of traveler and their excellent customer service is available throughout the whole process.
Lodging level
Basic - 2 star
Physical level
Strenuous
Trip pace
Flexible schedule

Highlights

  • Pure all mountain bike adventure in the forests and alpine zones
  • See best enduro trails of these symbolic mountains, revealing Bulgarias alpine beauties
  • Includes mild ascents on fire roads and trails
  • Chance to taste local specialties
  • Experience Bulgarian folklore and traditions
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Themes

High Adventure

What travelers are saying

"We completed the three day tour with the glacier hike today! It was awesome and the sub vendor, Troll Expeditions, is definitely worthy of staying on the vendor list. 3 Day Blue Ice Cave + Golden Circle + Northern Lights"

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Balkan Mountains Enduro Weekend
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4.7/5 Excellent
100+ reviews
Vacation / Holiday Package
Why we love them
They offer something for every kind of traveler and their excellent customer service is available throughout the whole process.
Lodging level
Basic - 2 star
Physical level
Strenuous
Trip pace
Flexible schedule

Highlights

  • Mountain Biking exploring numerous routes of the Balkan mountains in Zlatitsa and Beklemeto
  • Enjoy the great mountain views
  • Explore the Zlatitsa downhill course, with its vast meadows and panoramic views
  • Pedal on the main mountain ridge, with beautiful panoramic views

Themes

Cycling & Biking

What travelers are saying

"We completed the three day tour with the glacier hike today! It was awesome and the sub vendor, Troll Expeditions, is definitely worthy of staying on the vendor list. 3 Day Blue Ice Cave + Golden Circle + Northern Lights"

Trip dates & details
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Peaks of the Balkans Hike
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5/5 Excellent
81 reviews
Small Group Tour
Why we love them
They’ve been recognized by major travel publications for their pioneering adventure travel expertise that spans back to their founding in 1979.
Lodging level
Standard - 3 star
Physical level
Strenuous
Trip pace
Balanced schedule

Highlights

  • Our Peaks of the Balkans trekking and cultural adventure takes us to the border triangle area of Albania, Kosovo and Montenegro where a new International Peace Park has been established.
  • Along our way we meet with various local leaders who join us as special guests to enrich our understanding and appreciation for this part of the world.
  • At the heart of this grand adventure is a difficult and extremely rewarding trek in the Dinaric Alps.
  • The trek is bookmarked on each side by visits to fascinating areas in Montenegro (including a day of lake kayaking) and Albania.

Themes

Hiking & Walking, National Parks, Nature & Wildlife

What travelers are saying

"I have travelled with ROW numerous times, including four trips on the Rogue River. Every trip has been wonderful and every person associated with ROW has been nice, knowledgeable, professional and fun. The Rogue is a great river and the trip is an excellent one for two people or a large group—and I have done both. I’ve taken both of my kids, one time each, and have organized groups of colleagues twice; most recently in 2019 when 14 of us gathered. The guides at ROW are great and help to make the trip very enjoyable. The scenery, lodging and the wonderful outdoors including warm air and refreshing water, make for a wonderful escape from the everyday routine. The fact that this trip offers beds and indoor plumbing is a nice benefit and allows those who have an aversion to camping a chance to see the wilderness. I have recommended ROW and the Rogue trip more times than I can count and my group has already reserved our trip for 2021. What are you waiting for?"

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New Year's Eve in Prague
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4.4/5 Great
100+ reviews
Small Group Tour
Lodging level
Standard - 3 star
Physical level
Strenuous
Trip pace
Balanced schedule

Visits

Prague

Highlights

  • Enjoy the Christmas markets in the Old Town and Wenceslas Squares, where musicians perform and mulled wine, chestnuts, potato pancakes and sausages are among the delicacies you’ll find
  • Marvel at Prague’s historic sites on expert-led walks that bring you over the Charles Bridge, into picturesque Lesser Town and through the Jewish quarter
  • Greet the New Year in a traditional Bohemian restaurant with a discussion of Czech folklore, food, music, dancing and laughter

Themes

50 plus, Cultural, Local Immersion & Homestays

What travelers are saying

"Our family of four, including two adult children, took the Bicycling: Day Trips to Paradise in Canada. This trip is entirely outsourced to the owners of the inn, there are no Road Scholar employees involved in the trip. Two of us have taken bicycle trips all over the world and the bicycling component of this trip was disorganized, haphazard and almost unsafe. We all filled out forms giving details regarding our bicycle fitting months before the trip. On the first day, the leader Stephen, went around the room and asked the same questions and said everyone would get fitted in the morning before we began the first ride. The morning brought a rack of bikes, all different types in various levels of readiness. There were road bikes, hybrid bikes, mountain bikes and e-bikes. The rides were all on paved surfaces and the mountain bikes were heavy and the additional suspension added weight. The bike I received had rust on the chain and rear sprocket. When I asked about it, was told they were waiting for another van to show up with tools and equipment. Once it arrived, they gave me the lubricant to spray on the rust. My wife’s bike would not shift into the high gear on the front sprocket. Instead of adjusting the derailleur, they suggested spraying it with lubricant. Our one son is over six feet and needed a larger frame bike, even though he detailed it in the bike form months ago, there was no bike to fit him. One of the guides, then went home and brought a larger bike that was a full suspension mountain bike for him. The bike was very heavy, hard to control on the road and he felt unsafe. After two days, one of the guides convinced Stephen that they could adjust a hybrid bike to fit him. Clearly there was no work done to prepare the bikes for the trip. Many of the bikes needed adjusting and all needed lubricant to function easily. For every day, there was a tray of snacks placed out for us to take along the ride. None of the bikes had any baskets or attached bags, so if you didn’t bring a small day pack, there was no way to carry the snacks. For lunch on the rides, they brought exactly one sandwich for each rider. Since most of us get hungry while doing a day of exercise, it would have been helpful to have a few extras. On one day, they ran out of sandwiches and one of the leaders that were riding with us did not get lunch. Do NOT take this trip if you are expecting it to be a bicycling trip. We have used VBT and Discovery Bicycle Tours many times over the past 25 years and they are excellent bike tour companies. Lastly, after sharing these details with Road Scholar after the trip, their response was weak at best. After doing the full reviews and having to call them, their response was to give us $200 credit after spending $8000 on this trip. Not only was that insulting, they assumed that I would take another trip with their organization."

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Budapest and Prague: Capital Cities and Jewels of Central Europe
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4.4/5 Great
100+ reviews
Group Tour
Lodging level
Standard - 3 star
Physical level
Strenuous
Trip pace
Balanced schedule

Visits

Budapest, Prague

Highlights

  • Join fellow adventurers for a dinnertime boat excursion on the Danube River through Budapest, drifting past the illuminated city center and under its famous series of bridges
  • Learn about Prague’s Old Town Square on an expert-led walking exploration, contrasting its 1,000-year-old history and architecture with today’s cast of musicians, dance troupes and cafes
  • With an expert, experience mighty Prague Castle’s churches, gardens, alleyways and residences
  • The world’s largest ancient castle is roughly the size of seven football fields

Themes

50 plus, Education / Learning, National Parks, Nature & Wildlife

What travelers are saying

"Our family of four, including two adult children, took the Bicycling: Day Trips to Paradise in Canada. This trip is entirely outsourced to the owners of the inn, there are no Road Scholar employees involved in the trip. Two of us have taken bicycle trips all over the world and the bicycling component of this trip was disorganized, haphazard and almost unsafe. We all filled out forms giving details regarding our bicycle fitting months before the trip. On the first day, the leader Stephen, went around the room and asked the same questions and said everyone would get fitted in the morning before we began the first ride. The morning brought a rack of bikes, all different types in various levels of readiness. There were road bikes, hybrid bikes, mountain bikes and e-bikes. The rides were all on paved surfaces and the mountain bikes were heavy and the additional suspension added weight. The bike I received had rust on the chain and rear sprocket. When I asked about it, was told they were waiting for another van to show up with tools and equipment. Once it arrived, they gave me the lubricant to spray on the rust. My wife’s bike would not shift into the high gear on the front sprocket. Instead of adjusting the derailleur, they suggested spraying it with lubricant. Our one son is over six feet and needed a larger frame bike, even though he detailed it in the bike form months ago, there was no bike to fit him. One of the guides, then went home and brought a larger bike that was a full suspension mountain bike for him. The bike was very heavy, hard to control on the road and he felt unsafe. After two days, one of the guides convinced Stephen that they could adjust a hybrid bike to fit him. Clearly there was no work done to prepare the bikes for the trip. Many of the bikes needed adjusting and all needed lubricant to function easily. For every day, there was a tray of snacks placed out for us to take along the ride. None of the bikes had any baskets or attached bags, so if you didn’t bring a small day pack, there was no way to carry the snacks. For lunch on the rides, they brought exactly one sandwich for each rider. Since most of us get hungry while doing a day of exercise, it would have been helpful to have a few extras. On one day, they ran out of sandwiches and one of the leaders that were riding with us did not get lunch. Do NOT take this trip if you are expecting it to be a bicycling trip. We have used VBT and Discovery Bicycle Tours many times over the past 25 years and they are excellent bike tour companies. Lastly, after sharing these details with Road Scholar after the trip, their response was weak at best. After doing the full reviews and having to call them, their response was to give us $200 credit after spending $8000 on this trip. Not only was that insulting, they assumed that I would take another trip with their organization."

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Prague, Vienna & Budapest
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4/5 Great
100+ reviews
Group Tour
Lodging level
Standard - 3 star
Physical level
Strenuous
Trip pace
Balanced schedule

Visits

Budapest, Munich, Nuremberg, Prague, Salzburg, Vienna

Themes

50 plus, Cultural

What travelers are saying

"We've taken over 10 group tours using Cosmos and Gate1. This trip last month, 9000 was not very good. -During booking, incorrect information was given about airport-hotel transfers -The whispers (listening devices) didn't work from the get-go, so no whispers were used during the 13 day trip. - Porters are no longer hired to bring your luggage to and from your room. (Very elderly had to handle their own luggage. Our friends had to help many of them.) -A few days into the trip one couple left. At the end of the trip we found out they had covid. Cosmos did not let us know; a few people weren't feeling well and two of our friends then tested positive. -One hotel was awful and not even up to "budget" standards -Many of the stops had castles, churches... but were not included, so be sure to count that in when pricing.  don't plan to use Cosmos ever again. Gate1 is the best in my opinion. When my husband's passport was stolen, they assigned someone to go with him to the embassy, translate, etc...It was above and beyond what we expected  "

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Eastern Europe Reviews & Ratings

4.7/5  Excellent
798  Reviews
See all Eastern Europe tour reviews
Excellent
748
Great
257
Average
25
Disappointing
1
Terrible
3
A

Anonymous

Oct 2018

Provided byExodus Travels

stunning coastline

Excellent leader Alan. Great balance between towns and countryside. Difficult to find anything I would change, perhaps better hotel coffee. not having been before, D...

A

Anonymous

Oct 2018

Provided byExodus Travels

Wonderful trip

What a fab trip. Great weather, wonderful company, and the gorgeous Dalmatian coast. The ride exceeded our expectations, it was a little tougher than we expected, ...

A

Anonymous

Oct 2018

Provided byExodus Travels

Cycling

The brochure tells you about the scenery etc but until you get there whow! It's a trip you must do the scenery ,roads and great guide will bring you to places you...

A

Anonymous

Oct 2018

Provided byExodus Travels

Just brilliant!

We had a wonderful time cycling the Dalmation Coast. The scenery was amazing, the group were all lovely, our tour leader Marijo was fantastic and the food was grea...

A

Anonymous

Oct 2018

Provided byExodus Travels

Amazing scenery & lots of laughs

We have recently returned from our first cycling holiday with Exodus and whilst I don't usually do reviews this time I felt compelled to write to say how impressed...

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Eastern Europe Tour Selection Trips

  • Plan well in advance to obtain any necessary visas or other travel documents for countries that require them.
  • With more than 20 countries to cover, Eastern Europe can be the focus of numerous tours; it may help to separate them into geographic categories.
  • A number of Eastern European countries, including Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria, can be visited via Danube river cruises.
  • The three Baltic nations (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania) make for a compact but sight-filled tour destination.
  • Consider a Balkans tour of some of the former Yugoslav states: Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia, and Montenegro.
  • The East Central European nations of Hungary and the Czech Republic are both very popular, but don’t overlook neighboring Poland and Slovakia.
  • Russia, the largest nation of Eastern Europe, is a trip unto itself.

Additional details

Who will enjoy traveling in Eastern Europe?

Each Eastern European country has something to offer every traveler regardless of age or mobility level. A traveler looking forward to lots of physical activity can delight in the abundance of natural wonders present in Eastern Europe’s diverse ecosystem. Go hiking through one of the many national parks, do water sports along the southern coast, or explore ancient underground caves.

For a more relaxed visit, take in the traditional squares central to many major cities, and enjoy the unique culinary landscape of each country. The culturally minded can soak in the ancient history of the dozens of churches and cathedrals across the region. No matter your vision, Eastern Europe has something for you.

When is the best time to visit Eastern Europe?

Eastern Europe’s tourism season is from May through September, with July and August being the peak months. For a summer visit that avoids the largest of the crowds, plan to visit in May or June. Travelers may also want to visit in September or October, although the weather will be cooler and the hours of attractions may be limited.

Be sure to check the hours of your top attractions before planning a trip in the off-season. The winter months are, of course, the best for snow sports, but areas outside of mountain ranges tend to shut down for the season so don’t plan your visit for the winter if you won’t be doing winter sports.

Common Eastern Europe Tour Routes

Eastern European tours range from multi-week tours that travel to most of the countries in the region, to shorter tours that focus on just a couple countries. Spend a month traveling all the way from Greece to Amsterdam along an Eastern European route, spend two weeks exploring Croatia and Slovenia, or spend a week just discovering Albania.

Many travelers choose to cruise down the Danube River in order to visit eight Eastern European countries it travels through without straying from one route. Eastern European tours often stick to one region such as the Balkans or the Baltics, so it is helpful to decide which regions you would like to visit while choosing your tour.

Is Eastern Europe Safe?

Eastern Europe is as safe as most developed countries. If you use good judgement while traveling, you won’t likely find yourself in a dangerous situation. Some common sense tips include keeping your valuables close, don’t pay bribes to government officials, stay on established hiking paths, and only ride in taxis with working meters.

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