Slovenia + Croatiawith Chef Cheetie Kumar

Meet in Venice by 10:00 AM and travel by private luxury bus to Slovenia's Goriška Brda. Nejka and Chef Uroš host a gourmet welcome lunch on a hilltop terrace with sparkling, natural and orange wines.

At Kabaj Wines, winemaker Jean-Michel Morel leads a private tour and tasting of his skin-contact wines. Then on to Rovinj on the Croatian coast, with a casual pizza dinner steps from the hotel.

A private guided tour of Pula's Roman Amphitheater, then Vodnjan and Croatia's most awarded olive oil producer for a walk through the groves and a tasting at the source.

The afternoon brings a multi-course seafood feast at the Michelin-recommended Batelina in Banjole with Chef David Skoko, with a special surprise during the meal.

Up to the hilltop village of Motovun, then a truffle hunt with a local hunter and his dogs at Prodan Tatrufi, followed by a truffle degustation. A spirits tasting at Aura distillery and the artists' town of Grožnjan follow.

Dinner is at Stara Škola, a restored schoolhouse turned temple of Istrian gastronomy, with Three Michelin Star Chef Ana Roš of Hiša Franko as consultant and wines from Clai, one of Croatia's most acclaimed natural winemakers.

At the Brin micro-distillery, master distillers help you craft your very own “One in a Million Gin” to take home.

Lunch is at the Michelin-recognized Gostilna Mahorčič, where Chef Ksenija and Martin Mahorčič serve the Karst region's traditions with artistry. Then to Ljubljana and the five-star InterContinental, with an early-evening walk through the city's Advent lights and festive markets.

A slow morning, then the countryside world of Chef Luka Košir: an artisanal goat cheese farm, his own farm with rare heritage-breed ducks, and the forest that supplies his wild herbs and mushrooms.

Dinner is a long, luxurious tasting menu at Brunarica Grič, holder of a Michelin star and a Michelin Green Star, where roughly 80% of the plate comes from within a few kilometers, paired with Slovenian wines.

A drive into the Julian Alps to Lake Bled, where a pletna boat carries us to Slovenia's only island to ring the wishing bell.

Lunch is at a countryside homestead with live music and a demonstration of potica, then up to Bled Castle for views of the lake and snow-kissed Alps. Back in Ljubljana, sip mulled wine along the festive riverside.

A day for fjaka, the art of beautifully doing nothing. Stay in Ljubljana at your own pace, or spend the day at a renowned thermal spa with pools, saunas and steam rooms.

In the evening, Slovenia's legendary charcuterie craftsman David Lesar opens his private cellar at BioSing, his family's craft since 1492, for dry-aged, wood-smoked sausages from the iconic kožnca to his rarest cuts, with standout wines.

On the way back to Venice we ride the train into the Postojna Caves, then stop in Trieste for a farewell lunch at Eataly Trieste overlooking the Adriatic. We arrive in Venice in the late afternoon.