Sustainability in Austria, Slovenia and Italy

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11 days
Vienna, Bled, Ljubljana, Trieste, Venice
Program description: Designed to provide a local snapshot of exceptional initiatives across key areas of sustainable development, including human, social, economic and environmental pillars. This program will prompt critical thinking on how these initiatives might serve to inspire further development across the globe. Parallel to this focus is an ideal opportunity to experience three distinct regions, steeped in rich culture, significant historical landmarks and natural beauty.

Cultural highlight: A better kept secret than its stunning natural beauty, Bled’s cream cakes are renowned as the best in the country and a must while visiting Slovenia.

🔹 Curated experiences: Every program is intentionally designed to feature guided learning, cultural engagement, and independent exploration experiences to drive global competency development, denoted on each itinerary with a blue diamond. Learn more about these experiences.

  • Day 1: Fly overnight to Austria

  • Day 2: Vienna

    Meet your Field Director at the airport

    Take a walking tour of Vienna

    With your Field Director you will see:

    • Opera House, one of the leading opera houses in the world
    • Kärntnerstrasse, Vienna's main boulevard
    • St. Stephen’s Cathedral, central to Austrian history and iconic for its tiled roof

    Enjoy dinner in Vienna

  • Day 3: Vienna

    🔹 Cultural engagement: Take a guided tour of Vienna 

    With your expert local guide you will see:

    • Ringstrasse, a circular boulevard around the Inner Town district
    • Parliament, a columned building that serves as Vienna's center of government
    • Rathaus, Vienna's flower-adorned city hall
    • Hofburg, the presidential residence and former imperial palace

    Visit Schönbrunn Palace, an elegant palace with beautifully landscapes gardens where Marie Antoinette spent her childhood 

  • Day 4: Vienna

    🔹 Guided learning: Take a sustainability-focused guided tour of the United Nations Headquarters

    🔹 Independent exploration: Enjoy free time in Vienna

  • Day 5: Vienna • Bled

    Travel to Bled, a picturesque Slovenian lake town located at the foothills of the Julian Alps 

    Tour Bled with an expert local guide and see why it's one of Slovenia's most popular destinations

    Visit Bled Castle, built on a precipice overlooking Lake Bled and the oldest castle in Slovenia

    Enjoy dinner in Bled

  • Day 6: Bled

    🔹 Cultural engagement: Learn about sustainable farming practices at a local farm in Bled

  • Day 7: Bled • Ljubljana

    Travel to Ljubljana, the capital and largest city of Slovenia 

    Take a guided tour of Ljubljana, known as one of Europe's greenest and most livable capitals

    Visit Ljubljana Castle, a Medieval fortress where you can learn about the history of the city and take in beautiful views of the city

    Enjoy a traditional Slovenian dinner and cultural performance

  • Day 8: Ljubljana • Trieste

    Visit the Postojna caves and see the 5-meter tall stalagmite called Brilliant and the first cave railway system

    Travel to Trieste, an Italian port city with Italian, Austro-Hungarian, and Slovenian influences 

    Enjoy dinner in Trieste

  • Day 9: Trieste • Venice

    Travel to Venice

    🔹 Cultural engagement: Learn about organic wine production at a local vineyard

  • Day 10: Venice

    🔹 Guided learning: Take an ecology-focused guided tour of Venice

    🔹 Independent exploration: Spend time exploring Venice on your own

    Enjoy dinner in Venice

  • Day 11: Depart for home

View full itinerary

  • Day 1: Fly overnight to Austria

  • Day 2: Vienna

    Meet your Field Director at the airport

    Take a walking tour of Vienna

    With your Field Director you will see:

    • Opera House, one of the leading opera houses in the world
    • Kärntnerstrasse, Vienna's main boulevard
    • St. Stephen’s Cathedral, central to Austrian history and iconic for its tiled roof

    Enjoy dinner in Vienna

  • Day 3: Vienna

    🔹 Cultural engagement: Take a guided tour of Vienna 

    With your expert local guide you will see:

    • Ringstrasse, a circular boulevard around the Inner Town district
    • Parliament, a columned building that serves as Vienna's center of government
    • Rathaus, Vienna's flower-adorned city hall
    • Hofburg, the presidential residence and former imperial palace

    Visit Schönbrunn Palace, an elegant palace with beautifully landscapes gardens where Marie Antoinette spent her childhood 

  • Day 4: Vienna

    🔹 Guided learning: Take a sustainability-focused guided tour of the United Nations Headquarters

    🔹 Independent exploration: Enjoy free time in Vienna

  • Day 5: Vienna • Bled

    Travel to Bled, a picturesque Slovenian lake town located at the foothills of the Julian Alps 

    Tour Bled with an expert local guide and see why it's one of Slovenia's most popular destinations

    Visit Bled Castle, built on a precipice overlooking Lake Bled and the oldest castle in Slovenia

    Enjoy dinner in Bled

  • Day 6: Bled

    🔹 Cultural engagement: Learn about sustainable farming practices at a local farm in Bled

  • Day 7: Bled • Ljubljana

    Travel to Ljubljana, the capital and largest city of Slovenia 

    Take a guided tour of Ljubljana, known as one of Europe's greenest and most livable capitals

    Visit Ljubljana Castle, a Medieval fortress where you can learn about the history of the city and take in beautiful views of the city

    Enjoy a traditional Slovenian dinner and cultural performance

  • Day 8: Ljubljana • Trieste

    Visit the Postojna caves and see the 5-meter tall stalagmite called Brilliant and the first cave railway system

    Travel to Trieste, an Italian port city with Italian, Austro-Hungarian, and Slovenian influences 

    Enjoy dinner in Trieste

  • Day 9: Trieste • Venice

    Travel to Venice

    🔹 Cultural engagement: Learn about organic wine production at a local vineyard

  • Day 10: Venice

    🔹 Guided learning: Take an ecology-focused guided tour of Venice

    🔹 Independent exploration: Spend time exploring Venice on your own

    Enjoy dinner in Venice

  • Day 11: Depart for home

Learning outcomes on this program

Confidence • Curiosity • Global perspective • Empathy • Adaptability • Relatability • Self-Awareness

EF Global Learning Model Post-Study Abroad Learning Resources
Academic resources

With this program, you get access to our Global Learning Resources, which include:

  • Discussion questions
  • Sample assignments
  • Journal prompts
  • Webinars
  • EF's Global Competency Assessment, a pre- and post-program assessment to measure competency development
See the resources you get
EF Global Learning Model Post-Study Abroad Learning Resources
Academic resources


With this program, you get access to our Global Learning Resources, which include:

  • Discussion questions
  • Sample assignments
  • Journal prompts
  • Webinars
  • EF's Global Competency Assessment, a pre- and post-program assessment to measure competency development

See the resources you get

What's Included

View details

  • Transportation

    Various modes of transport are tailored to your program. While some transfers are included, others may come at additional cost.

  • Accommodations

    Safe, comfortable lodging will be waiting for you at your destination.

  • Select meals

    Enjoy a combination of included meals and the freedom to explore local cuisine on your own.

  • End-to-end support

    Your dedicated EF team helps secure administrative approval and academic credit, provides enrollment tools, and helps establish your program’s ongoing presence on campus.

  • EF Global Learning Toolkit

    We offer various tools to help educators facilitate student growth abroad and on campus, including academically enriched travel programs, industry engagement opportunities, global learning resources, and a Global Competencies Assessment tool.

  • Field Director

    Your Field Director is on the ground with your group, providing deep local insights while handling program logistics.

  • Guided exploration

    Gain insider knowledge and cultural perspective from licensed local guides: natural historians who provide cultural insights to enhance learning moments throughout the program.

  • Field Visits

    Experience academics in action during engaging visits with relevant organizations, thought leaders, and partners.

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