Hey Ladies,

Sorry I'm late . . .kidding! Actually, the trip is coming up fast and I finally started trying to read up about it and discovered your message board! I'm so excited, we're only a few weeks away! Since I've procrastinated on trying to find out some good tips and advise . . .do you have any to share?

Tana from Minneapolis

Hi Tana!
Looks like we are on the same tour. When do you arrive in London? I arrive around 11-11:30 am to Heathrow that Saturday 9/22.
I can't believe we leave in a couple weeks!
I saw a good blog on here with a day by day outline of the tour...it seems like a good tour. I can't wait!
Is this your first Contiki tour or first trip to Euro?

~Nicole
Sacramento, CA USA

Hey Nicole-

We actually come into Gatwick airport - weird huh - and I'm not really sure what time. I think we take the "tube" to the Imperial something Hotel? This is our (my husband and I - I know, I know. . husband . .but I swear we are not fun-haters!!) first Contiki trip! Where did you find the day by day blog of our trip? I'm starting to worry how a habitual overpacker and shoe-***** (me) is going to pack for this trip! Have a great weekend!

Tana

Actually I was supposed to fly into Gatwick too, but they were able to change it. Yeah, I guess we take the tube to the hotel...so that should be interesting.
This is my second Contiki tour, I did Simply Italy last year. Definitely pack light as the message boards say. Remember you can wear the same shirt twice.
I ended up buying an extra luggage in Italy for all my souvenirs. Last year I brought flip flops, tennis shoes and one pair of dressy shoes. I'm not even planning on bringing the dressy shoes this time. Think minimal!

Ok, so it took me awhile, but I was able to find that blog here it is:

Posted 25 Feb 2007 02:23 AM
11 days
7 countries....
WHo took the European Magic tour?
Tell me all the things I wouldn't get from the brochure...

Is it a good value?
Do you feel rushed?
Is the majority of the time spent on the coach?
Are passports stamped in each country?

When it says "IN TRANSIT" for example, Austria and Belgium say that, do you ever at least get to stop for a bathroom break in those countries or get a chance for a stop to take pictures???

***What are the best/can't miss optional parts of the tour and how much do they usually run?
Posts: 9 | Location: Rochester NY, USA | Registered: 16 Feb 2007

Trisha
Posted 02 Mar 2007 12:03 AM Hide Post
Hey!

Well i was on this tour a yr an a half ago and im still talking about it!!! its amazing! Great value for money.
Some of your points anwered:
Sometimes you feel rushed, but the places that are really incredible, like Paris & Venice you have time to plenty of time. The key is to be pro active and take the initiative to catch a bus and find your way around instead of just sitting in a café or your hotel cos your not sure where to go!
You spend a LOT of time of the coach and it can be annoying, but the best times we had were on the coach, we pulled out the dvdrecorder and started the "vegemite" interviews! Just interviewing all the people on the coach and getting to know each other. Dancing in the aisles and having fun.
Your passport isnt stamped in every country which I was not happy about, cos I really wanted all those countries stamps but hey you got the photos. 
"In Transit" is literally in transit – Belgium we stopped for food and a bathroom break, and it wasn’t exactly gorgeous countryside where we stopped for picture taking!
Austria you stop for most of the day in Innesbruk, which is a great ski town and you get to spend a good few hours walking around having some lunch and shopping etc.

All in all, this was the best trip ive ever taken, and ive travelled a lot! The people were amazing, im still in contact with the guy I hooked up with, and im planning my next trip to New Zealand at the moment. Have a great time.
Posts: 1 | Location: UNITED KINGDOM | Registered: 30 Dec 2004

Ignored post by Trisha posted 02 Mar 2007 12:03 AM Show Post

Roopa Posted 06 Apr 2007 10:10 PM Hide Post
i booked european magic..am very excited about it. How is the party scene? Is there time to explore on our own? How's the food/hotels etc?
Posts: 27 | Registered: 22 Dec 2006

Ignored post by Roopa posted 06 Apr 2007 10:10 PM Show Post

Jo
Posted 15 Jun 2007 05:33 PM Hide Post
Roopa, the party scene is fair. A few nights we made our own scene at the hotel bar. The best times party wise (for me at least) was had in St. Gore, Paris, and Venice.

There is a fair bit of time spent on the bus. Most of the 1st official day of travel from London to Amsterdam is spent on the bus. The longest drive is from Munich to Venice. We left around 9am, would have left sooner but our bus broke down at the hotel and we had to wait for it to be fix. We arrived in Venice between 6:30 and 7pm.
You do stop in Belgium for roughly a 40 min rest break at a Rest stop.
In Austria we did get about 2 hours for lunch in Innsbruck with is actually quite beautiful.


The hotel we stayed at in Lucerne is actually a jail. It was a women correctional facility until 1998. The hotel is kept the same to look like a prison. 3 inch thick doors, with a number pad for a lock. Metal frame bunk beds with a thin mattress. Bars on the windows. The bathroom had a small shower, sink and toilet, and the walls were made of pretty much the same matter that porter-potties are made of. Bar and glass doors in the hall ways. I wasn't crazy about this hotel. This hotel is a once in life time experience themed hotel. However I am very frighten of closed spaces and not being able to escape. So the idea of 3 inch doors and bars on the windows wasn't a pleasant one. Also no elevators, so you'll have to pack an over night bag. Thank god it was only one night.

The dinner they served that night was a joke. Their idea of salad was graded lettuce with nothing else not even dressing. The hotel has a nice night club, which was a great place to start off the night at. This is the only hotel you’ll be able to fine on a map of the city. Every other hotel was far off from the city center. I suppose to keep the tour price down.

The hotel in Amsterdam is about 40min drive from city center of Amsterdam. Although easily reached by public transit and I believe a cab ride was around 20 Euros from the red light district. There's no elevator either but if I remember correctly it's only 3 floors. It's located right on a lake so it's very scenic. The dinner here wasn't bad. Breaky was buffet style. At night part of the dinner hall turns in to a bar/night club for the guest. I had a lot of fun here with the other contiki group who were on there last night.

St. Gore, not much to do. Wine tasting is okay if you actually like wine. I just went to be social able. You do get to keep a cute shot glass. The hotel is small and family run. Another hotel that you'll have to pack an overnight bag as the hotel has no elevator and very narrow spiral stairs. A great drink to try while here is Fluggals. Amazing Vodka energy drink shots. While in the hotel bar there is a funny drinking game involving spitting the lid of the fluggal at a bird house (after you licked the lid and stuck it to your forehead, chug the drink sans hands of course). If you get it in the hole you get a free fluggal.

Munich, we stayed in a very nice holiday inn. Just around the corner from the U-bahl. FYI, be careful of the doors as they will slam shut on you. They don’t stay open for very long. We were there for the last day of Oktoberfest. You had a choice of taking the metro straight to Oktoberfest 2 stops from the hotel or inter Marienplatz for sightseeing 4 stops away. Another thing about this hotel, our TM told us not to compare this hotel to our next one in Venice or we’ll cry.

Venice hotel, we had a contest who had the smallest room/bathroom. I won. The hotel is far from the Venetian Islands. It’s this large pink building. The rooms were kind of dirty and loads of people walked away with bug bites. There a great ice cream place down the street if you walk out the front doors and to the right. Across the street there is also a laundry mat. It’s your only chance to wash your clothes. Your next chance will be Paris. Public phone is to the left and down by the round-a-bout. You’ll need a alarm clock for this hotel as apparently 90% the hotel phones and wake up calls don’t work. There is also a great jazz bar if you turn left towards the round-a-bout, just past it and then turn left again and down the street.

The next day you take a private water taxi to the island. Oh man! B.E.A.U.T.I.F.U.L.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Our guide walked us from the port, pointed out where we’ll meet at the end of the day, San Marco Squares, Campanile (sp) tower. They take you to this Lace making school. It’s very boring and your pretty much only there for a chance to by something. Afterwards we went and saw a glass blowing demonstration. This one was interesting. Expensive if you actually wanted to buy something. The dinner option was cancelled as no one signed up for it. Our tour guide went over the options with us at the start of the group and told us what was worth it and what wasn’t. The Venetian dinner wasn’t worth it. I recommend the restaurant right by the Rialto Bridge on the San Marco side. If the weather nice eat out side. You get to sit right on the edge of the Grand Canal. Although they make you pay through the nose with a sitting fee. It was like 4.50 Euros per person; Plus the gratuity that they add on top of the sitting fee and the actually cost of your meal. But you’ll find that any where in Venice.

6pm we met for our Gondola rides. It’s not very romantic when you have 5 other people in the boat with you. The ride is short 30-40mins but oh so worth it. Some of the best pics I took while in Venice where on the Gondola. Our Gondolier had a since of humour. He tried to tip us in the Canal. Afterwards we had a few more hours to ourselves before heading back for the water taxi to the main land at 9pm. Where a group of us drank and partied in the hotel bar until they closed it down on us.

Paris when you arrive, you’ll have a few hours to yourself. Then supper then an illumination tour of Paris. All it was driving around Paris and seeing all the major sigh lit up from the bus. They took us to the Eiffel tower. If you wanted to go up you gave the TM I believe it was 12 euros and they cut you in line. The Eiffel tower is beautiful period. But it’s it even more amazing at night.

The next day you go have your group picture taken in front of the tower. Then you can either go to the perfume house or go sightseeing on your own. I went off with a bunch of other people. Around 6ish you meet at the hotel to be taken to Moulin Rough. I didn’t go it was awful pricey at 100+euros. You have to make your own way back to the hotel. There is a metro stop across the street. But stops service relatively early. Met the group after the show at O’Shanagan next door. It’s defiantly a Contiki bar, with very little locals. There is an “urban” club on the other side of Moulin Rough that I don’t recommend. A man that one of my tour mates had been chatting with at O’Shanagan invited a group of 10 of us to go to another bar for free. Only to be told we can have no cover charge if we bought 200 Euros worth of Vodka. When we started to walk away they said we can go in with out a cover charge or and not have to buy any alcohol. We only stayed there for a little while and left after they continued to scam us on price of drinks. They charged us over 25 euros for a soda and a beer. Not to mention the creepy people who wouldn’t leave us alone and we’re sure we trying to mess with our drinks. A cab ride back was slightly over 20 euros for people at around 4:30 am.

But all in all, there isn’t enough space to mention all the great and amazing things about this tour. It’s so worth it. Hope this helped.

Hey Nicole
I fly in at the same time, same day into heathrow (arriving 1125am via air canada). Are we supposed to take the tube to the hotel? Or is someone meeting us? We should meet up and attempt the underground together (I've never ridden it before....)
Jill from Vancouver Island

Hey Everyone

I'm on the same tour
Arriving in London Friday 21st at 11:10, I'm flying over a day early. This should be an amazing trip.

Hey Jill!
Yeah, I fly from San Francisco to New York and arrive the same time in London Heathrow airport.
I don't think anyone is meeting us. Did you get all of your information mailed? In that packet I got the pass for the tube. So I assume we are on our own...use the tube to the hotel. I'm glad to know you will be there arriving at the same time. We can meet up and try to figure out the tube!

hey guys

Just wanted to let you know i paid $30 extra in Canadian dollars for an airport transfer , i booked mine though Travel Cuts. So if you did want someone to meet you check with your travel agent to see if that can be arranged, as i know the underground over there can be confusing.

Nicole
I'll have to check to see if I have my tube pass somewhere! That'd be great if we could meet up at the airport somewhere. In a few days I'll post a message and try to figure out a good place. I am so excited!! Just trying to figure out what to pack that is casual but dressy but comfy but not ugly, and then there's the whole shoe issue....
Who are you flying with?
Jill

Hey Jill-
When I booked my trip, they said they could give me a complimentary pass for the tube...it was paper clipped to my flight info. If you didn't get one, I don't think the tube is very expensive at all. Yes, we definitely should meet up so we can figure out the tube system together! I know, I'm trying to figure out the packing situation too...I've been checking the weather for all the cities we will be visiting and seems like it will be pretty cool...easing into fall/winter. I'm flying solo, you?
You can e-mail me direct if you want to gab about preparing for the trip: coleo8@yahoo.com

~Nicole

hey everyone my email is andrew.furneuax@gmail.com if anyone wants to chat about the trip before we all meet up.

Hey everyone!

I can't believe we leave in a couple days! I'm so excited. Nicole - thank you so much for all of that blog info - that was so nice of you to find! I still can't decide what to pack . . .I think the weather will be a little cool so . .

Can't wait, Tana

Hey Jill -

I just noticed that you're from Vancouver Island - I have family in Nanaimo! Is anyone staying at the Imperial Hotel or are most of you at the Royal National Hotel?

See you soon
Tana (& Brent)

As far as I'm aware were at the Imperial Hotel, thats what I've been told at lest.


Jill , i also have family on Vancouver Island.

Hey everyone
Its getting so close!!! A matter of days. Its crazy that you all have family on the island-we'll have to discuss it more once we all finally meet! Good luck with packing and see you in London.
Jill