Has anyone recently done this tour? Any advice/review would be great.

I did it last november and it was INCREDIBLE. Just the right amount of time away, the two nights in each city really was worthwhile. Anything in particular you want to know about?

Thanks for posting Lara-C. I'm sure things have changed but do you remember if your Hotels had Laundry services? I'm trying to pack light and it would help if most places we stayed at had a washer and dryer. Do you also remember the longest time spent on the bus and how the tour is set up to get everyone from London to Amsterdam?

hey when are thinking of doing this tour? im thinking of doin this tour in june!!

Hi All

I did this tour on July this year. Had an absolute blast! I agree that two nights in each city is really great, especially considering the considerable distance between some of them. The two nights means that you get a whole day in a city, which is great!

Re laundry, there are a few opportunities but not loads. It depends on where you stay but I think I had access to a laundry twice to three times, while on the tour. Some of the other hotels offered laundry services but it cost an absolute fortune and wasn't worth it.

But don't let the laundry situation scare you off! Its an incredible trip!

I did the Moulin Rouge optional, when it Paris. Its an absolutely awesome night!

I know you mentioned that some hotels had the laundry services and cost a lot...Out of the 2-3 times you had a chance to do laundry, were the washer and dryer located at the hotel? I'm actually doing this tour in 2 weeks.

Sorry that I was vague. Yes the washer and dryer were located at the hotel, the few times I had the opportunity to wash.

I have hope you have a great time!

If you have any more questions, please ask.

Oh no problem...Just trying to get things together before I leave so I'm well prepared...Do you remember if they were really strict on the 44 pound luggage requirement? Do you remember what the longest bus ride was to/from? When you left London your contiki crew took a ferry to Belgium right? do you know how long that was? Any advice will be helpful.

Yes they are VERY strict on the luggage limit. A member of the 'Contiki Basement' staff will weigh your luggage, on the morning of departure. People on my trip were asked to take things out of their suitcase, if it was over the limit.

The longest days in the coach from memory are from Amsterdam to Berlin and then towards the end of the trip from Switzerland to Paris. From memory we did roughly no more than 2.5 to 3hrs, before having a break at a service station.

They are very strict on Drivers hours over in Europe and in the UK so there are a reasonable number of stops for food and a break etc.

I'd imagine you will have a 'pre departure' meeting the evening before your tour departs. There you should meet your Tour Manager and Driver for the first time. From memory you have to fill in a form and give it to your Tour Manager (TM) and also hand in the Contiki voucher that would have been in your info pack. The next morning you meet again where your bag will be weighed and you see your TM again, to let them know that you are there. From there you board the bus and head down to Dover, where you will catch the ferry to the French port, Calais. This is assuming that what happened for my tour will be the same for yours.

I hope this answers your questions. Let me know if you have any more. I probably won't be able to respond for the next 48hrs though as I am going to be busy for the next couple of days.

All the best for your tour!

Sorry I should have said that the ferry ride from Dover to Calais is about 1.5hrs.

Thanks you for all the help. Do you remember if the hotel rooms had an Iron and Ironing board? I know you mentioned that the TM had some people take some stuff out of the Luggage for people who were over the 44 pounds, Were they cool with letting people take it on the bus or did they have to leave it? Do you know if they weight the backpacks as well?

Hi Moose Head!
Don't sweat the small stuff mate!! You are going to have an absolute blast on this tour!! I did it this past May and i didnt want to come home! You meet so many awesome ppl and they are freinds for life. By the end of the tour you are practically family you're so close everyone.

I did 1 laundry day in Prague (its about mid trip), so i packed for at least 1 1/2 weeks of clothes. it was not located at the hotel we stayed though. It was about a 15 min walk.. and it was an interesting place let me tell you! haha It was a Bar/Laundry, Super nice fellow that works there helped us start up the machines and then offered us a drink lol only in europe! The night before a group for ppl from my tour went to the same laundry mat and there was a stripper!! I know the Hotel we stayed at in Munich had Laundry in the basement. You dont want to be waisting your time doing laundry constantly.. so i'd say plan to do it once or twice.

Luggage - they were pretty strict on weight, they only weigh your bag the 1st morning you leave London, after that weight doesnt really matter. Remember some Airlines have the same weight restrictions (44lb), i know mine did.

Little tip I learned VERY fast into the tour (2st night in Amsterdam!!) Try to not drink tooooooooooo much the night before BIG bus driving days!!! haha a 10 hour drive sicker than a dog - not so fun :P

Hope you have a Great Trip!! if you have anyother questions just ask

Thanks Crystal, I agree with you that within a few days everyone is like one big family and friends for life. My first Contiki was Australia and I loved it. Thanks for all the tips. Anything you can think of will help. Thank you

Hi,
I am going on this trip and I am wondering if there are extra costs in terms of taking the ferry or anything like that or is that included in the tour?

Also, how many euros did you spend on average a day?

There is no extra cost to get on the Ferry its included, you can buy food on the boat..they have a nice breakfast buffet only that costs extra!
You will need to pay extra for things like Taxi rides, Trams/Subways, etc to get around on your own in your "free time". Most times you are doing something as a group the bus would take you or your tour manager will have passes to hand out (in some cities).

Its hard to say on Average how much YOU will spend per day. It all depends on you! how much you buy, how much you drink etc.. you know your spending habbits the best! I was spending anywhere from 40€ to 100€. just depends what you do or what is going on that day. i would plan 100€ per day, some cities you will not spend much so you can have extra for the next! in total i spent 1300€ for everything (food,transportation,souvenirs,water,entertainment,all my optional excersions & Drinks) remember nothing is cheap in europe! Also UK, Prague & Lucerne all have different currencies as well.. so that was extra.
All & all i would say personally that I didn't hold out on things I wanted to see,do or buy! and I had a fantastic time on my budget. there were others on tour that Drank everyday and some shopped til they dropped I am sure they spent closer to 200-300 a day for sure!! so to each its own!
It really is worth every cent!!!