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London, Paris and Rome Extension MAY 8th 2010

18 Oct 2009 Dara Bee said

Would love to meet anyone else who is planning on doing this tour!

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13 Apr 2010 MissTraveler77 said

Yeah but Lisa, take into account the Pounds in London. You won’t be able to use Euros there.

I am planning on bringing about 400 pounds and 600 euros and I’ll have my credit card on me as well. I think it might be enough…

Yeah but Lisa, take into account the Pounds in London. You won't be able to use Euros there. I am planning on bringing about 400 pounds and 600 euros and I'll have my credit card on me as well. I think it might be enough... or Cancel
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13 Apr 2010 Explorer1176468 said

I am probably gonna bring pounds and euros in 1:2 ratio. After all, we are only in london 3 days.

I am probably gonna bring pounds and euros in 1:2 ratio. After all, we are only in london 3 days. or Cancel
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13 Apr 2010 MissTraveler77 said

Yes I am doing the same thing 1:2 ratio! Although I still have no idea how many pounds exactly i wanna bring. I will do research on costs in London, like cafes, excursions etc, that should probably give me a rough idea of how much to bring.

Yes I am doing the same thing 1:2 ratio! Although I still have no idea how many pounds exactly i wanna bring. I will do research on costs in London, like cafes, excursions etc, that should probably give me a rough idea of how much to bring. or Cancel
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16 Apr 2010 LisaErinH said

Travel docs arrived today! Woohoo!

Travel docs arrived today! Woohoo! or Cancel
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17 Apr 2010 AlejandraG said

let’s just hope that all is well and the volcano activity wont’ interrupt our trip. i got my fingers cross.

let's just hope that all is well and the volcano activity wont' interrupt our trip. i got my fingers cross. or Cancel
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17 Apr 2010 MissTraveler77 said

AMEN!!! I cross my fingers as well!

AMEN!!! I cross my fingers as well! or Cancel
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18 Apr 2010 lisa7891 said

hi im lisa im from the toronto area and me and my best friend are going on this trip were so excited i cant believe its only 19 days away is anyone else flying out of toronto

hi im lisa im from the toronto area and me and my best friend are going on this trip were so excited i cant believe its only 19 days away is anyone else flying out of toronto or Cancel
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19 Apr 2010 AlejandraG said

we have more people on our tour, Yey!!! Welcome Lisa to you and your friend. We are all excited about our trip. Do you have a facebook account? you can look me up at alejandra_garcia03@yahoo.com

we have more people on our tour, Yey!!! Welcome Lisa to you and your friend. We are all excited about our trip. Do you have a facebook account? you can look me up at alejandra_garcia03@yahoo.com or Cancel
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27 Apr 2010 JohnB said

Hi everybody! I asked Contiki for more info on the itinerary and this is what they said in 2 emails:

London:
You are correct about the walking tour with your tour manager on that
first night. That takes place after dinner. The Stonehenge and Bath
trip takes place all day (9AM to 5PM) and this is usually your first
full day in London (so, day 3). As for the other attractions (Big Ben,
Houses of Parliament, Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, etc…)
usually people do those museums on their own (Day 4), if the Stonehenge
and Bath trip took up your whole day previously. Day 4 is usually your
day to see all the things that you didn’t get to see in depth with the
group on the first 2 days.

Paris:
You will have a bus tour on your first night of arrival (you’ll have
dinner first, then get back on the bus to tour the city on the bus).
This will give you a great opportunity to decide how you want to spend
your next few days in Paris. The tour manager is extremely helpful
about helping everyone plan their free days (they will give you tips on
how to structure the day, which sites to see first/last/etc). The trip
to Versailles and visit to a French perfumery is usually on the first
full day in Paris (Day 6). The optional excursion in Paris usually
takes place on the last night in Paris (Day 7). From that point, group
will merge into different directions: some will leave, some will stay in
Paris longer, some will go to Amsterdam, and some will go to Rome.

Rome:
For those of you going to Rome, you will have a meeting with your tour
manager about how to structure your time there. This meeting takes
place in Paris. You do not need to speak Italian to successfully tour
Italy by any means, as English is widely spoken. You will board an
overnight train, be picked up at the train station by a Contiki rep, and
be transferred to your hotel. Your tour manager will not be there, but
you will have all the tools necessary to enjoy your next 2 nights (maps,
a “cheat sheet” with tips for traveling, and the assistance of the hotel
concierge who is very familiar with Contiki).

London
You don’t need to see Bath , but since Stonehenge and Bath are located so close to each other, you will just hang out in the area until the group is done. If you choose not do this day trip altogether, the tour manager will help you with structuring your day and tell you when to meet up if there are other sightseeing trips in the city that are taking place. The attractions in London are listed on the itinerary because you will see them as a part of this trip. Museum entrances are not included, but you will be introduced to the sites with your group. You will have enough time to do things on your own (Beatles stops, etc) the following day (the second full day in London ).

Paris
As for the Moulin Rouge trip and any other optional excursion offered on our tours, you are always taken to the site. Afterwards, you have your own choice of what to do in the city; if you would rather go back to the hotel, just let your tour manager know. You will be advised on tour about how to get to the train station in Paris . It will be either be the by Contiki motorcoach or an easy commuter train ride. You will also be provided with your train ticket to Rome when you are on tour, so that will have the specific departure/arrival times for the overnight train. English is spoken in France also, so you do not need to speak French to successfully make your way around. The tour manager will not be with you every night at dinner since that is your free, personal time.

You will find on your tour that the tour manager will be of extreme help to you, but also give everyone their space since you are all adults and don’t need to be chaperoned J. That’s why we don’t list specifically when the tour manager will be with you. To help you understand why we don’t list hour-by-hour specifics, here are some examples for you-

- On most of our tours that visit Paris , they are only there for 2 nights (1 full day). The Louvre museum is closed on Tuesdays, so whenever we have a tour that spends its full day there on a Tuesday, the group unfortunately does not get to see the Louvre. However, sometimes, if the group is up for it, the tour manager proposes a solution: they will leave extra-early the morning of their travel day, making it to Paris by 3PM instead of 4PM…which leaves them a quick amount of time to see the Louvre. The groups are always extremely appreciative of this, and even though per the itinerary they are supposed to see the Louvre on their free day, they still got to see it the day before since it was closed on their free day.

- On a tour like this one that actually has more than one night spent in the cities, people on the tour group will always have different plans for how they want to spend their free time. Instead of telling everyone that they will be at a certain location (i.e. the Tower of London, or the Wax Museum….or the Eiffel Tower, etc), the tour manager is flexible by seeing what people on the group are interested in, and then assisting with transportation that way. For example, on my tour (European Discovery) last year, on our free day in Paris, the bus driver dropped us off at 3 different spots: the Louvre, Arc de Triomphe, and Notre Dame, because those were the top 3 places that people wanted to start their tour. Everyone was extremely satisfied.

Hi everybody! I asked Contiki for more info on the itinerary and this is what they said in 2 emails: London: You are correct about the walking tour with your tour manager on that first night. That takes place after dinner. The Stonehenge and Bath trip takes place all day (9AM to 5PM) and this is usually your first full day in London (so, day 3). As for the other attractions (Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, etc...) usually people do those museums on their own (Day 4), if the Stonehenge and Bath trip took up your whole day previously. Day 4 is usually your day to see all the things that you didn't get to see in depth with the group on the first 2 days. Paris: You will have a bus tour on your first night of arrival (you'll have dinner first, then get back on the bus to tour the city on the bus). This will give you a great opportunity to decide how you want to spend your next few days in Paris. The tour manager is extremely helpful about helping everyone plan their free days (they will give you tips on how to structure the day, which sites to see first/last/etc). The trip to Versailles and visit to a French perfumery is usually on the first full day in Paris (Day 6). The optional excursion in Paris usually takes place on the last night in Paris (Day 7). From that point, group will merge into different directions: some will leave, some will stay in Paris longer, some will go to Amsterdam, and some will go to Rome. Rome: For those of you going to Rome, you will have a meeting with your tour manager about how to structure your time there. This meeting takes place in Paris. You do not need to speak Italian to successfully tour Italy by any means, as English is widely spoken. You will board an overnight train, be picked up at the train station by a Contiki rep, and be transferred to your hotel. Your tour manager will not be there, but you will have all the tools necessary to enjoy your next 2 nights (maps, a "cheat sheet" with tips for traveling, and the assistance of the hotel concierge who is very familiar with Contiki). London You don’t need to see Bath , but since Stonehenge and Bath are located so close to each other, you will just hang out in the area until the group is done. If you choose not do this day trip altogether, the tour manager will help you with structuring your day and tell you when to meet up if there are other sightseeing trips in the city that are taking place. The attractions in London are listed on the itinerary because you will see them as a part of this trip. Museum entrances are not included, but you will be introduced to the sites with your group. You will have enough time to do things on your own (Beatles stops, etc) the following day (the second full day in London ). Paris As for the Moulin Rouge trip and any other optional excursion offered on our tours, you are always taken to the site. Afterwards, you have your own choice of what to do in the city; if you would rather go back to the hotel, just let your tour manager know. You will be advised on tour about how to get to the train station in Paris . It will be either be the by Contiki motorcoach or an easy commuter train ride. You will also be provided with your train ticket to Rome when you are on tour, so that will have the specific departure/arrival times for the overnight train. English is spoken in France also, so you do not need to speak French to successfully make your way around. The tour manager will not be with you every night at dinner since that is your free, personal time. You will find on your tour that the tour manager will be of extreme help to you, but also give everyone their space since you are all adults and don’t need to be chaperoned J. That’s why we don’t list specifically when the tour manager will be with you. To help you understand why we don’t list hour-by-hour specifics, here are some examples for you- - On most of our tours that visit Paris , they are only there for 2 nights (1 full day). The Louvre museum is closed on Tuesdays, so whenever we have a tour that spends its full day there on a Tuesday, the group unfortunately does not get to see the Louvre. However, sometimes, if the group is up for it, the tour manager proposes a solution: they will leave extra-early the morning of their travel day, making it to Paris by 3PM instead of 4PM…which leaves them a quick amount of time to see the Louvre. The groups are always extremely appreciative of this, and even though per the itinerary they are supposed to see the Louvre on their free day, they still got to see it the day before since it was closed on their free day. - On a tour like this one that actually has more than one night spent in the cities, people on the tour group will always have different plans for how they want to spend their free time. Instead of telling everyone that they will be at a certain location (i.e. the Tower of London, or the Wax Museum….or the Eiffel Tower, etc), the tour manager is flexible by seeing what people on the group are interested in, and then assisting with transportation that way. For example, on my tour (European Discovery) last year, on our free day in Paris, the bus driver dropped us off at 3 different spots: the Louvre, Arc de Triomphe, and Notre Dame, because those were the top 3 places that people wanted to start their tour. Everyone was extremely satisfied. or Cancel
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27 Apr 2010 MissTraveler77 said

Wow John  You really did a good job on the research! I was actually thinking just going with the flow on this tour, and be spontanious while doing my own research before I left for the trip. This information however was very helpful, thank you for that  We gotta talk over how we’re gonna meet up at Pearson before our flights  Let me know how, when and where.

Wow John <img src="http://connect.contiki.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_smile.gif" alt="Smiler" width="15" height="15"> You really did a good job on the research! I was actually thinking just going with the flow on this tour, and be spontanious while doing my own research before I left for the trip. This information however was very helpful, thank you for that <img src="http://connect.contiki.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_smile.gif" alt="Smiler" width="15" height="15"> We gotta talk over how we're gonna meet up at Pearson before our flights <img src="http://connect.contiki.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_smile.gif" alt="Smiler" width="15" height="15"> Let me know how, when and where. or Cancel
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27 Apr 2010 AlejandraG said

nice job john, the only thing i need to figure out is the tickets to a west end show, the brochure mentions that they give us a ticket to a west end show, so i’m wondering if they will be giving us these tickets upon registration at the contiki basement. i might need to call them tomorrow.

nice job john, the only thing i need to figure out is the tickets to a west end show, the brochure mentions that they give us a ticket to a west end show, so i'm wondering if they will be giving us these tickets upon registration at the contiki basement. i might need to call them tomorrow. or Cancel
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