European Horizon

this was one of the best things i have ever done. i decided to do this trip by myself and i was scared at first but during the trip i did not feel alone at any point. i met new people from around the world and they were all lovely and friendly. this trip was fast paced which was tiring but it was really fun and i got to see a lot. for the price of the tour i was happy with everything that i managed to do and all the places i managed to see. the tour manager (Adam) and bus driver (Luce) were really really nice and funny and Adam did his best to tell us about all the cool things we could see and do in certain places and also gave us tips. the bus will be your home for the whole trip cause you will spend a lot of time on there so make sure you have comfy clothing for the long bus rides and a pillow as well. this is essential otherwise you will have a sore neck throughout. for spending money this really depends on what you want to do and see. the optionals are not included in the tour price so make sure you have money set aside for the optionals. and make sure you have money that is designated for food only, so that means the lunches and dinners that are not provided. then for pocket money depending on how much you drink and if you want to shop bring accordingly. but i say its better to have a lot of money than not have enough. Making friends- arrive on the first day so that you get to meet people on the very first day before people group off into their little cliques. i arrived on the departure day but i was able to make friends but next time i would go not the first day. and you have to make an effort to make friends otherwise people will just think you want to be left alone. Accommodation- the accommodation was alright for the price. i brought my own sleeping bag which i used for the trip and I'm glad i did. some people got bed bugs and it was really bad. take bed bug spray and insect repellent. and make sure to check your sheets before sleeping overnight cause they can creep into your sleeping bag. Food- the provided dinner was alright but i would have preferred to look for my own dinner especially at the hotel in amsterdam i was cut because we got chips and chicken and stale salad but when we went into the city later on there were these amazing places that had amazing food i regretted eating dinner at the place. ESSENTIALS , a travel money card, you don't want to have cash on you the whole time. sleeping bag, comfy clothes, bring a cardigan although its summer some places like the rhine valley are a bit chilly. bring something red for the swissco disco in switzerland. bug spray, travel adapter. switzerland uses francs not euros and also their adapters are different to the rest of europe but at the campsite they gave us ones, all we had to do was pay a deposit of 5 francs and you would get it back if you returned the charger. bring a water bottle to carry around with you. a lot of us got sick by the last day and i think it was due to drinking too much and also not having enough water especially on the long bus rides. make sure you have comfortable shoes. no one wore heels on my tour even for the going out nights. and when getting cabs make sure you walk to the road and flag one down or they will charge a lot for coming form wherever they will be and also some driver will try to take advantage of you as tourists. IF you can find public transport easily use that cause it will be cheaper. HAVE FUN, SOCIALISE AND DONT ISOLATE YOURSELF. BRING LOTS OF MONEY TOO

First of all, fast paced trip, your in each country for a night and a half a day the next day for the most part. The tour group i happened to be in was very party oriented which was fine with me. I wouldn't say the trip was very "touristy". We did do some sight seeing but I chose this trip to get a taste of every country we went to and it did just that. From enjoying the red light district in Amsterdam and clubbing in Munich, to white water rafting in Austria and shopping in Paris. This tour did very well. The hostels and hotels are exactly what i thought they were going to be and i was fine with it.

I cannot even put into words how amazing this trip was! Our tour guide Ashley was the epitome of a perfect tour guide. She was so fun and knowledgeable and planned everything for us so we could enjoy our vacation. This is definitely a fast paced trip. Lots of travelling but you get used to the bus rides and they start to actually become fun. Almost everyday is a new country so prepare yourself for very little sleep! I went on this tour as a solo traveller and I wouldn't have done it any other way. The group of people was amazing! I made a VERY close group of friends during this trip too. It is now almost 2 months after my trip and we all still talk almost everyday. I could not believe how close I got to people who were total strangers…it felt like we'd known each other for years. Honestly if you are considering this trip DO IT!!!! You won't regret it. I did this tour, a contiki New Zealand and G-Adventures tour all back to back and this was my fav! Here are some highlights: - Red light district and Anne Frank's house in Amsterdam - The timing of our tour allowed for us to go to Oktoberfest in Munich for opening night - Paragliding and White water rafting in Austria - Gondola ride in Italy - Going to the top of a Swiss alp in Switzerland - Climbing the Eiffel Tower and Seeing a French cabernet in France

Where to begin? The trip was intense from start to finish. You do as much as possible with the small amount of time given. Great for anyone looking for a taste of europe. If you want a restful relaxing trip. Don't book this one haha. Accommodation? Was good. I've never stayed in hostels so i was expecting the worst but these were really nice. Usually 4 person rooms with private bathrooms some with shared and a couple twin share rooms. Not a lot of space but all pretty cozy and tidy. There were 2 places during our trip that we could do washing one in Austria and the second in switzerland. Travel time? Tour manager? Well you spend alot of the time on the bus so be prepared. Some bus rides are 6 hours long. You do stop at service stations along the way (not the usual kind we have in australia) which are huge and have fresh food. The food is amazing by the way. Our tour guide was awesome. So knowledgeable about every place we went to. We had a wake up song (hated that song by the end of the trip lol) that would play about a half an hour before we reached our destination so that our tour guide ashley could give us an introduction to our destination and a bit of a history lesson as well. Our bus driver was also amazing. Felt safe on the road at all times. He could park like a boss and fit the bus through impossible gaps without a scrape! Optionals? I found out are not so much optional. There isn't anything you can really do while the optionals are running. I did do all of the optionals except for the train up the mountain in switzerland. I enjoyed every single optional i did and would have loved to do the train but didn't budget for it before i went on the trip. I recommend putting money aside to do all the optionals because you miss out on so much with your tour group if you don't. People/other travellers? Were awesome met some great people and now we share some great memories. Even though it was only a short trip it felt like we spent much more time together. Other tips? Hmm? always have change for the toilets. You have to pay to use most public bathrooms but all are really tidy and clean so it's worth it. Other thing to note is if you're looking for some downtime during this trip you won't find any. The great thing about this trip is that you don't miss out on anything but you will sacrafice sleep for it :) Overall? I would do it all again!

Awesome way to meet people. would do another trip, however less party encouraging is needed. It was still amazing and would do it again but only because of the people i have met. During the tour i was more than a bit disappointed at times but overall i was won over!

This action packed tour changed my life! from the snow on the Alps to the magic of Paris, we had an experience of a lifetime! now i crave my next adventure!

I had such an amazing time on this tour. I couldn't have asked for a better group to share this with and our tour manager Alex and driver Nuno made it even better!! I will have memories that will last a life time!!!! A++++++

Best way to sample a lot of countries in a short space of time! Late nights and early mornings featuring awesome people who became my family, the best tour team (Scotty and Gaz!) and all round amazing experiences. You have to go into it with the mind set of NO REGRETS! I did every optional activity and everytime I said that I would have regretted not doing it.. I think that pretty much says it all! So go for it :D

Wow, think my head's still spinning from this EPIC trip. If you want to see the best of Europe in the shortest time but still feel like you've experienced it- this is the tour for you. 7 countries in 10 days! Each day a new city, with amazing scenery, culture and night life. We had an amazing tour manger (Jac) and driver (Jamie)- these guys we're gold and knew their stuff, felt very safe in their hands! Some of the highlights have to be, paragliding in Austria, dressing up in Dirndl (authetic german dress) and hitting the beer hall, the gondola ride in Venice and the cabart in Paris. I went on my own and made 49 friends for life. As it's such a whirlwind tour we all got so close and still talk daily! EPIC trip, EPIC people and EPIC places.

The European Horizon was a really fun road trip around Europe. It gave you a great taste of each country and allowed you to do the 'Best Of' in each place. It is a fast paced, action packed adventure! So much fun and lots of laughs!

First off I would like to say that my opinions are my own and I'm sure many people would disagree with some of my views. However to those that are interested, here is my completely honest review of this tour. 1. Your coach is most likely not going to have phone charging facilities or wifi as advertised. This isn't that important but I feel like contiki shouldn't have falsely advertised this or at least mentioned the wifi is both slow and not free. I know no one comes to Europe to be on their phones but it was very misleading. 2. Almost every place you go you will be taken to a shop under the guise of learning about some of the items that come from their country, but really they obviously have some deal with the shop and want you to buy stuff. It's a bit unfair when we could have spent our time doing other things but are instead forced to go to shops where you just feel manipulated. 3. Expect not to have any time to yourself, I know most people who do this tour do it because it's fast but you will literally arrive at a place and 15 minutes have to be somewhere, it can be extremely stressful. 4. My trip manager and driver did an excellent job but at the end of the tour I couldn't believe they told everyone how much to tip them! I know contiki probably tells them how much to ask for but I thought it was ridiculously cheeky, and many others agreed. The actual tour was super fun though, I can see how if you had a good group it would have been amazing fun. Unfortunately a lot of my group were cliquey/not very friendly but that has nothing to do with contiki, I can only say that this tour, and perhaps most contiki tours are likely to attract a lot of Australian bogans. The special stopovers and on site team were great, and the hotel in Paris was really nice too. The included meals are standard, not amazing but they fill you up which is what you need. The me time optionals are all great too. I would recommend this tour for someone short on time but just expect to get the hard sell in the shops and also if you don't want to do some of the me time optionsls they will pressure you a bit.

I had the best time and met some amazing people. Great way to get a quick look at Europe. Accommodation was reasonable, you don't spend much time there anyway, your always out and about. The nightlife was so much fun. Most memorable was Venice and Switzerland. Would definitely recommend it to anyone who was thinking of doing it.

This was my first time traveling solo, and after meeting the tour manager, coach driver, and all of my fellow travelers, I didn't feel alone at all. Having such a diverse group was a great way to learn about many other cultures as well as make new friends. Our tour manager was very knowledgable about all of the countries we traveled to and he had a good way of getting everyone excited for our next adventure. I have been recommending Contiki to everyone I have talked to since I got home. I will be booking another trip with them for next year and look forward to all the new people I will be meeting. This was the best birthday I have ever had! Thank you Contiki!!!

This was my first contiki trip, and I had the worst tour manager. Camera got stolen, I reported it to her. When I tried to file insurance claim when I got back, she denied knowing anything about it. Ridiculous. trip was abysmal, felt like I was back in high school again. Too much drama on the bus made the trip irritating (long bus rides!) Spent too much time on the bus due to traffic, so by the time we got to the location, it was already to late to do much...never doing a short contiki trip again. This probably contributed to the cranky nature of 99% of us. Would focus on the more expensive ones instead, that'd weed out the childish folks, hopefully.

European Horizon was VERY fast, but I couldn't have asked for a better experience. I met so many amazing people from all around the world, and I am already planning on visiting some in the next few months. If you only have about 2 weeks to explore Europe, definitely do the Horizon. Explore London for a day and Explore Paris for an extra day and do the Horizon. The staff was great and excursions were amazing too! Definitely- whitewater raft in Austria, Paraglide and then take a bike ride of the town! Hands down one of the best days! Ton of fun, you can sleep when you come home :)

An amazing 10days! Luckily had an amazing bunch of 50 people and a very good tour guide!! Top Tips: #1 - From the UK you need to bring your own Sleeping Bag or buy one, I believe £20 but don't hold me to that. #2 - You need Francs for Switzerland. You only need enough for your one free day in the town near the campsite, unless your really organised and organise a trip to the other towns near by that do have tourist stuff. I just sat in a café with new friends I had made and ate the best brownies! Theres a corner shop and a souvenior shop. So 40 francs? But if your not that organised don't worry as they do take Euro but you get Francs back.... Shifty I know. #3 - In Austria you have a party night. Bring glow in the dark tuff. #4 - In Switzerland you have 2 party nights. At 8Euros a drink make sure you have saved some money as this is right near the end of your holiday. #5 - THERE IS NO FREE WIFI ON THE COACH! You must pay. But you don't need to your gonna have so much to look out the window and people to talk to why would u need wifi. Only a few hotels/Hostels/Campsites have wifi too. Again mosty not free. But u don't need it. Youll survive. #6 - You will do the paragliding. It is not scary. 38 members of our coach did it. 38 out of 50!! and the ones that didn't do it regretted it. Paragliding in Australia where you are given up to 30 pictures that the instructor takes with his selfie stick for 20 Euros!! Yey!! Do not be afraid. #7 - #NoRegrets. Live by it!

The only problem i found was it was over so quick, it was great fun but with only 2 2 day stops your on the bus alot.

This was one hell of a trip! Such a whirlwind, I can hardly believe all of the incredible things I got to experience. If you're looking for a way to sample a variety of what Europe has to offer, but don't have 2 months to take off from life, this is the perfect trip. They aren't kidding when they say "high energy" though, so I hope you plan on sleeping when you're dead! But it was absolutely worth it. Would do this trip again in a heart beat. So well organized too! I was surprised and impressed with how smooth it all went down, in regards to the travel, accommodations, meals, and excursions - I was never left waiting around which was shocking travelling with 39 other people! All in all, an amazing and exciting adventure. And felt 100% safe as a female travelling by herself.

European Horizon was amazing. Saw some beautiful sights, met some Incredible people, ate fantastic food! The staff was so fun and made sure we had the best time in the short period of time we had. Paragliding in Austria is a MUST!!! As the boat cruise in Amsterdam...really all the optionals were great! Seeing the Eiffel Tower for the first time as you enter central Paris is breath taking, Switzerland is pure beauty, Venice amazing as you would expect. Great shopping areas in Munich. Dont Forget the chocolate, anywhere you see it buy some! Specially in Switzerland. Highly recommend this trip. You spend a lot of time on the Bus but it helps to get to know your new friends better and have some rest after fun and very late nights! Would do it again in a heart beat. I endend with incredible new experiences, some crazy pictures and life long friends! Thanks Jamie & Jon! Thanks Contiki!

I had the most amazing time on Contiki! This was my first solo trip in Europe and it couldn't have been better! :D Every single experience in every city we had the chance to do was so awesome; from white water rafting in Austria to Amsterdam and the bike tour/hofbrauhaus in Munchen. Make sure you do every me time option, I did and I am so glad. It's a very fast paced tour, and you barely get sleep, but who doesn't like partying till the early hours of the morning every night?! You will definitely have memories for life. On the last night of the tour in Paris, the taxi driver took a group of us to the wrong hotel, so we were walking around the streets at 3am. At the time I was annoyed, but looking on it now, that's something I'll remember. You become close to your tour group and they become your family. We had the best tour team - I'm talking about you Scotty and Gaz! I can't recommend this tour enough, and I can't wait to go on my next Contiki!