8 Best Contiki Tours in Europe for Your Summer Adventures

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I never thought I’d do a Contiki tour, let alone one that was 35 days around Europe. Not because I didn’t want to, but because I hadn’t really thought about it before, and if I had, I didn’t think I had anyone to do it with me.

But that all changed in 2024 when I went on one of the Contiki tours in Europe. A friend was moving to the UK, and before she settled, she decided she was going to travel for a bit beforehand. And one of the things she wanted to do was a Contiki tour.

So I joined her.

And I had the best 5 weeks gallivanting around Europe in the summer of 2024.

Jumping on a Contiki tour is such a great way to see somewhere new, and especially good for exploring Europe. Lucky for us, there’s more than just one Contiki tour that goes to countries in Europe.

We’re going to look at some of those, but before we get into it:

What is Contiki?

Contiki is a group tour company which offers tours around many countries in the world, and has many multi-country trips, too. It’s designed for 18-35 year olds, however, there are some more tours these days which are for the older demographic.

👉  Also check out My Contiki Experience as a 33 Year Old

Contiki Tours: Europe

While there are so many tours around the world that you can do with Contiki, the company really thrives in Europe, and I think most people probably think of Europe when they think of Contiki.

Whether you want a long trip, or a short one, if you want to really dive deep into one country, or you want to gallivant like I did around about 16 … there is definitely something for you!

👉  Also check out The Most In-Depth Review of Contiki I Could Muster

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European Adventurer

Leaves from: London

Alternatively: Paris

Length: 37 days, 15 countries, 37 cities

Countries: England, France, Monaco, Switzerland, Spain, Italy, Greece, Albania, Croatia, Montenegro, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Slovenia, Germany, Austria, The Netherlands. Opportunity to visit the Vatican, too.

The European Adventurer is the Contiki tour in Europe that I did, and it was such a great trip because it really gave me a taste of multiple countries. As you can see, the list of countries we visited was vast! We spent between 1 and 3 nights in each place.

If you haven’t been to Europe at all, and you want to tick a bunch of countries off your Bucket List, but you also don’t want to be on the road for too much over a month, then this is a great option.

What I loved about it was that I could check out a bunch of countries for a day or two, and now I have a list of countries that I’d love to go back to one day.

👉 Also check out: The Ultimate European, which is the 45 day trip

 

European Trail

Leaves from: London

Length: 23 days, 12 countries, 21 cities

Countries: England, France, Switzerland, Italy, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland, Austria, Czechia, Germany, the Netherlands

Don’t have time for the full European Adventurer or Ultimate European? So far. The European Trail is a great alternative if you have time but don’t have more than a month. What I’d love to check out in this list is Hungary, Slovakia, Poland and Czechia, as we didn’t get to those in the Adventurer.

This is a really good overview trip of some of the more ‘common’ countries to visit in Europe (your Frances, Italys, the Netherlands etc), and then some of the less common, or less frequent ones like Slovakia.

👉 Also check out: For a simliar trip, check out London to Rome Trail

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European Highlights

Leaves from: London

Length: 14 days, 7 countries, 18 cities

Countries: England, France, Monaco, Italy, Austria, Germany, the Netherlands

This is like a mini version of the European Adventurer, hitting two of the big European countries, France and Italy, then spending a few days in Germany and the Netherlands, too.

If you want a European tour that isn’t too long – this one is just 2 weeks – then the European Highlights tour might be the perfect option for you! Especially if you don’t want to spend your entire summer on a coach, but still want the experience that a 2-week adventure gives.

Looking at the map of the European Highlights trip, you’d still go to the Contiki Chateau (below) and visit some of the beautiful, well-known spots like Venice and Munich.

👉  Also check out: European Encounter for a 16 day trip, or European Whirl for a 19 day trip

European Discovery

Leaves from: London

Length: 12 days, 6 countries, 13 cities

Countries: England, The Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, France

If you have slightly less time but still want a great experience and taste of Europe on your trip, the European Discovery tour is another great option. You’ll notice this one goes clockwise from London, whereas many of the others that start in London go anticlockwise. No idea why, to be honest. But just something to know!

This trip hits many of the same spots as the Highlights, Adventurer, and even the Ultimate, but it’s just a mini version. Instead of visiting Lauterbrunnen in Switzerland, you’ll check out Lucrene instead, but the other stops along the way are the same.

👉  Also check out: Albania Beaches and Mountains for a shorter 8-day trip that is just in Albania

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Greek Island Hopping

Leaves from: Athens

Length: 11 days, 1 country, 5 cities

Countries: Greece

One of my favourite spots on my Contiki was spending 3 nights on the Greek island of Mykonos. It was like a mini holiday in a holiday, and it was so much fun being able to check out the township, and also spend hours by the Mediterranean sea.

If hanging out on boats on the ocean, eating delicious food, sunbathing on the sand and partying it up at night, then the Greek Island Hopping Contiki tour is the one for you! It’s also only 11 days so you really get an awesome feel for the islands and some of the Greek culture, without spending tooooooo much time out in the sun. 🤣

👉 Also check out: London to Athens with Greek Island Hopping – great if you also want to make your way from London down to Greece, via France, Spain and Italy. Also see: Croatia Island Sail Trip for another water-focused tour

Ancient Wonders: Rome Athens Cairo

Leaves from: Rome (ends in Cairo)

Length: 10 days, 3 countries, 3 cities

Countries: Italy, Greece, Egypt

If you’re short on time but want to check out some of the Ancient Wonders of the world, this one is for the history buffs! With 3 nights in Rome, 3 nights in Athens and 3 nights in Cairo, you’ll get to experience things straight out of a history textbook. I would LOVE to do the Ancient Wonders: Rome Athens Cairo trip!

The itinerary features some of the things that we did on our Contiki in Rome in Athens (ours did not include Cairo, though), and if that’s anything to go by, you’re in for a treat! Walking tours, pasta classes, visiting the Colosseum in Rome and then the Acropolis in Athens, then down to Egypt and checking out the Pyramids! So so cool.

This Contiki tour is a little different in that you’re flying from place to place, rather than driving around on the coach.

👉 Also check out: Berlin to Budapest by Train for a different kind of trip, but similiar length (9 days)

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Italian Espresso

Leaves from: Rome

Length: 10 days, 1 country, 12 cities

Countries: Italy

Want to spend the next 10 days enjoying gelato, coffee, pasta and pizza? The Italian Espresso tour might be for you! As you can see, this one is just Italy, but you’ll get a lot in this tour, hitting up stunning spots like Florence, Venice (below), Rome, of course, as well as Milan, Cinque Terre and Pisa.

If you’re keen to do a deep dive into Italian culture, cuisine and history, then spending 10 days travelling around this beautiful country is going to hit the spot for sure. I loved my week in Italy, and would loooooove to go back one day!

👉 Also check out: Want something similiar but in Spain? Check out Best of Spain tour.

London to Barcelona Quest

Leaves from: London (ends in Barcelona)

Length: 8 days, 3 countries, 9 cities

Countries: England, France, Spain

On my Contiki, we only spent 2 nights in Spain – both in Barcelona. And it was hot as heck, which I think did taint my experience a little bit. But I would loooove to go back to Spain sometime, and check out some of the other cities.

The London to Barcelona Quest starts in London, then goes down through France (Paris, Bordeaux, Saint-Jean-de-Luz) before crossing the border into Spain to check out San Sebastián and then finally Barcelona. Another goodie if you’re short on time this summer but want to check out a few countries!

👉 Also check out: If you want a similiar idea (and just 9 days), check out the Barcelona to Rome Quest

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Of course, there are so many incredible Contiki tours in Europe that you actually might struggle to pick which one you want to do! A few people I’ve known biggy backed their trips, so when one finished, they picked up the next one where they ended, so you can absolutely mix them up if you want to!

I’d love to hear from you if you’ve spent a summer in Europe with Contiki! Where did you go??