The one that does Vienna and Rome with a taste of Eastern Europe.
This month I had the incredible opportunity to experience European winter with Contiki. Right after my last final university exam, I boarded a plane and headed off to Vienna to begin a 9-day journey through some of Europe’s best Christmas markets.
For those of you who have been longtime readers of my blog, you’ll know that I am no stranger to Contiki. This is actually my third tour with the company! I previously did the European Discovery tour in the summer of 2014 and the Berlin, Prague + Vienna tour in the summer of 2015. (This trip no longer exists, but has been changed into the Berlin to Budapest.)
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It has always been a dream of mine to visit the European Christmas markets, so when Contiki reached out to me with this opportunity, I couldn’t say no!
I decided to hop on the Eastern Trail tour because I had never been to Poland or Budapest before and was dying to experience a bit more of Central Europe!
The Eastern Trail is a 9-day “iconic essentials” style tour that starts in Vienna and ends in Rome. The price of the tour starts at $1569 CAD.
In this post, I’ll take you through the tour day by day to give you an in-depth look at exactly what to expect on Contiki’s Eastern Trail and then provide my thoughts on the entire experience.
DAY 1 – Arrive in Vienna
My Eastern Trail tour began in Vienna, Austria. On day one, I met up with my tour manager and other trip members in the evening, before heading out for our included dinner. This is a modular trip, meaning those on the Eastern Trail are actually jumping on an already in progress tour, the European Trail, in Vienna. So there were only three of us “Eastern Trailers” joining the existing group this evening in Vienna and we were introduced to the rest of the group over traditional Schnitzel dinner. After a whirlwind evening of trying to learn the names of 53 people, we set off to explore Vienna’s Christmas markets and go skating downtown.
Day 2 – Vienna to Krakow
On day two of the trip, we woke up early in the morning to make the drive to Krakow, Poland. On the way, the coach stopped at the country’s famous salt mines, which are a UNESCO World Heritage site. Entry into the salt mines is an optional “free time add-on” (FTA) that comes at an additional cost. The salt mine was an FTA that didn’t originally appeal to me, but in the end, I was glad that I did it. They were absolutely stunning and held such a rich history – it was a wonderful introduction to Poland. However, I was disappointed that there was no alternative activity for travelers who didn’t participate in the salt mine tour. Those who opted out of the tour had to sit on the bus for three hours and wait for the group to return. It would be nice to see an alternate included activity or even free time in a nearby town added to the itinerary for those who don’t wish to participate in this FTA.
Day 3 – Krakow
We started off our second day in Krakow with a visit to Auschwitz concentration camp. This was one of the most important parts of the tours for me and I’m very grateful that was included as part of this Contiki tour. I’ve written more in-depth about my experience visiting Auschwitz here. I’m sure that all of my fellow Contiki travelers on this tour will agree that it was an incredibly confronting and life-changing experience.
After a heavy morning at Auschwitz, we had the rest of the afternoon off to explore on our own. I took this time to walk around Krakow and try some of the traditional Christmas market food.
In the evening, we went out for a pierogi dinner, which was another optional FTA. I really loved this FTA and thought it was of great value. For 30 euro we received a filling dinner of traditional Polish pierogis, two drinks, and even got to try our own hand and making pierogis!
Day 4 – Krakow to Budapest
Day four of the Eastern Trail was our longest bus drive where we made the 8-hour drive to Budapest. The drive was broken up by a quick one-hour stopover in Slovakia for some lunch, then we arrived in Hungary just in time for our river dinner cruise. The river cruise was my favorite FTA of the entire trip – I highly recommend that everyone opt-in for this one. The cruise provided breath-taking views of Budapest lit up at night and a delicious Hungarian buffet did not disappoint!
After the river cruise, we headed out to check out some of Budapest’s famous “ruin bars”. These bars used to be unused, old, rundown buildings that have since been transformed into the coolest bars that I’ve personally been too. If you ever find yourself in Budapest, you absolutely have to check them out!
Day 5 – Budapest
After a big night on the water and at the ruin bars, it was lovely to not have to get on the coach first thing in the morning. Instead, we had the full day to explore the beautiful city of Budapest. The morning kicked off with an optional walking tour of the city; at only 22 euro, I think that this FTA is absolutely worth it and provided a great orientation to the city, especially as we had the rest of the afternoon and evening free from the group to explore on our own. After a couple hours of showing us the main highlights of the city, our tour guide left us at the House of Terrors, in which entry was included, and then we were left to our own devices. This free day was very well placed; especially for those new to group travel, after five days together it can be nice to break off on your own for a few hours. I used the rest of the day to explore Budapest’s Christmas markets, check out the views from Fisherman’s Bastain, and go ice skating at City Hall.
Day 6 – Budapest to Ljubljana
Saying goodbye to Budapest, we set off for the small town of Ljubljana, Slovenia this morning. We had a free evening here to explore the charming Christmas markets and grab dinner before regrouping and heading back to the hotel. I wasn’t too keen on this stop, personally. We only had a few hours in the city, so it wasn’t long enough to explore. I wish we had either arrived earlier in the day to give us more time to explore, or just carried on straight to Venice.
Day 7 –Ljubljana to Venice
Day seven was an early start to get on us on the road to Venice as soon as possible. We arrived in Venice in the afternoon and first set off as a group to a glass blowing demonstration. This was something included in one of my previous Contiki tours, so I decided to use this time to explore on my own. If you’ve never seen glass blowing before, it’s pretty neat, but otherwise, this stop is more or less just aimed at encouraging travelers to purchase some of the glass products.
Afterward, those who had booked the gondola ride FTA met up to take to the waters of Venice. This optional FTA is an absolute must, especially if it’s your first time in Venice. You haven’t really seen Venice if you haven’t seen it from the water!
After the gondola tour, we had a few hours of free time to explore Venice, which I used to taste-test some famous Italian gelato and do some shopping. Afterward, we met up for the “taste of Venice” food tour, which was another optional FTA. Despite a little bit of miscommunication leading to some disorganization, the food on the tour was great and wine was included at all five stops, making for a great value FTA at only 34 euro.
Day 8 – Venice to Rome
This morning we headed off to our final destination: Rome! We arrived in Rome in the evening just in time to check in to our hostel and head out for our included “pizza party” dinner as a group. Included all-you-can-eat pizza? Yeah, this was definitely my favorite included dinner.
Day 9 – Rome
On the final day of the tour, travelers are taken on a walking tour of the city, visiting the Coliseum and the Vatican. I, unfortunately, had to leave early for another trip and wasn’t able to partake in the walking tour, but you can’t go wrong with free entry to the Coliseum and a visit to Vatican City.
FINAL THOUGHTS & ADVICE
You’ll spend A LOT of time on the coach
This is a common theme among almost all Contiki tours and it’s not necessarily a bad thing, as long as you’re aware of it beforehand. A lot of first time Contiki travelers that I’ve spoken to have been caught off guard by the amount of time spent on the coach because it wasn’t what they expected when they first booked the trip. For any of Contiki’s high-intensity travel styles where you’re visiting multiple countries within a short time period, you can expect to spend 3-8 hours a day on the coach traveling from destination to destination.
As you can tell from the itinerary break down above, we were on the coach almost every day of the trip moving between place to place. If sitting on a coach for hours on end isn’t your cup of tea, try booking one of Contiki’s “in-depth explorer” or “independent insider” tours. Otherwise, time on the coach is an opportunity to catch up on some sleep and recover from big evenings at the bars.
The coach is comfortable and accommodating
While you do spend a lot of time on the coach, it’s really not a terrible place to be. The Contiki coaches have always been comfortable and spacious, with plenty of storage for your baggage and leg room for us tall folks. However, the coaches are also now equipped with USB charging ports, which were a lifesaver for me as posting on social media throughout the day can easily drain my battery. It was nice to not have to worry about carrying around a portable charger because I could just charge my phone on the bus. Even better, the coaches now have WiFi! As you can imagine, this made my life a million times easier; being able to write and research during the long bus rides meant that I could free up some more evening time to explore our new destinations or hang out with my new Contiki friends.
This is a modular trip
Being a modular trip, the Eastern Trail actually begins a week into another Contiki. This can create a bit of a weird dynamic among the group, however, much like the long bus rides, I don’t think it’s too much of an issue unless you’re unaware of it. If you book the Eastern Trail expecting to be with the same familiar faces from day one and create memories from the start, you won’t be too pleased when you realize that you have to break into a group of people who’ve already established friendships and made memories together. Admittedly, the first few days of this trip were tough, but I had a really good group of people who went out of their way to make sure I was never feeling left out and always felt like part of the group. By the end of it I didn’t even remember that I had joined late!
Accommodation includes a combination of hostels and hotels
On this Contiki you’ll be staying in a mixture of accommodation styles. In some cities, you’ll be staying in hotels and in others you’ll be staying in hostels with 4 people to a room. This was my first taste of European hostels and before the trip, I had no idea what to expect, but honestly, my expectations were very low. However, the hostels on this trip really impressed me. I actually preferred the hostels to the hotels that we stayed in.
Get there a day early and stay a day late
This trip is advertised as “Vienna to Rome” however, you do not get nearly enough time in Vienna to justify that in my opinion. Depending on when you arrive, you may only be in Vienna for dinner and have a few hours afterward to explore before having to leave again the next morning. Vienna is a city that deserves more than a few hours to explore. So is Rome, and you also only have about one day there with the tour. I recommend flying into Vienna a day before your tour begins and flying out of Rome a day after it ends to give yourself some extra time to explore these cities.
You’ll need different currencies
Traveling to Europe can seem like such a breeze sometimes – one currency for all European countries? What a dream. Unfortunately, some countries are not actually on the Euro, including two on this tour. Poland and Hungry each use their own currency: Polish zloty and Hungarian forint. While some touristy places may still accept Euro, you’re better off to pick up some of the right currency before your trip just to be safe. Otherwise, most places will accept a credit card, but the exchange rate won’t be so nice.
Overall, I thought that Contiki’s Eastern Trail tour provided a great introduction to Central Europe. It’s a perfect “appetizer” trip for those who want to sample a variety of different cities and get a taste for where they might like to return to in the future.
I thought that the included dinners and activities in this particular tour were of great value. In fact, the included dinners were some of my favorites on the trip! The hostels far exceeded my expectations which were a very pleasant surprise. For $1569, this is the best value Contiki tour that I have been on.
A big shout out to our trip manager Ayden, who was incredible, providing insightful city overviews before each stop and making sure that everyone was having a great time on the trip (especially the three of us who joined late!). Another big shout out to our driver Mitch, who got us safely from destination to destination and was great to chat with along the way.
Should I do a Contiki?
This is the million-dollar question and the one that I get asked most often. I’ve just presented you with a lot of different information, but no obvious answer to this question.
Well, after three Contiki’s, I think that I can finally provide a straight answer to this question.
Should you do a Contiki?
If you’ve never done one before: YES.
I think that every traveler should experience a Contiki at least once in their life. Like any tour company (and any travel experience in general!) it has its pros and cons, but a Contiki tour is truly unlike any other travel experience I’ve ever had in my life.
The hard and fast style combined with late nights partying definitely isn’t a long-term travel strategy that I recommend, but I think it’s something that everybody should give a shot at least once. I’ve made great memories on my Contiki tours and now have friends all over the world as a result of hopping on these coaches.
I think that every traveler should experience Contiki at least once in their life.
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