contiki tour ireland

Kate Abroad

Honest + Complete Contiki Ireland Tour Review

Wondering whether the it’s worth it to do a Contiki tour in Ireland? This Contiki Ireland review has all the information you need to decide.

The Contiki Ireland tour is the first Contiki trip I ever did, now with a few more Contiki (and Top Deck and G Adventures) tours under my belt, I thought I’d share my thoughts on the Contiki Ireland Tour.

If you’re thinking of booking an Ireland tour, or a Contiki anywhere, this Contiki Ireland review has all the details to help you decide. If you’ve already done all your homework on the tour (shout out to the other over planners) just scroll to the bottom for my verdict.

This post is based on my experience of the Contiki Ireland tour, but the pros/cons are also relevant to the very similar tour that Top Deck runs in Ireland. I’ve been on tours with both companies in the past and they are super comparable.

Full disclosure, I personally went on the Contiki Ireland tour and paid for it myself in full. All views are my own. I have included affiliate links so that if, after reading the review you want to book a tour, you have the option to support the blog while doing so.

What is Contiki?

Contiki is a tour company that runs tours specifically for 18-35 year old’s. Most of the tours, including the Contiki Ireland, are on big 50-seater buses but they do run some boat-based and single-city tours.

Contiki runs tours in English and the groups are mostly made up of Australians, Kiwis and Americans. The trip style is very fast-paced, expect to see lots of places in a short space of time (more on that later).

Contiki operates tours all over the world, but their most popular trips are in Europe, including the Ireland trip.

What tours does Contiki do in Ireland?

Contiki runs three tours in Ireland (at the time of writing), the main Ireland tour (which I did), the Ireland Reunion tour for 35-45s and the St Patricks Day short break.

The website shows a few more like a Scotland-Ireland option and an England-Ireland option, these are actually just add-ons to the main Ireland tour where you do the England/Scotland tour then ferry/fly to Ireland to join the group doing the 8-day Ireland section.

Where does the Contiki Ireland tour go?

The Contiki Ireland tour is advertised as 8 days but it’s more like 6 because you only join the group on the evening of Day 1 and Day 8 is really just a departure day.

This means that if you were pressed for time, you could safely plan to fly in on the morning of Day 1 and fly out first thing on Day 8. I would 100% recommend not doing that and leaving yourself some extra time in Dublin (see below).

Here’s the itinerary in brief, you can read the whole thing on the Contiki website: Day 1: Dublin (meet the group, have dinner, go out) Day 2: travel to Cork via Kilkenny Day 3: travel to Galway from Cork via Blarney and the Cliffs of Moher Day 4: full day in Galway (this day has the only real free time) Day 5:travel to Derry/Londonderry from Galway Day 6:travel to Belfast from Derry/Londonderry via Giant’s Causeway Day 7:travel back to Dublin from Belfast Day 8: eat breakfast and fly out

I did all the inclusions and ‘free time add-ons’ (optional activities) and would recommend that.

To be honest many of the add-ons are really core tour activities ie the drawcards that make you want to book the trip in the first place and our whole group did them so they were less of an optional thing and more just planned tour activities that we had to pay for.

Definitely factor the add-ons into your budget as it could be quite awkward if you opted not to do those activities and you could be left sitting on the bus in some cases (like at the Jameson’s Distillery) because there is nothing else to do in the area.

Highlights of the Contiki Ireland tour

Before I jump into the pros/cons, it’s worth mentioning some of the amazing experiences on this trip. If I had to pick, my favourites were:

• the Derry/Londonderry walking tour that delved into the city’s divided history (my family is Irish and I still learned heaps)
• the night out in Galway at the pub that inspired Ed Sheeran’s Galway Girl
• exploring Blarney Castle

Should you add on extra time in Ireland?

I had 4 days in Dublin before the tour. This was a good length of time because there’s so much to see in Dublin and Contiki really only allows one day in the city.

But if I did it again, I would swap it around and book a few days in Dublin after the Contiki tour because there were a bunch of people from my tour who were staying on in Dublin (which is pretty common after Contiki tours) so I could easily have joined up with them for Dublin sightseeing rather than doing it on my own.

I had pre-researched the activities on the Contiki tour so made sure not to do any of those before the tour but as it turned out some of the Dublin parts of the tour got cancelled because of the weather so I wished I hadn’t waited.

Save yourself those regrets and just book your days after the tour, that way you know exactly what’s left on your bucket list to go see.

Check out my solo traveller’s guide to Dublin for some ideas of things to do in the city.

What I loved about the Contiki Ireland tour

The inclusions:.

Contiki has done a really good job squeezing all the top Ireland attractions into this tour. There are UNESCO world heritage sites, beer, whiskey, castles, movie locations and more.

If you made a list of the top Ireland bucket list things off the top of your head, they’d probably all be on the Contiki Ireland itinerary. This is consistent with their #noregrets motto. It means the tour is good value in terms of time and money in my opinion.

The convenience:

Contiki basically handles everything for you from accommodation to transport to food and activities. Not everything is included but you often end up doing it as a group anyway (like most dinners).

This is true of all Contiki tours and most tours generally, but it is a huge plus for first-time solo travellers (me when I went on the tour) or people who haven’t travelled internationally before.

The guides are used to dealing with newbie travellers so they offer help with all the basics you might need.

The timing:

I have opinions on the pace of this trip (see below) but with the 6 (full) day itinerary, it’s really well-timed for people (like me) who are full-time workers and want to get a good holiday in without burning all our annual leave (paid time off).

Lots of the tours on the market are in the 2+ week range that ends up being three weeks or more by the time you count add-on days and flight time so it’s really good to have an option that’s one week.

What I didn’t love about the Contiki Ireland tour

Contiki is fast-paced, like really fast-paced, sometimes you get into a city at night and leave early the next morning with no real-time to explore.

This happened on the Ireland tour in Cork. From the small bit I saw, Cork is a very pretty city but by the time we got there it was dark, and we basically just dropped bags and went to the pub with no time to see the local sights.

This can leave you feeling exhausted at the end and like you missed out on seeing some places properly.

The constant partying:

I think I drank every night on the Contiki Ireland tour. Obviously, this was my choice, and you don’t have to do that but it’s what nearly everyone on the tour did and what the tour is set up for.

This might be a plus for you depending on what you want to get out of your holiday and how extroverted you are but for me personally, it was a bit much and left me feeling like I needed another holiday afterwards to recover.

The lack of free time:

This is kind of the same point as the pace but is worth calling out so that you know what you’re in for. The Contiki Ireland tour is crammed full (which is good value) but if you want time to explore on your own then you’ll need to wait until after the tour.

This is not the case on all tours or even all Contikis in my experience as I’ve been on other trips that have lots more free time in the itinerary.

My verdict on the Contiki Ireland tour

The short version:.

This tour was perfect for me at the time, and I had a blast but if I was going to Ireland now I wouldn’t book it.

The long version:

When I did this tour, I had never solo travelled before, and I only had a short amount of time between finishing my summer internship and going back to university.

Because I wasn’t yet a confident solo traveller, I valued the security of the Contiki tour in terms of having everything planned and the one-week itinerary let me see all the main things I wanted to in the short time I had.

However, if I was going now, I wouldn’t do a tour at all partly because I now mostly travel with my partner and partly because I have the confidence to navigate most foreign cities and trains/buses on my own and prefer more flexibility. I also drink less now so the constant party vibe is less what I would go for.

I would love to hear your thoughts if you’ve been on a Contiki before or are considering it. Drop them in the comments below.

Happy travelling!

Europe Travel Resources

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Kate is the founder of Kate Abroad. She has travelled to nearly 40 countries from Austria to Vanuatu, and lived in 3. She's on a mission to empower other Gen Zs and Millenials travel affordably by sharing helpful travel guides, stories and tips to over 200,000 readers.

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Ireland in a Week

• Best price guaranteed
• No booking fees
• City sightseeing
• Cultural, religious and historic sites
• Booking Type Instant booking
• duration 8 days
• tour type Group
• age requirement 18-35 yrs
• max group size 48
• guiding method Fully guided
• Tour Code BM-27450

• Starts Dublin, Ireland
• Ends Dublin, Ireland
• Blarney Castle: Your chance to kiss the Blarney Stone and get the ‘gift of the gab’. And to visit the medieval Irish castle.
• Cliffs of Moher: These rugged, photogenic cliffs have been the star of many films, including a Harry Potter one.
• Galway: Tread the cobbles of this well-loved Irish city with your new Contiki crew. See Lynch’s Castle, Eyre Square and all the best pubs.
• Derry/Londonderry: One for the history fans. Take a look around Ireland’s only walled city, built in the 17th Century.
• Giant's Causeway: Sure, rock formations may sound a bit dull on paper, but this quirky natural wonder has to be seen to be believed.
• Belfast: Hang with a local guide to see all the landmarks and learn about the city’s checkered history.
• Day 1: Start Dublin
• Day 2: Dublin to Clonmel
• Day 3: Clonmel to Galway
• Day 4: Galway
• Day 5: Galway to Derry/Londonderry
• Day 6: Derry/Londonderry to Belfast
• Day 7: Belfast to Dublin
• Day 8: End Dublin
• Breakfast (x7)
• Dinner (x3)
• Travelodge Plus Dublin City Centre (or similar) hotel
• Talbot Hotel Clonmel (or similar) hotel
• Travelodge Galway City Hotel (or similar) hotel
• Holiday Inn Express Derry (or similar) hotel
• Ramada by Wyndham Belfast City Centre (or similar) hotel
• Travel by coach
• Experienced Driver Guide
• Any international flights to/from Dublin are not included in this price. We always recommend that you arrive 1 day prior to your tour starting date.
• Travel insurance is not included in this Ireland in a Week tour. Travel insurance is mandatory to buy. World Nomads' travel insurance has been designed by travelers for travelers.
• Adam Curran
• From England
• On Aug 14 2023
• Timothy Hennessy
• On Aug 04 2023
• Earn US$ 51+ in travel credits.
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• Carbon neutral tours.
• 25,000+ trip reviews, with an average rating of 4.8 out of 5.
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No additional cancellation fees apply for this Ireland in a Week tour. You can cancel the tour up to 62 days prior departure and avoid paying the full amount, but your deposit paid is non-refundable. No refund applies for cancellations within 61 days of departure.

For any tour departures within 10 August 2024, full payment is required. For tours that depart later than 10 August 2024, a deposit of 200 USD is required to confirm the tour, and the remaining balance will be charged 61 days before trip departure.

Ireland in a Week tour requires that you have adequate and valid travel insurance covering medical and personal accidents, including repatriation costs and emergency evacuation. World Nomads offers travel insurance for independent travelers and intrepid families.

For this Ireland in a Week tour getting the required visa(s) is the responsibility for each individual traveller, as visa requirements vary depending on your nationality. We recommend to check with your local embassies representing the countries that you are traveling to, as part of this itinerary.

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Contiki offers tours for budget-conscious travelers ages 18 to 35. Accommodations, transportation between cities, some meals and sightseeing are bundled into one low price.

Social interaction and adventurous activities are key components of the experience. Along with included excursions, there's plenty of free time to explore each city with newly made friends or on your own.

Contiki vacations are sold throughout the world, and it is not unusual to have guests from a variety of countries on one departure. Plus, these trips are ideal for single travelers, as nearly half of the company's customers travel solo. Contiki will set single travelers up with a roommate of the same gender at no extra cost.

Trip ratings on this site are based on the quality of accommodations, the number of included meals and activities and the level of service delivered. Contiki's vacations are categorized as budget on the industry rating scale (budget, first class or deluxe).

The World Overload

For Those With Wanderlust

Contiki Tours Review: Great Britain and Ireland

A tour of the United Kingdom is a great experience everyone should take part in at least once in their life. You will find it deeply enriching with the culture, history, food, and extra activities you can do here.

This is a review of the Great Britain and Ireland group tour provided by the tour company Contiki. It is a 16 day duration traveling through England, Scotland, Ireland, Northern Ireland, and Wales. So you are getting to experience some of the highlights of 5 countries over a 2 week period.

You will follow a flexible itinerary showcasing the cities and countries you will be visiting, but you will be given some free time to explore on your own or join other smaller parts of the group if you have your own ideas on what sites or stops you would like to make during that period.

*Note that tours and activities are subject to change depending on the month, weather, federally recognized holidays, and other restrictive conditions.

The Great Britain and Ireland is one of the most popular tours Contiki has to offer. Depending on the month and season you decide to sign up for this tour, the group size will vary. It can be a cozy and intimate group of 10-15 people or a large group of 30-40. You will usually never know until you actually arrive. The same goes for the age of the group and country of origin. It’s possible you may find yourself the only person from your country and the majority of the group is from one or two along with a handful of others from various countries.

Contiki Tour Guide

You will mostly be led by your own Contiki tour guide along with other local guides depending on the add-on activity you choose to do. They will have a deeper knowledge of some specific things of Great Britain and Ireland while your tour guide will have more knowledge as a whole.

Your tour guide is there to make sure you have a good time. They will have been trained on communication skills, knowledge of the areas you will be going to, what to do in case of emergencies, and overall to make sure the itinerary is followed.

Part of the fun is that these tour guides are veterans when it comes to travel and will have wonderful recommendations on places to eat or go out for a nightcap after the day is done or suggest hidden gems of activities during your free time in the tour itinerary.

Accommodations

Traveling through Great Britain and Ireland, most of your stay will be in standard 4-Star hotels or smaller but similar lodgings. If you did not select to have your room during the trip, you will be paired with one or two others randomly at the beginning of the tour and they will most likely be your roommates for the duration.

This can have a positive or negative effect on your trip depending on who you are roomed with. If you feel the need to swap rooms with someone else during the trip, mention this to your tour guide who will attempt to make arrangements or reconciliation between you and the person you are not getting along with. This rarely happens as most people on tour groups tend to put their best foot forward and try to compromise but there are random instances.

Transportation

The tour is going to be a combination of a private bus used for the entirety of the trip to get you from city to city. Your daily activities will include light walking, a boat ride or two, and some light hiking as well. The transportation will pass safety inspections and you will be given instructions in case of an emergency. This is the standard process when taking a tour.

Great Britain and Ireland Tour Itinerary

• Day 1: London to Manchester via Liverpool
• Day 2: Manchester to York
• Day 3: York to Carlisle via Lake District National Park
• Day 4: Carlisle to Edinburgh via Hadrian’s Wall
• Day 5: Edinburgh
• Day 6: Edinburgh to Inverness via St. Andrews via Stirling
• Day 7: Inverness via Loch Ness via Aviemore
• Day 8: Inverness to Glasgow via Glenfinnan Viaduct
• Day 9: Glasgow to Dublin via Larne
• Day 10: Dublin to County Cork via Kilkenny
• Day 11: County Cork to Galway via Blarney via Cliffs of Mohr
• Day 12: Galway
• Day 13: Galway to Derry/Londonderry
• Day 14: Derry/Londonderry to Belfast via Giant’s Causeway
• Day 15: Belfast to Dublin
• Day 16: Dublin to London via Wales

Tour Highlights

Most of the highlights of this tour were the optional add-ons that you can participate in but there were a few that are included experiences. If you decide that some of the add-ons are not for you, then you these as your own free time to explore and meet up with the group later at an agreed upon location.

Beatles Magic Mystery Tour

This is a great way to explore Liverpool while getting a quick history of the The Beatles in their younger years. You will be strolling through iconic streets like Penny Lane and finishing the tour at the world famous Cavern Club, where you can see the displays of rock and roll icons.

York Ghost Walk

Another tour add-on except at night where you get to learn about the darker side of the city from a local guide. You’ll need to push your imagination being in a modern area compared to the storytelling but it’s still fun just roaming the city at night in historic areas and crossing through dark alleys with your group.

Traditional Scottish Dinner

You’ve got the bagpipes and a 3-course dinner to really set the mood for dinner here. We definitely recommend trying the haggis as your main entree. It’s a great way to spend the night with a lot of laughs, Scottish music, and just overall socializing.

Swim Loch Ness Lake

I wouldn’t say swim as much as dip your toes by the shoreline. During my trip I accidentally slipped on the rocks and fell fully clothed into the water. With the weather being what it is in Scotland, it was very, very cold. But still you will have some gorgeous panoramic views of the lake.

Jameson Distillery

Part of the added fun here is becoming a certified Irish Whiskey Taster at the end of tour, with printed certificate for you to take home as a souvenir. You get to learn about the whole distillery process and Jameson history in Ireland while getting to learn how to spot the subtle differences among several small samples.

Cliffs of Mohr

This location is iconic and nearly every tour you take will make a stop here. The views are just ridiculous at how beautiful it is. You may unfortunately be caught in some bad weather depending on what month you decide to go. It can be very windy and a lot of rain in those parts. Just make sure to bring a jacket or heavy sweater to help get you through the day.

Londonderry Murals

You will see how the political unrest of Northern Ireland may have died down here a little but it has never really been forgotten. Your local guide will take you through the history while viewing all the murals and additional street art in this hub of Londonderry. The mood may be a bit more somber but this piece of history is still very much alive and you should want to learn even just the tidbits.

Giant’s Causeway

Another popular outdoor tourist attraction. You will have a fine afternoon walking the paths and along the rock-shaped formations of this geological marvel. It’s a nice place to stretch your legs and enjoy the Irish ocean breeze. This is a must-visit for Northern Ireland so expect a lot of other tour buses and groups coming through during the day.

Guinness Storehouse

Finishing up in Dublin, you get to take a tour of the Guinness Storehouse. It’s really one of the best ways to spend your time in Dublin . One of the highlights here is taking the lesson to learn how to pour the perfect pint of Guinness. That way when you are back home you can see how well other servers and bartenders do it compared to you. You will get another certificate similar to the certified whisky taster you received earlier in the trip.

These are just a small fraction of the experiences you are bound to have here and these activities and highlights are always changing so no trip is exactly the same. Don’t worry about having to capture pictures for every single moment of the trip. Just forget about the camera sometimes and just live in the moment of what you are doing in these amazing places.

Is it Worth the Price?

This tour does not include the flight to get to London but it is still a fair deal when you are getting accommodations, transportation, some included breakfast and dinners, and included experiences that are part of the itinerary over 16 days. Yes, if you really deep dive into researching cheaper hotel options and transportation options I am sure you can find some. But you are also really paying to socialize and travel with others like yourself instead of traveling completely solo, which some may not prefer. The tour provides good value for it’s cost and you won’t second guess yourself afterwards.

The Great Britain and Ireland tour was great overall. It’s the way to get yourself oriented to each of the countries. There is no way you won’t want to come visit again to explore the places the tour couldn’t get to or that you may want to do a deeper dive into more local attractions and highlights.

One of the only recommendations that I have was to expand on the time spent in Wales. There did not feel like there was enough time to really explore and tour the city and was more of a pit stop on the way back to London. Adding a longer stop here or even another day to really discover this country would be a bonus.

Nicholas Rosen

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Besides that, are they reliable? What about the accommodations?

Any feedback is appreciated.

Gary, don't risk it. I was going to do a Contiki tour but I heard that although they advertise 18-35 demographic, most of the time the travelers are 18-25 (I am 20). They are also known to do a lot parties and drinking during the tours. it depends what kind of touring you are going for, for sightseeing, or to party. I have read that most young people that traveled with Contiki had a good time, which was all thanks to the partying.I have seen the accommodations, and they are all in the central location and good hotels. Look at G Adventures, or Intrepid, like I am doing, or travel alone.

Hope that helps

This post was determined to be inappropriate by the Tripadvisor community and has been removed.

I'm doing it this summer, but then again, I'm 24.

But nothing creepy about someone in their 30's...Don't see why you wouldn't have any fun.

Seems you have loads of free time, some bar time, and some sightseeing time.

Good travel and hotel arrangements too. I say go for it.

This topic has been closed to new posts due to inactivity.

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Great Britain & Ireland

This trip not available.

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• Singles Travel

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• United Kingdom

Attractions

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Britain and Ireland Panorama

Check in to your hotel after 2:00pm and head out into the humming capital of Britain for a sneak peek at what’s to come. At 4:00pm meet up with your Trip Manager and get to know your fellow travellers.

Good morning dear Londonites! And welcome to your 16-day deep dive into all things Great Britain & Ireland. Big things are just around the corner. So big we've nicknamed one of them Big Ben.Chat all things Beatlemania & football in your best Scouse accent - this is the call of the day as we pull up in lively Liverpool.

Lap up your last dose of Liverpool before we embark on a wild countryside journey in the traditional walled city of York.2,000 years of history will unfold upon us as we amble down narrow lanes exploring York Minister, the Shambles and Clifford’s Tower. For fans of folklore, sign up to a night of ghostly horrors and dark alley ways & prepare to be spooked.

Even if the ghosts of York kept you awake all night, you're going to need to rise and shine and wave goodbye to the Harry Potter like setting of this ancient city.Whatever you do, don't Google this place before we arrive. It will spoil the surprise of its unfathomable beauty. Endless green hills, 16 serene lakes & streets of stone homes will have you pining for the country life.

Goodbye Galway, hello more Irish eye-candy. Today we continue on towards to Londonderry.Here in Londonderry, 17th century walls stand at 8 metres high speaking of times gone by when this area was in battle. Times may have changed, but we're still keen to soak up the history and learn a thing or two from our wise Local Guide.

With one night left in Ireland and on tour, we're on the fast track to Dublin where our Irish fairytale first began.A promise is a promise. Here we are back in the city that started our Ireland infatuations. Use this second stint to do your missed critical activities such as visiting the Guinness Storehouse where you can learn how to pull a pint the Irish way.

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• Expert designs the itinerary for you, and once approved, takes care of logistics

Dates & Availability

Check Current Availability, prices, specials with Contiki .

The total tour cost includes the tour price (regular or promotional) and the compulsory local payment. The promotional price is subject to change. Check directly with the operator for the latest price offer. The tour operator requires you to pay only the tour price to purchase your travel. The compulsory local payment will be paid when you join the trip. All prices are based on double, twin or triple share occupancy. Solo passengers will be accommodated in a double, twin or triple room according to availability with a passenger(s) of the same gender. Single supplement only needs to be paid if the passenger does not want to share and requests their own room. Discounts can only be applied at the time of booking and cannot be added at a later date, regardless of any changes made to the original booking.

Prices may vary due to local taxes and trip seasonality. Click "Request Info" to inquire directly with the tour operator for the final trip price.

Contiki Reviews & Ratings

Other contiki reviews.

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Everything was very smooth and communication was great throughout the tr...

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My trip manager James made the European Encounter an incredible experience. His communication before and during the trip was clear and informative. James was both pr...

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Tour operator.

We’re firm believers that life’s greatest experiences are made better by the people you share them with. That’s why Contiki invented group travel for young people in 1962 and we’ve spent the past 53 years perfecting it. You’ll explore amazing destinations with a group of 18-35 year olds from around the world who share your passion for adventure, good times and creating memories that define what it is to be young, wild and free.

No two travellers are the same and we know that, which is why we offer eight unique ways to explore the world. We have a number of options to choose from to create a vacation that’s perfect for you, from budget to accommodation style.

We're all about exploring the world with like-minded people, which is why we only run trips for 18-35 year olds, to celebrate being young, spirited and curious. You can expect to join a group of 18-53 awesome people from around the world on our Europe, Australia, North America and New Zealand trips, and in Asia and Latin America it's all about small group adventures with up to 25 travellers. Don't worry if you're not traveling as a couple or with a friend from home – though there are plenty of pairs, 50% of our travellers set off solo, meaning you'll have a ton of opportunities to make new friends.

With over 270 trips around the world and plenty of departure dates to work into your schedule, you'll never be short of options on where to go for your next great adventure.

About the company: Contiki are the world leaders in social youth travel. We’ve been providing amazing travel experiences for young travellers, from 18-35 years old, since 1962. Imagine how good you would be at something if you had been doing it for more than 60 years?

Everything about Contiki is deeply rooted in our core values ‘Make Every Moment Count’ and ‘We’re about people’. We don’t just talk the talk, we walk the walk and live by our brand philosophy of ‘Travel.Together.’ which means to travel with one another, the destinations we visit, the cultures we enjoy and the environment, too.

Associations

About Travelstride

Find your perfect trip, travel confidently.

• Sample staples like roast dinner, Irish stew and black pudding (hint: not a dessert) as we embark on a culinary tour of Britain and Ireland. In addition to a hot breakfast each morning, we'll throw in 8 dinners in our favourite local spots.

Become a member

• Save up to $700 per person
• Access members-only specials
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Play & Pause: Britain & Ireland 2024-25

Britain and Ireland Highlights

The Scottish Experience

Taste of Scotland & Ireland

European Highlights (London, Summer, Eurostar)

Tour companies, things to do, itineraries.

The Good, Bad and a Brutally Honest Contiki Review (Are Contiki Tours for You?)

By: Author Taylor Lorenz

Posted on Last updated: 04/29/2022

To kick off my solo travel career I opted to try a group tour so I wasn’t 100% alone. It was through a friend that I heard of Contiki tours and soon after I found myself on not only one, but three different tours back to back.

But what’s the truth, the brutally honest truth of Contiki travel? Below I cover exactly what to expect as one of few completely honest Contiki reviews.

Keep in mind that this is based on my experiences and that others may have had significantly different experiences, though the majority agree that Contiki tours are awesome and a wildly good time.

Table of Contents

What is Contiki?

Contiki is a tour company created for 18-35’s who want to travel the world and live by the Contiki slogan #NOREGRETS. They do a pretty good job of following up with their slogan on trips that are pretty much dream itineraries for travellers who want to see as much as possible with limited time.

Contiki offers tours for destinations around the world including Europe, Asia, USA and Canada, Latin America, Australia, and New Zealand and their latest tours are now in Africa too.

With tours as short as a weekend to as long as 45 days, there is something for everyone. They offer budget to luxury, priding themselves in offering eight different travel styles. And with 53 years of tours under their belt, they know a thing or two about doing it right.

They’re also known for having 50% of their travelers as solo travelers, making it easy to meet others.

Contiki Europe Reviews

I personally only went on Contiki tours in Europe and I did the following two:

• London to Athens Plus Mykonos and Santorini Island Escape
• Oktoberfest

My short take Contiki tour reviews? All of these tours are awesome and I would recommend them to anyone travelling solo or who wants to see as much as possible in a short amount of time.

Expect for Oktoberfest, that was a completely different type of trip and it was too, totally awesome with excursions and transfers and Oktoberfest tables organized for you.

Should you go on a Contiki tour?

This is the short answer.

Yes, if…

• You like to party
• You want everything organized for you
• You’re a solo traveler wanting to meet people
• Your budget is not small

No, if…

• You have a tight budget
• You don’t care about meeting people
• You want to explore more in places
• You like luxury or relaxation

And for the long answer…read through these highlights and not-so-great things about Contiki tours to help you make a more informed decision.

READ MORE: 15 Benefits of Travelling Alone

Kind of People on Contiki Tours

If you’re Australian and are debating going on a Contiki tour to get away from your country or to meet people from around the world…you’ll probably end up meeting more Australians than anything. Little did I know before leaving for the trip that Contiki tours are insanely popular in Australia and widely known across the country.

When I mentioned Contiki tours to people back home in Canada, not many knew what I was talking about.

Contiki Culture

Contiki tours are targeted to a younger market, with most traveler’s being between the age of 19-23. That age is a party age. So if you’re not a big partier then you may want to reconsider.

I’m not saying that it isn’t fun without the partying because it is, you still do and see awesome things, but there is usually a lot of drinking involved. Like drinking almost every night. It’s always a good time.

Contiki Tours for Solo Travellers

There’s something about traveling with people that really affects how quickly you become close. In no time you will find some people who you mesh well with, and by the end of the trip, you’ll be crying because you have to go on your separate journeys.

These tours bring people together in a way that’s different than your friends at home which make them ideal for solo travellers. Since my tours I’ve met up with multiple people and travelled with a few from these trips. Travel friendship bonds you in a way like no other.

What are Contiki guides like?

The guides are so much more than a guide. They’re not just the ones telling you what time you have to be on the bus by, they’re also the ones partying with you until the last one calls a quit.

They’re not just giving you phenomenal tours of a city, they’re also there to chat with you at breakfast. They’re not just your tour guide, they’re also a part of your family, your Contiki family which you’ll love dearly in the end.

What are the groups like?

Put a bunch of boys and girls together, mix in a lot of drinking and spontaneous decisions because well why not, you’re on vacation! And you’ll find some drama, usually amongst the girls, and usually over a boy. You’re with the same people on a bus day in and day out, cliques can form and people get mad when boys sleep with more than one girl. Shit happens, people get jealous, this is nothing new, but something that can be expected.

Luckily this never happened on my trip! Though my big tour was 30 girls and 4 boys, two of which were gay, one found out his girlfriend at home was pregnant while on the trip and the last ended up marrying one of the girls he met on the trip!

Contiki Cough

Don’t be surprised to hear from past Contiki tour goers about the Contiki cough. You’re on a Contiki bus with the same people and sharing rooms, someone is bound to get sick. And then it spreads. With the lack of sleep and busy schedule you know one person will get sick and share their gems amongst everyone. Most common is the Contiki cough, or a cold, or both.

What do you see on a Contiki trip? What is the pace like?

Tours in general are known for being quite quick and the Contiki tours are no different. I took a slower pace tour and found myself jumping from city to city in the blink of an eye. You can spend anywhere from 1-3 nights in each city, which some people think is too little.

I like to think of it as a small taste of each place. It’s just enough to know if you like the vibe of a place before you move on. Then you’ll know exactly where you’ll want to come back to in the future.

The good news is that different kinds of tours are offered for different paces, budget and accommodation style.

READ MORE: Groups Tours: Are They A Good Idea for You?

Is there any freedom?

Yes! What’s great about Contiki tours is that it’s not back-to-back events with every minute of your day planned. There are nightly events which you can attend (at an extra cost) or you can do your own thing. As long as you’re on the bus when you need to be, that’s the only time the tour guide ever does a headcount.

You’ll always have the day to yourself. This is when your tour guide and bus driver will take a break and you and your new-found BFFL can see all the sites your heart desires.

Food & Accommodation

If you want local experiences, to try amazing food, and stay in good accommodations then don’t take a Contiki budget tour. I can’t vouch for their luxury trips but the budget ones bring you to restaurants that every tour goes to, and accommodation  can  have bed bugs (guess who slept in a hotel lobby in Greece because we discovered bed bugs in our room at 2AM?).

Accommodations are often outside the city centre because they are cheaper. You have time to discover your own tasty food during the day and opt to go out for your own dinners if food is important to you.

Best Contiki Tours

Ready for a Contiki trip? These are a few of the most popular Contiki holidays that look pretty epic. As you’ll soon realize, Contiki Europe is the most popular.

Greek Island Hopping

Countries Visited:  Greece (Paros, Santorini, Mykonos and Ios) Tour Length: 11 days Best for: More relaxed, chilled travellers

European Discovery

Countries Visited:  England, Belgium, Netherlands, France, Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland Tour Length:  12 days Best for: Travellers with limited time who want to see the most

Simply Italy

Countries Visited:  Italy, Vatican City Tour Length:  15 days Best for:  Italy in-depth

Countries Visited:  Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland Tour Length:  8 days Best for:  Ireland in-depth

European Horizon

Countries Visited:  England, Netherlands, France, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland Tour Length: 11 days Best for: Europe highlights with minimal time

Is Contiki Worth It?

Only you can decide.

Contiki Tour Highlights

• Maximize what you get to see in limited time
• Make great friends
• My Contiki seamlessly makes handling documents and meeting people a breeze
• You never have to worry about booking a thing or transportation
• Expert guides who go above and beyond
• Ideal for solo and group travellers

Contiki Tour Downsides

• Expensive (as are all tours)
• Always large groups (which could be a good or bad thing)
• Heavy focus on partying (only a downside if you’re not into that)
• Fast-paced aka little time for relaxation on the majority of the tours but not all

The truth about Contiki tours is that they’re made for young travelers, people looking to have a great time, see some sights, drink some French wine, and meet people. The experience is as much of a party,and about meeting people as it is about travel.

People will sleep together, you will see some amazing sights, you’ll make good friends, you’ll get little sleep, you’ll party lots, you’ll try unique experiences for each area, and most of all, you’ll come out of it with no regrets (as they promise), which is pretty good. Just don’t be one of those people who gets #NOREGRETS tattooed on them and I’m sure you’ll leave with none.

The simplest truth is that you’ll spend a decent amount of money, you’ll have a great time and you’ll scratch the surface of travel, seeing only the best of the best things to see in each place.

Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links which I earn a small commission from and are at no additional cost to you. See my disclosure policy for details. Thank you for supporting my small business!

Disclaimer: Taylor’s Tracks is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.Com and affiliated sites.

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Scotland and Ireland (Summer 2025, 13 Days) (8 destinations)

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• Fully Guided

Places You’ll See

• Introduction
• Day 1 Start Edinburgh
• Day 2 Edinburgh
• Day 3 Edinburgh to Scottish Highlands
• Day 4 Scottish Highlands to Glasgow
• Day 5 Glasgow
• Day 6 Glasgow to Dublin
• Day 7 Dublin to County Cork
• Day 8 County Cork to Galway
• Day 9 Galway
• Day 10 Galway to Derry/Londonderry
• Day 11 Derry/Londonderry to Belfast
• Day 12 Belfast to Dublin
• Day 13 End Dublin

Want to read it later?

Download this tour’s PDF brochure and start tour planning offline

What's Included

• Accommodation
• Additional Services

Where You'll Stay

Operated by contiki.

Contiki has been running tours for over 50 years, all exclusively for travellers aged 18-35 years...

Sustainability Initiatives

Reduce Carbon Emissions

Animal Welfare

Supporting Destinations

Sustainability Programs

Customer Reviews

• Overall Rating Excellent 4.9
• Itinerary Excellent 4.9
• Guide Excellent 5.0
• Transport Excellent 4.9
• Accommodation Excellent 4.8
• Food Excellent 4.3
• Tour Operator Contiki 4.7
• Most Recent
• Most Popular
• Highest First
• Lowest First

• A ArnaudDelevacque · 15th August 2019 Only did the Scotland but excellent overall Trip date: June 2019
• T Tommy · 14th August 2019 Splendid, absolutely marvellous! Trip date: July 2019

• S StephanieHooper · 27th July 2019 Loved the tour, just found there wasn’t enough rest time. All the places were fantastic and our tour guide Remi and driver Giuseppe were beyond amazing. Thanks for a great trip of a lifetime! Trip date: July 2019
• C CaitlinWringe · 27th July 2019 An amazing experience with an awesome team. Will definitely be doing another Contiki in the future Trip date: July 2019
• E Emily · 27th July 2019 Was my first ever overseas trip and first contiki trip and it was amazing! Remi is truly amazing at his job and helped me when i was sick and made me feel welcome as i am a solo traveller Trip date: July 2019
• J JacquieHammil · 27th July 2019 It was a ton of fun, and the people on the tour were great. Trip date: July 2019
• I IsabelleZupan · 27th July 2019 Fantastic trip away made even better by an excellent tour manager Trip date: July 2019

Dates & Availability

Pay-by-instalments

Take advantage of our 0% interest instalment plan on selected departures. Learn More

• Upcoming departures
• August 2024
• September 2024
• October 2024
• November 2024
• December 2024
• January 2025
• February 2025
• August 2025
• September 2025
• October 2025
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• 38 Other Unavailable Departures

Frequently Asked Questions

We are there for you! If you have any questions about this tour, then please don't hesitate to contact us 24/7 and we will get back to you latest within 2 hours!

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Good to Know

• Currencies € Euro Ireland £ Pound Sterling Scotland and Northern Ireland

As a traveller from USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa you will need an adaptor for type G.

• Unfortunately we cannot offer you a visa application service. Whether you need a visa or not depends on your nationality and where you wish to travel. Assuming your home country does not have a visa agreement with the country you're planning to visit, you will need to apply for a visa in advance of your scheduled departure.
• Here is an indication for which countries you might need a visa. Please contact the local embassy for help applying for visas to these places.
• For any tour departing before 15th August 2024 a full payment is necessary. For tours departing after 15th August 2024, a minimum payment of €100 is required to confirm your booking with Contiki. The final payment will be automatically charged to your credit card on the designated due date. The final payment of the remaining balance is required at least 65 days prior to the departure date of your tour. TourRadar never charges you a booking fee and will charge you in the stated currency.
• Some departure dates and prices may vary and Contiki will contact you with any discrepancies before your booking is confirmed.
• The following cards are accepted for "Contiki" tours: Visa, Maestro, Mastercard, American Express or PayPal. TourRadar does NOT charge you an extra fee for using any of these payment methods.
• Insurance Unless otherwise mentioned, TourRadar does not provide travel insurance. We do however recommend purchasing it through our tried and trusted partner, World Travel Nomads .
• Accessibility Some tours are not suitable for mobility-restricted traveller, however, some operators may be able to accommodate special requests. For any enquiries, you can contact our customer support team , who are ready and waiting to help you.
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Contiki’s Gen Z Playbook for Tours: Small Groups and Fresh Destinations

Jesse Chase-Lubitz , Skift

June 6th, 2024 at 2:01 PM EDT

Contiki's CEO, Adam Armstrong, is working to boost the company's technological offerings as the company spreads further into Africa, Latin America, and Asia.

Jesse Chase-Lubitz

Contiki , a travel company focused on young adults, is eyeing expansion in Asia, Latin America, and Africa as it adapts to the post-pandemic travel landscape.

CEO Adam Armstrong said in a Skift interview that Contiki has a strong presence in Australia, New Zealand, and Europe and sees the potential to double or triple its business in these new markets. Increased demand from Australians and Americans for cost-effective and less congested destinations in Asia is driving the shift in focus.

Africa has emerged as a significant success story for Contiki, particularly among travelers in their late 20s and 30s, while Latin America remains a work in progress, Armstrong noted.

The CEO also highlighted changes in traveler preferences, with a temporary shift back to longer trips post-pandemic now leveling off. Group sizes are expected to return to pre-pandemic levels in 2024, and younger travelers are requiring more support to integrate into group environments.

Contiki plans to invest in AI-powered tools and decarbonize, too, Armstrong said.

Areas of growth

Skift: Your strongest markets are Australia, New Zealand, and Europe. Are you looking to expand your presence in other parts of the world?

Adam Armstrong: Outside of Europe, we’ve been making a concerted effort to build our business in three other regions: Asia, Latin America, and Africa. We’ve been operating in all those places for a while. But we see huge potential for us to be much bigger — we could double or triple our business there. So there’s a lot of marketing activity going for us into those three destinations to try and persuade people to try them out as well.

We probably would have done it before Covid. It’s just delayed. We’re seeing generally more demand for Asia from Australians and Americans. Asia’s up by about 40%. So we just want to jump on top of that. It’s also more cost effective than Europe for the traveler, it’s less congested. So there are a lot of pulls towards that. 

I don’t think we’ve nailed Latin America yet. We’ve got some work to do on our product range to appeal to younger passengers. We launched in Africa about 18 months before COVID, and coming into 2020, we were going to have an amazing year. We are now getting huge demand, especially from our older clientele – so late 20s to 30s. It’s a big success story.

Post-Covid changes

Skift: In 2021, you pivoted from large-scale trips to smaller ones. How has Contiki adapted its travel offerings to cater to the evolving preferences of young travelers in the post-pandemic era? 

Adam Armstrong : Yes, our offerings have changed a bit but also consumers have changed a bit as well. It’s kind of a mixture of the two. I don’t know if it’s chicken or the egg, which one came first. What we saw coming out of the pandemic is people shifting back temporarily to longer trips. Those longer trips were just starting to decline slightly every year. Coming out of the pandemic, people skewed back towards it, especially Australians and New Zealanders, having been isolated and making up for lost time. I think they peaked last year – they certainly are not as strong this year. I still think we’ve seen this revenge travel trend or whatever you want to call it. People going for long trips, going for longer and going further. But now it’s 2024 and it’s starting to calm back down again.

I think the group sizes will go back to how they were before last year. We were running very full coaches. This year there’s going to be a few spare seats.

Skift : Can you tell us more about how your travelers have changed since the pandemic?

Adam Armstrong: Those in their late teens and early 20s who were probably impacted most by isolation are coming in a little less psychologically ready to be in a group environment. There’s a little more reluctance and it takes a little bit longer to get into the rhythm of things. We didn’t see that before.

What’s interesting is the role of a trip manager over the years, we call them trip managers rather than tour guides and tour directors because you want to acknowledge that their skill set is evolving over the years away from just going from point A to B. They are helping bring people together, fueling friendships, and dealing with anyone who’s shy and maybe struggling to fit in. 

Technological transformation

Skift: Hostelworld, an online travel agency, created a tool that lets guests chat with other hostel goers optionally if they want to connect before a trip as a way to help foster friendships and encourage bookings. What is Contiki doing to help foster a “sense of community,” which is especially important to this customer base? Can tech help in any way?

Adam Armstrong: We’re not as technologically advanced as that. But about two weeks before departure, the trip manager will reach out to everyone in the group and we’ll start a WhatsApp group. Generally, what’s happened is that this is used for pre-trip community building where instead of answering questions, it’s really an opportunity to start chatting and getting to know each other so when we turn up, you’ve probably got the measure of a few people. But we don’t have a dedicated technology for it. It’s done by the trip manager.

It’s on the technology roadmap for next year. But we have some other bigger projects that we have to get through first, which are boring, internal infrastructure projects. But this is important, especially for our demographic, that’s where they exist, that’s where they live and communicate, so we have to do a better job there.

Skift : Do you plan to upgrade or change your technology this year? Is artificial intelligence (AI) on your radar?

Adam Armstrong: We are trialing a couple of AI tools, one internal and one external. It’s really like a helpdesk function for our contact center or call center which will enable them to answer questions quickly. This is still in the planning stages. That’s a boring internal one that will help us. The more sexy interesting one for external is that people will be able to search our site by just giving us some prompts. We’ll be able to give them tours based on what they ask for. So rather than ticking boxes and filtering, you will just be able to write a sentence or speak a sentence. I don’t have a specific time for when this will be out, but not this year. It will be sometime next year.

Climate efforts

Skift: Your website says that in 2022, you made all of your trips carbon-neutral, but your activities largely rely on coaches. How are you decarbonizing your fleet?

Adam Armstrong: All of the companies under the parent company, The Travel Corporation, contribute a small dollar amount for every passenger that travels. So we all contribute to this carbon fund and we then compete in a bid for uses of the carbon fund for initiatives that are going to reduce our impacts and reduce our footprint. So there’s a multimillion-dollar carbon fund available each year.

We won our bid last year to use the money to fund HVO fuel (hydrotreated vegetable oil) for our coaches, which is a higher cost than conventional fuel. So far we’re running at 40% reduced carbon footprint in Europe this year.

Skift: Your site also says that you’re encouraging travelers to travel by coach and public transit and that you’re developing more “closer to home” trips. What are your thoughts on the future of local travel as a serious source of revenue?

Adam Armstrong: We tried selling domestic trips during Covid to domestic people, selling Australia to Australians, America to Americans. We didn’t get huge takeoff. However, we do see more Australians going to Asia and Americans going to Central and Latin America rather than to Europe, to kind of stay within the continent.

We have also been on a journey with how we market our climate credentials. We were really proud and shouting about it for a while but then the feedback from our guests was that it was a bit too in your face and that we were expected to do these things anyways. They wanted to know about the destinations and where they are staying. So we dialed that down a bit.

Rather than trying to be the hero we just make it part of the trip. We also heard that our customers didn’t want us to be so serious about it. Our brand is fun and a little bit irreverent and a bit cheeky sometimes. So without denigrating what we’re doing, we can have a bit of fun with it rather than being very serious and boring.

Adventure Travel Shaping Youth Group Tour Itineraries to Africa

Contiki is seeing more seasoned travelers shifting their focus from Europe to far-flung African adventures as the company digs into the immersive choice the post-pandemic traveler is hungry for.

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Contiki Launches New 15-Day ‘Real New Zealand’ Itinerary

Contiki , the leading tour operator for young adult travelers, launched a new trip to New Zealand, a 15-day "Real New Zealand" itinerary that combines the country’s cultural and adventure travel experiences. 

The itinerary visits several places across New Zealand, including Auckland, Rotorua, the Marlborough Sounds, Christchurch and Wanaka. Several MAKE TRAVEL MATTER Experiences are included in the trip, including the special Māori Pōwhiri composed exclusively for Contiki travelers who will learn about the Indigenous group’s healing practices, customs and protocols. 

Another such MAKE TRAVEL MATTER Experience is a visit to the New Zealand Kiwi Hatchery, where travelers can learn about the conservation of the adorable flightless kiwi birds. 

Guests will enjoy a pair of Special Stays during the trip, including a two-night stay at the Blue Duck Station, a conservation project located on the scenic banks of the Whanganui River. The other is a two-night stay at a Marae in a Maori town. 

“We really wanted to work with local Māori to create the most authentic experience for our travelers,” said Contiki’s New Zealand Operations Manager, Richie Pepene. “The Trip Managers and drivers are working through a training program to strengthen their competency in Māori history, culture, customs (Tikanga) and language. It’s such a wonderful way for our travelers to immerse themselves in the beauty and culture of the indigenous people of Aotearoa New Zealand.”

Travelers will also be able to tour the scenic Doubtful Sound with a nature expert, explore the waters around Marlborough Sounds, visit the cities of Wellington and Christchurch, drive through a rainforest and much more.