European Horizon | Start London | Plus | Winter 2025/2026

Location: London, Dover, Calais, Amsterdam

Get ready for 10 days of unforgettable adventures through Europe! You'll meet up with your Contiki crew in London and we'll all board our coach here, ready to set off for European soil. Our first stop is Dover, where we'll take a ferry to cross over the channel. One step closer! As we set off, take in that last glimpse of English coastline with the beauty of the White Cliffs of Dover. Off the ferry, we arrive in the port town of Calais. We're in France! With no time to waste, we'll jump back on our coach and head onwards to Amsterdam. And here we are at our final stop for this evening: Amsterdam! We'll start our exploration of this city with a peek of canals, bicycles & 17th century gable houses lit up by night. Fill up on your included group dinner, then you're free to explore or hit the local bars.

Accommodation Name: Holiday Inn Express Amsterdam North Riverside (or similar)

Meals: Dinner

Location: Amsterdam

Amsterdam is as cute as it comes & sure to win your heart with its cobbled main streets, canalside views, obscure museums & a café culture like no other. Today, you're free to use your time to get local, bar hop, or choose to visit the STRAAT museum. If you're hungry to taste your way through the local culture, this place is famous for Dutch pancakes, frites, cheese, stroopwafels and coffee – or you can take the opportunity to visit the small Dutch fishing village of Volendam for an optional dinner. Tonight, you have the option to sign up for an iconic cruise through Amsterdam, complete with an onboard bar.

Accommodation Name: Holiday Inn Express Amsterdam North Riverside (or similar)

Meals: Breakfast

Location: Amsterdam, Rhine Valley

Yes, yes, you could stay here forever, but unfortunately the show must go on. We'll say goodbye Amsterdam, hello wine country. From narrow canals to one sprawling river, with boats gliding to and fro. Welcome to the Rhine Valley, home of premium German wine. We'll float along the Rhine on a scenic river cruise. It’s a treat for all the senses.

Accommodation Name: Hotel Montag Sankt Goar (or similar)

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Location: Rhine Valley, Dinkelsbühl, Munich

Saying goodbye to the Rhine Valley, we'll head on to Munich – where lederhosen, dirndls, steins of beer and gingerbread-style buildings await. But not before we explore a Bavarian hidden gem! Quintessential German experiences don't get much better than visiting this charming medieval town. We'll stroll the cobblestoned streets, checking out vibrant market squares and picturesque half-timbered houses along the way. "Prost!”. Here in the home of Oktoberfest we'll take a locally guided tour of the city, and amuse ourselves watching the antics of mechanical figurines in the city's famous Glockenspiel. Making the most of our time in Munich this evening, we'll get introduced to 800 years of history at a traditional Bavarian beer hall.

Accommodation Name: Holiday Inn Express Munich City West (or similar)

Meals: Breakfast

Location: Munich, Innsbruck, Trento, Venice

'Auf Wiedersehen' Munich, we're off to tick more countries off our list. This morning we'll climb aboard our coach ready for a scenic roll through the Bavarian Alps, past fairytale castles and rambling vineyards, en route to Austria. Drive through Austria without getting out to say hello? Never! We'll pull into Innsbruck for lunch, a laid-back student city made famous by a medieval old town, an old Olympic Ski Jump & a Royal Palace. Quick pitstop for dinner! We'll check out the charming little city of Trento, right in the heart of the oh-so-beautiful Adige Valley. Ah, Venice! Fresh pasta, lilting accents & romantic architecture - we've arrived in one of Italy's most famous cities. Tonight we'll relax here, knowing we have all day tomorrow to cruise canals & explore picturesque cobbled streets.

Accommodation Name: B&B Hotel Quarto d'Altino (or similar)

Meals: Dinner

Location: Venice

Buongiorno! Venice is ours for a full and glorious Italian day. We'll start exploring The Floating City by jumping aboard our own private motoscafo boat and cruising the canals en route to the historical heart of the city. Next, you'll have the chance to take a traditional gondola ride, choose to learn how to ride a gondola (taught by literal experts) or discover Venice with a guided food tour.

Accommodation Name: B&B Hotel Quarto d'Altino (or similar)

Meals: Breakfast

Location: Venice, Lucerne

With a few days left, it's time to say 'ciao' to our time in Venice. We'll never forget you, city of canals and beauty, but Switzerland is calling us. Back on our coach we'll pass Lake Como as we cruise out of Italy and head onwards and upwards toward the Swiss Alps.  With magical views unfolding outside our windows we'll find ourselves in Switzerland, pulling up in the fairytale town of Lucerne, famous for its wooden bridges, cobbled lanes and beautiful setting against the lake it's named after. Here we'll visit the wooden chapel bridge and lion monument, then you'll have the chance to take an optional lake cruise tonight, giving yourself a better look at the epic Swiss Alps reflected off the water. Our other recommendation for tonight? Swiss chocolate.Time to rest your travel-tired limbs for the day after we check into our accommodation for the night. Dream on!

Accommodation Name: Ibis Budget Luzern City (or similar)

Meals: Breakfast

Location: Swiss Alps, Paris

It's been sweet, but our time in the Swiss Alps is up this morning. We're Paris-bound! Out with the altitude, in with the inner-city Parisian bliss. We'll jump back onto our coach to cross the border out of Switzerland and (back) into France. After coasting through the pretty wine producing region of Burgundy, we'll arrive in the City of Lights. Lamp-lit bridges, a sparkling Eiffel Tower, & evening coffee haunts, this evening we'll fall in love with everything Paris on a dreamy night-time tour. Is it just us, or is love in the air? Once we've seen the most famous landmarks, we'll celebrate our first night in the city by heading up the Montparnasse Tower for the best panoramic views of the city.

Accommodation Name: Ibis Paris 17 Clichy-Batignolles (or similar)

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Location: Paris

Pastries, paintings, perfume - Paris is yours! We'll take you to the glamorous Fragonard perfumery, then the time is yours to roam tree-lined quarters, see Notre Dame Cathedral, or get arty in the galleries of the Louvre. It's our last night together - make it count with an optional dinner followed by the Moulin Rouge!

Accommodation Name: Ibis Paris 17 Clichy-Batignolles (or similar)

Meals: Breakfast

Location: Paris, London

Whether you take your complimentary transfer to Paris CDG Airport or central London, it will be sad goodbyes all round this morning as our trip comes to an end.<br/>

Meals: Breakfast