does a Contiki tour give people enough free time? for sights such as Vatican City and Piazza del Colosseo, etc. for example if you are visiting 9 countries, how long do they give you on each city,approximately? im thinking to go on the road to athens tour.

i have read other reviews where people point out the young/party central/very little in depth touring.,, im not sure if i should go with contiki but the price of their tour is very tempting also i love the idea of visiting 9 countries. i'm also informed that the "inclusive" staff is Non-existence,they drop you off somewhere to find yourself your own guide or pay contiki guide for some silly sightseeing. i don't mind getting around on my own as long as i get a decent time to see what i want. i just would like to know if they give at least 2-3 hours in each city for me to do my own thing.


thanks

I do not think anyone on this forum has been on a contiki tour.
My son went on one last year & he said that you do not need to do the activities that Contiki list. These are extra to your tour price.
He did some of the activities , & the times that he didn't he stayed with people from the tour he made friends with. They then did their own thing.
There was quite a lot of partying & drinking, but he was pretty sensible about it all.
He had a great time.

As with any escorted tour, it depends on what tour you'll take. You can read the detailed itinerary on their web site which will tell you how much free time you will have.

Millie2112: don't be so sure that no fodorites have. Several folks have mentioned going on conttiki tours when they were young.

eliTAbeth: if you give us a link to the specific tour we can help you figure out how much time you'd have where.

Also, how old are you? Helps re conttiki.

thanks guys i appreciate your time and effort.

here is the tour link

http://www.contiki.com/destinations/...road-to-athens

im 26 and i will be going with a friend.

millie2112: our plan is to avoid all that drinking maybe do it 1 night but with that tight schedule i doubt that will be doing any binge drinking. another concern is that some people say that contiki hostel/hotels are usually located far away from de desired atractions.
i guess there is no way to know were i will be staying until i actualy book the tour, i can't do that right now because i'm still not sure if i want to do it with them.

So if you expand the itinerary and read it you'll see the free time you have:

Whenever you're based on a town for the day you can skip the tour stuff and do you own thing but you're paying for the tour and outings so you should make use of them as long as it's something you want to see.

Tour lingo - "see" means you do not go inside; see only from the outside. "Visit" means an interior visit.

You have so many locations on this tour that you will experience very little other than long bus rides.

Day 2 - a few hours in London

Day 4 - on your own except the Fragonard factory and shop which you can skip in favor of things you want to do. This is not a first-time place to visit.

I would skip the dinner and show for E123 and find some nice restaurant at a much cheaper price.

Day 6 - Some free time in Munich if you don't take the optional tour.

Day 7 - if you don't do the bike tour you can have some free time but the bike tour sounds fun.

Day 8 - free time.

Day 9 - rafting or free time.

Day 10 - free time.

Day 12 - free time.

Day 13 - Looks like a bus ride through Rome. The tour is not taking you inside any place. Decide what you want to see and when you get there leave the group. Do not forget to tell your guide that you're doing this so the rest of the group is not held up waiting for you.

Day 14 - optional tours or free time.

I give up - you can do the rest yourself. Takes a bit of reading, that's all.

<< i guess there is no way to know were i will be staying until i actualy book the tour >>

Very wrong. They need to disclose where the hotels are. Sometimes tours change hotels but they are usually similar and in similar locations.

There is a phone number right on the web site in the upper right corner. You can call them. You can also request a brochure. And there are FAQs.

You should read all this and then decide.

Personally, I would not touch a tour like this as you will spend so much time on the bus and there is not much included sightseeing.

It's tough for someone your age to find guided tours. You can easily do part of this trip on your own, much cheaper, and see what you want to see without all the running around.

eliTAbeth: I recommend looking into http://www.gate1travel.com/. They are a low budget tour company, but would be more the type of tour that you are looking for. They are higher quality than Contiki, but are still lower budget. I have been on two of their tours.

Very few group tours give anyone any free time. They are all organized to pack as much in as little time possible and each group tour advertises it does more than the others do.

If you want a vacation where you have to have your bags outside your door at 7:00am in the morning everyday, take one.

By the way I have directed these group tours (but not Contiki) in the US). For my vacation, I want a vacation and not a forced march organized by a tour operator.

Your choice.

thank you guys for the advice! i agree with most of you, i have decided not to go with contiki, been looking into trafalgar's website, what do you think about their services?
this is an example of what they have right now: http://www.trafalgar.com/can/european-adventures-2013

Same advice with Trafalgar. They attract an older crowd, but, as with any group tour, your vacation will be highly regimented. It is up to you whether you want to travel that way or to go on your own.

You may like to consider Busabout - it offers the security of being with a group if you want to and the flexibility to do your own thing if you prefer. There's some good information in the FAQs - comparing their service with rail passes, how they can help you book hostels etc...

Obviously it's not for everyone - but maybe worth a look?

http://www.busabout.com/faqs

PS. I went on a Contiki tour when I was 25 and lived to tell the tale...I don't judge!

It's the same type of trip that Contiki offers. Is this what you really want? It appears that you do want a trip where you see little and have lots of bus time so why not book with Contiki and be with people your own age.

I re-read your first post and you do definitely want this kind of trip. I would book with Contiki and skip all the drinking if you don't want a hangover vacation.

Any tour company that runs you around will give you the same service. It will be quantity and not quality. With Trafalgar you're most likely to be with older people and married couples.

You'll need to do your own research for this trip to decide what you want to see during your free time. There are 2 guided tours and you won't be going inside any sights on these tours. Basically, you're paying to get on a bus and drive around and look at things and have tour-quality dinners.

Agree with Thelittlest kiwi suggestion of Busabout as an option. Both my 20something kids did this( at separate times) . It allowed them to determine the time spent in each location - generally 3 or 5 nights - and the chance to link up with like minded people(or not) to see some of the sight.