Be A Traveler, Not A Tourist.

Climb the Eiffel Tower in Paris, island hop in Greece, snorkel the Great Barrier Reef or white water raft in Austria. It’s not just about the destination, but what you do when you get there. Dance until dawn in Barcelona, toast in the beer halls of Munich, or skydive in New Zealand. What makes traveling with Contiki different is not only do we take 18-35 year old travelers from around the world to the most desirable destinations, but we also encourage them to experience these places in a completely subjective and unique way. It’s not just what you see, it’s how you see it.

Where Does Contiki Travel To?

Choose from trips throughout Europe, Russia, Egypt, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, USA, Canada & Mexico.

From Australia to Switzerland, Russia to the United States and everything in between – Contiki can get you inside 32 of the world’s most intriguing countries, and with 100+ itineraries, you’re sure to find the perfect trip.

You’ll be stunned by the pyramids in Egypt, breathless after climbing the Eiffel Tower in France and exhilarated after bungee jumping in Australia.

The world is full of incredible destinations, each with hundreds of different sights, sounds, tastes and smells which help form your own trip experience. Let Contiki take you there!

Europe | Australia | New Zealand | USA, Canada & Mexico | Russia & The Baltic | Asia

Why Contiki?

18-35 year olds want to see & explore the world through a new perspective and we’re dedicated to bringing these travelers together, from around the world, to share in this awesome journey.
Traveling with Contiki not only saves you time and money in planning such a multifaceted trip, but it also secures most of your trip cost up front. This allows you to avoid fluctuating currencies while on the road. Accompanied by travelers from around the world, you’ll be able to customize your itinerary with our full range of cultural & adventure excursions, leaving you more time to enjoy what traveling is truly about, the experience.

Who Travels With Contiki?

Are you ready to live it up and meet other fun-loving travelers from across the globe?

On Contiki, everyone’s 18 to 35 and you’ll find your tour mates to be just like you, curious and ready to explore other parts of the world from a new perspective.

So whether you’re bringing your best friend or heading out solo, you’ll undoubtedly make friends with people from around the world; travel connections you’ll have long after the trip has ended.

Average age of our Travelers | Couples on Tour | How many people are on a tour? | Male/female/couples ratio | Nationalities of people on tour | Travelling alone | Travelling with others | What are the groups like?

Who Works For Contiki?

Our young, professional staff are the dependable, knowledgeable travel partners you don’t want to leave home without.

Contiki Tour Manager

Our down-to-earth and lively tour managers share similar interests as you and understand that you want a meaningful travel experience, while having the time of your life. They’ll show you where to find those local gems, the ones most travelers spend hours looking for. Hidden cafes, galleries, swimming holes, lively pubs & clubs; they’ll take you where the guidebooks don’t.

Being on your own can be pretty tough when you’re trying to navigate your way through a new city, and not knowing the language could make it even harder. Your tour manager will give you the inside scoop on the history, language, culture and best places to visit at every destination.

Contiki Driver

Our highly-skilled drivers know the roads like the back of their hands and are in their element negotiating congested city streets and fast moving motorways.

Convenient drop off service at the front door of your hotel and to many major sights means you never have to lug your bags around a busy train station or city centre.

Contiki Crew Australia | Contiki Crew New Zealand | Contiki Crew North America | Contiki Crew Europe

What Makes Contiki The World Leader In Travel For 18 to 35’s?

With Contiki, you get an up-close look at the places you’ve always dreamed of visiting and can leave the trip details to us. Contiki saves you the time and money in planning by providing trips which include comfortable accommodations, a majority of meals, expert insight to the local hotspots and exciting optional excursions to create a truly unforgettable experience. Our trips don’t take you on a typical journey; they give you new perspective. That way, you not only see the world, you get to interact with it.

Even If You’ve Traveled Before, There’s Always Something New

The world is a grand oasis of adventure and memories waiting to be filled. Even our past travels have left us yearning to return to our favorite countries, create new memories or venture off to new destinations. Whether it’s Europe – a traveler’s rite of passage, Australia – a surfer’s paradise or New Zealand – the adventure capital of the world, your journey is bound to be a new and exciting one.

Free time | Sightseeing

Customize Your Trip

Our optional excursions are the perfect way to personalize your trip, which allows you to spend your time doing exactly what you want, where you want, helping you enjoy every second of your vacation.

For the adventurous, brave white water rafting in Austria or explore New Zealand’s terrain on a quad bike. For the cultured, catch a cabaret show in Paris or take a canal ride through Venice. Whatever the experience, Contiki has an excursion with you in mind. See more in Optional Excursions.

Optional Excursions Australia | Optional Excursions New Zealand | Optional Excursions North America | Optional Excursions Europe

Meals

Trying authentic cuisine from different cultures is half the fun of visiting a new country.
No trip would be complete without sampling at least a few of the local delicacies – escargot in Paris, a true blue Aussie barbeque or a pancake stack slathered in authentic Canadian maple syrup.

Providing breakfast and many dinners, we’ll make sure you get your fill of fresh, seasonal produce but still give you the opportunity to indulge in meals at local eateries in your own time.

Mix it up with our free-choice evenings and tuck into a traditional hangi in New Zealand, savor creamy, mouth-watering gelato in Italy or wash down spicy paella with a glass of sangria in Spain.

For a taste of what’s offered across the globe, see more in meals.

Accommodation

When you travel throughout the Europe, Australia and New Zealand and North America you’ll have a good night’s rest in a comfortable, well located hotel room or at one of our exclusive special stopovers in incredible national parks and unique country homesteads.

While in Australia and New Zealand, all hotels are quad share with the option to upgrade to twin share if you’d prefer. Spend the night in a Country homestead enjoying a traditional Aussie meal and experience cattle and other farm animals. In the Whitsundays relax and unwind at the beautiful Long Island Resort. Take an overnight cruise aboard the Milford Wanderer and marvel in the majestic beauty of New Zealand’s breathtaking Milford Sound.

In the United States and Canada, hotel rooms are twin share or single with just one exception – in Banff where you’ll stay in charming quad-share chalets.

And finally – in Europe because one size doesn’t fit all, we’ve designed two unique travel styles –Budget and Superior.

Budget tours mix well-appointed hotel rooms with cozy campsite cabins and most accommodation is twin-share with private bathroom facilities.

However, if you prefer bed linen to sleeping bags or private facilities instead of shared – a Superior tour could be just what you’re looking for. Featuring modern hotels and unique resorts, our hand-picked properties are usually close to where the action is and help you make the most of the vibrant city centre.

Choose your European travel style:

Superior

Whether you’re an experienced traveler or setting out on your first trip overseas, a Superior Tour will be sure to satisfy your interest. Not only will you gain a new perspective on your destination but you’ll do it traveling in style.

Staying in superior class tourist hotels, near the heart of the city or within easy access, you won’t miss a beat from our centrally-located properties.

On Superior Tours, choose a twin share or upgrade to enjoy the comfort of your own room and private bathroom. Amenities include private bathrooms, direct-dial telephone, laundry facilities and security box; most hotels even have internet access. All continental style breakfasts and about half of your dinners are also included. For lunch and the remaining evening meals, you can explore the local culinary cuisine out on the town.

With exciting itineraries ranging from 8-35 days, there is sure to be a Superior Tour that meets your individual taste and expectation.

Budget

Trying to live a champagne lifestyle on a backpackers’ budget?
On a European Budget Tour you can have the best of both worlds and enjoy a great vacation without straining your pocketbook.

We bring the cost down by mixing it up a bit and staying in a variety of exclusive special stopovers, spacious cabins and well-located hotels.
On Budget Tours, you’ll stay in quad-share rooms, including accommodations at select hotels, unique campsites and cabins and our own Contiki Villages and Chalets. There’s often a pool or beach nearby and a pub or nightclub around the corner. All trips include continental style breakfasts and most dinners, where you’ll cook with new friends and enjoy a handmade meal. For lunch and the rest of your meals you’ll have you’ll have the opportunity to explore local cuisine.

And a highlight on every Concept tour is spending time at one of Contiki’s exclusive Special Stopovers. You’ll feel like a star as you sip wine among the vines at Contiki’s centuries-old Chateau de Cruix in the seductive Beaujolais region of France. Or while in Switzerland, in a glacial valley at the foot of the mighty Jungfrau Mountain, is Contiki’s picturesque Swiss Chalet.

Transportation

Let someone else do the driving while you kick back and enjoy the ride.

Contiki rolls in a comfortable luxury coach with soft reclining seats, air conditioning and huge wrap around windows for you to relax and enjoy a panoramic view of the beautiful surroundings. In Europe, we’ve also fitted most of our coaches with charging units for electronic items like digital cameras, iPods and cell phones. And you don’t have to worry about timetables and schedules so you have more time to get to know your fellow travelers, listen to music, catch up on sleep or take in the amazing views.

You’ll never have to wait around because Contiki will conveniently drop you off at the front door of your hotel and to many major sights around the cities, ensuring that you maximize your travel time.
Go green by traveling on a coach! It is the most environmentally friendly way of traveling (compared to planes and trains) so you can breathe easy while on your Contiki trip.

Transport Australia | Transport New Zealand | Transport North America | Transport Europe | Travel Time

Styles of Tour

There’s something for everyone at Contiki – if you’ve got the time, we’ve got the tour. Probably the hardest thing about traveling with Contiki is deciding which tour to take – multi-country, one country, regional, ski or even cruise?

Multi-Country Trips

If you want to sample a little bit of everything and visit most of the must-see destinations in the many diverse and captivating European countries, then a multi-country tour is just what you’re looking for. It boasts plenty of free-time to explore the natural beauty and famous icons of each country, from France to Austria or Monaco to Italy. Our impressive multi-country itineraries are great particularly if you have more time to discover the magic of Europe.

Regional Trips

If you would prefer to stay a little longer and really savor the essence of one area, our in-depth regional and one country tours are just the ticket. If you’re fascinated by a particular city, country or region and curious to explore deeper, these tours will take you to all the most popular sights and get you off the beaten track to many lesser known destinations. You’ll walk away feeling like a local after you’ve completely immersed yourself in the culture, customs, lifestyle and scenery. Regional tours have shorter 5 to 23 day itineraries making it great for people who are short on time.

Cruising

Contiki also offers a range of relaxing cruise holidays through the Greek Islands, along the Nile River, in the spectacular Whitsundays or even across New Zealand’s breathtaking Milford Sound.

Budget | Superior | Cruising | In-depth Regional | Winter Tours

Understanding Your Itinerary

If reading your travel itinerary leaves you searching for an interpreter, this section is for you. Contiki is taking the mystery out of confusing travel talk to help you better understand what’s included on a tour.

Understanding your itinerary | What’s included

Don’t Just Take Our Word For It

Check out what some of our Contiki coverts have to say about life on the road. Our Contikipedia and Trip Forums are filled with loads of useful traveler’s tips and stories.

Contikipedia

You’ve heard of Wikipedia, right? Well, this is our very own Wiki stuffed full of everything you ever wanted to know about the Contiki experience. Written by our staff, it is a must-check travel bible on all things Contiki and gives you loads of important, insider-only tips about Contiki trips and ‘life on the road’.

Trip Forums

Don’t wait until you leave for your trip to meet other Contiki travelers; get in early and chat online before you head off on Contiki’s message boards. Excellent for staying in touch once you get home, this is also a great place to ask questions to Contiki enthusiasts or our experienced tour managers.

My Trip Journal

Forget hard to read travel diaries – share your up to the minute travel happenings with friends and family back home as they happen on the road with the My Trip Journal tool.

Join Contiki eNews

Keep your finger on the pulse and join Contiki eNews – our monthly email newsletter that’s full of interesting and exciting features like travel tips, contests, giveaways, trip reviews, polls and more. And if that isn’t enough, from time to time we’ll offer you excellent deals and member-only offers to save you loads of money.