My Contiki Review: Fun, Overrated, or Actually Worth It?

Contiki is designed for a very specific type of traveler: ages 18 to 35, social, budget-conscious, and ready to party. If you want structured travel by day and nightlife by night, a Contiki tour may be exactly what you’re looking for. In my honest Contiki review, I’ll break down what my Contiki experience was like, who Contiki is best for, what to expect on a Contiki tour, and whether it’s worth the money

What is Contiki?

Founded in 1962, Contiki is a New Zealand–based tour company built around one concept: social travel for young adults. The original idea was simple, travel cheaply, meet people, party hard, and still see the world. Today, Contiki operates 350+ tours worldwide, covering Europe, Asia, North and South America, and beyond. Whether you want culture, nightlife, or both, there’s almost always a Contiki itinerary that fits.

Did I mention their whole thing is ‘social travel’? When the day tour is over the group gathers together, making plans for the night’s festivities. Get ready to party!

Contiki Overview: What to Expect

Accommodations: BUDGET! You’ll be staying in either hostels or hotels, so understand these aren’t 4 or 5-star hotels or hostels. However, Contiki does its best to find the best 3-star type hotel or hostel. Depending on the continent, 3-star Euro accommodation will be a 5-star somewhere else. These aren’t luxury stays, but they’re safe, clean, and well-located. You’ll mostly use your bed to sleep (or crash), not lounge around.

Group Size & Age Range: Most Contiki tours will have 20 to 30 travelers, with the average age falling between 18 and 27. Many people book multiple Contiki tours, so it’s common for group members to rotate in and out. I remember with my trip we had a large group…about 25 travelers.

Guides: When you land, you’ll have to get local transport to your hotel. From there you’ll meet your group somewhere at the hotel or hostel lobby. All you do is introduce yourselves your guide will collect whatever information he needs and then you’re off to an evening dinner and drinks. Yes, they’re like the chaperones we had during a school trip. With one difference: they’re all young and want to party. They will take you around the city and do a pub crawl, hit up a club, or some really cool local spot.

Food: Breakfast is provided on all the tours however lunch and dinner are all on you. I saved money by loading up on the breakfast buffet and eating street food (beer and brats).

Drinking and Nightlife: As you probably already know Contiki has a partying atmosphere. However, I strongly suggest that 18 to 20-year-old travelers hold off on going to the US. The legal drinking age in the USA is 21 and it’s strictly enforced. I’ve had many of my Australian travel mates say that when they visited the US the younger travelers couldn’t visit any bars or clubs.

Optional Add-Ons: These are excursions that Contiki sets up that cost extra. Depending on the country you’re in they can be just about anything but always check what the add-ons are and see which you want to do. Remember these are optional.

Transportation: Depending on the tour it can be Coach (bus) or Rail or even ferry: Traveling via coach can be a real drag because you lose precious time just sitting on a bus. In some cases, it can be a few hours however I remember the bus rides were fun because everyone was talking, joking and half the time we were drinking on the bus!

Contiki Review: Berlin to Prague Itinerary:

My first solo tour was in 2008 with Contiki, beginning in Germany and ending in Prague. I can’t tell you how much fun I had however if I have to be 100% honest much of it was a blur. I was partying like an animal and was drinking way more than I should have. I was hungover during the day tour and by the evening I was downing Red Bulls to keep it together. Berlin is an amazing city and one of the standout attractions was the Olympic Stadium in Berlin with a capacity to seat 74,000 people.

Another important and must-see site is the Brandenburg Gate. It’s such a site to see, you can see why this structure symbolizes Berlin. Some of the other historical buildings we visited were the Reichstag Building or Germany’s Parliament however we didn’t go inside. Luckily, these sites are free to visit and walk around.

We did a lot of walking around the city seeing the remnants of the Berlin Wall and visiting ‘Check Point Charlie‘. We also stopped by both The Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church and the Berlin Cathedral, both churches suffered damages from the Allied bombings during WWII. You can still see the scars that WWII left behind in Germany. As a group, we visited an unassuming parking lot only to learn that it was the site of Hitler’s Bunker.

Berlin is also known for its number of museums, far too many to list but the most important are:

• Pergamon Museum
• DDR Museum
• Museum of Natural History

The one very sobering reminder of Berlin’s dark history was when we visited the Sachsenhausen concentration camp. After Berlin we made a quick pit stop in Dresden, visiting the Semperoper Opera House.

My #1 reason I booked this particular trip was that I wanted to celebrate the New Year somewhere in Europe. We all gathered on the “party mile” stretching from Brandenburg Gate to the Victory Column…there must have been about 70,000 people just in that area. It’s INSANE to think about, cold as hell drinking glühwein (mulled wine) and beer with thousands of other people. Frankly speaking, I don’t remember much from that night but we did head back to the hotel and continued the party in the lobby.

Celebrating the new year in a foreign country for me was one of the best times I’ve had…it became my travel style for many years to follow.

Highlights in Berlin

• Brandenburg Gate (celebrated NYE ’09)
• Berlin Wall & Checkpoint Charlie
• Reichstag Building (exterior)
• Olympic Stadium
• Semperoper Opera House
• Berlin Cathedral

After saying goodbye to Berlin we hopped on the bus to Prague. The negative part was the bus ride from Berlin to Prague, which took nearly 5 hours so we lost most of the morning.

Prague was the city I fell in love with. I was awestruck by how beautiful that city is and how much more fun I had in Prague than Berlin. The food and beer in Prague were FAR BETTER than in Germany. I felt Prague had more to offer as there was more to do and see. I found Prague so much easier to get around; the cheap beer, stunning architecture, and nonstop energy made it so much better in my opinion.

First thing we did was hit Charles Bridge, it’s beautiful! I do remember that Charles Bridge was packed in December with tourists. Considering that construction started in 1357 it’s no wonder why this attracts people from all over the world. A very short walk over the bridge you enter the Old Town Square (Staromestske namesti) and very much worth your time!

As you walk around a bit more into the Old Town Square you’ll see the 600-year-old Astronomical Clock. If you’re traveling in December, you’ll also get the added bonus of the Christmas markets. The atmosphere is very festive and worth every minute just walking around.

St. Vitus Cathedral and Prague Castle were also on the list and they were incredible to say the least. The absolute best part about Prague is that everything I mentioned is 100% free to do! Another worthy site to visit is the Jewish Quarter.

Prague was the highlight of the trip!

• Charles Bridge
• Old Town Square & Astronomical Clock
• Prague Castle & St. Vitus Cathedral
• Jewish Quarter
• Bars and nightclubs!

Best part? Many of Prague’s top attractions are free, making it ideal for budget travelers.

When the tour ended, I wanted to stay but alas, I had to return to my life in California. That trip forever changed how I viewed solo traveling.

Contiki Review: Final Thoughts

Contiki is tailor-made for young travelers who want fun, freedom, and built-in social life. On any Contiki tour, you can expect the average age to be from 18 to 28. We were all partying like there was no tomorrow and dragging ourselves through the day sightseeing. I recommend Contiki to any young traveler looking to explore the world and party at the same time. If you’re more laid back and really want to immerse yourself in the culture, Contiki isn’t for you. Frankly, if you’re in your 20s then Contiki should be on top of your list…you will walk away with unforgettable memories.

Should you go on a Contiki tour? 100% absolutely YES, if you…

• Love nightlife and social travel
• Want everything planned for you
• Travel solo
• Want great value for money
• Like meeting people from all over the world
• Really like to party!!

You should avoid Contiki if you want luxury accommodations, prefer slow, immersive travel, avoid crowds or partying and want complete independence.

So after reading my Contiki Review, you’re probably wondering if Contiki is a party tour or a legit travel experience?

To be frank, it’s BOTH! My personal experience was terrific but if I had to change anything, I’d hold back on the alcohol. I’m not lying when I said I was hungover during the day while trying to learn about the history. Don’t be that guy and drink like a normal person 😭 🤣🤣I was operating on a different itinerary:

• Wake up at 7 am to be on the bus by 7:30 am
• Drive a few hours and grab a quick bite at a gas station.
• Arrive midday at the destination and do a group activity.
• Have dinner and then go out to party.
• Crash at the hotel around 4 am and did it again the next morning!

Please learn from my mistake and pace yourself. In my head, I felt that I needed to enjoy as much as possible in 8 days, so I said screw it and did as much as possible in that short period of time.

Things to consider before booking with Contiki:

Hard to believe that Contiki was born over 6 decades ago. For years, Contiki helped young travelers explore the world forging memories for a lifetime. I have to give props to Contiki for helping me re-think travel…especially solo travel. My Contiki review doesn’t change that whatsoever. In that time, more youth-oriented travel companies have popped up that deserve a hard look.

Please read my post, Best Young Adult Travel Companies for a closer look into these companies and what they offer.

Most Popular Contiki Tours:

Here are just some of the more popular tours that Contiki offers, catering to so many tastes. The best part is they’re constantly running specials with deals left and right. Here’s a glimpse of their more popular tours:

Contiki Trip Ideas!

💰 Contiki is constantly offering specials on their popular tours so don’t forget to check out their top last-minute deals.

👉️ Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam are three destinations that are VERY budget-friendly and fun. Book now and explore the magic these three countries have to offer.

🔥 Here are some more of Contiki’s most popular tours. Take a look and book your bucket list trip today!