Meals - Europe

One of the most amazing things about Europe is it’s diversity and one of the place this is most apparent form country to country is in their food. From full English breakfasts to the pasta of Italy, coffee and croissants in France and schnitzel with noodles in Austria…we’ve got it covered.

Included in the cost of your tour is a number of included meals. Breakfast is always included on all European Contiki Tours while lunch is very rarely included and is almost always up to you. On any given tour roughly half your evening meals are also included. Like every other aspect of our tours, you don’t have to attend or eat the included meals but they are planed as inclusions to fit in with your itinerary and help you get the most out of your tour.

Please note: If you have any special dietary requests, please make these known at the time you book, and confirm with your Tour Manager at the start of the tour. Although we will do our best to make sure it happens, standards can vary from place to place. Unfortunately, Contiki can not be held responsible for local meals that do not meet your exact requirements.

What Meals are Included?

Included meals vary depending on the style of tour you choose and included meals are indicated on each individual itinerary with a (B) for included breakfast, (L) for included lunch and (D) for included dinner.

Time Out/Superior/Hotel Tours

Included meals on Time Out/Superior/Hotel Tours.

• Breakfast – Is always included on all European Contiki Tours – European Continental breakfasts are supplied at the hotels where you stay. The Continental style usually consists of rolls, butter, jams, tea or coffee and juices. Sometimes in northern European countries they will add an egg, ham or cheese. This will certainly seem different to home and somewhat repetitive if you are used to a cooked breakfast, however this fare is normal in Europe, especially in the more southern, hotter countries.
• Lunch – is not included and is always up to you – allows you the freedom to eat what you want and enjoy the local flavors.
• Dinner – Roughly half your evening meals are included and generally in the Table d’Hote style. Some are buffet style but usually consist of 3-meal course dinners with meat or fish as the main. Most dinners are served at your hotel or at a local restaurant. Dinners that are not included are left up to you to sample and enjoy the local cuisine and on some nights there may be an optional excursion meal planned.

Please note: If you have special dietary requirements (eg Vegetarian), let your Tour Manager know and they will notify the hotels and restaurants.

Concept/Budget Tours

Included meals on Concept/Budget Tours

• Breakfast is always included on all European Contiki Tours. Concept/Budget Tours have the advantage of the on-site Contiki Reps to help out with cooked breakfasts.
• Lunch is always on you – allows you the freedom to eat what you want and enjoy the local flavors.
• Dinners – Roughly half your evening meals are included and sometimes reflect the region where you will be staying. Included meals are sometimes prepared by the Site Reps. There are also a number of optional excursion meals and opportunities to go out and grab your own dinner on any given Concept/Budget Tour.

One of the ways Contiki helps keep the cost of our tours low is to get you to help out a little. When staying in camp sites and Special Stopovers, instead of employing an army of chefs to cook for the thousands of people who stay in our sites every year being a cookie or a dishie is simply helping out Contiki Site Reps with either preparing food (for example, cutting up vegetables) or helping out with loading our dishwashers and drying up after a meal. Simple, easy, is often (surprisingly) a lot of fun and depending on the size of your tour group and your itinerary you may only help out once or twice during the course of any given tour.

Please note: If you have special dietary requirements (eg Vegetarian), let your Tour Manager know and they will notify the campsites and restaurants.

Camping Tours

Included meals on Camping Tours

As well as traveling with the regular Tour Manager and Driver you also have onboard a Contiki Super-Cook whose role it is to organize, plan and help the group prepare meals. The Food Fund covers all the included meals.

• Breakfast is always included and is usually a hot meal as well as cereals, juices, tea and coffee
• Lunch, like all Contiki Tours, is not included and allows you the freedom to eat what you want and enjoy the local flavors.
• Many Dinners are included and as you are buying food in the regions where you are traveling the food very much reflects the culture of the places you visit dinner give you the chance to get out, maybe take an optional meal excursion. The tour Super-Cook is also able to help organize and co-ordinate authentic local meals. When there is no included meal it usually means you have to opportunity to go out and grab a bite during an evening of site seeing, enjoy an optional excursion meal or take yourself out for a local meal.

Please note: If you have special dietary requirements (eg Vegetarian), let your Tour Manager know so they can notify restaurants. You should also talk to your Super cook so they can prepare appropriate food for you.

Included meals is one of the differences between tour styles offered by Contiki in Europe.