If anyone’s looking for me, tell them I’ll be at the château in France…

Fancy a picnic lunch in the French wine-region of Beaujolais, in the expansive grounds of your own personal château? What about a drink in the Swiss Alps, in your very own personal chalet? No, its not just for the rich and famous – get a true European experience with Contiki!

That’s right, Contiki owns its very own French château, set in the Beaujolais region, as well as its own Swiss chalet and you stay in them both for two nights each on Contiki’s 20-day European Experience Concept tour. This tour visits 10 spectacular European countries including France, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Amsterdam and more.

With eight two-night stops, you’ll have loads of time to really soak up the spirit of each place you visit, and test-drive the local cafes, bars and hotspots.

Here is a taste of what you’ll get up to on your Contiki holiday:

Paris: evening Tour of Illuminations; see the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre, the Champs Élysées, and Notre Dame Cathedral; see Château Fontainebleau

Beaujolais: do some wine tasting and enjoy a French picnic lunch

French Riviera: take a scenic drive along the Riviera coast; visit Monaco and see the Royal Palace. Also visit a Monte Carlo casino and a French perfumery

Florence: enjoy a walking tour with a local guide; see the Duomo, Basilica Santa Croce, Giotto’s Bell Tower, the Baptistry and Piazza della Signoria; take in a Florentine leather craft demonstration

Rome: see Piazza Venezia, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Colosseum and the Roman Forum

Vatican City: see St. Peter’s Basilica

Venice: take a private motorboat to the historic islands; see Piazza San Marco, Bridge of Sighs and the Doges’ Palace; enjoy Murano glass-blowing and Burano lace-making demonstrations

Austrian Tyrol: see this picturesque area, famous for adventure sports

Munich: see the Glockenspiel and Marienplatz

Rhine Valley: take a scenic drive along the Rhine River and visit the riverside town St. Goar

Amsterdam: see the canals, gable houses and city by night; visit a fishing and cheese village; enjoy a bicycle tour of the Dutch countryside and visit a cheese farm and clog maker’s house.

The 20-day European Experience, one of Contiki’s Concept tours, is priced from $2239 per person, twin share (land only), plus $385 food fund, and includes hotel accommodation, all transport, many meals, city sightseeing and the benefit of Contiki’s experienced and fun road crew.

Contiki has been helping 18 to 35s from around the globe have unforgettable travel experiences in the some of the world’s most fantastic destinations for over 45 years. Contiki has designed all its trips to include the perfect balance of sightseeing and adventure, coupled with plenty of free time to do whatever you want. And all Contiki’s trips represent great value with heaps of amazing activities included. It’ll make your travel loads cheaper than doing it on your own, adding up to more spending money in your back pocket for all the cool, fun stuff like shopping, going out and great souvenirs to take home and make your friends jealous.

Contiki’s 2008-09 Europe brochures are out now! For more information see www.contiki.com.au/experience or to make a booking see your travel agent or call 1300 CONTIKI (1300 266 845).

A Report by The Mole