EF Ultimate Break: Grand Tour of Europe Review

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Take note: EF Ultimate Break, formally EF College Break, rebranded after my trip in October 2017 (to appeal more to non-college aged travelers), and the Grand Tour of Europe is slightly different than it was when I went on it. Visit their website to see the current itinerary for this trip, Grand Tour of Europe.

A few months ago I wrote a post about my second EF Ultimate Break trip through several countries in Eastern Europe, and it has surprisingly been my most popular post so far. It seems that tours are a popular way to travel, no matter how old or well-traveled you are. I have traveled first with tour groups and then on my own, and I still am a big fan of tours. As someone is who is a little more reserved around new people, I’ve found myself able to make friends easily (and I have made some really good friends) through tours because your travel companions are literally forced to spend time with you (muahaha). And what better way to make friends than by forcing them to share a tiny hostel room with you for a month while you make them go out to dinner with you? It’s actually pretty effective.

The very first trip I took with EF Ultimate Break was a few weeks after my college graduation, when I packed my suitcase and boarded a plane for London. I was planning on meeting up with my travel companions and traveling throughout Western Europe, from the UK to France to Italy to Spain, for a month before venturing off to start my first full-time job. I was nervous; I was a sheltered, flighty girl who still wanted to travel, and this was the perfect chance for me to get my feet wet.

EF is cheap compared to some other companies because they are mostly reserving hostels over hotels and buses between countries to save money on airfare. I LOVE this company, which is aimed at young adults aged 18 to 29 (I’ve been on trips with EFUB with recent high-school graduates traveling alongside a 28-year-old couple on their honeymoon, so it’s really good for anyone in that age range), and recommend it to anyone feeling a little nervous about taking a trip on their own (or to anyone who wants to make some easy friends from all around the country).

Stop 1: London, England

Click here to read about the best things to do in a short time in London.

London. HOW I LOVE LONDON. This is one city abroad that I could see myself in, if not for my small chihuahua child and the fact that being away from my mom for too many months at a time makes me cry. After landing early in the morning (EF is a fan of overnight flights, so you’ll leave home in the evening and arrive in the wee hours of the European morning. One of the many ways they save you money), you hop into a shuttle that takes you straight to the hostel. There we met our tour director, Emmeline, an Englishwoman who actually lived in London but spent a lot of her time traveling all over Europe and spoke French and Spanish fluently.

Every trip has a tour director whose main role is to make sure everything is organized, that the group gets where it needs to be on time, and, occasionally, show her travelers some of her favorite bars and restaurants as they make their way around the continent. Emmeline has experience in theater and is SUPER bubbly. I’m not sure if bubbliness is a prerequisite for hire with EF, but probably. She really helped make the trip what it was, and could throw down shots at the clubs with impressive jocundity.

We stayed in London for 3 days. I would have loved more time, but EF’s MO, especially with a “Grand Tour” type trip like this, is to get you to as many places as possible in a short time. This style of travel is not for everyone, but I still think that I personally was able to do a lot in that short amount of time.

Our hostel was Safestay at Elephant and Castle. It was a great location and the accommodations were clean, but each room has you plus five other travelers, and it has no air conditioning to speak of. The windows wouldn’t open beyond the teeniest sliver. It was hot and humid in the middle of June, and I ended up getting a concussion in the shower because I was so dehydrated. DRAMATIC. I think the concussion business kind of put a damper on my opinion of this hostel, but we didn’t spend a lot of time there, so it certainly didn’t put a damper on the stay in London.

Perks:

• Free breakfast every day, and free dinner with drinks on the first night.
• Three-hour guided tour of the city by a local, including sites such as Buckingham Palace for a changing of the guard ceremony, Westminster Abbey, and Tower Bridge.
• Emmeline helped organize us all to join a pub crawl that the city was putting on, which was a cool opportunity to experience.
• We had the chance to add on an optional “excursion” (each EF trip offers multiple, which is just a chance to do something a little extra, usually requiring a bus trip, for a little extra cost. I always do every excursion because why tf not?), which took us to Oxford, where we got a tour of the university and got to have lunch in the college town. After lunch we went to Stonehenge, one of the seven wonders of the world. I was absolutely gleeful to be able to check off this bizarre place off my bucket list. The excursion took almost a full day, and was less than $100 for the bus trip and guided tours of both places. One unfortunate thing that I can go ahead and criticize this great company for: the Grand Tour of Europe trip no longer includes a trip to Stonehenge. Oxford yes, but Stonehenge is out. I’m not sure if they are trying to cut costs or what, but keep in mind that this is no longer available. 
• Free time out the wazoo (I have emphasized this before, but EF tours give you a buttload of free time. All guided tours are optional; you can just show up to the bus for transfers and have the rest of the time to yourself if that’s how you want to do it).

Stop 2: Paris, France

Click here to read about the best things to do in a short time in Paris.

After our time in London, we headed to King’s Cross Station (I was more excited than most about the fact that King’s Cross Station is a real place and not just a figment of JK Rowling’s imagination) to board a train into Paris. This was the only city transfer that wasn’t by bus. The train ride was quick and we got into Paris in time for lunch.

We were in Paris for three days as well, and there was even more free time here than in London. Some of my recommendations for things to do include seeing the catacombs, shopping along Champs-Élysées, and eating crepes literally whenever possible.

Our accommodations was 3 Ducks Hostel, one of my favorite of all the places we stayed. It had so much air conditioning, and the rooms overlooked a cute little courtyard. It was incredibly clean and had really fast Wifi.

Perks:

• Free breakfast every day.
• Three-hour guided tour of the city by a local.
• Free entry into the Louvre (first thing in the morning, so you can spend as little or as much time there as your little heart desires!).
• An optional excursion to Versailles for $80, which includes train tickets to get there and a detailed tour of the palace and the gardens. Keep in mind $80 is a little overpriced, and some of the EF excursions overcharge. Going on the excursions on your own is also an option, so do your research!
• A trip to a nice French restaurant, organized by Emmeline, to give us an authentic dining experience (and SO much gd French wine).
• Emmeline also brought us a bunch of French cheeses to try under the Eiffel Tower on a gorgeous summer evening, followed by a river cruise for us all to see the city at night from the Seine River.

Stop 3: Brussels, Belgium

Click here to read about spending a day in Brussels.

Our first pit stop!! EF’s itineraries are, for the most part, two to three days in each big city, with pit stops in some of the smaller cities for several hours in between to give you a taste of some different places outside of the huge major cities. Brussels was a treat. Since there are only a few hours available, it is a good idea to plan what you want to get done while you’re at each pit stop. I always pounce on the opportunity to eat some of the local cuisine before sight-seeing. Food is always my number one priority, which is something I maybe need to work on.

The Grand Tour of Europe trip now stops in Ghent, no longer Brussels, but there is still plenty opportunity to grab a Belgian beer and authentic Belgian waffle while you’re there.

Stop 4: Amsterdam, Netherlands

Click here to read about the best things to do in a short time in Amsterdam.

After our day in Belgium, we arrived in Amsterdam in the early evening. One of the most important things I can possibly stress is that you need to take advantage of every single moment that you are abroad. I was feeling really godawful from the concussion in Amsterdam, an injury which had only gotten worse from the moment of impact and the feeling-shitty came to a head in Amsterdam. I ended up missing out on a lot: a ton of sight-seeing was lost, I stayed in most nights, I didn’t get a proper chance to frequent the famous coffee shops of Amsterdam, and I didn’t go to the World Cup soccer game that was being streamed in the city and had a massive crowd of orange-clad people rooting for the Netherlands. Sigh. Don’t get a concussion, first and foremost, and try not to waste any time. Three days speed by when you’re traveling.

I’d also 100% recommend, if not insist, that you buy travel insurance through EF before going on your trip. It is just there to help you in case of injury (it actually helped a lot when I went to see a doctor during my stay here), plus it protects your purchase if you have to miss any or all of your trip for whatever reason. Travel insurance is always important, and EF offers it for $169 through their company. Don’t be stingy.

We stayed at StayOkay Zeeburg, which was pretty good as far as budget accommodations go, with a great selection for breakfast, but there was no air conditioning here either. A girl on my other EF trip brought a portable fan, which is an incredibly genius idea.

Perks:

• Free breakfast every day.
• Walking tour of the city by a local.
• The Amsterdam excursion gave us the option to hop on a bike (if you know anything about Amsterdam, besides the fact that they like marijuana, they are avid bike riders), get onto a ferry, and take a ride through the Dutch countryside, with a local. Believe it or not, there’s more to see in the Netherlands than Amsterdam. Windmills, for example. And cute little villages. And sheep.
• Tour of the Red Light District (cool as hell, honestly. Such a unique and positive aspect of their culture).
• Entry into the Anne Frank House.

Stop 5: Heidelberg, Germany

Click here to read about a day in Heidelberg.

A disclaimer: I ventured out on this trip a few years ago, and it seems that they have cut Heidelberg from the itinerary. While we spent the day visiting the colorful, friendly town and exploring the castle ruins on top of the hill overlooking it, we ended up spending the night in Frankfurt. The trip now goes to Frankfurt for an entire day, which is still actually pretty cool. I was disappointed to not have had more time in Frankfurt. We stayed in A&O Frankfurt, which had very clean, air conditioned rooms and a rooftop bar. This was also our first hostel where we stayed four to a room rather than six.

Stop 6: Lucerne, Switzerland

Click here to read about the best things to do in a short time in Lucerne.

After leaving Frankfurt, we drove into Switzerland and stopped for an hour or so at Rhine Falls, the largest waterfall in all of Europe. This wasn’t on the itinerary; I think this is just somewhere Emmeline had the bus driver stop to give us a chance to experience (thank Jesus for EF tour directors). We all boarded a little boat which took us right up to the falls. Think Niagara Falls but European. Very blue. Very nice.

We then made our way to the Lucerne region, and we ended up staying in Engelberg, a little alpine town right outside of the city of Lucerne. Cheaper, probably, though not much in terms of nightlife options. We stayed in a little ski lodge, Ski Lodge Engelberg, which was extremely nice, had large, clean rooms, gorgeous views, and a fully stocked bar. Switzerland is one of my favorite countries in the world. It is beauuuutiful. We were only here for two days, which was unfortunate, but I am glad that the trip made a stop here.

Perks:

• Free breakfast every day (ARE YOU NOTICING A TREND YET? THERE IS FREE BREAKFAST EVERY DAY!).
• An optional excursion that includes taking a boat across Lake Lucerne and going to the top of the Swiss Alps for $95. As someone who love mountains more than anything else in nature, Switzerland is a fantastic stop.
• Emmeline organized for us to have Swiss cheese fondue in the hotel. I personally am not the hugest fan of bitter Swiss cheese, but when in Rome, right? I’d suggest getting fondue at a local restaurant rather than at the hotel, because I don’t think the quality was as good as it could have been.

Stop 7: Verona, Italy

Click here to read about a quick pit stop in Verona.

Verona, the real city of love. We stopped here after leaving Lucerne early in the morning, giving us time to explore and nab our first Italian lunch (which for me was an entire prosciutto pizza).

Stop 8: Venice, Italy

Click here to read about the best things to do in a short time in Venice.

Venezia! The city of canals, and one of the most unique cities I’ve visited. It was incredibly cool, but at the same time kind of a difficult city to visit. In the summer it gets incredibly hot, there are a ton of people everywhere, the streets are extremely narrow, and the city is a maze and getting around the 100 small islands via canal is a chore. Very cool and iconic city, but we actually only spent about 8 hours in Venice itself because our hotel was outside of the city. It would have been nice to have more time here, because I think that would have made it easier to feel more comfortable with navigating its complex layout, but I think that it would have been expensive to stay on the main islands, and EF is all about cutting costs.

Perks:

• Free breakfast every day.
• Free guided tour of the city by a local.
• Entry into Saint Mark’s Basilica (if you’re female with a propensity for wearing tank tops in the scalding heat, just don’t forget to bring a shawl to cover your naughty exposed shoulders in respect for the church).
• We got to go to a cool glass blowing demonstration (if you’ve never seen glass blowing, it will really blow your mind. Get it? Jokes), since blown glass is a really popular product in Venice.
• Of course, Emmeline also helped organize a gondola ride for all of us. Cliché? Yes. Necessary while visiting Venice? Absolutely.
• We stayed in Hotel Ca di Valle in the seaside town of Lido di Jesolo. It was a cozy hotel (no wifi in the rooms, but clean) that was just blocks from tons of incredibly friendly pizza and seafood restaurants, plus a beautiful beach that we had almost to ourselves every night.

Stop 9: Rome, Italy

Click here to read about the best things to do in a short time in Rome.

The Eternal City is not my favorite city. I’m not sure I can put my finger on exactly why, and I feel guilty about it, but I just didn’t fall in love with it the way I wanted to. I am sure I will be back, of course, because three days in Rome with EF was not enough to really develop an accurate opinion. And I’m sure a lot of it had to do with the fact that I was sweating so badly, was so hypersensitive to the scorching heat, that I wanted to lie down in the street most of the time and die.

Our hotel was called Nova Domus and was very, very nice. The rooms were massive, we didn’t have to sleep in bunkbeds, there was AC and Wifi, and the breakfast was fantastic. Though hostels are the norm, EF will book hotels if the price is right, which usually means the accommodations are a bit of a haul to center city. However, Nova Domus was in a nice area and close to a metro station, so getting around was easy.

Perks:

• Free breakfast every day.
• Entry into the Colosseum.
• Entry into and a guided tour of the Roman Ruins.
• Free entry into and a guided tour of Vatican City.
• Emmeline treated us all to a cup of gelato the night we arrived right on Piazza Navona. It was one of about 20 cups of gelato I had while in Italy, but thanks, Emmeline, for this one. It was delicious.
• There was an optional $70 excursion to a Roman cooking class, which starts by teaching you how to make pasta from scratch and ends with you eating your own handmade authentic Italian meal. I didn’t go on this excursion, but it is available and I have heard good things about it.

Stop 10: Florence, Italy

Click here to read about the best things to do in a short time in Florence.

Florence was my personal favorite Italian city (SO FAR) because it is so artsy, colorful, and honestly just smells really good. The best thing to do here is enjoy the art, enjoy the outdoor markets, and enjoy the nightlife. This was some of my favorite nightlife, just don’t kill yourself because Italian wine is a sneaky little guy and you may not realize how strong it is until it’s too late.

We stayed in Plus Florence, a really well-situated hostel that was clean and had a pool and poolside bar. We could walk anywhere we wanted to go from our front door.

Perks:

• Free breakfast every day.
• Guided walking tour with a local.
• We went to a leather shop and learned about the process of making leather goods, how to tell if leather is real, etc. etc. Florence is incredibly well-known for its leather goods, so it was interesting seeing an old family-owned shop’s inner-workings.
• On the way into Florence, Emmeline had us stop at a Tuscan winery, Tenuta Torciano, where for 20€ we got to taste many different types of wine and see how they pair with different types of food. It was a lot of fun.
• APPARENTLY they are now doing a $90 excursion to the Italian Riviera and Cinque Terre. CINQUE TERRE. I would kill and die to go to Cinque Terre, and now they have just tacked it onto my old trip, probably as a cruel joke. But if you’re trying to see Cinque Terre, this is the trip for you.

Stop 11: Pisa

Just a quick stop in Pisa for a few hours. A good opportunity for those not-at-all touristy shots of holding up the Leaning Tower!

Stop 12: Nice

Nice is nice. It is a perfect stop after weeks of sight-seeing and running around for just sitting on the beach by the beautiful Mediterranean Sea and eating a huge bowl of seafood pasta (not simultaneously, probably).

The hostel we stayed in, VSE Garden, was actually not good at all. Some of the people on the trip stayed in a small room with bunkbeds and a nice view out the window. We stayed in a cement room in the back of the building with no windows or ventilation and barely any light. It was like an unfinished basement. I didn’t love it. EF doesn’t always deliver perfectly.

Perks:

• Free breakfast every day.
• An optional $89 excursion to Monaco and Monte Carlo. Make sure to pack something snazzy. The excursion takes you on a bus to Monaco where you get a really tasty dinner at a fancy pants restaurant, then to Monte Carlo where you can gamble, drink wine, and enjoy the iconic casino.

Stop 13: South of France

Click here to read about my favorite places in the South of France.

We somehow packed in the South of France, outside of Nice, into one day as we got up early to head out of Nice and hit up Avignon, Carcassonne, Pont du Gard, and Nîmes, which yes, was a lot. It was a bit of a whirlwind, but I guess, again, they like you to see as much as possible, even if it’s in a little bit of time.

Stop 14: Barcelona, Spain

Click here to read about the best things to do in a short time in Barcelona.

My favorite city ever (or one of them). The Spanish are happy and carefree and quirky, and that shows in Barcelona. Its architecture is unlike anything you’ll ever find anywhere else, people are friendly, and nightlife is wild. I mean really wild. The hostel we stayed in, Urbany Go Barcelona, was a lot of fun. The rooms were small, but had a very lively lobby with a fully stocked bar and gregarious bartenders. There were three days in Barcelona, which allowed for an entire beach day and two other days for exploring the city.

Perks:

• Free breakfast every day.
• Free guided tour of the city by a local.
• Entry into Parc Guell (!).
• Emmeline took us all to a tapas place that she really likes and we all gorged on tapas and sangria. The best introduction to Spain we could ask for.

Stop 15: Zaragoza, Spain

They now travel from Barcelona to Spain via train, so there is no Zaragoza pit stop between the two cities anymore. Sad. Zaragoza is a neat little city.

Stop 16: Madrid, Spain

Click here to read about the best things to do in a short time in Madrid.

Phew. Our last stop on the trip. Doubtful that anyone is still reading this. I don’t know how I am even still writing this. I am exhausted. My eyes are blurring. My fingers are cramping. Madrid was great, and I am glad that the itinerary was designed to end in this city. Our hostel was Room 007 Chueca, located in the heart of Madrid’s gay neighborhood, surrounded by places to eat and drink, and a short walk to city center. It was very clean and funky, and one of my favorite hostels of the trip.

We had two full days in Madrid, which of course was nowhere near enough time, but it was a start.

Perk:

• Free breakfast every day.
• Free dinner at a nice restaurant on the last night as a farewell to our new friends.
• Free guided tour of the city by a local.
• Entry into the Royal Palace.
• Emmeline bought us churros and chocolate from the best churros and chocolate shop in all of Madrid. If you can’t tell, most of the most delightful moments of the entire trip were when I was stuffing something tasty and caloric down my gullet.
• She also brought us to a really good tapas place one evening for tapas, beer, and football. The World Cup was taking place the entire time we were in Europe, and it was a really cool experience. Europeans love their soccer.

Okay. So. I have to recommend this trip. How could I not? It is very well-organized, takes you to some of the best sites in Europe (and in the whole world), is affordable for young poor people, and introduces you to some of the best people you’ll meet. People who sign up for a trip to Europe for a month are going to be excited about seeing the world and excited about meeting new people from different walks of life. They’re gonna be cool people (some of them sucked, but you can’t get along with everyone, right?). I still keep in touch with some of my friends from this trip, and it was over two years ago.

Visit EF Ultimate Break‘s website to learn more about this trip and others. I am a fan.