The Rand price on a journey page includes a lot, but it does not include everything, and you deserve to know which is which before you pay rather than after. What is bundled into that headline figure is one of the most common things South African travellers ask us to walk through.
Below is the honest line-by-line: what your land-only Rand price actually buys, what it doesn't, and what each add-on usually costs.
What IS in the Rand price
Coach transport for every day of the tour
Modern 49 to 52 seat air-conditioned coach with a professional driver. You stay on the same coach with the same group for the full tour. Long-distance European motorways, sometimes a ferry leg, comfortable seating, free water bottles in some markets.
Hotels, 3- and 4-star, twin or double room
Specifically chosen by Europamundo from a vetted network they've used for years. Almost all are city-centre or close to it. Breakfast is included. Rooms are twin or double share at the quoted rate, solo travellers pay a single supplement (see below).
Daily breakfast
Buffet breakfast at every hotel, every day. European breakfast standard, cheese, cold meats, bread, eggs at the larger hotels, fruit, juice, coffee. Sufficient to eat well and skip a heavy lunch if you want to save money.
English-speaking Tour Director
Travels with you from day one to last. Briefs the group every morning, books restaurants where the optional dinners are included, sorts out hotel problems, handles emergencies, knows which museum has the shortest queue. The TD is the single biggest reason a Europamundo tour runs smoothly versus you trying to do it yourself.
All included sightseeing
Every city stop in the brochure has a "walking tour with English-speaking local guide" or "panoramic city tour" listed, those are included. Specific entries (Vatican Museums, Alhambra, Versailles) are explicitly listed in the included entrances column and you don't pay extra for those. The tours that don't include the Vatican or Alhambra usually include them as optional Plus Pack items.
Basic group travel insurance
Europamundo provides a basic group cover that includes some emergency assistance during the tour. This is not enough for your Schengen visa application, you need your own comprehensive cover for that, and you want one anyway for cancellation and personal cover. See our insurance section or ask us for SA provider recommendations.
24-hour emergency line
South African contact number for problems outside SA office hours.
What is NOT in the Rand price
- International flights from JHB/CPT to the tour start city: R12,000 to R18,000 return economy.
- Lunches and most dinners. Budget €25 to €40/day. Some tours include 2 to 4 dinners; the brochure says explicitly which.
- Drinks with included meals. Water, wine, coffee are usually extra.
- Optional excursions / Plus Pack. Typically €150 to €450 per tour. Almost always worth it; we'll quote on request.
- Schengen or other visa fees. About R1,800 for a Schengen visa application as of 2026.
- Personal expenses, tips, laundry, room service. Tips for the Tour Director and driver are appreciated at €4 to €5/day combined per traveller, but discretionary.
- Single supplement for solo travellers, typically 30 to 40% on top of the twin share rate.
How the Rand rate gets locked
The Rand-to-Euro rate is fixed the moment you book, and it stays fixed through to your balance payment 75 days before departure. Even if the Rand slides in between, your figure does not change. That is the single biggest reason South Africans book here rather than on a Euro website: we carry the exchange-rate risk, not you.
Worth saying plainly too: the uniform 3% online processing fee is already inside every price you see, so nothing is added at checkout. A R3,000 per person deposit holds your seat, charged as R3,090 once that 3% is applied.
What the typical all-in 2026 budget looks like for a 10-day tour
Take the 10-day Romantic Italy as an example. Land-only from around R22,000/pp. Budget for one traveller out of Johannesburg, returning to Johannesburg, in 2026:
- Tour (land-only, twin share): R22,000
- Return flights JHB to Rome: R15,000
- Schengen visa application fee: R1,800
- Comprehensive travel insurance (10 days): R1,500
- Plus Pack of optional excursions: R5,500
- Lunches + dinners (budget €30/day for 10 days): R6,000
- Tips, personal: R1,500
Total realistic budget: about R53,000/pp. That's a comfortable, no-corners-cut, 10-day, 5-city Italy tour with a guide, transport, hotels and most meals taken care of. Solo travellers add the single supplement on top of that.
If you want to see the line-by-line for a specific tour
Send us the journey name on WhatsApp 082 497 2238 and we will send you the full itemised breakdown for it, every inclusion listed. Browse journeys, or read our cheapest-from-JHB under R20k guide for the gentler options.
