Cities of Light: Prague to Paris by Land & Rail (Self-Launched)

Fly or train into Prague (Václav Havel Airport bus 119 + Metro to the centre for about £2, or direct from Berlin/Dresden/Vienna by RegioJet/ČD for £15–£30). Check into a hostel in Vinohrady or the Old Town fringe. Evening: self-guided stretch-legs loop from Old Town Square across Charles Bridge at sunset, then cheap dinner at a Czech pub (svíčková or goulash with bread dumplings, ~£8). Buy a 72-hour Prague public transport pass (~£10) or just use the PID Litacka app pay-as-you-go. Book Prague Castle and Charles Bridge Tower tickets online ahead for tomorrow.

🚌Airport bus 119 + Metro A/B, or RegioJet train from Berlin/Dresden/Vienna

🛏Hostel dorm in Old Town/Vinohrady (e.g. Miss Sophie's, Hostel One Prague area) ~£16/night

• →Walk across Charles Bridge at sunset
• →Old Town Square orientation
• →Czech pub dinner

Morning: walk the Royal Way from Powder Tower through Old Town Square (catch the astronomical clock hourly chime — free) up Nerudova to Prague Castle. Buy the Prague Castle circuit ticket (~£12, includes St Vitus Cathedral, Old Royal Palace, Golden Lane) direct at the castle or via GetYourGuide. Optional £14 guided Old Town walk via GetYourGuide if you want the history narrated; otherwise use the free Rick Steves audio app. Afternoon: Wenceslas Square and the Lobkowicz Palace (inside the castle complex, ~£14 or included in some combo tickets). Evening: cheap dinner near Náplavka riverside or a trdelník-and-beer night in Žižkov.

🚌Tram 22 to Pražský hrad or walk 25 min from Old Town

🛏Same hostel, Prague ~£16

• →Prague Castle circuit + St Vitus Cathedral
• →Charles Bridge morning crossing
• →Astronomical clock at Old Town Hall
• →Wenceslas Square & Lobkowicz Palace (optional)

Early train Prague → Nuremberg via Cheb/Schwandorf or the faster Czech Rail/DB combo (~5–6 hrs, £20–£35 booked in advance on cd.cz or bahn.de). Alternatively FlixBus ~£15. Drop bags at a hostel near the Hauptbahnhof. Afternoon: tram 8 to the Dokuzentrum/Zeppelinfeld area — the Nazi Party Rally Grounds and Zeppelin Field are outside the city; the Documentation Centre is ~£6 and the field is free to walk. Then the Palace of Justice (Nuremberg Trials courtroom 600, free but check opening hours / book ahead online). Evening: walk Nuremberg Old Town from the Imperial Castle grounds down past Albrecht Dürer's House to the Main Market Square; dinner of Nürnberger Rostbratwürstchen at a market stall (~£7).

🚌Prague–Nuremberg train ~£25 (book early) or FlixBus ~£15; local tram 8 day ticket ~£5

🛏Hostel or budget hotel in Nuremberg Altstadt/Hbf area ~£24/night

• →Zeppelin Field & Nazi Party Rally Grounds
• →Palace of Justice (Nuremberg Trials courtroom)
• →Nuremberg Old Town walk
• →Imperial Castle grounds to Main Market Square
• →Albrecht Dürer House (exterior / optional entry)

Morning train Nuremberg → Bamberg (~40 min, buy a Bayern-Ticket or single for ~£8; Deutschland-Ticket regional ticket ~£49/month if you're doing many German legs). Store bags at the station lockers. Self-guided walk of Bamberg's UNESCO Old Town: Altes Rathaus over the river, the cathedral and Neue Residenz, then up to Michaelsberg Abbey for the view. Lunch: sample rauchbier (smoked beer) at Schlenkerla or Spezial — a half-litre plus a Brotzeit plate is ~£10. Afternoon train on to Würzburg (~1 hr) and check in there to shorten tomorrow's day — or stay in Bamberg if you prefer a slower pace.

🚌Regional trains Bamberg–Würzburg via Schweinfurt ~£10–£12 with Bayern-Ticket

🛏Budget hotel/hostel in Würzburg ~£22 (or Bamberg ~£23)

• →Bamberg Old Town walk (UNESCO)
• →Altes Rathaus & cathedral
• →Michaelsberg Abbey viewpoint
• →Rauchbier tasting at Schlenkerla

Morning: guided or audio-tour visit to the Bishops' Residenz (~£9 entry, free with a museum pass; the Tiepolo staircase is the highlight) plus the Court Garden. Then wander the Marktplatz, Marienkapelle and the old Main Bridge with its wine-stand views. Optional afternoon: train to Rothenburg ob der Tauber (~1 hr each way via Steinach, ~£16 return with Bayern-Ticket) for medieval walls and the Christmas market year-round — it's a long half-day, so skip if you want a calmer pace. Evening: Franconian wine in a Würzburg Weinstube.

🚌Walkable centre; optional Rothenburg regional train ~£16 return

🛏Same Würzburg budget hotel ~£22

• →Würzburg Residenz & Tiepolo staircase
• →Court Garden
• →Old Main Bridge
• →Optional day trip to Rothenburg ob der Tauber

Train Würzburg → Wertheim (~45 min) for a quick look at the medieval town and castle ruins overlooking the Tauber/Main confluence, then continue to Heidelberg (~1.5 hrs). Buy a Schloss ticket (~£8) and take the funicular (included) up to Heidelberg Castle; the Great Barrel and terrace views are the draws. Walk down through the Old Town, the Marktplatz with Heiliggeistkirche, and the Old Bridge. Lunch in a local Kneipe or the Markthalle (~£10). Evening: Philosophenweg sunset walk above the river, then a hostel night in Heidelberg.

🚌Regional trains Würzburg–Wertheim–Heidelberg ~£15 with Quer-durchs-Land-Ticket

🛏Hostel in Heidelberg Altstadt (e.g. Steffis Hostel area) ~£26

• →Wertheim old town & castle viewpoint
• →Heidelberg Castle & funicular
• →Heidelberg Old Town & Marktplatz walk
• →Old Bridge
• →Philosophenweg sunset walk

Morning train Heidelberg → Mainz (~1.5 hrs). Self-guided old town walk (Dom, Marktplatz, Kirschgarten) and entry to the Gutenberg Museum (~£6, printing-press demos) — book a slot online on busy weekends. Afternoon: instead of the cruise ship, take the KD Rhine ferry or the regional train along the Rhine to Rüdesheim (train ~£7; ferry Mainz–Rüdesheim not direct, so the most scenic cheap option is train to Bingen then ferry across to Rüdesheim ~£2). Evening: Drosselgasse bars and a Riesling tasting at a Rüdesheim winery (~£12–£18) or a glass at a wine stand.

🚌Train Heidelberg–Mainz ~£12; Mainz–Bingen train + Bingen–Rüdesheim ferry ~£9

🛏Guesthouse/hostel in Rüdesheim or Assmannshausen ~£28

• →Mainz Old Town walk
• →Gutenberg Museum
• →Rhine riverside travel to Rüdesheim
• →Drosselgasse evening
• →Rüdesheim wine tasting (optional)

Morning: the classic cheap Rhine Gorge experience — a KD Köln-Düsseldorfer ferry leg from Rüdesheim to St Goarshausen or Koblenz (~£15–£20 one way, or use the Rheinland-Pfalz-Ticket on trains along the valley for ~£22 for the day with 2–5 people). You'll pass the Loreley rock and the castle-topped vineyards that the cruise ships sail past. Continue by train Koblenz → Cochem (~50 min). Afternoon: walk up to Reichsburg Castle (~£8 entry with a short guided tour) and the old town with its Marktplatz and mustard mill. Evening: Moselle Riesling by the river.

🚌Rhine ferry leg ~£18 + regional trains along the Moselle ~£10

🛏Guesthouse/pension in Cochem ~£27

• →Rhine Gorge ferry / riverside rail
• →Loreley viewpoint
• →Cochem old town walk
• →Reichsburg Castle tour

Morning bus or train Cochem → Bernkastel-Kues (~1 hr; the Moselweinbahn bus line is cheap at ~£6). Wander the half-timbered Marktplatz and take a short wine-cellar tasting (~£10–£15) if you like — Moselle wines are the local speciality. Continue to Trier (~1 hr, ~£8). Afternoon self-guided Roman walk: Porta Nigra (~£5), Trier Cathedral and the Liebfrauenkirche (free to enter, small donation), the Roman baths and Constantine Basilica. Evening: stroll the Hauptmarkt and eat Riesling soup and a Flammkuchen (~£11).

🚌Bus/train Cochem–Bernkastel ~£6, Bernkastel–Trier ~£8

🛏Budget hotel/hostel in Trier ~£25

• →Bernkastel-Kues Marktplatz
• →Moselle wine tasting (optional)
• →Porta Nigra
• →Trier Cathedral & Liebfrauenkirche
• →Roman baths & Constantine Basilica
• →Hauptmarkt evening stroll

Train Trier → Luxembourg (~50 min, €12-ish single; Luxembourg has free public transport nationwide once you're inside the country). Morning: bus to Hamm for the Luxembourg American Cemetery and General Patton's grave (free). Back in town, self-guided walking loop of the UNESCO old town: Chemin de la Corniche, Bock casemates (optional ~£8), Notre-Dame Cathedral, Place Guillaume II and the Adolphe Bridge. Evening: continue by train to Paris if you want to save a day (Trier–Paris via Luxembourg is ~4–5 hrs), or overnight in Luxembourg's cheaper Grund district.

🚌Trier–Luxembourg train ~£10; free buses/trams in Luxembourg; optional onward TGV to Paris ~£35

🛏Hostel in Luxembourg City (e.g. Youth Hostel Grund) ~£32, or push on to Paris

• →Luxembourg American Cemetery
• →Chemin de la Corniche walk
• →Bock Casemates (optional)
• →Notre-Dame Cathedral & Place Guillaume II

Train Luxembourg → Paris Gare de l'Est (~2h10 on the direct TGV/regional combo, £30–£45 booked ahead on sncf-connect.com or Trainline; the slower regional route via Metz is ~£25). Check into a hostel in the 10th/11th or Montmartre. Reserve a timed Louvre slot online in advance (~£19, free first Friday evening of the month for under-26 EU residents). Walk the Tuileries to Place de la Concorde, then the Champs-Élysées up to the Arc de Triomphe for the free exterior view (rooftop is ~£14). Evening: Montmartre wander and Sacré-Cœur steps at sunset, or a Seine riverside walk (skip the £15 cruise if you want to save cash).

🚌TGV Luxembourg–Paris ~£38; Paris Metro carnet / Navigo Easy ~£8/day

🛏Hostel dorm in Paris 10e/11e ~£32

• →Louvre (timed ticket)
• →Champs-Élysées & Arc de Triomphe
• →Tuileries & Concorde
• →Montmartre & Sacré-Cœur
• →Optional Seine evening cruise

Morning: cheap breakfast at a boulangerie, then a last look at Notre-Dame exterior, the Marais, or a marché (Marché d'Aligre or Bastille) for picnic supplies. If you're extending (as the cruise sells a 2-night add-on), book 2 extra hostel nights and do free-entry sights: Père Lachaise, the Promenade Plantée, and the Musée d'Orsay if you're under 26 (free for EU citizens). Depart from CDG/Orly (RER B ~£9) or Gare du Nord for Eurostar back to London (~£45–£70 booked early).

🚌RER B to CDG ~£9, or Eurostar Paris–London ~£55

🛏Check out; optional 2 extra nights ~£32/night

• →Marais & Notre-Dame exterior walk
• →Marché d'Aligre / Bastille market
• →Père Lachaise (optional)
• →Departure or at-your-own-pace extension