Around Europe: Rome to Berlin (Self-Launched, 28 Destinations)
16 days · Europe
Europamundo charges £2,335
No-markup version: ~£2,215 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A self-launched version of Europamundo's 16-day Rome-to-Berlin coach tour, covering Italy, Austria, Switzerland, France, England, the Netherlands and Germany. Instead of a 2-72 person coach group and 4-star hotels, you'll ride Europe's excellent rail network and budget flights, sleep in hostels and budget guesthouses, and book the same iconic experiences yourself via GetYourGuide and official ticket sites. Highlights: Imperial Rome, Florence's Duomo, Venice canals and Murano, an Alps stop in Innsbruck, Grindelwald's suspension bridge and Lucerne, Strasbourg, Paris (Eiffel Tower + Seine cruise), Rouen, Canterbury, London, a Harwich–Hook of Holland ferry, Volendam and Amsterdam, Hamelin and Berlin. Costs are approximate backpacker/budget-traveller estimates in GBP for one person sharing dorm accommodation; long-distance legs assume advance-booked trains/flights.
Day-by-day
Arrive in Rome
Rome, Italy
Land at Fiumicino and take the Leonardo Express train (€14, ~32 min) or the cheaper regional FL1 to Trastevere (€8) into the city. Check into a hostel near Termini or Monti. Spend the afternoon easing off jet lag with a free wander through Monti's lanes and a gelato, then join a free walking tour (tip €5-10) to get oriented for tomorrow's big day. Book your Colosseum ticket online tonight — timed entry slots sell out.
🚌Leonardo Express or FL1 regional train from Fiumicino, €8-14
🛏Hostel dorm near Termini/Monti (e.g. The RomeHello or Generator Rome), £20-28
- →Free walking tour of central Rome (tip-based)
- →Evening stroll through Monti
- →Book Colosseum/Forum timed ticket online
Imperial Rome & Baroque Rome
Rome, Italy
Recreate the guided Imperial Rome day independently: pre-book a Colosseum + Roman Forum + Palatine Hill combined ticket (€18 direct from Coopculture, or a €35-45 GetYourGuide skip-the-line entry), then walk the Circus Maximus and Capitoline Hill. After lunch, do the Baroque loop on foot for free — Piazza di Spagna, Trevi Fountain, Piazza Colonna, the Pantheon (€5 entry) and Piazza Navona — finishing in Trastevere for dinner. Optional: Vatican Museums + Sistine Chapel timed ticket (€20 direct, ~€45 with a GetYourGuide guide).
🚌On foot plus metro/bus day pass €7
🛏Hostel dorm near Termini/Monti, £20-28
- →Colosseum, Forum & Palatine Hill ticket (~£16 direct)
- →Pantheon entry (€5)
- →Baroque Rome self-walk: Spanish Steps, Trevi, Pantheon, Navona
- →Trastevere dinner wander
Rome to Florence via Piazzale Michelangelo
Florence, Italy
Take an early Frecciarossa high-speed train from Roma Termini to Firenze S.M. Novella (~1h35, book on trenitalia.com 4-8 weeks ahead from €19.90; walk-up fares hit €50+). Drop bags at your hostel near Santa Maria Novella, then climb (or bus) to Piazzale Michelangelo for the classic Duomo skyline view at golden hour. Walk down through San Niccolò and do a self-guided historic-centre loop: Ponte Vecchio, Piazza della Signoria, the Duomo exterior. Book a Duomo cupola or Uffizi slot online if you want interiors.
🚌Frecciarossa Rome-Florence from €19.90 advance
🛏Hostel dorm near Santa Maria Novella (e.g. Plus Florence), £22-30
- →Piazzale Michelangelo viewpoint (free)
- →Self-guided walk: Ponte Vecchio, Duomo, Piazza della Signoria
- →Optional Uffizi or Duomo cupola timed ticket (€20-30)
Florence to Venice: canals & Murano
Venice, Italy
Regional train Florence to Venezia Santa Lucia (~2h, €19-29 on Italo or Trenitalia). Take vaporetto line 1 or 2 down the Grand Canal to your hostel (single ride €9.50, or a 24h pass €25 — worth it if you ride 3+ times). Explore St Mark's Square and the basilica exterior, then take vaporetto line 4.1/4.2 or 3 to Murano for the glass furnaces — free to browse the factory showrooms, with demos at many shops. Optional gondola ride: skip the €80-100 official rate and instead take the traghetto (€2) across the Grand Canal for the same floating feeling, or split a 30-min gondola with hostel mates (~£25 each).
🚌Regional train Florence-Venice €19-29; 24h vaporetto pass €25
🛏Hostel/budget guesthouse in Cannaregio or Santa Croce, £25-35
- →Grand Canal vaporetto ride
- →St Mark's Square self-walk
- →Murano glass furnaces & showrooms (free)
- →Optional traghetto crossing €2 or shared gondola
Venice to Innsbruck to Zurich
Innsbruck / Zurich, Switzerland
A big travel day done the independent way. Take the 07:00-ish train Venice Mestre to Innsbruck Hbf via Verona/Brenner (~4h30, from €29 on Trenitalia/ÖBB). Stretch your legs for 2-3 hours in Innsbruck's Altstadt — the Golden Roof and colourful Maria-Theresien-Strasse are a 10-minute walk from the station. Then take the ÖBB Railjet Innsbruck to Zurich HB (~3h30, from €39 if booked early). You arrive in Zurich in the evening: grab a supermarket dinner and settle into a hostel near the station.
🚌Venice-Innsbruck train from €29; Innsbruck-Zurich Railjet from €39
🛏Hostel dorm in Zurich (e.g. Zurich Youth Hostel or City Backpacker), £30-42
- →Innsbruck Altstadt layover: Golden Roof, Inn riverside
- →Evening in Zurich old town
Grindelwald & Lucerne by rail
Zurich / Grindelwald / Lucerne, Switzerland
Buy a Swiss Travel Pass (2-consecutive-day pass ~CHF 199 / £180) or use Saver Day Passes (~CHF 52 each) — Switzerland is expensive but the passes pay off on a day like this. Morning train Zurich to Grindelwald (~2h30) via Bern/Interlaken. Ride the Eiger Express or the classic Grindelwald-First gondola to First (return ~CHF 68) and walk the First Cliff Walk suspension bridge with glacier views — an exact match for the tour's included cable car and bridge. Pack a supermarket lunch to eat on the mountain. Return via Interlaken and stop in Lucerne (~45 min) for the Chapel Bridge and Lion Monument before the final hop back to Zurich.
🚌Swiss Travel Pass / Saver Day Pass, ~£45 total for the day's trains
🛏Hostel dorm in Zurich, £30-42
- →Grindelwald-First gondola & First Cliff Walk (~CHF 68)
- →Packed mountain lunch
- →Lucerne Chapel Bridge & Lion Monument (free)
Zurich to Strasbourg to Paris
Strasbourg / Paris, France
Morning train Zurich HB to Strasbourg (~1h45, from €19 on SNCF TER/ICE). Lock your bag at the station and spend 3-4 hours in La Petite France's half-timbered lanes and around the cathedral. Then take the TGV Strasbourg to Paris Gare de l'Est (~1h50, from €25 if booked ahead). Check into a hostel in the 10th/11th arrondissement — cheaper than central and well connected by metro. Evening: cheap dinner in Belleville or the Canal Saint-Martin area.
🚌Zurich-Strasbourg from €19; Strasbourg-Paris TGV from €25
🛏Hostel dorm in Paris 10e/11e (e.g. St Christopher's Canal or Generator Paris), £28-38
- →La Petite France & Strasbourg Cathedral self-walk
- →Canal Saint-Martin evening stroll
Paris: city highlights
Paris, France
Do the Paris panoramic day yourself: a GetYourGuide or Sandemans free walking tour of the Île de la Cité, Notre-Dame, Louvre exterior and Montmartre (tip-based, ~£10 tip) covers the guide-narrated sights for a fraction of a coach tour. Afternoon is free — climb the Montmartre steps to Sacré-Cœur for the best free view in Paris, or pre-book the Eiffel Tower summit/second floor direct on toureiffel.paris (€14-30) for tomorrow. Optional: Versailles RER C day trip (€21.50 return + €21 palace ticket) or a Seine evening cruise (~£15 on GetYourGuide vs the tour's €40).
🚌Metro carnet/ Navigo Easy, ~£8 for the day
🛏Hostel dorm in Paris, £28-38
- →Free/tip-based walking tour: Île de la Cité & Montmartre
- →Sacré-Cœur & Montmartre self-walk (free)
- →Optional Versailles half-day (£35) or Seine cruise (~£15)
Paris: Eiffel Tower & Seine, then Rouen
Paris / Rouen, France
Book your Eiffel Tower second-floor ticket direct (€18.80, or ~£40 with a GetYourGuide host) for an early slot and arrive 15 minutes before security. Afterwards walk the Trocadéro and Champ de Mars, then take a 1-hour Bateaux Mouches or Vedettes du Pont Neuf Seine cruise (~€15-17). In the late afternoon, take a TER train from Paris Saint-Lazare to Rouen Rive Droite (~1h20, €25-35). Evening in Rouen: the cathedral facade (Monet's subject) is lit beautifully after dark.
🚌Paris-Rouen TER train €25-35; metro in Paris ~£4
🛏Budget hotel/guesthouse in Rouen centre (e.g. Ibis Budget Rouen Centre), £30-40
- →Eiffel Tower second floor (€18.80 direct)
- →Seine river cruise (~€16)
- →Rouen Cathedral evening walk (free)
Rouen to Canterbury to London
Canterbury / London, England
This is the trickiest leg — plan it and book it. Options: (a) Rouen to Paris Saint-Lazare, then Eurostar Paris Nord to London St Pancras (~2h15, from £39 if booked 2-3 months ahead), or (b) a FlixBus Rouen to Paris then a BlaBlaCar/FlixBus to Calais and the DFDS/P&O ferry or LeShuttle to Dover, then a train to Canterbury. The cleanest independent version: Eurostar to London, then a Southeastern high-speed train London St Pancras to Canterbury West in 55 minutes (~£20-30 off-peak) for a 2-3 hour stop at Canterbury Cathedral (£17 entry) before returning to London. Sleep in a hostel in King's Cross or Earls Court.
🚌Eurostar Paris-London from £39 advance; Canterbury day-return train ~£25
🛏Hostel dorm in London (e.g. Clink78, Wombat's City Hostel or YHA London), £25-38
- →Canterbury Cathedral & old town (£17)
- →Evening walk along the South Bank & Tower Bridge
London: free museums & markets
London, England
London's biggest attractions are free — use that. Morning: a tip-based free walking tour of Westminster (Parliament, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Piccadilly, Leicester Square, Soho, Chinatown) for a £10 tip, replicating the tour's guided panoramic drive. Afternoon: the British Museum (free entry, book a free timed slot online) and a wander through Camden Market for street food lunch. Optional: a Thames Clipper river boat (£9-12) instead of a tour coach, or a Windsor day trip by train (~£25 return) to replace the €35 optional excursion.
🚌Contactless cap on tube/bus ~£8.90 for the day
🛏Hostel dorm in London, £25-38
- →Free walking tour of Westminster & Soho (tip ~£10)
- →British Museum (free, book slot)
- →Camden Market street food
- →Optional Thames Clipper river boat (~£10)
London to Colchester and the Harwich ferry
Colchester / Harwich, England
Morning at the British Museum or the Tower of London exterior (free) before heading out. Greater Anglia train London Liverpool Street to Colchester (~50 min, £15-25 off-peak) for a Roman-history wander around Colchester Castle, then continue to Harwich International (~30 min, ~£8) for the overnight Stena Line ferry to Hook of Holland (departs ~23:00, arrives ~07:30; a shared cabin or reclining seat costs ~£45-70 booked online). This replicates the tour's Harwich-Hoek van Holland crossing — and saves a night's hotel.
🚌Train London-Colchester-Harwich ~£25; Stena Line ferry ~£50
🛏Stena Line ferry cabin or reclining seat, Harwich-Hook of Holland, ~£50
- →British Museum or Tower Bridge (free)
- →Colchester Castle & Roman walls walk
- →Overnight North Sea ferry crossing
Hook of Holland to Volendam and Amsterdam
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Arrive Hook of Holland at ~07:30 and take the NS train to Amsterdam Centraal (~1h40, ~€28 — or use a Dutch day pass). Drop bags at a hostel in Amsterdam West or near the Arena (cheaper than the centre). Take the EBS bus 316 or 314 (~40 min, ~€10 return) to Volendam for the fishing-village harbour, cheese shops and a wander along the dike. Back in Amsterdam, do a self-guided loop of the Jordaan, the Rembrandt statue on Rembrandtplein and Museumplein (Rijksmuseum/Van Gogh exteriors are free; a canal cruise on GetYourGuide is ~£15 vs the tour's €50).
🚌NS train Hook of Holland-Amsterdam ~€28; bus to Volendam ~€10
🛏Hostel dorm in Amsterdam West/Zuid (e.g. ClinkNOORD or Stayokay), £30-42
- →Volendam fishing village & harbour (free)
- →Jordaan and Rembrandtplein self-walk
- →Canal cruise via GetYourGuide (~£15)
Amsterdam to Hamelin to Berlin
Hamelin / Berlin, Germany
Long rail day: take an ICE/IC from Amsterdam Centraal to Hannover (~4h, from €29.90 on ns.nl/DB) then a regional train to Hameln (~45 min). Spend 2 hours in Hamelin's beautifully preserved old town following the Pied Piper story through the lanes and the Weser riverside. Continue with an IC/ICE Hameln-Hannover-Berlin (~3h, from €29). Arrive Berlin in the evening and check into a hostel in Kreuzberg or Mitte.
🚌Amsterdam-Hamelin-Berlin trains from ~€60 total if booked in advance
🛏Hostel dorm in Berlin Mitte/Kreuzberg (e.g. Circus Hostel or EastSeven), £22-32
- →Hamelin Pied Piper old town walk (free)
- →Weser riverside stroll
Berlin: Wall, Memorial & history
Berlin, Germany
Berlin is a DIY paradise. Join a tip-based free walking tour from Brandenburg Gate (~3h, £10 tip) covering Museum Island, the Reichstag exterior, the Holocaust Memorial, Checkpoint Charlie and the Berlin Wall. Then visit the Berlin Wall Memorial on Bernauer Strasse (free) and the Topography of Terror (free). Optional: a half-day Sachsenhausen memorial excursion by S-Bahn/train (~€8 transport, free entry, guided tours €6-15) in place of the tour's €45 add-on. Finish with street food at Markthalle Neun or a döner in Kreuzberg.
🚌Berlin AB day ticket €8.80
🛏Hostel dorm in Berlin, £22-32
- →Tip-based free walking tour (~£10 tip)
- →Berlin Wall Memorial (free)
- →Holocaust Memorial & Topography of Terror (free)
- →Optional Sachsenhausen memorial (~£12)
Berlin and departure
Berlin, Germany
Breakfast at the hostel, then a final morning exploring whatever you missed — the East Side Gallery along the Spree (free), Tempelhofer Feld airfield, or a coffee and flea-market browse in Mauerpark if it's a Sunday. The BER airport is 30 minutes from the centre on the FEX airport express (€4.40, included on a day ticket); buses and trains run all day for cheap onward travel to Prague or Dresden if you're extending.
🚌FEX train to BER airport €4.40
🛏—
- →East Side Gallery (free)
- →Tempelhofer Feld or Mauerpark flea market
Self-launched vs. Europamundo
| This itinerary (self-launched) | Europamundo | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£2,215 | £2,335 |
| Duration | 16 days | 16 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £120 per person (5%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more Europamundo-style trips? Check them out here.~£2,215
estimated per person
You never pay Travel Crew for this — you pay hostels, transport, and activity providers directly, the same as if you'd booked it all yourself.
This publishes your dates so other travellers can find and join you — no tour operator needed.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does Around Europe: Rome to Berlin (Self-Launched, 28 Destinations) cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £2,215 per person for 16 days in Europe. This is an AI-generated estimate based on typical budget-traveller prices — actual costs will vary by season and how you book.
Is this cheaper than booking with Europamundo?+
Yes — Europamundo charges around £2,335 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £2,215 — a saving of roughly £120 (5%) per person.
How long is the Europe trip?+
This itinerary runs 16 days, covering 16 day-by-day stops through Europe.
How do I join this trip?+
You can join an existing open departure using this itinerary if one is scheduled, or launch your own departure with your own dates and invite other travellers to join you — no tour operator required.
Isn't it easier to just use a tour operator?+
Well, yes, a tour operator will book all the individual parts of your travel for you and provide a guide. That's obvious, but doing this has the potential to save the group thousands, which can in turn improve your itinerary substantially or save you huge amounts of money. Also, when you launch a departure, Travel Crew has tools in place to help you book the individual sections of the trip or make it easier for you to do this as a group. Really, you do not need a middle man. If you are more comfortable paying more and using a middle man, then you should certainly do this.
Is it safer to book through a tour operator?+
Arguably, there isn't much difference. A self-launched trip runs on the same principle as a group travel crew: collective responsibility, everyone looking out for each other, the same way it would if a group of friends organised the trip themselves — because that's exactly what's happening. You should always take out travel insurance before you go, self-launched or not; that doesn't change either way. Every open departure is published publicly with real dates and a real trip organiser, so it's never an anonymous arrangement, and our support team is reachable any time you need help, including in an emergency while you're away. Longer-term, we're building direct relationships with ground DMCs in popular destinations, offered as an optional paid add-on for extra on-the-ground support. Ultimately, though, the group is responsible for its own conduct and safety on a self-launched trip, same as on any trip you plan yourself.
What kind of trip is this?+
This is a culture, city-breaks, budget trip through Europe, self-launched rather than run by a tour operator — you organise it with a group you find or bring yourself.
Would you like to name the operator, name the trip, or have any suggestions about how to improve this itinerary?
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