Self-Launched: Madrid to Rome Across Spain, France, Switzerland & Italy

Land in Madrid and settle into a hostel or budget guesthouse near Sol, La Latina or Lavapiés (options around Plaza de Santa Ana and Calle de Atocha are cheap and central; a dorm bed runs £18–25, a private double in a guesthouse £45–60). Spend the late afternoon walking the old Habsburg quarter: Plaza Mayor, the arcaded streets of La Latina and the Sunday-morning-crowd favourite Cava Baja. Dinner from a menú del día or a tapas crawl in La Latina — Spanish, Indian, Chinese and Middle Eastern spots all cluster around Plaza Mayor. Buy a 10-trip Metrobús ticket (£10) if you plan to use the metro a lot.

🚌Metro from Barajas Airport to the centre, ~£4.50 (or Cercanías train ~£2.30). Airport bus £4.50.

🛏Hostel or budget guesthouse near Sol / La Latina (dorm £18–25, private £45–60)

• →Plaza Mayor
• →La Latina tapas streets
• →Cava Baja
• →Free evening walk of the Habsburg quarter

Do the original's guided city tour on foot and by metro. Start on Paseo del Prado (free to walk, or enter the Prado for £13 / free 18:00–20:00), pass the Cibeles and Neptuno fountains and Puerta de Alcalá, then walk up to Plaza de Colón. Spend the afternoon in Retiro Park — the boating lake and the Palacio de Cristal glasshouse are both free. Finish with the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium self-guided tour (£25–30, book a timed slot on the Real Madrid site or GetYourGuide). Free alternative: the Bernabéu Museum is skippable if the budget is tight and the stadium is under renovation works.

🚌Walking plus metro singles ~£1.50 each

🛏Same Madrid hostel/guesthouse

• →Paseo del Prado & Prado Museum
• →Cibeles & Neptuno fountains
• →Puerta de Alcalá & Plaza de Colón
• →Retiro Park lake & Palacio de Cristal
• →Santiago Bernabéu Stadium self-guided tour

Take an early AVE or Avlo high-speed train from Madrid Atocha to Zaragoza (1h20, £20–35 booked in advance on Renfe). Store bags at the station and walk 15 minutes to the Basílica del Pilar on the Ebro — free entry to the basilica, small fee for the tower lift. Grab lunch (tapas + a caña, £10). Continue by regional train or ALSA bus Zaragoza → Barcelona (high-speed train 1h30, £25–40; bus 3h30, £18–25). Check into a hostel in El Raval, Gràcia or Poblet-adjacent Eixample. Note: the tour's Poblet Abbey detour needs a car — most independent travellers swap it for the free Montserrat day-trip option later if time allows.

🚌Renfe AVE/Avlo Madrid–Zaragoza £20–35; Zaragoza–Barcelona train £25–40 or ALSA bus £18–25

🛏Barcelona hostel (dorm £20–28, private £55–75)

• →Basílica del Pilar, Zaragoza
• →Walk along the Ebro
• →Evening in Barcelona's Gràcia or El Raval

Self-guided Gaudí day. Book Sagrada Família online in advance (£26 with tower, £20 basic) for the earliest slot, then walk the Ramblas, the Boqueria market (free) and the Gothic Quarter. In the afternoon see Casa Batlló or La Pedrera from the street or pay to enter (£25–30 each — pick one). A free walking tour of the Gothic Quarter (tip-based, £5–10 tip) covers the history the coach guide would have given. Eat at a menú del día (£12–15) rather than the tourist-trap Ramblas terraces.

🚌Metro T-casual 10-ride ticket £11

🛏Same Barcelona hostel

• →Sagrada Família (timed ticket)
• →Las Ramblas & La Boqueria
• →Gothic Quarter free walking tour
• →Casa Batlló or La Pedrera (exterior or one interior)

Take a regional Renfe train Barcelona → Girona (40 min, £8–12). Walk the medieval old town, the cathedral steps (Game of Thrones filming spots) and the Jewish Quarter — free, self-guided with a downloaded map or a £10 tip-based walking tour. Have lunch in the Plaça de la Independència. In the late afternoon head north: regional train or FlixBus Girona → Perpignan / Narbonne (1h30–2h, £12–18) and overnight near the station or continue to Arles by evening bus if timings allow. Budget guesthouse or hostel in Perpignan/Narbonne (£25–35).

🚌Renfe Barcelona–Girona £8–12; cross-border train/bus Girona–Perpignan £12–18

🛏Budget guesthouse in Perpignan or Narbonne (private £30–40)

• →Girona Cathedral & old town
• →Jewish Quarter
• →Plaça de la Independència lunch

Train or bus Perpignan/Narbonne → Arles (1h30, £10–15). See the Roman amphitheatre and theatre (combined ticket ~£10, or free to view from outside) and the Romanesque church of St-Trophime. Book the Carrières des Lumières immersive art show in advance (£12–14, timed entry, 5 km from town — bus or 20-min walk/taxi-share). Lunch in Arles (£10–12). Late afternoon take a train Arles → Lyon → Chambéry (approx 3h30 total, £30–45 if booked ahead) and overnight in a Chambéry hostel or budget hotel (£30–40). Alternative: push on to Annecy, which has better budget hostels.

🚌Perpignan–Arles £10–15; Arles–Chambéry via Lyon £30–45

🛏Chambéry or Annecy hostel/budget hotel (£30–40)

• →Roman amphitheatre & theatre of Arles
• →Church of St-Trophime
• →Carrières des Lumières immersive show

Cross into Switzerland by train (Chambéry → Geneva, ~1h30, £18–25 — book on SBB in advance for cheaper supersaver fares). Walk from the station to the Jet d'Eau and the English Garden and see the Palais des Nations from outside (free; guided UN tours need advance booking, £12, passport required). Then take a train Geneva → Bulle/Gruyères (1h45) to visit the medieval village and the Maison Cailler chocolate factory (£12 with tasting — book ahead). Continue to Veytaux-Chillon for Chillon Castle (£13 entry, lakeside, open late). Overnight in Montreux or Vevey hostel (£35–45 — Swiss prices are the budget-killer on this route; a HI hostel dorm is the cheapest option). Swiss Travel Pass is not worth it for two days; buy point-to-point supersaver tickets instead.

🚌Chambéry–Geneva £18–25; Geneva–Bulle £18; Bulle–Montreux £15 (all supersaver where possible)

🛏HI hostel in Montreux or Vevey (dorm £35–45)

• →Jet d'Eau & English Garden
• →Palais des Nations (exterior or pre-booked UN tour)
• →Gruyères medieval village
• →Maison Cailler chocolate factory & tasting
• →Chillon Castle

Take the GoldenPass or BLS train Montreux → Les Diablerets / Col du Pillon (2h, £15–20). Ride the Glacier 3000 cable car (£55–62 return; peak walk suspension bridge, ice cathedral and fun park included — book online, check the weather and webcam first, it closes in high wind). Afternoon train to Interlaken (2h, £20–25) for lake views and a walk between Thun and Brienz — free. Overnight in Interlaken's backpacker hostels (£30–40, lots of choice). Note Swiss food is expensive: supermarket picnic dinners (Coop/Migros) keep costs sane at £8–10.

🚌Montreux–Les Diablerets £15–20; Les Diablerets–Interlaken £20–25

🛏Interlaken backpacker hostel (dorm £30–40)

• →Glacier 3000 cable car & Peak Walk suspension bridge
• →Ice Cathedral
• →Interlaken & Lake Thun/Brienz viewpoints

Long travel day — the original also crams this into one. Train Interlaken → Bellinzona via Lucerne or the Gotthard Base Tunnel (3h–3h30, £30–40). Store bags and walk to Castelgrande (lift, free to enter courtyards) and, if time, Castello di Montebello (combined castle ticket £12) — UNESCO-listed. Continue by train Bellinzona → Como San Giovanni (40 min, £6–8). Wander Como's lakeside and cathedral, then take the 40-minute Trenord regional train Como → Milano Cadorna (£4.50). Overnight in a Milan hostel near Centrale or Porta Romana (£25–35).

🚌Interlaken–Bellinzona £30–40; Bellinzona–Como £6–8; Como–Milan £4.50

🛏Milan hostel (dorm £25–35)

• →Bellinzona's three castles (Castelgrande, Montebello, Sasso Corbaro)
• →Como cathedral & lakeside
• →Evening walk in Milan's Navigli

Morning in Milan: the Duomo (free entry is limited; roof terraces £12–15 booked online) and the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, plus a look at the Castello Sforzesco courtyards (free). Then take a Frecciarossa or Italo train Milan → Pisa Centrale (4h, £25–40 if booked ahead) — or break the journey with a Florence stop. Walk or take the LAM Rossa bus to Piazza dei Miracoli (£1.50); the square is free, climbing the Leaning Tower costs £18 (pre-book a slot — sells out). Evening regional train Pisa → Rome (3h, £15–25) and check into a hostel or budget guesthouse near Termini (£25–35).

🚌Milan–Pisa high-speed £25–40; Pisa–Rome regional £15–25

🛏Rome hostel/budget guesthouse near Termini (dorm £25–35, private £55–70)

• →Milan Duomo & Galleria
• →Castello Sforzesco courtyards
• →Piazza dei Miracoli & Leaning Tower of Pisa

Self-guided Imperial Rome: the Colosseum + Roman Forum + Palatine combined ticket (£16, book online to skip the queue; free first Sunday of the month), then walk Via dei Fori Imperiali to Piazza Venezia. Optional add-ons the tour sells: Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel (£17–22 direct on the Vatican site, or £40–70 with a GetYourGuide skip-the-line guide) and a Baroque Rome walk covering Piazza di Spagna, Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon (£5 entry) and Piazza Navona — do it yourself for free. In the evening head to Trastevere for dinner (£15–20) across the river. Stay the final night or fly out from Fiumicino (Leonardo Express £12 / regional train £7).

🚌Metro/walking in Rome ~£3; airport train £7–12

🛏Rome hostel/budget guesthouse near Termini

• →Colosseum, Roman Forum & Palatine Hill
• →Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel (optional)
• →Trevi Fountain, Pantheon & Piazza Navona self-guided walk
• →Trastevere evening