Grand European Self-Launched: London to Paris in 21 Days

Take the Eurostar from London St Pancras to Brussels (book 6-8 weeks ahead for ~£40-60), then a Belgian IC train to Bruges (~£12, 1hr). Check into a hostel or guesthouse near the centre, then walk the canals and gabled lanes at your own pace — the Markt, the Belfry, the Minnewater lake and the Rozenhoedkaai viewpoint at dusk. Do a self-guided walk with a free map from the tourist office, or join a free walking tour (tip-based) at 10:30 or 14:00. Evening: moules-frites or a beer in a brown café.

🚌Eurostar London-Brussels ~£40-60 + IC train Brussels-Bruges ~£12

🛏Hostel or budget guesthouse in central Bruges (dorm ~£22-30, private ~£50-70)

• →Canal-side walk and Belfry
• →Free walking tour (tip-based)
• →Minnewater and Rozenhoedkaai at sunset

Morning train Bruges-Brussels-Antwerp-Rotterdam to Amsterdam (IC, ~£35, 3.5hrs). Check into a hostel in the canal ring. Afternoon: book a 1-hour canal boat cruise via GetYourGuide (~£16), then wander the Jordaan. If you liked the 'dairy farm dinner' idea, book a countryside bike-and-cheese farm tour, or simply eat at a local brown café or a market stall on Albert Cuypstraat.

🚌Belgian/Dutch IC trains ~£35

🛏Hostel in the canal ring (dorm ~£28-38)

• →Amsterdam canal boat cruise (GetYourGuide ~£16)
• →Jordaan wander and Albert Cuyp market

Train Amsterdam-Cologne-Koblenz (~£30 with a Sparpreis ticket, 4hrs), then the local Mittelrhein line or a boat to Boppard/St Goar. Book a Rhine river cruise from St Goar or Boppard online or on the day (~£20-25 for the 1-2hr Lorelei stretch) — you'll pass castles, vineyards and the Lorelei Rock. Optional side trip to Heidelberg by train (adds a day) or simply stay riverside and do a short hike to a castle viewpoint. Sleep in a small family gasthof in St Goar or Boppard.

🚌IC train Amsterdam-Koblenz ~£30 + local train/boat to St Goar ~£5-8

🛏Budget gasthof or pension in St Goar/Boppard (~£35-45)

• →Lorelei and castle river cruise (~£20-25)
• →Riverside walk and viewpoint hike

Train St Goar/Rüdesheim to Freiburg or Basel (~£25-35), with a stop to see Freiburg's old town. Cross into Switzerland by train; the Rhine Falls at Schaffhausen are a short detour from the Zürich-Basel line (SBB savings tickets ~£35-45 total). Arrive Lucerne late afternoon and check into a hostel — Lucerne Backpackers or a budget hotel on the edge of the old town.

🚌Regional trains with a Swiss saver pass ~£35-45

🛏Hostel or budget hotel in Lucerne (~£35-45 dorm, £70-90 private)

• →Freiburg old town stop
• →Rhine Falls at Schaffhausen (optional)

Walk the Chapel Bridge, Lion Monument and old town walls yourself. For the 'mountain and cruise' option, book a Rigi or Pilatus round-trip (cogwheel/téléphérique + lake boat, ~£45-60 with a Tell Pass or half-fare card) — far cheaper than the tour's optional. Picnic by the lake instead of a hotel dinner. Evening: a drink on the Reuss riverside.

🚌Local ferry and cogwheel railway ~£45-60

🛏Hostel or budget hotel in Lucerne

• →Chapel Bridge and Lion Monument
• →Rigi or Pilatus mountain trip (~£45-60)
• →Lake Lucerne walk

Take the train Lucerne-Zürich-Sargans, then the bus into Vaduz, Liechtenstein (~£30-40 all in). Spend 2-3 hours seeing Vaduz castle from below and getting a passport stamp at the tourist office. Continue to Innsbruck via Buchs/Arlberg (~£25). Check in, stretch your legs on Maria-Theresien-Strasse and see the Golden Roof lit up. Hostel or pension on the edge of the old town.

🚌Swiss/Austrian trains and Liechtenstein postbus ~£50-60

🛏Hostel or pension in Innsbruck (~£30-40 dorm)

• →Vaduz, Liechtenstein
• →Golden Roof and old town Innsbruck

Train Innsbruck-Salzburg (~£20, 2hrs). Store bags, then follow the Sound of Music sights on foot: Mirabell Gardens, Salzburg Cathedral, Getreidegasse and Mozart's birthplace. A self-guided map from the tourist office is ~£3. Afternoon train Salzburg-Vienna (~£25-35) or a cheap Westbahn/Railjet saver fare. Hostel near Westbahnhof or in the 7th district.

🚌Railjet/Westbahn trains ~£45-55

🛏Hostel in Vienna (~£30-40 dorm)

• →Sound of Music and Mozart locations in Salzburg
• →Mirabell Gardens and Salzburg Cathedral

Start with a free tip-based walking tour of the Ringstrasse (10:30 daily) to see the State Opera, City Hall, Parliament and Hofburg. Afternoon: pick one paid sight — Schönbrunn Palace grounds (free) with the palace ticket (~£18), or the Hofburg's imperial apartments (~£15). Evening: standing tickets at the State Opera (~£4-10) or a busker-orchestra concert at a palace.

🚌Vienna U-Bahn day ticket ~£5

🛏Hostel in Vienna

• →Free Ringstrasse walking tour
• →Schönbrunn grounds or Hofburg apartments (~£15-18)
• →Standing ticket at the State Opera (~£4-10)

Long travel day: Nightjet sleeper Vienna-Venice (book early, ~£50-70 in a couchette) if you want to save a night's accommodation and arrive fresh, or an evening Railjet to Venice via Villach (~£45-65, 7-8hrs). Stay on the Lido or in Mestre to keep costs down — Vaporetto day passes are ~£18 for 24hrs; the 48hr pass is ~£28 and worth it if you'll use it twice.

🚌Nightjet couchette ~£50-70 or Railjet ~£45-65

🛏Budget hotel or guesthouse in Mestre/Lido (~£40-55)

• →Travel day — Venice arrival

Do Venice old-school: vaporetto to San Marco early before the crowds, Doge's Palace ticket booked online (~£25, skip the queue) and the Bridge of Sighs. Book a Murano glass-blowing demo via GetYourGuide (~£20-25 including boat transfer) instead of the tour's included demo. Afternoon: get lost in Cannaregio's calli, a Venice spritz (~£3-4 at a bacaro) and optional trip to Burano (~£5 ferry leg).

🚌Vaporetto 48hr pass ~£28

🛏Budget hotel or guesthouse in Mestre/Lido

• →Doge's Palace skip-the-line (~£25)
• →Murano glass demo + boat (~£20-25)
• →Burano (optional) and cannaregio wander

Train Venice-Bologna-Foligno (~£25-35, 4.5hrs), then the local bus to Assisi (~£4). Check into a pilgrim guesthouse or small hotel inside the walls (~£35-50). Visit the Basilica of St Francis (free entry, modest dress) and the Basilica of St Mary of the Angels below the town. Sunset from the Rocca Maggiore walk. Dinner is simple Umbrian food — strangozzi pasta and local wine.

🚌Train + local bus ~£30-40

🛏Pilgrim guesthouse or budget hotel in Assisi (~£35-50)

• →Basilica of St Francis
• →Basilica of St Mary of the Angels
• →Rocca Maggiore sunset walk

Train Assisi-Foligno-Rome-Naples (~£30-40 with a Frecciarossa saver fare). Naples is worth a half-day detour: pizza at Da Michele or Sorbillo (~£4) and a wander through the Spanish Quarter. Continue by Circumvesuviana train to Pompeii (~£3). Stay in modern Pompeii town, a short walk from the ruins. Optional: Monte Cassino is on the route by bus if you're keen on the WWII battlefield site.

🚌Trains + Circumvesuviana ~£40-45

🛏Budget B&B in Pompeii (~£35-50)

• →Naples street-food stop
• →Circumvesuviana arrival

Book a Pompeii entry + guided tour via GetYourGuide or Klook (~£25-35, includes an archaeologist guide — far better than wandering the ruins blind). Then train Pompeii-Sorrento (~£2) or go from Naples; the hydrofoil to Capri is ~£20 each way. Do the funicular up to Capri town (~£3) and the walk to the Faraglioni — a self-guided option is plenty. Return ferry to Naples in the afternoon, then Frecciarossa Naples-Rome (~£15-25 saver). Hostel in central Rome.

🚌Capri hydrofoil ~£40 return + trains ~£25

🛏Hostel in central Rome (~£30-40 dorm)

• →Pompeii archaeological tour with guide (~£30)
• →Capri funicular and Faraglioni walk
• →Ferry to Capri

Book the Vatican Museums + Sistine Chapel skip-the-line entry direct or via GetYourGuide (~£20-30) for the early slot. Afternoon: Colosseum + Roman Forum combined ticket (~£16 direct, book online — the tour's 'view' from a bus isn't a visit, so do it properly), then Circus Maximus. Evening: free walk past the Trevi Fountain and Pantheon, dinner in Trastevere (~£15-20).

🚌Metro/bus day ticket ~£6

🛏Hostel in central Rome

• →Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel (~£25)
• →Colosseum and Roman Forum (~£16)
• →Trevi Fountain, Pantheon and Trastevere

Frecciarossa Rome-Florence (~£20-30 saver, 1.5hrs). Check in, then do Florence on foot: Piazza della Signoria, the Duomo and Baptistery (free outside, dome climb ~£25 if you want it), and Ponte Vecchio. Book Uffizi or Accademia (David) directly online — Accademia is ~£13, Uffizi ~£20 with a timed slot. Sunset at Piazzale Michelangelo is a free must-do. A leathercraft workshop stand-in: browse the San Lorenzo market leather stalls.

🚌Frecciarossa ~£20-30

🛏Hostel or budget guesthouse in Florence (~£30-40 dorm)

• →Duomo, Piazza della Signoria and Ponte Vecchio
• →Accademia or Uffizi (~£13-20)
• →Piazzale Michelangelo sunset

Early train Florence-Pisa (~£8), see the Leaning Tower and Piazza dei Miracoli in an hour or two. Then train Pisa-Ventimiglia (~£15) and on to Monaco (~£4) — see the harbour and the Casino square, then the coastal TER train to Nice (~£4). Late check-in at a hostel or cheap hotel near Nice centre. It's a long day, so pre-book all legs the night before.

🚌Regional trains Florence-Nice via Pisa/Ventimiglia ~£30

🛏Hostel or budget hotel in Nice (~£30-40 dorm)

• →Leaning Tower and Piazza dei Miracoli
• →Monaco harbour stop

Bus 400 from Nice to Saint-Paul-de-Vence (~£2) — the medieval hilltop town is free to wander. Back in Nice: free walking tour of the old town (tip-based), the Promenade des Anglais, and a swim at the pebble beach. Optional Fragonard perfumery in Grasse via bus (~£5) or the coastal corniches with the same bus network. Cheap niçois socca (~£3) for lunch.

🚌Lignes d'Azur bus day pass ~£5

🛏Hostel or budget hotel in Nice

• →Saint-Paul-de-Vence
• →Nice old town free walking tour and Promenade des Anglais
• →Optional Grasse perfumery

Train Nice-Marseille-Avignon (~£25-35). See the Papal Palace exterior and the Pont d'Avignon (bridge entry ~£5 or free to view from the riverbank). Then TGV/TER Avignon-Dijon-Beaune (~£20-30). Beaune is small and walkable — the Hospices de Beaune (~£10) is the standout, plus the ramparts and a tasting room in the old town.

🚌TER/TGV trains ~£45-60

🛏Budget hotel or guesthouse in Beaune (~£45-60)

• →Papal Palace and Pont d'Avignon
• →Beaune ramparts and old town
• →Hospices de Beaune (~£10)

TGV Beaune-Paris Gare de Lyon (~£30-45 if booked ahead, 2hrs). Check into a hostel in the 10th/11th or a budget hotel near the Marais. Evening: walk the Seine banks, cross to Île de la Cité, and see Notre Dame from outside. Optional cabaret (Moulin Rouge ~£110, or Latin Quarter jazz clubs ~£10-15).

🚌TGV ~£30-45 + Metro tickets ~£5

🛏Hostel in central Paris (~£30-45 dorm)

• →Seine walk and Île de la Cité
• →Optional cabaret or jazz club

Free tip-based walking tour of central Paris (9:30/10:30 start) or self-guided: Champs-Élysées, Arc de Triomphe (~£13 to climb), and a picnic lunch in the Tuileries. Eiffel Tower: book the summit or second-floor lift online in advance (~£25-30) — or just see it from the Trocadéro for free. Afternoon in the Latin Quarter and Shakespeare & Co. Cheap dinner in Belleville or a crêperie in Montparnasse.

🚌Metro day pass ~£8

🛏Hostel in central Paris

• →Free walking tour or Champs-Élysées and Arc de Triomphe
• →Eiffel Tower entry (~£25-30) or Trocadéro view
• →Latin Quarter wander

Final morning: market breakfast in the 11th, a walk along the Canal Saint-Martin, or a last museum if you've pre-booked. Check out and head to Gare du Nord for the Eurostar home (~£40-70 if booked early), or continue onward. If you'd rather loop back to London the way the original tour does, add a Eurostar to St Pancras at the end.

🚌Airport/metro transfer + optional Eurostar Paris-London ~£40-70

🛏—

• →Canal Saint-Martin or market breakfast
• →Departure