Europe Explorer: Self-Launched 18-Day Grand Tour of Europe

Start early in Amsterdam and take the IC train to Antwerp (~2h, £25–30 booked in advance), then a local train 30 mins on to Ghent (£6). Spend 3–4 hours wandering Ghent's medieval centre — Gravensteen castle, the Graslei canal side, St Bavo's Cathedral. In the late afternoon take the train Ghent–Brussels–Paris (Thalys/Eurostar or the slower IC via Lille, 2.5–3h, £30–55 if booked early). Check into a hostel in the 18th arrondissement or near Gare du Nord, grab a cheap dinner in Montmartre.

🚌IC train Amsterdam–Antwerp (~£28), local train to Ghent (~£6 return-ish via day ticket), train Ghent–Paris (~£30–55 advance)

🛏Hostel dorm in Paris 18e / Gare du Nord area (e.g. St Christopher's Canal or similar), £25–35

• →Gravensteen castle & Graslei canals, Ghent
• →Evening wander in Montmartre

Full day in Paris on foot and by Metro. Walk the Arc de Triomphe to Eiffel Tower axis, cross to the Latin Quarter, then head up to Montmartre for sunset. Book a Seine river cruise via GetYourGuide (~£14–18) and, if you want the cabaret, book Moulin Rouge direct well in advance (expensive, £120+). Cheaper alternative: a £5 picnic from a boulangerie on the Seine banks. Metro day pass ~£8.

🚌Metro day pass (Navigo Easy) ~£8

🛏Hostel dorm in Paris, £25–35

• →Arc de Triomphe & Champs-Élysées walk
• →Eiffel Tower & Trocadéro
• →Seine river cruise (GetYourGuide, ~£16)
• →Latin Quarter & Montmartre

Take a morning TGV/Intercités from Paris Austerlitz or Montparnasse towards Cahors (~4.5h, £35–50 booked early). Cahors sits in the Malbec vineyards — stop for a couple of hours, do a short winery tasting at a caveau in town (~£8–12) and see the Valentré bridge. Continue by regional train to Toulouse (~1h, £10). Evening stroll along the Garonne and the Capitole square.

🚌Train Paris–Cahors (~£40), train Cahors–Toulouse (~£10)

🛏Budget guesthouse/hostel near Toulouse centre, £22–30

• →Cahors old town & Valentré bridge
• →Malbec wine tasting at a local caveau
• →Capitole & Garonne riverfront, Toulouse

This is the awkward leg on public transport, so plan it. Take the morning train Toulouse–L'Hospitalet-près-l'Andorre (~2h, £15), then the Andbus/ski shuttle over the pass into Andorra la Vella (~45 mins, £8–10). Spend 3 hours in Andorra — duty-free shops, the old town, a mountain viewpoint. Then take the direct Andbus Andorra–Barcelona coach (~3h, £26–30, book online in advance). Arrive Barcelona in the evening.

🚌Train Toulouse–L'Hospitalet (~£15), shuttle to Andorra (~£9), Andbus Andorra–Barcelona (~£28)

🛏Hostel dorm in Barcelona (Gràcia/Eixample), £22–30

• →Andorra la Vella old town & viewpoints
• →Pyrenees mountain scenery from the bus

Book Sagrada Família tickets direct online in advance (~£22–26) for a morning slot. Afternoon in the Gothic Quarter and a wander through La Boqueria market for cheap tapas and jamón. Evening: either a flamenco show booked via GetYourGuide (~£20–30) or free beach time at Barceloneta. Buy a T-casual 10-ride metro card (~£10).

🚌Metro T-casual 10 rides ~£10

🛏Hostel dorm in Barcelona, £22–30

• →Sagrada Família (book direct, ~£24)
• →La Boqueria market
• →Gothic Quarter walking
• →Flamenco show or Barceloneta beach

Take an early AVE/TGV Barcelona–Narbonne or direct to Montpellier (~3h, £30–45 early booking), then a regional TER train to Sète for a couple of hours by the canals and oyster quays (£6). Continue to Avignon via Nîmes (2h, £15). From Avignon take a local bus to the Pont du Gard (~40 mins, £2) for late afternoon at the Roman aqueduct. Return to Avignon for the evening and see the Palais des Papes lit up from outside for free.

🚌TGV Barcelona–Montpellier/Narbonne (~£38), TER to Sète and Avignon (~£20), local bus to Pont du Gard (~£2)

🛏Budget hotel/hostel inside Avignon walls, £25–35

• →Sète canals & quays
• →Pont du Gard Roman aqueduct (site entry ~£7)
• →Avignon old town & Rocher des Doms

Regional train Avignon–Marseille (~1h, £12), then the coastal train Marseille–Nice (~2.5h, £22). Drop bags at the hostel and ride the cheap coastal TER line Nice–Monaco (~25 mins, £4 each way) for an afternoon of Monaco's old town, the Prince's Palace exterior and the casino square. Back in Nice for the evening — walk the Promenade des Anglais and eat socca in the old town (~£5).

🚌Train Avignon–Marseille–Nice (~£34), TER Nice–Monaco return (~£8)

🛏Hostel dorm in Nice (Port or Vieux Nice), £25–35

• →Monaco old town & Prince's Palace
• →Casino de Monte-Carlo exterior
• →Promenade des Anglais & Vieux Nice

Long travel day. Train Nice–Ventimiglia (~45 mins, £7), change to an Italian regional to Pisa (~3h, £15). See the Leaning Tower and Campo dei Miracoli from outside for free (climbing is ~£18 if you want it). Train Pisa–Florence (~1h, £9). Spend a couple of hours on the Ponte Vecchio and Piazza della Signoria, then a regional train down to a Tuscan base like Arezzo or Siena (~1.5h, £10). Book a countryside agriturismo or hostel for two nights.

🚌Train Nice–Ventimiglia (~£7), Ventimiglia–Pisa (~£15), Pisa–Florence (~£9), Florence–Arezzo (~£10)

🛏Agriturismo/hostel near Arezzo or Siena, £22–30

• →Leaning Tower of Pisa & Campo dei Miracoli
• →Ponte Vecchio & Piazza della Signoria, Florence

Morning in the Tuscan countryside — a walk through the hills, or a short bus to a hill town like Cortona (£3). Early afternoon train to Rome (~1.5–2h, £15–20). Check in, then do a free evening orientation walk: Pantheon (free), Trevi Fountain, Piazza Navona and a cheap plate of cacio e pepe in Trastevere (~£12). Consider a free walking tour (tip-based, ~£5–10 tip).

🚌Train Arezzo–Rome (~£18)

🛏Hostel dorm in Rome (Termini/Trastevere), £25–35

• →Tuscan hill town walk
• →Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Piazza Navona
• →Trastevere evening

Big sightseeing day. Book the Colosseum + Roman Forum combined ticket direct on the official site (~£16, sells out fast) for an early slot. Afternoon across the river to Vatican City — St Peter's Basilica is free, Vatican Museums + Sistine Chapel ~£18–20 booked direct online. Skip-the-line guides on GetYourGuide cost £30–50 if you'd rather have context. Finish with cheap pizza al taglio and gelato (~£8).

🚌Metro/bus day ticket ~£6

🛏Hostel dorm in Rome, £25–35

• →Colosseum & Roman Forum (official ticket ~£16)
• →Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel (~£19)
• →St Peter's Basilica (free)

Early regional train Rome–Siena via Chiusi (~3h, £18). Wander the Piazza del Campo and the Duomo exterior for a few hours. Then train Siena–Florence–Venice (~3.5–4h, £25–35 booked early). Arrive Venice in the evening; buy a vaporetto single (£8) or a 24h pass (£18–20) and stay on the mainland at Mestre to save money.

🚌Train Rome–Siena (~£18), Siena–Venice (~£30), vaporetto to city (~£8)

🛏Hostel/guesthouse in Mestre, £22–30

• →Piazza del Campo, Siena
• →Duomo di Siena exterior
• →Evening canals in Venice

Full day in Venice with a 24h vaporetto pass (~£19). Take line 12 out to Murano and Burano islands for glass and lace workshops — free to wander, glass-blowing demos ~£5–10. Back in the city, walk the Rialto, San Marco square (basilica free, queue early) and the Dorsoduro backstreets. A gondola shared ride booked via GetYourGuide is ~£30–35; a traghetto crossing (locals' standing gondola) is under £2.

🚌Vaporetto 24h pass ~£19

🛏Hostel/guesthouse in Mestre, £22–30

• →Murano & Burano islands
• →Glass-blowing demonstration
• →Rialto & San Marco
• →Traghetto crossing (~£2) or shared gondola (~£32)

Train Venice–Milan (~2.5h, £25), then Milan–Lucerne via Arth-Goldau (~3h, £35–45 — Swiss fares are pricey, so buy a Supersaver ticket online). Spend 2–3 hours in Lucerne: Chapel Bridge, Lion Monument, lakefront. Then a regional train up to a mountain village base such as Engelberg, Meiringen or Interlaken (~1h, £15). Budget Swiss accommodation carefully — it's the most expensive stop on the trip.

🚌Train Venice–Milan (~£25), Milan–Lucerne Supersaver (~£40), Lucerne–Alps (~£15)

🛏Mountain hostel dorm in Engelberg/Interlaken area, £35–45

• →Chapel Bridge & Lion Monument, Lucerne
• →Lake Lucerne waterfront
• →Alpine village evening

The Jungfraujoch is spectacular but very expensive (~£180 return with the Eurail/Interrail discount). A cheaper and arguably better-value alternative: the Titlis Rotair from Engelberg (~£85) or, cheaper still, a day of valley hiking and a cable car to a lower summit like Fürenalp or First near Grindelwald (~£35–50). Packed lunch from the Coop supermarket saves a fortune. Look out for alpine cheese and a cheap mountain-hut dinner.

🚌Local trains and cable cars, £30–60 depending on choice

🛏Mountain hostel dorm, £35–45

• →Alpine hiking
• →Cable car to a summit viewpoint (Titlis ~£85 or cheaper alternatives ~£40)
• →Optional Jungfraujoch (~£180) if budget allows

Train to Basel (~2h, £30 with Supersaver), then a Baden-Württemberg regional ticket (Quer-durchs-Land or Länderticket, ~£22 for the day) to Freiburg and on to Titisee in the Black Forest. Walk the lake, stop at Triberg for the waterfalls and the giant cuckoo clock, and end in Freiburg or Bretten for the night. German prices drop sharply after Switzerland — enjoy it.

🚌Train Alps–Basel (~£30), German regional day ticket (~£22)

🛏Budget guesthouse/hostel in Freiburg or Bretten, £22–30

• →Lake Titisee
• →Triberg waterfalls & cuckoo clock
• →Black Forest countryside

Regional train to the Rhine at Offenburg or Karlsruhe, then a short hop to Boppard or St Goar (~£12 with a regional ticket). Take a KD Rhine river boat between St Goar and Boppard (~£10–15 one way) through the Loreley valley, and do a small Rheingau/Mittelrhein wine tasting at a local winery (~£10). Evening: train to Amsterdam via Koblenz–Cologne–Arnhem (~4.5h, £30–45 with a Sparpreis ticket).

🚌Regional tickets to Rhine (~£12), river boat (~£12), train Rhine–Amsterdam Sparpreis (~£38)

🛏Hostel or budget hotel near Amsterdam Sloterdijk/Schiphol, £25–35

• →Rhine river cruise, St Goar–Boppard
• →Rhine Valley wine tasting
• →Loreley viewpoint

Morning canal cruise booked via GetYourGuide (~£15–18). Afternoon: either free wandering in the Jordaan and the Nine Streets, or a cheap bus/train out to Zaanse Schans for the windmills (£8 return) and Volendam (£10 bus). A cheese farm and clog workshop are free to visit at Zaanse Schans. Farewell dinner: Indonesian rijsttafel or a cheap brown-café meal (~£15).

🚌GVB day ticket ~£8, regional bus to Zaanse Schans ~£8

🛏Hostel or budget hotel near Amsterdam Sloterdijk/Schiphol, £25–35

• →Amsterdam canal cruise (~£16)
• →Zaanse Schans windmills
• →Jordaan & Nine Streets
• →Rijsttafel farewell dinner

Breakfast and a final walk before heading to Schiphol for your flight home (train from Centraal ~£5, 20 mins). If you have a late flight, the Rijksmuseum gardens and the Albert Cuyp market are free to browse.

🚌Train to Schiphol ~£5

🛏None (departure day)

• →Albert Cuyp market
• →Final Amsterdam wander