Romantic Europe: Paris to Prague — Self-Launched

Land in Paris and check into a hostel around Canal Saint-Martin or the 10th/11th arrondissement (Generator Paris, St Christopher's Canal or a Montmartre guesthouse are solid budget picks near the Metro). Ease in with a wander up to Sacré-Cœur and Montmartre's lanes, then take a free evening stroll along the Seine. Skip the operator's evening panoramic coach tour — the Metro plus a public Vélib' bike does the same job for a few euros.

🚌RER B from CDG (~£10.50) or Roissybus (~£3.50); Metro single ticket ~£1.80

🛏Hostel dorm or simple double, Canal Saint-Martin / Montmartre area (~£30/night)

• →Montmartre & Sacré-Cœur walk (free)
• →Seine riverside evening stroll (free)
• →Self-guided night photo walk of the Marais

Do your own walking circuit of central Paris: Notre-Dame exterior, the Latin Quarter, Luxembourg Gardens, the Louvre courtyard and the Champs-Élysées. In the afternoon take RER C out to Versailles — book the palace ticket online in advance to skip the queue (roughly £18) or just explore the gardens for free. Return in the evening for a cheap crêpe dinner in the Latin Quarter.

🚌Metro day pass ~£7 (Navigo Easy); RER C to Versailles ~£3.50 each way

🛏Hostel dorm or simple double, Paris (~£30/night)

• →Self-guided central Paris walking route
• →Palace of Versailles & gardens (pre-book online ~£18)
• →Latin Quarter evening food wander

Pre-book Eiffel Tower tickets online (release ~60 days ahead — stairs-to-second-floor tickets are cheapest at around £12, lift around £20). Afterwards take a Batobus hop-on boat or a 1-hour Bateaux Parisiens cruise on the Seine (~£15) instead of the operator's included cruise. Afternoon free for the Musée d'Orsay or a picnic in the Champ de Mars.

🚌Metro tickets ~£4

🛏Hostel dorm or simple double, Paris (~£30/night)

• →Eiffel Tower second floor (pre-book ~£12–20)
• →Seine river cruise (~£15)
• →Optional Musée d'Orsay (~£14)

Take a morning TGV from Paris Gare de Lyon to Beaune (approx 2h, book 2–3 months ahead for ~£25–35), stash bags in the station, and wander the Hospices de Beaune and the wine museum area. Then continue by regional train to Lyon (~1h30, ~£15). In the evening ride the funicular to Notre-Dame de Fourvière for the view, and eat in a bouchon on Rue Mercière.

🚌TGV Paris–Beaune ~£30 + TER Beaune–Lyon ~£15

🛏Hostel or budget hotel, Presqu'île / Vieux Lyon (~£28/night)

• →Beaune old town & Hospices exterior (free)
• →Fourvière funicular and basilica (~£3)
• →Vieux Lyon evening wander

Train Lyon–Geneva (~2h, book ahead for ~£20–30), drop bags at the station and walk to the Jet d'Eau and the Old Town, with an optional bus ride up to the Palais des Nations. Continue to Zurich by IC train (~2h50, ~£30–40 booked in advance). Swiss accommodation is the priciest of the trip — a Zurich hostel dorm or an Airbnb room in Wallisellen/Oerlikon keeps costs reasonable.

🚌TER Lyon–Geneva ~£25 + IC Geneva–Zurich ~£35

🛏Hostel dorm or budget room, Zurich Oerlikon/Wallisellen (~£45/night)

• →Jet d'Eau & Geneva Old Town (free)
• →Optional Palais des Nations area walk
• →Lake Zurich evening promenade

Self-guided walk through the Altstadt, along Bahnhofstrasse and up to Lindenhof for the view. Then take the S7 train to Rapperswil (~35 min, included in a day pass ~£16) and hop the short public boat across the lake, or take the full Lake Zurich boat service if the weather's good (~£15). Return by train in the evening.

🚌ZVV 24h zone pass ~£16; optional lake boat ~£15

🛏Hostel dorm or budget room, Zurich (~£45/night)

• →Zurich Altstadt self-guided walk
• →Rapperswil castle & wooden bridge
• →Lake Zurich boat crossing

Take the early IC train Zurich–Interlaken Ost then the BOB to Grindelwald (~2h45 total, ~£30 each way with a Saver Day Pass). Ride the cable car to Grindelwald-First (~£30) for the Cliff Walk suspension bridge and the mountain views, then lunch at a mountain hut. On the way back, break the journey in Lucerne for the Chapel Bridge and Lion Monument before the last train to Zurich.

🚌Saver Day Pass or point-to-point rail ~£40 return; Grindelwald-First cable car ~£30

🛏Hostel dorm or budget room, Zurich (~£45/night)

• →Grindelwald-First cable car & Cliff Walk (~£30)
• →Mountain lunch in Grindelwald (~£15)
• →Lucerne Chapel Bridge & Old Town (free)

IC train Zurich–Bellinzona (~2h, ~£30 booked ahead), where you can walk between the UNESCO-listed castles (free to view from outside, ~£12 for a combined castle ticket). Continue by regional train to Como (~40 min) for a lakeside wander, then a fast train into Milan. Evening in the Navigli canals district.

🚌IC Zurich–Bellinzona ~£30 + regional to Como ~£7 + Como–Milano ~£5

🛏Hostel or budget hotel near Milano Centrale (~£28/night)

• →Bellinzona castles (exterior free / ~£12 combined ticket)
• →Como lakefront walk
• →Navigli canal aperitivo

Morning self-guided loop of Milan: the Duomo (rooftop terrace ~£14, or exterior free), Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II and Castello Sforzesco park. Then take a regional train to Pisa (~4h with a change, ~£25 booked ahead), walk 20 minutes from Pisa Centrale to Piazza dei Miracoli for the Leaning Tower, and finish with a Frecciarossa/IC to Rome (~3h30, ~£30–45 booked early). Stay near Termini for easy transport.

🚌Milan–Pisa regional ~£25 + Pisa–Rome fast train ~£35

🛏Hostel dorm or budget hotel near Termini, Rome (~£30/night)

• →Duomo & Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II (free)
• →Piazza dei Miracoli & Leaning Tower exterior (free)
• →Optional Duomo rooftop ~£14

Join a self-booked small-group Colosseum + Roman Forum + Palatine Hill tour on GetYourGuide (~£35–45, includes skip-the-line entry), which covers the operator's guided Imperial Rome morning. Afternoon optional: Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel with a pre-booked timed ticket (~£20 + booking fee, or ~£45 with a guide). Evening walk across to Trastevere for cheap trattoria pasta and the lanes around Santa Maria.

🚌Metro/bus day ticket ~£6

🛏Hostel dorm or budget hotel near Termini, Rome (~£30/night)

• →Colosseum, Forum & Palatine guided tour (~£40 via GetYourGuide)
• →Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel (pre-book ~£22)
• →Trastevere evening walk (free)

Regional or Frecciarossa train Rome–Florence (~1h35, ~£25–35 booked ahead). Check in, then climb (or bus) to Piazzale Michelangelo for the classic city view, and walk down through San Niccolò into the centre: Ponte Vecchio, Piazza della Signoria and the Duomo. Join a pay-what-you-want or low-cost evening walking tour if you want the local-expert commentary (~£15 via GetYourGuide).

🚌Rome–Florence train ~£30; local bus ~£2

🛏Hostel dorm or budget guesthouse, Santa Maria Novella area (~£28/night)

• →Piazzale Michelangelo viewpoint (free)
• →Ponte Vecchio & Duomo exterior (free)
• →Optional evening walking tour ~£15

Morning train Florence–Venice Santa Lucia (~2h, ~£20–30 booked ahead; regional trains are cheaper but slower). Buy a 24h ACTV vaporetto pass (~£18) and use it like the operator's boat transfer: line 4/5 across the Giudecca Canal, line 12 out to Murano for the glass furnaces (free to browse, ~£12 if you want a glass-blowing demo), and the Grand Canal at sunset. Optional gondola: a shared 30-min ride from ~£30, or just take the traghetto ferry across for £2.

🚌Florence–Venice train ~£25 + vaporetto 24h pass ~£18

🛏Hostel or budget hotel, Cannaregio / Mestre (~£30/night; Mestre is cheaper)

• →Murano glass workshops (free)
• →St Mark's Square & Basilica exterior (free)
• →Grand Canal sunset vaporetto ride (included in pass)
• →Optional shared gondola ~£30

Long travel day: regional train Venice–Verona–Brenner–Innsbruck (~5h, ~£20 with an ÖBB Sparschiene ticket booked ahead), stop for a couple of hours in Innsbruck's old town and Golden Roof, then continue Innsbruck–Salzburg (~2h, ~£12). Check in and take an easy evening walk through the Altstadt.

🚌Venice–Innsbruck ~£20 + Innsbruck–Salzburg ~£12 (book Sparschiene early)

🛏Hostel or budget guesthouse, Salzburg (~£30/night)

• →Innsbruck Golden Roof & old town (free)
• →Salzburg Altstadt evening stroll (free)
• →Optional Mirabell Gardens

Morning in Salzburg: Mirabell Gardens, Getreidegasse and the Hohensalzburg fortress exterior. Then take a train to Gmunden on Lake Traunsee (~1h30, ~£10), ride the short Traunsee boat (~£12) for the castle views at Ort, and continue Gmunden–Vienna (~2h15, ~£15 with Sparschiene). Evening in Vienna's 7th district for a cheap Beisl dinner.

🚌Salzburg–Gmunden ~£10 + Traunsee boat ~£12 + Gmunden–Vienna ~£15

🛏Hostel dorm or budget hotel, Vienna (~£28/night)

• →Lake Traunsee boat ride (~£12)
• →Gmunden lakefront (free)
• →Salzburg Altstadt morning walk (free)

Self-guided Ringstrasse circuit on foot or with a 24h Vienna transport pass (~£7): State Opera, Hofburg, Parliament, Rathaus and the Museumsquartier. Afternoon free for the Schönbrunn gardens (free) or a Naschmarkt food stop. In the evening take tram D to Grinzing for a heuriger wine tavern; skip the palace concert unless you want it — standing tickets at the Musikverein or Konzerthaus start around £10–15.

🚌24h Vienna transport pass ~£7

🛏Hostel dorm or budget hotel, Vienna (~£28/night)

• →Ringstrasse self-guided walk (free)
• →Schönbrunn gardens (free; palace ~£20)
• →Grinzing heuriger evening (~£15)
• →Optional concert from ~£12

Train Vienna–Budapest Keleti (~2h30, ~£12–20 booked ahead). Check in on the Pest side, then walk Váci utca and the Central Market Hall. Do the operator's Danube boat trip independently with a public BKK boat on line D11/D12 (~£2) or a one-hour sightseeing cruise from ~£9. Evening: ruin bars in the Jewish Quarter, or a folklore dinner show (~£25) if you want it.

🚌Vienna–Budapest train ~£15; BKK 24h ticket ~£5

🛏Hostel dorm or budget hotel, District VII / VIII, Budapest (~£22/night)

• →Váci utca & Central Market Hall (free)
• →Danube public boat ride (~£2) or cruise ~£9
• →Ruin bar evening (~£10)
• →Optional folklore dinner show ~£25

Train Budapest–Bratislava (~2h30, ~£10). Leave bags at the station and walk 15 minutes into the old town — Bratislava Castle, the UFO bridge and the pedestrian centre take a couple of hours. Continue Bratislava–Prague (~4h15 by RegioJet or ÖBB, ~£12–18 booked ahead). Arrive Prague, check in, and take the evening walk to Old Town Square for the astronomical clock.

🚌Budapest–Bratislava ~£10 + Bratislava–Prague ~£15

🛏Hostel dorm or budget hotel, Vinohrady / Old Town, Prague (~£22/night)

• →Bratislava old town & castle exterior (free)
• →Prague Old Town Square at night (free)

Morning self-guided walk across Charles Bridge and up to Prague Castle — the circuit ticket is ~£10, or wander the courtyards and Golden Lane area for less. Descend through Malá Strana and take a Vltava river cruise (~£10) or the public ferry across for pennies. Late afternoon in the Vinohrady or Letná beer gardens, then a final dinner of goulash and dumplings.

🚌Prague 24h transport ticket ~£4

🛏Hostel dorm or budget hotel, Prague (~£22/night)

• →Prague Castle circuit ticket ~£10
• →Charles Bridge & Malá Strana (free)
• →Vltava river cruise ~£10

Last morning for a coffee and a walk along the river or a quick climb up the Old Town Hall tower (~£5) before heading to Václav Havel Airport by bus 119 + Metro (~£1.50) or the AE Airport Express (~£3).

🚌Bus 119 + Metro to airport ~£1.50; Airport Express ~£3

🛏—

• →Old Town Hall tower (optional ~£5)
• →Riverside morning walk (free)