European Highlights: Self-Launched Version (Paris to London)

Start early in London. Cheapest route is a FlixBus/Eurolines coach from Victoria Coach Station via the Dover–Calais ferry (~£25–40, 8–9 hrs). Faster and comfier: Eurostar London–Paris (~£60–90 if booked 2+ months ahead, 2h20). If you're already in Paris, use the day to settle in. Either way, arrive by evening, check into a hostel near Gare du Nord or in the 14th (Jo&Joe Gentilly area), and take an evening stroll past Notre-Dame and along the Seine. Note the White Cliffs of Dover view is on the ferry route — sit on the deck side for it.

🚌Coach London–Paris via Dover/Calais ferry ~£25–40 (8–9 hrs) OR Eurostar ~£60–90 (2h20). Book 6–8 weeks ahead for best fares.

🛏Hostel dorm or budget guesthouse near Gare du Nord / 14e (e.g. St Christopher's Gare du Nord, Generator Paris or Jo&Joe Gentilly) — ~£28–38/night

• →Seine riverside evening walk
• →Notre-Dame exterior & Île de la Cité
• →Self-guided Dover–Calais ferry crossing

Full day in Paris on foot and by Métro. Book the Louvre online in advance (~£19) and go at opening to beat queues; skip it if you'd rather do free sights. Walk the Champs-Élysées and Arc de Triomphe, then head to Montmartre for Sacré-Cœur and the artists' square — grab a cheap crêpe or a picnic from a boulangerie rather than a set Parisian dinner. In the evening, see the Eiffel Tower lit up from Trocadéro (free) or take a Seine river cruise (~£14 via GetYourGuide) instead of a cabaret show. Métro carnet/ Navigo Easy is the cheapest way around.

🚌Métro day pass or single tickets ~£8; everything walkable in clusters

🛏Same hostel near Gare du Nord / 14e — ~£28–38/night

• →Louvre Museum (pre-booked, ~£19)
• →Arc de Triomphe & Champs-Élysées walk
• →Montmartre & Sacré-Cœur
• →Eiffel Tower from Trocadéro (free) or Seine cruise ~£14

Take an early regional train (Transilien R from Gare de Lyon) to Fontainebleau-Avon (~£9, 40 mins) for a morning walk in the Château de Fontainebleau gardens and forest. Return to Paris and take a TGV from Gare de Lyon to Belleville-sur-Saône or Lyon (~£25–40 if booked ahead, 2–3 hrs), then a local bus or shared taxi into the Beaujolais villages. Book a rural guesthouse or hostel in a wine village (Villié-Morgon, Fleurie, or Lyon's Hostel Alter if you'd rather base in the city). Evening: a winery tasting (domaine cellar door visits ~£10–15, or a GetYourGuide Beaujolais tasting ~£25) and a simple local dinner with a glass of Beaujolais.

🚌Transilien to Fontainebleau ~£9 return + TGV Paris–Belleville/Lyon ~£25–40

🛏Rural guesthouse or gîte in Beaujolais (or Hostel Alter, Lyon) — ~£25–35/night

• →Château de Fontainebleau gardens & forest walk
• →Beaujolais winery tasting (cellar door or GetYourGuide ~£25)
• →Village dinner with local wine

Travel day south. Take a regional train back to Lyon Part-Dieu, then a TGV to Nice (~£45–70 if booked 2–6 weeks ahead, 4h30). Alternatively book a budget flight Lyon–Nice (~£30–50). Check into a hostel or budget hotel near the beach in Nice (Villa Saint Exupéry Beach is walkable to the seafront and a good-value independent option). Spend the late afternoon on the Promenade des Anglais and eat socca and pissaladière from a Vieux Nice street stall.

🚌Regional + TGV to Nice ~£45–70 (or Ryanair/easyJet Lyon–Nice ~£30–50)

🛏Hostel or budget hotel near the seafront, Nice — ~£30–40/night

• →Promenade des Anglais sunset walk
• →Vieux Nice street food (socca, pissaladière)

Morning at the Cours Saleya market in Vieux Nice, then a cheap regional TER train from Nice to Monaco (~£4, 25 mins) — this replaces the scenic coach drive along the Côte d'Azur. In Monaco, walk to the Royal Palace for the changing of the guard (free, 11:55), wander the old town, and peek at the Monte Carlo Casino (entry to the gaming rooms has a fee; the atrium and exterior are free). Walk the Monaco Grand Prix circuit street route if you're keen. Return to Nice by train in the evening for a beach sunset and a cheap pizza or pasta dinner.

🚌TER train Nice–Monaco return ~£8

🛏Same Nice hostel/budget hotel — ~£30–40/night

• →Cours Saleya market
• →Monaco old town & Royal Palace changing of the guard
• →Monte Carlo Casino exterior/atrium
• →Grand Prix circuit walk

Long travel day by rail. Take the TER train Nice–Ventimiglia (~£5, 50 mins), then an Italian regionale to Genoa or a Trenitalia Frecciabianca/Intercity up to Pisa (~£30–45 total, 5–6 hrs). Stop for 2 hours at Pisa Centrale to walk to Piazza dei Miracoli and see the Leaning Tower (climbing it needs a pre-booked timed ticket ~£20 — otherwise free to view). Continue by regionale to Florence (~£8, 1 hr). Check into a hostel near Santa Maria Novella. Evening: a cheap trattoria dinner near San Lorenzo market.

🚌Nice–Ventimiglia TER ~£5 + Italian regional/Intercity trains to Pisa/Florence ~£35–50 total

🛏Hostel in central Florence (e.g. Ostello Bello Firenze, Hostel Trustever area) — ~£30–40/night

• →Piazza dei Miracoli & Leaning Tower (free to view; climb ~£20)
• →Florence evening stroll past the Duomo

Self-guided Florence day. Start at the Duomo (free to enter the cathedral; the dome climb needs a pre-booked Brunelleschi Pass ~£25). Wander the leather workshops around Santa Croce and the San Lorenzo market — you can watch craftspeople work in many open shops for free, or book a short leather-craft demo/workshop via GetYourGuide (~£30). Cross the Ponte Vecchio, see the Uffizi exterior and Piazza della Signoria, and climb Piazzale Michelangelo for the classic sunset view (free). Optional: pre-book the Uffizi or Accademia (David) — each ~£20–25.

🚌All on foot; city buses ~£2 if needed

🛏Same Florence hostel — ~£30–40/night

• →Duomo & cathedral (free entry; dome climb ~£25 pre-booked)
• →Santa Croce leather workshop area & San Lorenzo market
• →Ponte Vecchio & Piazza della Signoria
• →Piazzale Michelangelo sunset

Take a morning Frecciarossa high-speed train Florence–Rome Termini (~£25–40 if booked ahead, 1h30). Check into a hostel near Termini or Monti. Spend the afternoon exploring the Emperors' and Gladiators' Rome on a name-your-price/GetYourGuide small-group or self-guided audio walking tour of the Colosseum area (~£15–30; Colosseum entry itself is ~£16 pre-booked, combined Forum ticket ~£20). Toss a coin in the Trevi Fountain, see the Pantheon (free) and Piazza Navona, and eat cheap Roman pizza al taglio or cacio e pepe in Trastevere.

🚌Frecciarossa Florence–Rome ~£25–40; Rome metro/bus day pass ~£6

🛏Hostel near Termini/Monti, Rome (e.g. The RomeHello, Hostel Trustever area) — ~£28–38/night

• →Colosseum & Roman Forum (pre-booked entry ~£16–20)
• →Trevi Fountain, Pantheon & Piazza Navona
• →Trastevere evening food walk

Morning Frecciarossa or Italo Rome–Venice Santa Lucia (~£30–50 if booked 2–4 weeks ahead, 3h45). Drop bags at a hostel in Cannaregio or on the mainland near Mestre (cheaper — Anda Venice area). Instead of the group's private boat transfer, buy a 24/48-hour ACTV vaporetto pass (~£18/£25) which gets you up and down the Grand Canal and out to Murano. Explore St Mark's Square and Basilica (basilica free; terrace/loggia ~£3), the Rialto Bridge, and the quieter Cannaregio canals. Optional gondola: a shared 30-min ride booked via GetYourGuide is ~£30–35 rather than a private ~£80.

🚌High-speed train Rome–Venice ~£30–50 + ACTV vaporetto 48hr pass ~£25

🛏Hostel in Cannaregio or Mestre (Anda Venice/Plus Camping area) — ~£25–35/night

• →Grand Canal vaporetto ride
• →St Mark's Square & Basilica (free entry)
• →Rialto Bridge & Cannaregio canals
• →Optional shared gondola ~£30

Travel day through the Alps. Cheapest scenic option: an ÖBB Railjet or Nightjet (booked ahead ~£30–45) or a FlixBus Venice–Munich (~£25–35, 8 hrs) — both run through the Austrian Tyrol with big mountain views; the train via Innsbruck or Brenner is prettier. Arrive Munich in the evening, check into a hostel near the Hauptbahnhof (Euro Youth Hotel or Wombats City), and head to a beer hall for a cheap-ish dinner and a stein. Free walking tour of the old town (Glockenspiel, Marienplatz, Viktualienmarkt) can be done the next morning if you're still game.

🚌ÖBB Railjet/Nightjet or FlixBus Venice–Munich ~£25–45

🛏Hostel near Munich Hauptbahnhof (Euro Youth / Wombats) — ~£30–40/night

• →Alpine/Tyrol views from the train or coach
• →Munich beer hall evening
• →Marienplatz & Glockenspiel

Morning: take the S2 S-Bahn from Munich Hbf to Dachau (~£4, 25 mins) and visit the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial — entry and the audio guide are free, so give yourself 3 hours and go early. Return to Munich, then take a rail route west to the Rhine Valley: an ICE/IC to Koblenz or Mainz (~£40–60 booked ahead, 4–5 hrs) and a regional train to Sankt Goar on the Rhine (~£8). Alternate budget option: FlixBus Munich–Koblenz/Mainz ~£25–35. Overnight in a riverside guesthouse in Sankt Goar and sample Rhine Rieslings at a local wine tavern (~£12 for a tasting flight).

🚌S-Bahn to Dachau ~£4 + ICE/IC to Koblenz/Mainz ~£40–60 + regional to Sankt Goar ~£8

🛏Riverside guesthouse in Sankt Goar (Hotel Montag area) — ~£35–45/night

• →Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial (free entry & audio guide)
• →Rhine Valley riverside walk
• →Rhine wine tasting ~£12

Morning Kehl–Koblenz Rhine train or IC to Cologne (~£15–20), then a fast ICE to Amsterdam Centraal (~£25–35 booked ahead, 2h40). From Amsterdam, a Sprinter train or bus to Edam takes ~30 mins (~£7). Rent a bike in Edam (~£10/day) and cycle the cheese market town and out to the windmills and polder villages — this is the self-launched version of the group cycle tour and costs almost nothing. Return to Amsterdam by evening, check into a hostel (ClinkNOORD or Via Amsterdam area) and wander the canals and Jordaan district.

🚌IC Sankt Goar–Cologne ~£15–20 + ICE Cologne–Amsterdam ~£25–35 + Edam train/bus ~£7

🛏Hostel in Amsterdam-Noord or eastern Amsterdam (ClinkNOORD/Via Amsterdam) — ~£30–40/night

• →Edam cheese market & old town
• →Bike hire & windmill cycling (~£10)
• →Jordaan & canal evening walk

Pick your museum: Rijksmuseum or Van Gogh Museum (~£20–22 pre-booked online) — the quirky ones like the Cheese Museum or Kattenkabinet are cheaper. Take a 1-hour canal cruise booked via GetYourGuide (~£14) in place of the group cruise; if you want the Dutch farm experience, book an independent day trip to Zaanse Schans or a cheese farm (~£25–35 via GetYourGuide). Evening: a rijsttafel-style Indonesian meal or fries and stroopwafels in De Pijp. Optional A'DAM Lookout swing (~£15).

🚌GVB tram/metro day pass ~£7; canal cruise ~£14

🛏Same Amsterdam hostel — ~£30–40/night

• →Rijksmuseum or Van Gogh Museum ~£20–22
• →Canal cruise ~£14
• →Optional Zaanse Schans/cheese farm day trip ~£30
• →De Pijp food walk

Return day. Cheapest: FlixBus Amsterdam–London via Brussels/Calais (~£25–35, 10–12 hrs). Faster: Eurostar Amsterdam Centraal–London St Pancras (~£55–85 booked 6–8 weeks ahead, 4h). Both cover the Belgium-through-France route. If you have time before departure, do one last Amsterdam canal walk or a stroopwafel at Albert Cuyp market. Arrive in London the same evening; if your flight home is the next day, book a London hostel or Travelodge (~£30–50) — as the original tour itself notes, a late arrival means a post-night in London is sensible.

🚌Eurostar Amsterdam–London ~£55–85 (4h) or FlixBus ~£25–35 (10–12 hrs)

🛏London hostel/Travelodge if flying out next day — ~£30–50/night

• →Albert Cuyp market last stop
• →Canal-side stroll
• →Optional Belgian/French countryside en route