Easy Pace Budapest, Vienna & Prague — Self-Launched

Fly into Budapest Ferenc Liszt Airport and take the 100E airport bus to Deák Ferenc tér (£2) or the M3 metro for even less. Check into a budget guesthouse or hostel private room in District VII or VIII — the Jewish Quarter is central, cheap and full of ruin bars. Spend the late afternoon walking the riverbank between the Chain Bridge and Parliament, then have your 'welcome dinner' at a traditional Hungarian étkezde (canteen-style restaurant): goulash soup, chicken paprikash with nokedli, and a glass of Egri Bikavér for around £12-15.

🚌Airport bus 100E to city centre, ~£2; metro/bus day ticket ~£5

🛏Budget guesthouse or hostel private room, District VII/VIII — approx £22/night

• →Evening walk along the Danube promenade and Chain Bridge
• →Dinner at a local Hungarian étkezde (goulash, paprikash)

Book a lunchtime or evening student recital at the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music directly through the academy's own ticket office (often £6-12) — this replicates the tour's private recital visit for a fraction of the price. Take tram 2 along the Danube (one of Europe's best tram rides) then metro M1 to Heroes' Square and the City Park, and walk the elegant Andrássy út boulevards. In the afternoon, join a free walking tour of the Castle District (tip-based, £5-10 tip) covering Fisherman's Bastion, Matthias Church and the Royal Palace, or simply wander it yourself with maps offline.

🚌Tram 2 + metro M1, covered by a £5 day pass

🛏Budget guesthouse, District VII/VIII — approx £22/night

• →Liszt Academy student recital ticket (book direct)
• →Heroes' Square and City Park
• →Castle District walk — Fisherman's Bastion, Matthias Church

A proper slow day. Head to one of the city's thermal baths — Széchenyi (outdoor pools, ~£22 with locker) or the cheaper, more local Lukács Baths (~£12). Float for a few hours, then browse Váci utca and the Great Market Hall for lunch (langos, chimney cake, paprika to take home). Sidewalk café in the afternoon, then a cheap dinner in District VIII — a bowl of pho or a slice of pizza for under £8 if you're budget-trimming after the baths.

🚌Tram/metro day pass ~£5

🛏Budget guesthouse, District VII/VIII — approx £22/night

• →Széchenyi or Lukács thermal baths
• →Great Market Hall food stalls
• →Váci utca browse

Take the InterCity train from Budapest Nyugati or Keleti to Győr (about 1h20, £7-9). Store your bag at the station, walk the beautifully restored baroque old town and the confluence of the Danube, Rába and Rábca rivers, and grab lunch at a riverside café. Continue on the regional or Railjet train to Vienna Hauptbahnhof (about 1h30 from Győr, £15-20). Check into a budget hotel or hostel private room in Districts 4-7 — walkable to the Ringstrasse. Evening: a simple Viennese dinner at a Beisl (neighbourhood tavern) — schnitzel or gulasch, ~£14.

🚌Budapest–Győr InterCity ~£8; Győr–Vienna train ~£17

🛏Budget hotel or hostel private room, Vienna Districts 4-7 — approx £32/night

• →Győr old town and river confluence walk
• →Evening Beisl dinner in Vienna

Pre-book a Schönbrunn Palace Grand Tour timeslot on the palace's official website (£24-28, cheapest booked online) and give yourself an extra hour for the free formal gardens and Gloriette viewpoint. In the afternoon, ride tram 1/2 around the Ringstrasse loop to see the State Opera, Hofburg, Parliament and Karlskirche without a guide (£2.40 single, or covered by a day pass). Stop for coffee and a slice of Sachertorte at a traditional café — Café Sperl or Café Hawelka are cheaper and more characterful than the Hotel Sacher itself (~£10). For the waltz element, book an hour-long beginner waltz taster class via GetYourGuide or a local dance school for £15-20 instead of the operator's workshop.

🚌Tram around Ringstrasse; day pass ~£6

🛏Budget hotel, Vienna — approx £32/night

• →Schönbrunn Palace Grand Tour + gardens (book direct)
• →Ringstrasse tram circuit
• →Viennese café — coffee and Sachertorte
• →Beginner waltz taster class

Pick your own adventure. Climb the south tower of St. Stephen's Cathedral (~£6) for the tiled roof view, wander the Kärntnerstrasse shops and the Naschmarkt food market for a cheap lunch. If you want a second country on the trip, take the hourly RegioJet or ÖBB train to Bratislava — just an hour and £9-13 return — and spend the afternoon in its compact old town with a walk up to the castle. Back in Vienna for dinner at a würstelstand (sausage stand) or a market stall, ~£8.

🚌Metro/trams ~£6; optional Bratislava return train ~£11

🛏Budget hotel, Vienna — approx £32/night

• →St. Stephen's Cathedral south tower
• →Naschmarkt food market
• →Optional Bratislava day trip
• →Kärntnerstrasse browse

This is a long but rewarding travel day. Take an early train from Vienna to Linz or České Budějovice, then a regional bus/train into Český Krumlov (total roughly 4-4.5h, £25-30 booked in advance via ÖBB or RegioJet). Leave your bag at the bus station lockers, walk the UNESCO-listed old town, the castle viewpoint over the Vltava bend, and have lunch in a riverside garden. Continue by RegioJet or FlixBus to Prague in the late afternoon (~2h45, £8-12). Check into a budget hotel or apartment in Vinohrady or Žižkov — 15 minutes' tram from the centre and much cheaper than Old Town. Evening: a mini progressive dinner of your own through Malá Strana — starter at one pub, main at another, finishing on Charles Bridge at dusk.

🚌Vienna–Český Krumlov train/bus ~£28; Český Krumlov–Prague bus ~£10

🛏Budget hotel/apartment, Vinohrady or Žižkov — approx £28/night

• →Český Krumlov old town and castle viewpoint
• →Self-guided progressive dinner in Malá Strana
• →Charles Bridge at dusk

Buy the Prague Castle circuit ticket online (£12-14) which covers St. Vitus Cathedral, the Old Royal Palace and Golden Lane — go early (opens 9am) to beat the crowds. Alternatively join a £15 GetYourGuide walking tour of the castle complex if you want the historical context a local expert would give. Walk down through Nerudova Street on the Royal Route to the Old Town Square and the Astronomical Clock. In the evening, take a one-hour Vltava river cruise (£12-15) — the cheap public ferry alternative is the PID ferry across the river for under £2.

🚌Tram to Pražský hrad; day pass ~£5

🛏Budget hotel/apartment, Prague — approx £28/night

• →Prague Castle circuit ticket incl. St. Vitus Cathedral
• →Royal Route and Old Town Square
• →Evening Vltava river cruise

Spend the day your way. Locals' pick: walk to Vyšehrad fortress for the river views and the cemetery where Dvořák is buried, then a long lunch at a pivnice (beer hall) — svíčková and a Pilsner for ~£10. Or cross into Germany: the train from Prague to Dresden takes about 2h20 each way (£18-25 each way booked ahead) for the rebuilt Frauenkirche and the Zwinger palace. Final evening dinner at a traditional Czech restaurant in Žižkov — roast pork, dumplings and cabbage, ~£13.

🚌Tram day pass ~£5; optional Dresden return train ~£40

🛏Budget hotel/apartment, Prague — approx £28/night

• →Vyšehrad fortress and Dvořák cemetery
• →Beer hall lunch
• →Optional Dresden day trip
• →Farewell Czech dinner in Žižkov

Last morning for a cheap breakfast at a bakery (koláče and coffee, ~£4) and a final wander through the Old Town or Letná Park before heading out. Prague Airport is reached by bus 119 from Nádraží Veleslavín metro (about £1.30) or the Airport Express bus from the main station (~£3). If you're continuing overland, direct trains run to Berlin, Vienna and Budapest.

🚌Metro + bus 119 to the airport, ~£1.50

🛏—

• →Bakery breakfast
• →Final walk through Old Town or Letná Park