Highlights of Eastern Europe — Self-Launched (Budapest to Vienna)

Land at Ferenc Liszt Airport and take the 100E airport bus (£2.20, ~40 min) to Deák Ferenc tér, then walk or hop a metro/tram to your hostel in District VII or VIII (the ruin-bar quarter). Settle in, then explore Erzsébetváros and the Great Market Hall area before an evening Hungarian dinner — try a local étterem in the Jewish Quarter for goulash, lángos and a glass of Egri Bikavér for around £14-18, the DIY stand-in for the tour's Gundel welcome dinner. Cash tip: withdraw Hungarian forint; card is widely accepted but some ruin bars are cash-only.

🚌100E airport bus £2.20; local metro/tram day ticket ~£5

🛏Hostel dorm or budget private room, District VII/VIII, Budapest (~£18/night)

• →Self-guided wander of Erzsébetváros & the Jewish Quarter
• →Evening Hungarian dinner at a local étterem

Cross the Chain Bridge to Buda and walk up to Fisherman's Bastion and Matthias Church for the classic Danube panorama (Matthias Church interior ~£6, Fisherman's Bastion upper terrace ~£3). Skip the tour's private 'Local Expert' and use a free walking tour (pay-what-you-like, tip £5-8) that covers the Castle District and Old Town. In the afternoon, book directly into a student or public recital at the Liszt Academy of Music (many concerts £6-15; check the academy's own concert calendar) — the closest DIY equivalent to the tour's invitational recital. Optional evening: a public Danube sightseeing cruise from £10 instead of the private dinner cruise.

🚌Tram 19/41 plus walking; local transport £5

🛏Hostel dorm or budget private room, Budapest (~£18)

• →Buda Castle District free walking tour (tip-based)
• →Matthias Church & Fisherman's Bastion
• →Recital at the Liszt Academy of Music (book direct)

A long travel day by public transport. Take the morning train Budapest Nyugati → Vrútky (Slovakia, ~4h, ~£15), then a regional train or bus into the Low Tatras around Liptovský Mikuláš/Donovaly for a short hike or cable-car viewpoint stop (cable car ~£8). Buses from Ružomberok run towards Dolný Kubín for Oravský Hrad castle (entry ~£6) if you want the scenic detour — build in a night in Ružomberok or Žilina if you'd rather not rush. Evening/next-morning train or bus onward to Kraków (~£18-25). Many travellers split this into two days; the itinerary below assumes you arrive Kraków late evening or early on Day 4.

🚌Budapest–Vrútky train ~£15; regional buses/trains ~£10; onward to Kraków ~£20

🛏Budget guesthouse or hostel in Kraków Old Town (~£20)

• →Low Tatras viewpoint walk or cable car
• →Oravský Hrad castle exterior and wooden village of Zuberec (optional)

Morning on Wawel Hill: Wawel Cathedral and castle courtyards (cathedral ~£4, state rooms ~£9). Walk the Royal Route down to Europe's largest medieval square, Rynek Główny, and step into St. Mary's Basilica (altarpiece, ~£3) and the Sukiennice Cloth Hall. In the afternoon take the official Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial shuttle (from the bus station, ~£3 each way, 1h20) and join the memorial's own educator-led tour — book online in advance at the official Auschwitz site (free entry; guided educator tour ~£12-15). Allow 3.5 hours on site. Return to Kraków for a zapiekanka dinner in Kazimierz and a local beer.

🚌Local bus/tram plus Auschwitz shuttle ~£8 return

🛏Hostel or guesthouse, Kraków Old Town (~£20)

• →Wawel Cathedral & castle courtyards
• →St. Mary's Basilica & Sukiennice
• →Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial educator tour (official booking)

Do the Wieliczka Salt Mine in the morning — the tour's star optional, and well worth it. Book direct with the mine or via GetYourGuide for the English guided route (~£22-28); the 1744 train from Kraków Główny to Wieliczka takes 25 minutes for about £1.30. Back in Kraków for a late lunch, then take the EIP/EIC express train to Warsaw (~2h20, £15-25) and check into a hostel near Nowy Świat or Praga.

🚌Wieliczka train ~£3 return; Kraków–Warsaw express train ~£20

🛏Hostel dorm or budget private room near the centre, Warsaw (~£18)

• →Wieliczka Salt Mine guided route (book direct/GetYourGuide)

Join a free walking tour of the reconstructed UNESCO Old Town (tip £6) and visit the Royal Castle (~£10). Walk south through Łazienki Park to the Chopin Monument and, in summer, catch the free open-air Chopin recitals by the monument on Sunday afternoons (late May–Sept) — an excellent free swap for the tour's paid recital. Otherwise a ticketed chamber recital in the Old Town runs £8-15. Finish at the Palace of Culture viewing terrace (~£5) and the Monument to the Ghetto Heroes near POLIN museum.

🚌Tram/metro day ticket ~£4

🛏Hostel dorm or budget private room, Warsaw (~£18)

• →Free walking tour of Warsaw Old Town
• →Royal Castle
• →Łazienki Park & Chopin Monument (free summer recitals)
• →Palace of Culture terrace

Hop the direct EuroCity/EC train Warsaw Centralna → Berlin Hbf (~5h20, book on the Polish Railways Intercity site for fares from ~£22 if bought early, or Deutsche Bahn from ~£30). Alternative: FlixBus ~4h40 from £12. Arrive Berlin mid-afternoon and walk the Ku'damm, or head straight to a hostel in Kreuzberg/Neukölln/Mitte (~£22/night dorm). Evening: street food at Markthalle Neun (Thu) or a döner and beer in Kreuzberg.

🚌Warsaw–Berlin EC train ~£25

🛏Hostel dorm or budget hotel, Kreuzberg/Mitte, Berlin (~£22)

• →Ku'damm wander
• →Evening in Kreuzberg / Markthalle Neun

Book the free Reichstag glass dome visit online (register in advance — it's free, you just need to show ID) and walk from there to the Brandenburg Gate, down Unter den Linden past the State Opera (Staatsoper) to Museum Island. Pick one museum — the Pergamon or the Neues Museum — with a day ticket (~£12) rather than trying to see all five. Optional half-day: the S-Bahn to Potsdam for Sanssouci Park and Glienicke Bridge (~£8 return, ~40 min). Grab dinner at a currywurst stand or an Imbiss for £6-9.

🚌U-Bahn/S-Bahn day ticket ~£8; Potsdam excursion ~£8 extra

🛏Hostel dorm or budget hotel, Berlin (~£22)

• →Reichstag dome (free, pre-register)
• →Brandenburg Gate & Unter den Linden
• →Museum Island — one museum
• →Optional Potsdam & Glienicke Bridge

Take an early EC train Berlin → Dresden (~2h, ~£18), leave bags at the station and walk 20 minutes into the Baroque old town: the rebuilt Frauenkirche, the Zwinger Palace courtyards, the Fürstenzug 'Procession of the Princes' tile wall and the cathedral. Continue by EC train Dresden → Prague (~2h20, ~£18). Check into a hostel in Malá Strana or Holešovice, then do your own progressive dinner through Malá Strana — small plates at three venues (Czech pub, wine bar, dessert stop) for roughly £20-25 instead of the escorted Dine-Around, then walk the Charles Bridge after dark.

🚌Berlin–Dresden ~£18; Dresden–Prague ~£18

🛏Hostel dorm or budget guesthouse, Prague (~£18)

• →Frauenkirche, Zwinger & Fürstenzug, Dresden
• →Self-designed progressive dinner in Malá Strana
• →Charles Bridge at night

Take tram 22 up to the castle and buy the circuit ticket covering Prague Castle courtyards, St. Vitus Cathedral, the Old Royal Palace and Golden Lane (~£12). Walk down the Royal Route through Nerudova Street onto the Charles Bridge and Old Town Square for the astronomical clock on the hour. Afternoon: coffee and a trdelník, or a £3 Pilsner at a proper pivnice with a Czech lunch for £8-10. Optional evening: a black-light or puppet theatre show (£12-18) or a jazz club entry (£6-10).

🚌Tram day ticket ~£4

🛏Hostel dorm or budget guesthouse, Prague (~£18)

• →Prague Castle circuit ticket
• →Royal Route walk to Old Town Square
• →Astronomical Clock
• →Optional jazz club or puppet theatre

RegioJet or FlixBus Prague → Český Krumlov (~2h45, ~£7-10). Drop bags at a guesthouse inside the old town (~£20). Take the castle tour (the full castle route ~£10) with its baroque theatre and courtyards, then wander the Vltava bends and climb the castle garden. Visit the Eggenberg brewery on the edge of town or the smaller Krumlov brewery for a tasting (~£6-8) instead of the escorted brewery stop. Dinner of South Bohemian specialities — svíčková or roast pork with dumplings — in the town centre for £10-12.

🚌RegioJet/FlixBus Prague–Český Krumlov ~£9

🛏Guesthouse/pension in the old town, Český Krumlov (~£20)

• →Český Krumlov castle tour
• →Old town and Vltava viewpoints
• →Brewery visit and beer tasting

Take the CK Shuttle-style shared van (the standard local option, ~£27-30, 3h door-to-door) or bus+train via Linz (~£20, 4h). Arrive Vienna and check into a hostel near Westbahnhof or Naschmarkt (~£25/night dorm). Take a free walking tour of the Innere Stadt (tip £6) to orient yourself around the Hofburg, Graben and Stephansdom, then eat at a Würstelstand or a Beisl for a schnitzel dinner around £12-15 (the DIY version of the country-mansion dinner).

🚌Shared shuttle ~£29 or train via Linz ~£20

🛏Hostel dorm or budget hotel, Vienna (~£25)

• →Free walking tour of central Vienna
• →Stephansdom exterior and Graben wander

Book a Schönbrunn Palace timed ticket online (~£20 for the Grand Tour; garden entry free) and take the U4 to Hietzing. Afternoon: ride tram 1 or 2 around the Ringstrasse for a DIY sightseeing loop past the Opera, Hofburg, Parliament and Karlskirche (a single ticket ~£2.50 covers the loop). Stop for coffee and Sachertorte (~£9) at a traditional café. In the evening, buy standing-room or mid-tier tickets for a classical concert at the Musikverein, Konzerthaus or a Strauss/Mozart ensemble in the Kursalon (from ~£15 standing, £35+ seated) — the self-booked equivalent of the tour's included concert, followed by dinner at a Heuriger or Beisl (£15-18).

🚌U-Bahn/tram day ticket ~£6

🛏Hostel dorm or budget hotel, Vienna (~£25)

• →Schönbrunn Palace Grand Tour & gardens
• →Ringstrasse tram loop
• →Viennese classical concert (book direct)
• →Coffee and Sachertorte

Morning at the Naschmarkt for breakfast and last-minute souvenirs, or a quick visit to the Belvedere (Klimt's 'The Kiss', ~£14) if your flight is later. Take the CAT or S7 S-Bahn to Vienna Airport (~£4-12 depending on the option) and fly out. If you're continuing on, Vienna is a cheap hub for onward trains to Bratislava (£8) or Ljubljana.

🚌S7 S-Bahn to airport ~£4.50

🛏—

• →Naschmarkt breakfast
• →Optional Belvedere gallery