Central Europe by Rail: Prague to Vienna via the Alps & Italy

Fly or train into Prague and check into a hostel or budget hotel in Vinohrady or Žižkov (15–20 min tram from the centre). Skip the overpriced Old Town Square restaurants the coach tour points you toward — walk 10 minutes to a pivoté bar or a Vinohrady pub for goulash and a beer for under £10. Easy evening wander across Charles Bridge after dark when the crowds thin out. Buy a 72-hour Prague public transport pass (~£11) if you'll use trams a lot.

🚌Public transport from airport: bus 119 + metro A (~£1.30), or Bolt/taxi ~£15

🛏Hostel dorm or budget guesthouse, Vinohrady/Žižkov (~£16–22/night)

• →Evening walk across Charles Bridge and Old Town Square
• →Czech pub dinner in Vinohrady or Žižkov

Do the same sights the tour includes but self-paced: take tram 22 up to Prague Castle and buy the Circuit B ticket (~£9) covering St Vitus Cathedral, Old Royal Palace and Golden Lane. Walk down through Nerudova Street to Malá Strana, then take a 45–60 minute Vltava river cruise — book direct with Prague Boats or on GetYourGuide from ~£12 (skip the dinner cruises). Afternoon free for the Jewish Quarter or Letná beer garden. Book any guided old-town walking tour on GetYourGuide for ~£12 if you want context.

🚌Tram 22 to Pražský hrad (~£1); all on foot otherwise

🛏Hostel dorm or budget guesthouse, Vinohrady/Žižkov (~£16–22/night)

• →Prague Castle Circuit B ticket (~£9)
• →Vltava River sightseeing cruise (~£12)
• →Self-guided walk: Nerudova Street, Malá Strana, Letná Park

Take an early RegioJet or FlixBus from Prague to Munich (~4.5 hrs, £12–18 booked ahead). Store bags at Munich Hbf, walk 15 minutes into the Altstadt for a quick lunch at Viktualienmarkt and a look at Marienplatz — roughly 2 hours. Then take the ÖBB Railjet/Eurocity from Munich to Innsbruck (~1h50, £15–25 if booked in advance). Check into a hostel near the Old Town; evening stroll to the Goldenes Dachl and a Tiroler Gröstl dinner.

🚌RegioJet/FlixBus Prague–Munich ~£12–18; ÖBB Munich–Innsbruck ~£15–25 (book early)

🛏Hostel dorm or pension in Innsbruck Old Town (~£22–30/night)

• →Munich Altstadt and Viktualienmarkt lunch stop
• →Innsbruck Old Town and Golden Roof (Goldenes Dachl) in the evening

Morning: bus 590 or the local S-Bahn from Innsbruck to Wattens (25 min) for Swarovski Kristallwelten — book the entry ticket online in advance (~£21). Allow 2–2.5 hours including the garden. Back to Innsbruck, collect bags, then take the ÖBB Railjet via Buchs or Sargans to Zurich (~3h45–4h15, £30–45 booked ahead — Switzerland is where rail passes pay off; a Eurail Global Pass or Half Fare Card is worth pricing up). Check into a hostel in Zurich city or Wallisellen; cheap evening: lakeside walk and supermarket picnic at Zürichsee.

🚌Bus/train Innsbruck–Wattens ~£5; ÖBB Railjet Innsbruck–Zurich ~£30–45

🛏Hostel dorm or budget hotel, Zurich/Wallisellen (~£30–40/night)

• →Swarovski Kristallwelten entry (~£21)
• →Walk along Lake Zurich promenade

Two options. Easiest: train Zurich–Lucerne (~45 min, £12–18) for the medieval old town, Chapel Bridge and lakefront, then train to Grindelwald (~2h from Lucerne) and ride the Grindelwald First gondola (~£55 return) for the First Cliff Walk suspended bridge and glacier views — the free alternative is the easy walk from Grindelwald village to viewpoint paths. Big-ticket option: a full self-booked Mount Titlis day from Lucerne (train to Engelberg ~45 min, then Titlis Rotair cable car ~£95–110 return, book on titlis.ch or GetYourGuide) — this replicates the tour's €185 optional but the DIY price is much lower. Note: Titlis and Grindelwald are in opposite directions — you'll need to pick one, or overnight in Interlaken/Grindelwald instead of doubling back to Zurich. Cheapest mountain lunch: supermarket picnic, mountain restaurants are £18–25 a plate.

🚌Zurich–Lucerne–Grindelwald trains ~£30–40 total (Half Fare Card cuts this significantly)

🛏Hostel dorm or budget hotel, Zurich/Wallisellen (~£30–40/night)

• →Lucerne Chapel Bridge and old town
• →Grindelwald First gondola + Cliff Walk (~£55)
• →Optional: Mount Titlis Rotair cable car (~£95–110 self-booked)

Long but scenic rail day: Zurich to Bellinzona on the Gotthard route (~2h, £30–45), 90 minutes to see Castelgrande and walk the ramparts (free to walk, ~£10 to enter the museums). Continue Bellinzona–Como (~1h, £10–15), lunch by the lake, then Como–Milan (~40 min, £5–8 regional train). Check into a hostel near Milano Centrale or Navigli. Evening in the Navigli canal district — aperitivo here is genuinely good value (~£12 for a drink plus buffet).

🚌Zurich–Bellinzona ~£30–45; Bellinzona–Como ~£10–15; Como–Milan ~£5–8

🛏Hostel dorm in Milan (~£25–33/night)

• →Bellinzona castles and ramparts
• →Lunch on Lake Como
• →Evening walk in Milan's Navigli district
• →Piazza del Duomo at night

Early Frecciarossa or Italo from Milano Centrale to Pisa Centrale (~3h, £20–35 booked ahead). Bag storage at Pisa station (~£5), then walk 20 minutes (or the LAM Rossa bus, ~£2) to Piazza dei Miracoli for the Leaning Tower and Duomo exterior — climbing the tower needs a timed ticket booked ahead (~£18, sells out). Late afternoon regional train Pisa–Rome (~3h, £20–30) or Frecciarossa (~2h15, £30–45). Hostel near Termini. This is the toughest travel day of the trip — book all tickets in advance.

🚌Milan–Pisa Frecciarossa/Italo ~£20–35; Pisa–Rome regional ~£20–30

🛏Hostel dorm near Termini, Rome (~£25–35/night)

• →Piazza dei Miracoli and Leaning Tower of Pisa
• →Optional: climb the Leaning Tower (~£18, book ahead)

Morning: Colosseum + Roman Forum + Palatine Hill combined ticket (~£16, book the timed slot on the official Parco Colosseo site weeks ahead). Walk the Imperial Rome circuit yourself — Colosseum, Forum, Capitoline Hill, Pantheon (free) and Piazza Navona. Afternoon: Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel (~£18–22 direct on museivaticani.va; GetYourGuide skip-the-line tours £35–50 if you want a guide). Evening in Trastevere for cheap pasta and a wander through the lanes. A 48-hour Rome public transport pass is ~£11.

🚌Metro and buses, 48-hour pass ~£11

🛏Hostel dorm near Termini, Rome (~£25–35/night)

• →Colosseum, Forum and Palatine Hill (~£16)
• →Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel (~£18–22 direct)
• →Trastevere evening walk

Frecciarossa or regional Rome–Florence (~1h35 fast / 3h30 regional, £15–35). Drop bags at the hostel, then do the tour's Florence highlights as a self-guided walk: Piazza della Signoria, the Duomo exterior, Ponte Vecchio, and sunset at Piazzale Michelangelo (bus 12 or a 25-minute uphill walk). Book a Duomo dome climb or Uffizi entry direct on GetYourGuide/official sites (~£20–30) if interested. Cheap but excellent dinner: a lampredotto panino or trattoria in Santo Spirito (~£12).

🚌Rome–Florence train ~£15–35; local bus to Piazzale Michelangelo ~£1.70

🛏Hostel dorm in Florence, Santa Croce or near the station (~£25–33/night)

• →Florence historic centre self-guided walk
• →Piazzale Michelangelo sunset viewpoint
• →Optional: Duomo dome climb or Uffizi Gallery (~£20–30)

Frecciarossa Florence–Venezia Santa Lucia (~2h, £20–35). Swap the tour's coach-and-Giudecca transfer for a cheap vaporetto pass (24h ~£21, or walk it) — and stay on Mestre or the Cannaregio edge for cheaper beds. Afternoon: St Mark's Square, the Basilica (free entry, ~£3 for the Pala d'Oro), Doge's Palace exterior, then vaporetto line 4.1/4.2 to Murano for a free glass-blowing demo at one of the furnaces (skip the factory-sales pitch). A shared gondola ride booked on GetYourGuide is ~£30–35 versus the tour's €40 — or take the traghetto ferry across the Grand Canal for £2.

🚌Florence–Venice Frecciarossa ~£20–35; 24h vaporetto pass ~£21

🛏Hostel dorm in Mestre or Cannaregio (~£22–30/night)

• →St Mark's Square and Basilica
• →Murano island glass workshops
• →Optional: shared gondola ride (~£30–35)
• →Vaporetto ride down the Grand Canal

Big transfer day — do it by rail and skip the coach. Venice–Innsbruck via Verona/Brenner (~4h30–5h, £25–40 booked ahead), 1 hour in Innsbruck's old town, then train Innsbruck–Kitzbühel (~1h, £10) for a wander of the Hahnenkamm village and a coffee stop, then Kitzbühel–Salzburg via Woergl (~1h45, £12–18). Alternatively skip Kitzbühel for an easier day. ÖBB Sparschiene tickets make this affordable if booked in advance; a Eurail pass day covers it too. Check into a hostel in Salzburg's Schallmoos or old-town edge.

🚌Venice–Innsbruck ~£25–40; Innsbruck–Kitzbühel ~£10; Kitzbühel–Salzburg ~£12–18

🛏Hostel dorm in Salzburg (~£22–30/night)

• →Innsbruck old town stop
• →Kitzbühel village wander
• →Evening walk through Salzburg's Altstadt

Morning in Salzburg: Getreidegasse, Mozart's birthplace exterior, and the Mirabell Gardens (free), or ride the Festungsbahn up to the fortress (~£12). Then take the regional train to Attnang-Puchheim and change for Gmunden on Lake Traunsee (~1h30, ~£12). Walk the lakeside promenade and take the short Traunsee boat crossing (~£8–12) for castle views — the tour's cruise substitute. Continue Gmunden–Vienna by Railjet (~2h15, £18–30). Check into a hostel near Westbahnhof or the Gürtel.

🚌Salzburg–Gmunden ~£12; Traunsee boat ~£10; Gmunden–Vienna ~£18–30

🛏Hostel dorm or budget hotel in Vienna (~£22–32/night)

• →Salzburg old town and Mirabell Gardens
• →Lake Traunsee promenade at Gmunden + short boat crossing (~£10)
• →Optional: Hohensalzburg Fortress (~£12)

Do the tour's panoramic Vienna loop on the 1 or 2 tram around the Ringstrasse (£2.60, or a 24h pass ~£8) — State Opera, Hofburg, Parliament, Rathaus — then Schönbrunn Palace gardens (grounds free, palace entry ~£22 if you want inside) or Belvedere for the Klimt. Evening: tram D to Grinzing for a Heuriger wine tavern (a glass of Sturm and a plate of cheese ~£15), which is what the tour offers as an optional dinner. Skip the €55 Strauss/Mozart concert and catch a cheaper church concert (~£15–20) instead if you want music.

🚌Tram/bus 24h pass ~£8

🛏Hostel dorm or budget hotel in Vienna (~£22–32/night)

• →Ringstrasse tram loop and Vienna State Opera exterior
• →Schönbrunn Palace gardens (free)
• →Heuriger wine tavern evening in Grinzing
• →Optional: Belvedere or Schönbrunn interior (~£15–22)

Final morning: Naschmarkt for breakfast and last-minute souvenirs, or a walk through the MuseumsQuartier. Head to Vienna Airport by the City Airport Train (~£12) or S-Bahn S7 (~£4) — the S7 is the budget choice and only 10 minutes slower. If you're continuing onward, cheap RegioJet/FlixBus connections run to Budapest, Bratislava and Prague.

🚌S-Bahn S7 to Vienna Airport ~£4 (City Airport Train ~£12)

🛏—

• →Naschmarkt breakfast and browsing
• →MuseumsQuartier stroll