Budapest to Paris: Bike Tours & Belgian Waffles — Self-Launched Version

Land at Budapest Ferenc Liszt Airport (BUD) and take public Airport Bus 100E to Deák Ferenc tér (~HUF 2,200 / ~£5) — no need for a taxi. Check into a central hostel dorm around the Jewish Quarter or District VII, where most of the nightlife is walkable. Spend the late afternoon wandering the Danube promenade for views of Parliament and the Chain Bridge, then ease into the trip with a drink in a ruin bar (Szimpla Kert is the classic, but there are quieter ones a block away). Grocery-shop dinner from a Lidl/Aldi or a cheap lángos stand keeps the budget down.

🚌Airport Bus 100E from BUD to Deák Ferenc tér ~£5; all city sightseeing on foot

🛏Hostel dorm (4–6 bed) in District VII, e.g. a well-reviewed Jewish Quarter hostel — ~£14/night

• →Ruin bar crawl in District VII (self-guided)
• →Danube promenade walk: Parliament, Chain Bridge, Shoes on the Danube

Full day in Budapest: tick off the Buda Castle area and Fisherman's Bastion in the morning (free to walk), then either soak in the Széchenyi thermal baths (~HUF 5,700 / ~£13 with a locker) or take a self-booked city bike tour (~£25 via GetYourGuide). In the afternoon grab a cheap lunch at the Great Market Hall (free entry, food from ~£5) and pop into a social-enterprise café supporting Hungarians with disabilities — the same kind of community spot the tour visits; there are several around District VII. Collect your bag and head to Keleti station for the overnight train to Kraków. Book a couchette or seat in advance on the Hungarian (MÁV) or PKP Intercity site; a seat is cheapest (~£30–45), a couchette around £55–70.

🚌Budapest Keleti → Kraków Główny overnight train, ~9–10 hrs, ~£30–45 for a seat

🛏Overnight train, reclining seat or couchette

• →Buda Castle & Fisherman's Bastion (free exterior)
• →Széchenyi thermal baths (~£13)
• →Great Market Hall food stalls

Arrive early and drop your bag at the hostel. Spend the morning on a self-guided loop of the Old Town: Rynek Główny (Europe's biggest medieval square), the Cloth Hall, Wawel Royal Castle and the dragon's den on the riverbank, then the Kazimierz old Jewish Quarter with its synagogues and street food. In the afternoon do the Auschwitz-Birkenau memorial — self-book through the official museum site (entry is free, but timed entry requires a reservation) or a GetYourGuide/Klook day tour from Kraków including transport at ~£30–40, which matches the tour operator's optional add-on. Evening: a milk-bar (bar mleczny) dinner for ~£4–6.

🚌Local tram tickets ~£0.80 per ride; Auschwitz transport via booked tour or train+bus independently

🛏Hostel dorm in Kraków Old Town / Kazimierz — ~£13/night

• →Rynek Główny & Cloth Hall (free)
• →Wawel Royal Castle grounds (free; interiors ~£8)
• →Kazimierz old Jewish Quarter walk
• →Auschwitz-Birkenau memorial visit (~£30–40 with transport)

Morning day train Kraków → Prague (roughly 6–7 hrs; book on the Czech Railways/RegioJet site or a Eurail pass; ~£20–35). Check into a hostel around Old Town or Vinohrady. Do your own orientation walk: Old Town Square and its astronomical clock, Wenceslas Square, the riverbank at Náplaví. For dinner go to a proper Czech beer hall (U Fleků or a local pivnice) — a pint is ~£2 and a goulash with bread dumplings ~£7. If you want the craft-beer tasting the operator sells as an optional, self-book a Prague craft beer & food tasting tour on GetYourGuide for ~£40–55.

🚌Kraków Główny → Prague hl.n. day train, ~6–7 hrs, ~£20–35

🛏Hostel dorm in Prague Old Town/Vinohrady — ~£15/night

• →Old Town Square & Astronomical Clock (free)
• →Náplaví riverbank walk
• →Czech beer hall dinner

Free day for Prague. Walk up to Prague Castle and the St Vitus Cathedral complex (grounds free, cathedral free, castle circuit ticket ~£12–16) and down through the Lesser Town. Afternoon: the Josefov Jewish Quarter — the synagogues and Old Jewish Cemetery need a combined ticket (~£12–18) if you want to go inside. Finish with a tram to Letná and a cheap beer at the Letná beer garden overlooking the river (~£2). Optional: Museum of Communism (~£13) or Old Town Hall tower (~£12).

🚌Tram day tickets ~£4; on foot for the rest

🛏Hostel dorm in Prague — ~£15/night

• →Prague Castle & St Vitus Cathedral
• →Josefov Jewish Quarter
• →Letná beer garden sunset

Take a morning train Prague → Berlin (the EC/IC services run ~4.5 hrs; book in advance on the Deutsche Bahn site for the best fares, ~£20–35). Hostel options are best around Kreuzberg, Neukölln or Mitte. Walk the central sights yourself: Brandenburg Gate, the Reichstag exterior (free, but book the free dome visit weeks ahead online), the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe and a stretch of the Berlin Wall. Evening: cheap street food (currywurst or döner, ~£5) and a wander around Kreuzberg's bars — Berlin club entry varies wildly, from free to ~£15.

🚌Prague hl.n. → Berlin Hbf EC train, ~4.5 hrs, ~£20–35; U-Bahn/S-Bahn single tickets ~£3

🛏Hostel dorm in Kreuzberg/Neukölln — ~£18/night

• →Brandenburg Gate & Reichstag exterior (free)
• →Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe (free)
• →East Side Gallery along the Wall (free)

A full free day in Berlin. Do the Berlin Wall Memorial on Bernauer Straße (free, excellent outdoor exhibition), then Checkpoint Charlie and its museum (~£16) if you're a history nerd. Afternoon options: the East Side Gallery, Tempelhofer Feld (the old airport turned park, free), or a museum — Museum Island day ticket or a single museum is ~£10–20. Cheap lunch at a market hall (Markthalle Neun on a Thursday) or a bakery, and a relaxed evening in a Kneipe.

🚌Public transport day ticket ~£8

🛏Hostel dorm in Berlin — ~£18/night

• →Berlin Wall Memorial (free)
• →Checkpoint Charlie Museum (~£16)
• →Tempelhofer Feld walk (free)

Use the extra day the way the group tour does — as free time. Options: the TV Tower (Fernsehturm) observation deck (~£24, book timed slot online), the DDR Museum (~£12), a street-art walk in Kreuzberg, or a day trip out to Potsdam on the regional train (ABC zone ticket ~£9) for Sanssouci Park. Keep the evening light if you're moving on tomorrow; stock up on train snacks and do laundry at the hostel (~£5).

🚌Local transport day ticket ~£8 (or Potsdam ABC ticket ~£9)

🛏Hostel dorm in Berlin — ~£18/night

• →Fernsehturm observation deck (optional, ~£24)
• →Kreuzberg street art walk (free)
• →Potsdam day trip (optional)

Long-ish travel day: take the direct IC Berlin → Amsterdam (~6.5 hrs; book early on the DB or NS site, ~£30–45) or split it with a stop in Hanover. Arrive late afternoon and check into a hostel — dorms are pricey in Amsterdam, so book well ahead (or consider a hostel in Amsterdam-Noord and take the free ferry). Evening: walk the canals at dusk, grab a cheap meal at a Surinamese or Indonesian takeaway (~£8), and if you're curious, wander the Red Light District with the usual respect for locals.

🚌Berlin Hbf → Amsterdam Centraal IC train, ~6.5 hrs, ~£30–45; GVB day ticket ~£7

🛏Hostel dorm in Amsterdam (book early) — ~£28/night

• →Canal ring evening walk (free)
• →Free ferry to Amsterdam-Noord

The included highlight of the original tour is the bike tour — self-book an equivalent city bike tour through GetYourGuide, Viator or direct with a local operator like Mike's Tours: ~2.5–3 hrs for ~£25–30. Afternoon: pick one museum rather than all of them — Van Gogh Museum (~£20, timed tickets sell out, book ahead), the Rijksmuseum (~£22) or the Anne Frank House (~£14, book exactly when tickets release, they vanish fast). Coffee and a slice of appeltaart in a bruin café is mandatory.

🚌Walk/bike; GVB day ticket ~£7 if needed

🛏Hostel dorm in Amsterdam — ~£28/night

• →Amsterdam guided bike tour (~£25–30, self-booked)
• →Van Gogh Museum or Anne Frank House (~£14–22)

Train to Bruges: Amsterdam Centraal → Antwerp → Bruges, roughly 3.5–4 hrs (~£30–40, book on the NS or SNCB site, or use a Benelux/Interrail pass). Check into a hostel near the centre (Bauhaus or Snuffel are the well-known budget picks). Do a self-guided loop of the medieval centre: Markt and the Belfry (tower climb ~£10), the Minnewater lake, the begijnhof. Then the important business: a Belgian waffle (~£4–6), a chocolate-shop crawl, and a brewery visit — De Halve Maan brewery tour is ~£18, the Beer Museum ~£10. A canal cruise is ~£8–10 if you want the tourist classics.

🚌Amsterdam → Antwerp → Bruges trains, ~3.5–4 hrs, ~£30–40

🛏Hostel dorm in Bruges — ~£22/night

• →Belfry tower climb (~£10)
• →Waffles & chocolate shops (~£10)
• →De Halve Maan brewery tour (~£18)

Easy final leg: train Bruges → Brussels (~1 hr) then the Eurostar or TGV Brussels → Paris Gare du Nord (~1h20, ~£25–45 if booked in advance; FlixBus Brussels–Paris is ~£12–18 if you're really pinching). You arrive in Paris mid-to-late afternoon, matching the original itinerary. If you have time, walk the Seine from Notre-Dame to the Eiffel Tower, or claim a cheap picnic from a boulangerie. Trip ends on arrival — book onward travel for the evening or stay an extra night in a Paris hostel (~£30–40 dorm).

🚌Bruges → Brussels train ~£10, Brussels → Paris Eurostar/TGV ~£25–45 (or FlixBus ~£12–18)

🛏None included (optional extra hostel night in Paris ~£30–40)

• →Seine walk: Notre-Dame, Louvre exterior, Eiffel Tower