Highlights of Eastern Europe & Turkey — Self-Launched

Fly into Budapest Ferenc Liszt (BUD) and take the 100E airport shuttle bus to Deák Ferenc tér in the centre (~£3, or ~£10 for 24h+ group travel passes). Check into a hostel or budget pension in District VII (Jewish Quarter) — the ruin-bar district is the cheapest place to sleep and to eat. Spend the evening orienting yourself along Andrássy út toward the Danube and the illuminated Chain Bridge. Buy a Budapest 72h travel card if you plan to use trams a lot.

🚌Airport bus 100E ~£3; tram/metro within city on travel card

🛏Hostel dorm or private room in a budget pension, District VII/VIII (~£16-25/night)

• →Evening Danube stroll and Chain Bridge
• →Jewish Quarter ruin bars
• →Supermarket picnic dinner

Morning free: walk the Castle Hill district and Fisherman's Bastion (free exterior), or book a Parliament tour direct through the Hungarian Parliament's own site in advance (~£12 for EU/EEA, more for non-EU — book weeks ahead). In the afternoon do the G Adventures 'G for Good' equivalent yourself: visit the Nem Adom Fel Café & Bar (a social enterprise employing people with disabilities) for a coffee or lunch, which supports the same project the tour visits. Optional: a Széchenyi thermal bath soak (~£20 direct booking). Evening: night train planning or early night before the winery day.

🚌Tram/metro on travel card

🛏Hostel dorm or private room in a budget pension, District VII/VIII (~£16-25/night)

• →Castle Hill & Fisherman's Bastion (free)
• →Nem Adom Fel Café social enterprise visit
• →Optional Széchenyi Baths ~£20

Take the morning InterCity train from Budapest Nyugati to Arad (~4h, ~£15-20 — book on the Hungarian MÁV site). From Arad, take a local bus or taxi (~£8-12) out to the Balla Géza Winery near Păuliș/Miniș, in the Arad wine hills. Pre-book a winery tour and tasting directly by phone/email — Romanian wine tastings for individuals typically run ~£10-15 including several wines and a traditional dinner. If a winery guesthouse stay isn't bookable independently, sleep in a guesthouse in Arad or Miniș (~£20-25).

🚌Budapest–Arad train ~4h ~£15-20; local bus/taxi to winery ~£10

🛏Winery guesthouse near Miniș or simple guesthouse in Arad (~£20-25)

• →Balla Géza Winery tasting and traditional Romanian dinner (direct booking, ~£10-15)
• →Arad old town evening walk

Travel to Sighișoara: local bus or train from Arad back through Sibiu or Deva — the most efficient route is a bus or train to Sibiu (~3-4h, ~£10) then a bus to Sighișoara (~2h, ~£6). Or take a direct overnight/early train. Arrive and explore the UNESCO-listed medieval citadel: the Clock Tower (free to view from outside, small fee to climb), the covered staircase and the Church on the Hill, and Casa Dracula (Vlad the Impaler's birthplace). Cheap Romanian dinner of ciorbă and mici.

🚌Local train/bus via Sibiu ~£16 total, 5-6h

🛏Guesthouse or hostel inside or beside the citadel (~£18-25)

• →Sighișoara citadel walking tour (self-guided)
• →Clock Tower and Church on the Hill
• →Casa Dracula exterior

Book a half-day Saxon villages tour through a local Romanian operator (Vișa or Criț villages, fortified churches — GetYourGuide/Viator list these from ~£35-45 for a small-group day with a local guide). Alternatively, take a local bus from Sighișoara to Viscri (~£3) and pay the ~£5 fortified church entry and walk the village yourself, then bus onward to Brașov in the afternoon (~2.5h, ~£6). Check into a guesthouse in Brașov's old town and eat at a local restaurant in Piața Sfatului.

🚌Local bus Sighișoara–Viscri ~£3; Viscri/Bunești–Brașov ~£6

🛏Brașov old-town guesthouse or hostel (~£20-28)

• →Saxon village and fortified church visit (~£5 entry)
• →Brașov Council Square evening

Take the local bus from Brașov's autogara to Bran (~45 min, ~£2) and buy a Bran Castle ticket at the gate (~£12 for the standard visit; book a time slot online in summer). The castle is the tour's 'Dracula's Castle' highlight — do it early to beat the crowds, then return to Brașov for the afternoon. In Brașov walk Catherine's Gate and the Schei district, and visit the Black Church (~£6). Cable car up Tâmpa for the view (~£6) if the weather is clear.

🚌Return local bus Brașov–Bran ~£4

🛏Brașov old-town guesthouse or hostel (~£20-28)

• →Bran Castle entry ~£12
• →Black Church ~£6
• →Tâmpa cable car ~£6

Morning train from Brașov to Bucharest Nord (~2.5h, ~£9-12 on CFR). Do a self-guided orientation walk from Piața Unirii via the Old Town (Lipscani), Stavropoleos Monastery and the Romanian Athenaeum, or join a free walking tour (tip-based, £5-8). Optional: the Palace of the Parliament (book direct, ~£12) or the Village Museum. Try a Bucharest craft beer bar or a traditional carciofi/ciorbă dinner.

🚌CFR train Brașov–Bucharest ~£10

🛏Bucharest hostel or budget hotel near Lipscani (~£20-28)

• →Free walking tour (tip ~£6)
• →Lipscani Old Town self-walk
• →Optional Palace of the Parliament ~£12

Morning bus from Bucharest to Ruse, cross the Danube, then a connecting bus to Veliko Tarnovo (~6-7h total, ~£15-20 — book through a Romanian/Bulgarian coach operator or an aggregator like FlixBus where available). Alternatively take the train to Ruse and a bus onward. Arrive in Bulgaria's prettiest medieval town and wander the artisan street of Samovodska Charshiya, then eat a shopksa salad and kavarma for under £8.

🚌Bucharest–Ruse–Veliko Tarnovo bus/train ~£18

🛏Guesthouse in Veliko Tarnovo old town (~£18-25)

• →Samovodska Charshiya artisan street
• →Tsarevets fortress floodlit evening view

Morning climb to Tsarevets Fortress (~£4 entry) for the best views over the Yantra gorge. In the afternoon take local bus 11 or a short taxi (~£3-5) to the hilltop village of Arbanasi, walk between its stone houses and visit the Nativity Church with its extraordinary frescoes (~£7). Return for a sunset drink and dinner in the old town.

🚌Local bus/taxi to Arbanasi ~£4 return

🛏Guesthouse in Veliko Tarnovo old town (~£18-25)

• →Tsarevets Fortress ~£4
• →Arbanasi village and Nativity Church ~£7

Train or bus to Sofia (~3.5-4.5h, ~£9-12). Do an orientation walk: the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral (free, crypt £2), the Roman ruins of Serdika, Vitosha Boulevard and the Ladies' Market (Zhenski Pazar). Stay central near the mosque and metro. Evening: try a Bulgarian craft beer or a mehana (tavern) for dinner.

🚌Train/bus Veliko Tarnovo–Sofia ~£10

🛏Sofia hostel or budget hotel central (~£20-28)

• →Alexander Nevsky Cathedral
• →Serdika Roman ruins
• →Ladies' Market

Morning bus or train to Plovdiv (~2h, ~£6). Explore the Old Town on foot: the Ancient Theatre of Philippopolis (~£3), the colourful Revival-era houses of ulitsa Saborna, and Kapana, the creative quarter, for coffee and lunch. Buy a combined Old Town museum ticket if you want the Ethnographic Museum too (~£6). Stay in Kapana or just south of the old town.

🚌Bus/train Sofia–Plovdiv ~£6

🛏Plovdiv guesthouse or hostel in Kapana (~£20-26)

• →Ancient Theatre of Philippopolis ~£3
• →Kapana creative quarter
• →Old Town Revival houses

Morning in Plovdiv, then the afternoon bus to Istanbul (Metro Turizm/Pamukkale run Plovdiv–Istanbul Otogar, ~7-8h, ~£25-35 including the border crossing). Or take the train to Dimitrovgrad/Edirne for a slower route. Arrive Istanbul late evening — take the metro/Havaist from the otogar to Sultanahmet or Beyoğlu. Budget a couple of Turkish lira notes for the Istanbulkart transit card (~£5 with credit).

🚌Plovdiv–Istanbul coach ~£30

🛏Hostel or budget hotel in Sultanahmet/Beyoğlu (~£20-30)

• →Istanbulkart setup
• →Rooftop evening view of the Golden Horn

Full day in Istanbul: Blue Mosque (free), Hagia Sophia (~£22 entry), Topkapı Palace (~£35 — book timed entry online), the Grand Bazaar and Spice Bazaar (free). Join a tip-based Istanbul walking tour or book a Bosphorus ferry yourself: the public Şehir Hatları ferry from Eminönü to Anadolu Kavağı costs about £3 return and is essentially the same view as the £70 cruise. Evening: eat balık ekmek by the Galata Bridge.

🚌Tram/metro on Istanbulkart; public Bosphorus ferry ~£3

🛏Hostel or budget hotel in Sultanahmet/Beyoğlu (~£20-30)

• →Blue Mosque (free)
• →Hagia Sophia ~£22
• →Topkapı Palace ~£35
• →Grand Bazaar
• →Public Bosphorus ferry ~£3

Morning bus from Istanbul to Eceabat (~5h, ~£18) or take the ferry route via Çanakkale. Book a half-day Gallipoli battlefields guided tour on the ground with a local Eceabat operator (Crowded House, Hassle Free, or similar — ~£30-40 for a small-group tour with a specialist guide). The tour covers Anzac Cove, Lone Pine, Chunuk Bair and the Turkish memorials. Stay in Eceabat or cross to Çanakkale for the night.

🚌Istanbul–Eceabat bus ~£18; ferry to Çanakkale ~£2

🛏Eceabat/Çanakkale guesthouse or hostel (~£20-28)

• →Gallipoli battlefields guided tour ~£35
• →Anzac Cove and Lone Pine

Take the local dolmuş from Çanakkale to Troy (~£3, 45 min) and enter independently (~£8; the walk from the site entrance to the ruins is short). Spend 2 hours with the reconstructed Trojan horse and the excavation layers, then continue south — dolmuş to Çanakkale and a coach to Selçuk (~5h, ~£15) or Izmir then a local train. Arrive Selçuk late afternoon and check into a pension near the basilica.

🚌Dolmuş to Troy ~£3; coach Çanakkale–Selçuk ~£15

🛏Selçuk pension or guesthouse (~£18-25)

• →Troy archaeological site ~£8
• →Trojan horse photo stop

Walk or take a local bus to the Ephesus upper gate early (~£1) and buy a ticket at the gate (~£15, or use a Museum Pass if you're visiting several sites). Walk down Harbour Street and past the Library of Celsus and the Great Theatre. On the way back visit the Basilica of St John and the Isa Bey Mosque, and the Ephesus Museum in Selçuk. In the late afternoon do the tour's 'pide moment' yourself — book a pide-making workshop or cookery class through a Selçuk operator (~£25) or just eat excellent pide for £4.

🚌Local bus to Ephesus ~£1

🛏Selçuk pension or guesthouse (~£18-25)

• →Ephesus entry ~£15
• →Basilica of St John ~£4
• →Optional pide workshop ~£25

Selçuk to Izmir by local train (~1.5h, ~£2). Spend the day in Izmir: the Kemeraltı bazaar (free self-walk — the tour does an orientation walk here), the agora ruins, and the seaside Kordon promenade for lunch. In the evening take the overnight Pamukkale/İzmir–Konya train or a night coach to Konya (~9-10h, ~£15-25). Book on the Turkish TCDD site or use a bus operator like Kamil Koç.

🚌Selçuk–Izmir train ~£2; Izmir–Konya overnight train/bus ~£20

🛏Overnight train/coach (cost included in transport) or a Konya hostel if you prefer a bed (~£18)

• →Kemeraltı Bazaar self-walk
• →Kordon seafront
• →Izmir Agora

Morning at the Mevlana Museum (~£5) and the Selimiye Mosque, with a wander through Konya's bazaar. Then take the high-speed train from Konya to Kayseri or the bus to Nevşehir/Göreme (~3h, ~£10-15), then a local dolmuş up to Göreme (~£2). Settle into a cave guesthouse and catch sunset from the Göreme panorama viewpoint. The tour's 'dinner with a local family' equivalent: book a home-cooking evening through your guesthouse or an Airbnb Experience in Cappadocia (~£25) — many village families offer these directly.

🚌Konya–Kayseri train or Konya–Nevşehir bus ~£12; dolmuş to Göreme ~£2

🛏Cave guesthouse in Göreme (~£20-30)

• →Mevlana Museum ~£5
• →Göreme sunset viewpoint (free)
• →Village home-cooked dinner ~£25

Pre-book a hot air balloon flight directly with a Cappadocia operator (Royal, Butterfly or Voyager — ~£130-170 for standard, book weeks ahead as they sell out). If balloons aren't for you (or are cancelled), do a self-guided Red Valley/Rose Valley hike (~4h, free) among the fairy chimneys. Afternoon: take a dolmuş to Kaymaklı or Derinkuyu underground city (~£3 return, ~£5 entry) and explore the multi-level tunnels. Optional Turkish bath in Göreme (~£25-35).

🚌Dolmuş to underground city ~£3

🛏Cave guesthouse in Göreme (~£20-30)

• →Hot air balloon flight ~£150 (optional)
• →Kaymaklı/Derinkuyu underground city ~£5
• →Red Valley hike (free)
• →Optional Turkish bath ~£30

Optional dawn balloon flight if you didn't fly on day 19, then a dolmuş to Nevşehir or Kayseri airport for a cheap domestic flight to Istanbul (~£30-50 booked direct with Pegasus/Turkish Airlines) or an overnight bus (~£20, 10-12h). If you're staying longer, spend the afternoon in the Devrent/Paşabağ 'fairy chimney' valleys. If departing from Istanbul, the Havaist airport bus costs ~£4-5 from Sultanahmet/Taksim.

🚌Dolmuş to airport ~£3; domestic flight to Istanbul ~£35-50

🛏Not included (departure day) or last-night hostel in Istanbul ~£25

• →Optional second balloon attempt
• →Devrent Valley fairy chimneys
• →Souvenir shopping in Göreme