Northern Explorer: Self-Launched 18-Day Baltic & Nordic Circuit

Start in Amsterdam. Rather than a coach, take the free (tip-based) Sandeman/New Europe walking tour of the canal ring in the morning, then do the classic Zaanse Schans day trip under your own steam: train from Amsterdam Centraal to Zaandijk Zaanse Schans (~25 min, ~£5 return with an OV-chipkaart), wander the windmills and the clog/cheese workshops for free. Combine with a short bus or bike ride to Volendam if you want the fishing-village stop. In the evening take a budget canal cruise (book on GetYourGuide/Klook, from ~£12) and eat a cheap Dutch dinner — a broodje haring or Indonesian takeaway runs £8-12.

🚌Train from Schiphol to Amsterdam Centraal ~£5; local trains/buses ~£8 for the day

🛏Hostel dorm in the city centre or near Sloterdijk (e.g. ClinkNOORD, Stayokay, Generator) — ~£30-45/night

• →Free walking tour of the canal ring (tip-based, ~£5)
• →Zaanse Schans windmills and clog/cheese workshops (free entry, ~£5 train)
• →Budget evening canal cruise (~£12-15)

Take the direct Intercity (IC) train Amsterdam Centraal to Hamburg Hbf, roughly 5h15. Book on bahn.de 2-3 months ahead for sparpreis fares from €19.99 (~£17). Check into a hostel near the HafenCity or Sternschanze. In the afternoon, do a self-guided walk of the Speicherstadt warehouses, Elbphilharmonie public plaza (free), Landungsbrücken and the Reeperbahn; a GetYourGuide walking tour of the Altstadt runs ~£12 if you want context. Dinner at a Fischbrötchen stand on the harbour ~£8.

🚌Direct IC train Amsterdam–Hamburg, ~£17-30 if booked early

🛏Hostel dorm near Sternschanze or HafenCity (e.g. Generator Hamburg, Superbude) — ~£25-35/night

• →Speicherstadt and Elbphilharmonie plaza (free)
• →Self-guided harbour and Landungsbrücken walk
• →Optional guided Altstadt walking tour (~£12)

Break the journey with a stop in Odense, Hans Christian Andersen's birthplace. Take the IC/EC train Hamburg–Odense (~3h, ~£25-35 booked early), drop bags at the station lockers, and follow the H.C. Andersen walking trail through the old town and his childhood home area (museum entry ~£13 if you go in). Then continue Odense–Copenhagen (~1h45, ~£22) and arrive in the evening. Do your own orientation walk of Nyhavn and Strøget, or join a free tip-based city walk the next morning.

🚌Regional/IC trains Hamburg–Odense–Copenhagen, ~£50-60 total

🛏Hostel dorm in Vesterbro or Nørrebro (e.g. Copenhagen Downtown Hostel, Generator) — ~£30-40/night

• →H.C. Andersen walking trail in Odense (free)
• →Nyhavn and Strøget orientation walk (free)

This is the tour's longest transfer day — do it in stages and enjoy it. Morning train Copenhagen to Helsingør (~45 min, ~£10) to see Kronborg Castle from the outside (Hamlet's castle; courtyard free). Cross the Øresund by the Scandlines/ForSea ferry Helsingør–Helsingborg (~20 min, foot passenger ~£7) and continue by train Helsingborg–Gothenburg (~2h15, ~£20). Quick Gothenburg stroll around Haga and the canal, then the evening train Gothenburg–Oslo (~3h45, ~£25-40 booked early on sj.se/vy.no). Alternatively take a cheap Norwegian flight if you're running late. Arrive Oslo late; buy a 24h Ruter pass (~£10).

🚌Train + ferry + train, ~£60-75 total (or ~£50 budget flight Gothenburg–Oslo)

🛏Hostel dorm in Sentrum/Grünerløkka (e.g. Anker Hostel, K7) — ~£30-40/night

• →Kronborg Castle exterior, Helsingør (free)
• →Øresund ferry crossing
• →Gothenburg Haga district stroll

Free walking tour of central Oslo (tip-based, ~£5) covering the Royal Palace, Karl Johans gate, Akershus Fortress (free grounds) and the Opera House roof (free to walk on). Afternoon: take tram 12 or the ferry to Bygdøy for the Folk Museum or Viking Ship Museum area, or stay central and do the free Munch-area wander plus Akershus. Book walking tours and fjord sightseeing on GetYourGuide in advance — an Oslofjord boat trip is ~£30 if you want water time. Supermarket dinner (Rema 1000/Kiwi) keeps costs down — Norway is the priciest stop.

🚌Ruter day pass ~£10

🛏Hostel dorm in Sentrum/Grünerløkka — ~£30-40/night

• →Tip-based Oslo free walking tour (~£5)
• →Akershus Fortress and Opera House roof (free)
• →Optional Oslofjord boat trip (~£30)

SJ train Oslo–Stockholm takes ~5h15 direct, or break it at Örebro (~3h from Oslo, ~£25) for a wander around the castle and Wadköping open-air museum, then continue (~2h, ~£18). You'll pass Lake Vänern on the way. In Stockholm, check into a hostel in Södermalm or Gamla Stan. Eat Swedish meatballs at a budget lunch spot (Pelikan or a Södermalm lunch deal, ~£12) instead of a group dinner.

🚌SJ trains Oslo–Örebro–Stockholm, ~£45-55 (book early; SJ has cheap release fares)

🛏Hostel dorm in Södermalm or Norrmalm (e.g. City Backpackers, Generator) — ~£28-40/night

• →Örebro castle and Wadköping open-air museum (free)
• →Lake Vänern views from the train

Free walking tour of Gamla Stan (tip-based, ~£5) covering the Royal Palace, Stortorget and the narrow alleys, plus the AF Chapman ship at Skeppsholmen. In the afternoon, do the Vasa Museum yourself (entry ~£17; cheaper combined with a guided 30-min talk included in the ticket) or a GetYourGuide combo ticket. Walk Södermalm's Monteliusvägen viewpoint at sunset — free and better than any coach stop.

🚌SL 24h travel card ~£15

🛏Hostel dorm in Södermalm or Norrmalm — ~£28-40/night

• →Tip-based Gamla Stan walking tour (~£5)
• →Vasa Museum (~£17)
• →Monteliusvägen sunset viewpoint (free)

Morning: commuter train/bus to Sigtuna, Sweden's oldest town (~1h from Stockholm, ~£8 return) — wander Stora Gatan and the rune stones. Return to Stockholm and board the evening Tallink or Viking Line ferry to Helsinki; book a B-class cabin or a cheap recliner seat directly on tallinksilja.com or vikingline.com (foot passenger in a shared cabin from ~£45-70; recliner ~£30). Eat dinner on board at the self-service buffet (~£15) and watch the archipelago from the deck.

🚌Sigtuna return train ~£8; overnight ferry Stockholm–Helsinki ~£30-70

🛏Overnight ferry cabin or recliner seat (Tallink/Viking Line)

• →Sigtuna old town and Stora Gatan (free)
• →Overnight Baltic ferry crossing

Arrive Helsinki in the morning and walk to your hostel. Do a free tip-based walking tour of Senate Square, Helsinki Cathedral and the Market Square (~£5), then take the public HSL ferry to Suomenlinna sea fortress (return ~£5, island free) with a supermarket picnic lunch — this replicates the tour's paid excursion for a fraction of the price. Coffee and a korvapuusti at a traditional café ~£6.

🚌HSL ferry to Suomenlinna ~£5; tram day ticket ~£8

🛏Hostel dorm in Kamppi/Kallio (e.g. Eurohostel, CheapSleep) — ~£25-35/night

• →Tip-based Helsinki walking tour (~£5)
• →Suomenlinna sea fortress by public ferry (~£5)
• →Market Square and cathedral

Take the 2-hour Tallink/Eckerö Line ferry Helsinki–Tallinn (foot passenger from ~£15-25 booked online). Afternoon free walking tour of Tallinn Old Town (tip-based, ~£5) covering Town Hall Square, St Olav's Church tower (climb ~£5) and the viewing platforms. Lunch at a local eatery in the Old Town — a hearty Estonian lunch is ~£8. Estonia is dramatically cheaper than Finland, so this is where your budget breathes.

🚌Helsinki–Tallinn ferry ~£15-25

🛏Hostel or budget guesthouse in Old Town/Kalamaja (e.g. Tallinn Backpackers, Fat Margaret's) — ~£15-22/night

• →Tip-based Old Town walking tour (~£5)
• →St Olav's Church tower climb (~£5)
• →Kalamaja neighbourhood wander (free)

Take the Lux Express or Ecolines coach Tallinn–Riga (~4h15, from ~£10-15 booked online) with a stop in Pärnu, the Estonian resort town (beach and promenade). Continue through Saulkrasti on the Latvian coast, and if you're interested, break at the Latvian War Cemetery near Riga. Evening walking tour of Riga Old Town (tip-based, ~£5) — see the House of the Blackheads, Riga Cathedral and the Central Market halls (free to browse).

🚌Lux Express/Ecolines coach Tallinn–Riga ~£10-15

🛏Hostel or budget guesthouse in Riga Old Town/Centrs (e.g. Naughty Squirrel, Two Wheels) — ~£15-22/night

• →Pärnu beach and promenade (free)
• →Tip-based Riga Old Town walking tour (~£5)
• →Riga Central Market browse (free)

Coach Riga–Šiauliai (~2h30, ~£8) or Riga–Vilnius direct (~4h, ~£12). From Šiauliai, local bus to the Hill of Crosses (~20 min, ~£1.50) — free to visit. Then continue to Vilnius. If you have time, Trakai is a 30-min local bus/train from Vilnius (~£2) and the island castle exterior and lakeside walk are free. Evening orientation walk of Vilnius Old Town and Užupis (free).

🚌Coaches and local buses ~£20-25

🛏Hostel or budget guesthouse in Vilnius Old Town (e.g. Jimmy Jumps House, Downtown Forest) — ~£15-22/night

• →Hill of Crosses (free)
• →Trakai Island Castle and lakeside walk (free exterior, ~£2 transport)
• →Vilnius Old Town and Užupis walk (free)

The Vilnius–Warsaw leg is the awkward one: the direct train is slow and infrequent, so the comfortable option is a Lux Express/Ecolines coach (~7h, ~£15-20) or a budget flight (Ryanair/Wizz, ~£25-40). Once in Warsaw, do a self-guided walk past the Palace of Culture and Science, the Presidential Palace and the Royal Route; a GetYourGuide Communist-era history walking tour is ~£12 if you want depth. Cheap Polish dinner — pierogi and a drink ~£9.

🚌Coach Vilnius–Warsaw ~£15-20 (or budget flight ~£25-40)

🛏Hostel dorm in Śródmieście/Praga (e.g. Oki Doki, Chillout Hostel) — ~£18-25/night

• →Royal Route and Palace of Culture self-guided walk (free)
• →Optional Communist history walking tour (~£12)

Free tip-based walking tour of Warsaw Old Town (~£5) — the reconstructed Market Square, the Barbican and the Royal Castle exterior. In the afternoon pick one museum: POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews (~£12, free on certain weekdays), the Chopin Museum (~£7) or the National Museum. Evening: a milk-bar (bar mleczny) dinner for ~£5-7 is the budget traveller's secret weapon in Poland.

🚌Tram/metro day ticket ~£4

🛏Hostel dorm in Śródmieście/Praga — ~£18-25/night

• →Tip-based Old Town walking tour (~£5)
• →POLIN Museum (~£12) or Chopin Museum (~£7)
• →Milk-bar dinner (~£6)

Train Warsaw–Poznań (~2h45, ~£12-18 on PKP Intercity booked early), break for the Old Market Square and a coffee, then continue Poznań–Berlin (~2h45, ~£15-20 on bahn.de sparpreis). Arrive Berlin in the evening and do a self-guided walk of the Brandenburg Gate, Reichstag exterior and Checkpoint Charlie, or save them for the free walking tour tomorrow.

🚌PKP/DB trains Warsaw–Poznań–Berlin ~£30-38

🛏Hostel dorm in Mitte/Kreuzberg (e.g. Circus Hostel, EastSeven) — ~£22-32/night

• →Poznań Old Market Square (free)
• →Evening Brandenburg Gate and Checkpoint Charlie walk (free)

Morning free tip-based Berlin walking tour (~£5) covering the Brandenburg Gate, Holocaust Memorial, Checkpoint Charlie and Museum Island. Afternoon self-guided: East Side Gallery along the Spree (free), the Berlin Wall Memorial on Bernauer Straße (free), and optionally the TV Tower observation deck (book ahead, ~£22) or a Museum Island museum (~£10-14). Currywurst dinner ~£5 or a Kreuzberg döner ~£5.

🚌BVG day ticket ~£8

🛏Hostel dorm in Mitte/Kreuzberg — ~£22-32/night

• →Tip-based Berlin walking tour (~£5)
• →East Side Gallery and Berlin Wall Memorial (free)
• →Optional TV Tower or Museum Island entry (~£10-22)

Take the direct IC train Berlin Hbf–Amsterdam Centraal (~6h15, ~£35-45 booked early on bahn.de) — far more comfortable than a coach and drops you in the centre. Alternatively a budget flight (~£30-50). Spend the late afternoon wandering the Jordaan and the Nine Streets, and have a farewell dinner at a brown café — a stamppot or a cheap Indonesian rijsttafel is ~£15.

🚌Direct IC train Berlin–Amsterdam ~£35-45

🛏Hostel dorm near Sloterdijk or the centre — ~£30-45/night

• →Jordaan and Nine Streets wander (free)
• →Farewell dinner at a brown café (~£15)

Final morning: a last canal-side coffee, the Albert Cuyp Market, or a quick free walking tour if you missed it on day one. Train to Schiphol takes ~20 min (~£5) for onward flights. Book any extra night in Amsterdam separately via Booking.com or Hostelworld.

🚌Train to Schiphol ~£5

🛏None (or book an extra night if needed)

• →Albert Cuyp Market (free)
• →Canal-side walk (free)