Lisbon to Paris: Portugal, Spain, Switzerland & France Self-Launched
13 days · Portugal, Spain, Switzerland & France
Europamundo charges £1,565
No-markup version: ~£1,245 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A 13-day self-launched version of Europamundo's coach loop from Lisbon to Paris, covering Lisbon, Cáceres, Madrid, Zaragoza, Barcelona, Girona, Arles, Chambéry, Geneva, Gruyères, Interlaken, Lucerne, Zurich, Strasbourg and Paris. Instead of a 72-person coach with rushed 30-minute photo stops, you do the same route on scheduled trains, regional buses and a couple of low-cost flights, staying in hostels and budget hotels. Expect roughly half the operator's price, far more time in each place, and the freedom to skip what doesn't appeal.
Day-by-day
Arrive Lisbon — Alfama & Bairro Alto
Lisbon, Portugal
Land at Lisbon Airport and take the Aerobus or metro (€2-4) into town. Check into a hostel in Baixa or Alfama. Spend the afternoon on foot: Miradouro da Senhora do Monte, the Castle district and the lanes of Alfama. Skip the coach's group walking tour and instead join a free walking tour (tip ~€5-10) or download a self-guided route. Evening: cheap dinner in Bairro Alto and a drink at a miradouro bar.
🚌Airport bus/metro €2-4; trams €2.10 per ride
🛏Hostel dorm in Baixa/Alfama (e.g. Home Lisbon Hostel, Yes! Lisbon) — ~£18
- →Self-guided Alfama walk
- →Miradouro da Senhora do Monte
- →Free walking tour (tip-based)
Belém & the Tagus
Lisbon, Portugal
Take tram 15 from Praça da Figueira to Belém (~€2.10 with Viva Viagem card). See the Jerónimos Monastery exterior and Belém Tower from the riverfront, then the Monument to the Discoveries. Book a timed ticket for the Monastery online (~€18) if you want to go inside. Eat a pastel de nata at the original Pastéis de Belém (~€1.50). Afternoon: MAAT or the free riverside path; evening back in Cais do Sodré. Optional: half-day Sintra trip by train (~€5 return, plus €12 Pena Palace) — doable but tight, better saved for a later visit.
🚌Tram 15 return ~€4.20; optional Sintra train ~€5
🛏Hostel dorm in Baixa/Alfama — ~£18
- →Jerónimos Monastery (€18 optional)
- →Belém Tower
- →Pastéis de Belém
- →MAAT riverside walk
Lisbon → Cáceres → Madrid by bus and train
Cáceres & Madrid, Spain
The coach stops at Estremoz and Cáceres en route — you can replicate this. Take an early Rede Expressos or FlixBus from Lisbon Sete Rios to Cáceres (~€25-35, 4h). Spend 2-3 hours in Cáceres' walled Old Town and Plaza Mayor (a coffee stop in Estremoz is only worth it if you take a slower bus — it's a pretty whitewashed town). Then take an ALSA/Monbus or Renfe train from Cáceres to Madrid (~€25-35, 3h). Evening arrival in Madrid; grab tapas in La Latina.
🚌Lisbon-Cáceres bus ~£28; Cáceres-Madrid train/bus ~£28
🛏Hostel dorm in Sol/La Latina or Lavapiés — ~£20
- →Cáceres Old Town
- →Plaza Mayor Cáceres
- →Evening tapas in La Latina
Madrid: Prado, Retiro and Bernabéu
Madrid, Spain
Walk the sightseeing circuit yourself: Puerta del Sol, Plaza Mayor, Paseo del Prado, Cibeles, Puerta de Alcalá. Prado Museum entry is €15 (free 18:00-20:00 Mon-Sat, but queues are long — book a timed ticket instead). Stroll Retiro Park to the Palacio de Cristal. For football fans, book a Santiago Bernabéu tour online (~€35) — or skip it and spend the €35 on a good dinner. Evening in Malasaña.
🚌Metro single €1.50-2; walkable centre
🛏Hostel dorm in Sol/La Latina — ~£20
- →Prado Museum (€15)
- →Retiro Park & Palacio de Cristal
- →Bernabéu tour (€35 optional)
Madrid → Zaragoza → Barcelona
Zaragoza & Barcelona, Spain
Take an early Renfe AVE or Ouigo from Madrid to Zaragoza (~€15-25, 1h20). Visit the Basilica del Pilar (free) and the old town, then a 1.5-hour AVE/Ouigo onward to Barcelona (~€20-30). The Poblet Abbey detour is genuinely awkward without a car — skip it and use the saved time for a proper Barcelona evening. Check into a hostel in Gràcia or Eixample; dinner of pintxos or a menú del día.
🚌Madrid-Zaragoza ~£20; Zaragoza-Barcelona ~£25
🛏Hostel dorm in Gràcia/Eixample — ~£22
- →Basilica del Pilar
- →Zaragoza old town
- →Evening in Gràcia
Barcelona then train to Girona
Barcelona & Girona, Spain
Morning: walk La Rambla (early, before crowds), the Boqueria market, Gothic Quarter and Barceloneta beach. If you want Sagrada Família, book online at least a week ahead (~€26). Take a regional Renfe train to Girona (~€12-19, 40min) mid-afternoon and check into a hostel inside the old town. Evening: walk the Girona Cathedral steps, the Jewish Quarter (El Call) and the Onyar river houses — the Game of Thrones locations are free to find yourself.
🚌Renfe Barcelona-Girona ~£15
🛏Hostel/guesthouse in Girona old town — ~£22
- →Gothic Quarter & Boqueria
- →Sagrada Família (€26 optional)
- →Girona Cathedral & Jewish Quarter
Girona → Arles → Chambéry
Arles & Chambéry, France
This is the longest transport day. Take a Renfe/SBBC train Girona to Figueres or Portbou, then a TER connection into France, or the cheaper route: bus to Perpignan then TER to Narbonne and Arles (~€35-45 total, 5-6h). Spend 2 hours at the Roman amphitheatre and theatre in Arles (combined ticket ~€12). The Carrières de Lumières light show at Les Baux is a €30 taxi/bus detour each way — genuinely hard without a car, so skip it unless you pre-book a shuttle. Evening TER train Arles to Chambéry via Lyon or Valence (~€35-50, 3.5h).
🚌Girona-Arles ~£40; Arles-Chambéry ~£42
🛏Budget hotel or guesthouse in Chambéry centre — ~£30
- →Arles Roman amphitheatre & theatre (€12)
- →Arles Old Town
Chambéry → Geneva → Gruyères → Chillon
Geneva, Gruyères & Veytaux, Switzerland
Morning bus or train to Geneva (~1.5h, €15-25). Walk the English Garden, see the Jet d'Eau, and view the Palais des Nations from the outside (guided tours need booking weeks ahead, ~CHF 15). Take a Swiss train to Bulle then the Gruyères narrow-gauge train (~CHF 28 with a Saver Day Pass or half-fare card) — visit Maison Cailler (CHF 17, includes tasting) and the medieval village. Late afternoon, train to Montreux/Veytaux and tour Chillon Castle (CHF 15). Overnight in Montreux or Martigny (cheaper).
🚌Chambéry-Geneva ~£20; Geneva-Gruyères ~£28; Gruyères-Chillon ~£20
🛏Hostel in Montreux or budget hotel in Martigny — ~£32
- →Jet d'Eau & English Garden
- →Maison Cailler (CHF 17)
- →Gruyères village
- →Chillon Castle (CHF 15)
Interlaken, Lucerne and on to Zurich
Interlaken, Lucerne & Zurich, Switzerland
The Glacier 3000 cable car (CHF 79+) is the coach's headline stop, but it requires a bus to Col du Pillon and eats a whole day. A cheaper, more flexible alternative: train to Interlaken Ost (~2h), walk to Lake Brienz, take the Harder Kulm funicular (CHF 40) or just enjoy the free lakefront. Then the GoldenPass line or direct train to Lucerne (2h, ~CHF 35) for the Chapel Bridge and Lion Monument, and a 45-min train to Zurich (~CHF 25). If you must do Glacier 3000, base yourself in Gstaad or Les Diablerets instead and skip Lucerne.
🚌Swiss rail day ~£58 (Saver Day Pass ~CHF 52 is the best value)
🛏Hostel in Zurich (e.g. City Backpacker or Zurich Youth Hostel) — ~£38
- →Harder Kulm funicular (CHF 40 optional)
- →Lake Brienz waterfront
- →Chapel Bridge Lucerne
- →Zurich Old Town
Zurich → Strasbourg → Paris
Strasbourg & Paris, France
Take an early TGV or ICE from Zurich to Strasbourg via Basel (~€30-50, 2h15 with a Sparpreis ticket booked ahead). Spend 3 hours in Strasbourg: the cathedral, Petite France and a tarte flambée lunch (~€10). Then a TGV Strasbourg-Paris (~€35-55, 2h). Check into a hostel in the 10th/11th arrondissement. Evening stroll along Canal Saint-Martin.
🚌Zurich-Strasbourg ~£40; Strasbourg-Paris ~£45
🛏Hostel dorm in Paris 10th/11th — ~£32
- →Strasbourg Cathedral
- →Petite France
- →Canal Saint-Martin
Paris: Montmartre and Versailles
Paris, France
Morning free walking tour of central Paris (tip-based) or your own route from Notre-Dame to the Louvre courtyard. Afternoon in Montmartre: Sacré-Cœur (free entry to the basilica), Place du Tertre and the vineyard. If you want Versailles, book the RER C train (~€4 each way) plus a timed palace ticket (~€21) — go early and allow 5 hours; alternatively swap it for the free Père Lachaise or the Orsay (€16).
🚌Metro/RER day pass ~£8
🛏Hostel dorm in Paris 10th/11th — ~£32
- →Montmartre & Sacré-Cœur
- →Free walking tour
- →Versailles (€21 optional)
Eiffel Tower, Seine and Paris at night
Paris, France
Book your Eiffel Tower second-floor ticket online about 60 days ahead (~€19-23) — the stairs ticket is cheaper at €11.40 and a better experience. Afternoon: picnic in the Champ de Mars or Tuileries. For the Seine, skip the €15 tour boats and take a Batobus day pass (~€21) or simply walk the Berges de Seine. Evening: sunset from Trocadéro and dinner in the 11th.
🚌Metro ~£6; Batobus optional £18
🛏Hostel dorm in Paris 10th/11th — ~£32
- →Eiffel Tower 2nd floor (€19)
- →Champ de Mars picnic
- →Trocadéro sunset
Depart Paris
Paris, France
Breakfast at the hostel, then RER B to Charles de Gaulle (~€11.80) or Roaming/Orlybus to the other airports. If you have a late flight, leave your bag at the hostel and do a last market run at Marché d'Aligre or a coffee in the Marais.
🚌RER B to CDG ~£10
🛏—
- →Marché d'Aligre
- →Marais walk
Self-launched vs. Europamundo
| This itinerary (self-launched) | Europamundo | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£1,245 | £1,565 |
| Duration | 13 days | 13 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £320 per person (20%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more Europamundo-style trips? Check them out here.~£1,245
estimated per person
You never pay Travel Crew for this — you pay hostels, transport, and activity providers directly, the same as if you'd booked it all yourself.
This publishes your dates so other travellers can find and join you — no tour operator needed.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does Lisbon to Paris: Portugal, Spain, Switzerland & France Self-Launched cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £1,245 per person for 13 days in Portugal, Spain, Switzerland & France. This is an AI-generated estimate based on typical budget-traveller prices — actual costs will vary by season and how you book.
Is this cheaper than booking with Europamundo?+
Yes — Europamundo charges around £1,565 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £1,245 — a saving of roughly £320 (20%) per person.
How long is the Portugal, Spain, Switzerland & France trip?+
This itinerary runs 13 days, covering 13 day-by-day stops through Portugal, Spain, Switzerland & France.
How do I join this trip?+
You can join an existing open departure using this itinerary if one is scheduled, or launch your own departure with your own dates and invite other travellers to join you — no tour operator required.
Isn't it easier to just use a tour operator?+
Well, yes, a tour operator will book all the individual parts of your travel for you and provide a guide. That's obvious, but doing this has the potential to save the group thousands, which can in turn improve your itinerary substantially or save you huge amounts of money. Also, when you launch a departure, Travel Crew has tools in place to help you book the individual sections of the trip or make it easier for you to do this as a group. Really, you do not need a middle man. If you are more comfortable paying more and using a middle man, then you should certainly do this.
Is it safer to book through a tour operator?+
Arguably, there isn't much difference. A self-launched trip runs on the same principle as a group travel crew: collective responsibility, everyone looking out for each other, the same way it would if a group of friends organised the trip themselves — because that's exactly what's happening. You should always take out travel insurance before you go, self-launched or not; that doesn't change either way. Every open departure is published publicly with real dates and a real trip organiser, so it's never an anonymous arrangement, and our support team is reachable any time you need help, including in an emergency while you're away. Longer-term, we're building direct relationships with ground DMCs in popular destinations, offered as an optional paid add-on for extra on-the-ground support. Ultimately, though, the group is responsible for its own conduct and safety on a self-launched trip, same as on any trip you plan yourself.
What kind of trip is this?+
This is a culture, city-breaks, foodie trip through Portugal, Spain, Switzerland & France, self-launched rather than run by a tour operator — you organise it with a group you find or bring yourself.
Would you like to name the operator, name the trip, or have any suggestions about how to improve this itinerary?
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