European Experience: Paris to Amsterdam (Self-Launched)
12 days · Western Europe (Paris, Lucerne, Florence, Rome, Venice, Innsbruck, Munich, Rhine, Amsterdam)
Costsaver charges £1,780
No-markup version: ~£1,290 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A 12-day self-launched version of Costsaver's coach tour through seven countries — Paris, Lucerne, Florence, Rome, Venice, Innsbruck, Munich, the Rhine Valley and Amsterdam. Instead of a 40+ person coach and early starts, you'll use high-speed trains, regional buses and a Rhine day boat to cover the same landmarks at your own pace, staying in hostels and budget guesthouses near the sights (a common complaint on the original was remote hotels). You keep full control of optional extras like Mount Pilatus, the Accademia, a Venetian gondola and the Amsterdam canal cruise — all bookable yourself on GetYourGuide, Klook or directly. Note this is a fast-paced route: to make it genuinely unhurried, consider dropping one stop (Innsbruck or Munich) and adding the day to Rome or Venice. Costs shown are approximate backpacker/mid-budget estimates per person, excluding international flights.
Day-by-day
Arrive Paris — Montparnasse & Latin Quarter
Paris, France
Land at CDG and take the RER B train into the city (~£10) or the Roissybus to Opéra. Check into a hostel in the 14th/5th arrondissement — the same area Costsaver's Ibis Alésia Montparnasse uses, but you'll pay half as much for a dorm bed. Evening wander: walk the Rue Daguerre market street for a cheap picnic dinner, then metro to the Seine for a first glimpse of Notre-Dame and a sunset stroll along the quays.
🚌RER B from CDG to Denfert-Rochereau ~£10; Paris Metro single ticket ~£2
🛏Hostel dorm, 14th or 5th arrondissement (e.g. Les Piaules, St Christopher's Canal or Generator Paris)
- →Seine riverside evening walk
- →Rue Daguerre market street picnic
Paris landmarks by foot and metro
Paris, France
Do your own version of the guided sightseeing circuit: start early at the Arc de Triomphe (rooftop ticket ~£13 via GetYourGuide if you want the view), walk down the Champs-Élysées, cut through the Tuileries to the Louvre courtyard, then metro to Trocadéro for the classic Eiffel Tower shot. In the afternoon head to Montmartre for Place du Tertre's Artist's Square and browse the small galleries. Optional evening: a small-group cabaret or a €30–40 dinner in a locals' bistro in the 11th — book cabaret tickets directly on GetYourGuide rather than through a tour director.
🚌Metro carnet/contactless, ~£5 for the day
🛏Hostel dorm, 14th or 5th arrondissement
- →Arc de Triomphe
- →Champs-Élysées
- →Montmartre & Place du Tertre
- →Eiffel Tower viewpoint at Trocadéro
Paris → Lucerne by train
Lucerne, Switzerland
Take the TGV Lyria from Gare de Lyon to Basel (~£60–85 booked 30+ days ahead on SNCF Connect) and change to an SBB regional train to Lucerne — the whole run is about 5 hours with one or two easy changes. Stay in a hostel in Lucerne itself rather than a suburban business hotel like the SwissEver Zug. Afternoon: lakeside walk along the Reuss, first look at the Chapel Bridge in golden evening light, and a supermarket dinner (Swiss grocery bills bite, so Coop/Migros picnics are your friend).
🚌TGV Lyria Paris–Basel ~£70 + SBB Basel–Luzern ~£30; Swiss Half Fare Card may pay off if you add Pilatus
🛏Lucerne backpacker hostel (e.g. Backpackers Lucerne or a 4-bed dorm)
- →Lake Lucerne waterfront
- →Chapel Bridge at sunset
Lucerne old town + Mount Pilatus
Lucerne, Switzerland
Morning self-guided orientation: Lion Monument, Jesuit Church and the Chapel Bridge with the painted roof panels, all free and walkable in 90 minutes. Then the big optional: Mount Pilatus. Book the 'Golden Round Trip' directly with Pilatus.ch (~£95–110 with a half-fare card) — cogwheel railway up, aerial gondola down, plus the lake steamer leg — or a GetYourGuide combo. Alternative if the weather is poor: swap in Mount Rigi by paddle steamer (~£60) or a cheap day just wandering the medieval ramparts.
🚌Walking in town; bus/boat to Alpnachstad ~£8
🛏Lucerne backpacker hostel
- →Lion Monument
- →Jesuit Church
- →Chapel Bridge
- →Mount Pilatus Golden Round Trip (optional)
Lucerne → Florence via Milan
Florence, Italy
A long but beautiful train day: SBB to Lugano or Chiasso, then Trenitalia/Italo down through Milan to Florence Santa Maria Novella — total ~6.5–7.5 hours, ~£55–80 if booked on Trenitalia or Italo in advance. Note the original coach tour sneaks in a Pisa stop en route; if you want Pisa, deliberately add a 3-hour layover there (Pisa Centrale is on the line) and stash bags at the station, but it will make this a very long day. Otherwise head straight to Florence, book a hostel near SMN station, and eat a cheap trattoria dinner in the Oltrarno.
🚌Lucerne–Milan–Florence regional/Frecce train, ~£70 total; optional Pisa stop free to add
🛏Florence hostel near Santa Maria Novella (e.g. Plus Florence or a small guesthouse in Santo Spirito)
- →Optional Pisa layover
- →Oltrarno evening wander
Florence: Duomo, Piazzale Michelangelo & David
Florence, Italy
Self-guided Renaissance day. Start at Piazza della Signoria and the Duomo exterior with Giotto's Bell Tower — climb the bell tower or dome if you book the Brunelleschi Pass directly (~£25–30). Walk to Piazzale Michelangelo for the classic city panorama, then cross back for the Accademia: book a timed skip-the-line slot on the official B-ticket site or GetYourGuide (~£20, worth it — walk-up queues are brutal). Bypass the coach-tour leather demo and instead browse the San Lorenzo leather market. Optional: a small-group Uffizi tour (~£45) or the Oltrarno artisan workshops.
🚌All walking; local bus to Piazzale Michelangelo ~£2
🛏Florence hostel near Santa Maria Novella
- →Duomo & Giotto's Bell Tower
- →Piazzale Michelangelo
- →Accademia — Michelangelo's David (timed ticket)
- →San Lorenzo leather market
Florence → Rome + Vatican City
Rome, Italy
Frecciarossa from Firenze SMN to Roma Termini, ~1h35 and ~£25–40 booked ahead. Drop bags at a hostel near Termini or Monti, then head to the Vatican. Book Vatican Museums + Sistine Chapel skip-the-line directly with the Vatican Museums (~£22 plus booking fee) or a GetYourGuide early-entry tour for the full context. Finish at St Peter's Basilica (free entry, small security queue) and, if you have energy, climb the dome (~£8). Evening: cheap pizza al taglio in Trastevere.
🚌Frecciarossa Florence–Rome ~£30; Rome metro/bus day ticket ~£6
🛏Rome hostel in Monti or Termini area
- →Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel
- →St Peter's Basilica
- →Trastevere evening
Rome: Colosseum, Forum & Pantheon
Rome, Italy
The original tour gives Rome only a Vatican morning; use this extra day properly. Book a Colosseum + Roman Forum + Palatine Hill combined ticket directly with Coopculture (~£16) or a GetYourGuide small-group tour (~£40) — book the earliest slot to dodge heat and crowds. Afternoon: Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps on a free self-made walking loop, gelato stops included. Optional evening food tour in Testaccio (~£50) or a simple carbonara dinner.
🚌Metro to Colosseo ~£3; rest on foot
🛏Rome hostel in Monti or Termini area
- →Colosseum & Roman Forum
- →Palatine Hill
- →Pantheon
- →Piazza Navona & Trevi Fountain
Rome → Venice
Venice, Italy
Frecciarossa Rome Termini to Venezia Santa Lucia, ~4 hours, ~£35–55 booked ahead. Stay in Mestre rather than tourist-trap central Venice (as the original does with Campanile Mestre) — it's a 10-minute train or bus hop and cuts accommodation costs sharply. Afternoon: take vaporetto line 1 down the Grand Canal (~£8 single, or a 24h pass ~£20) to St Mark's Square, view the Basilica exterior and Doge's Palace, walk the Bridge of Sighs. Optional gondola: a shared 30-min ride booked via GetYourGuide is ~£30–35 versus €80+ walk-up.
🚌Frecciarossa Rome–Venice ~£45; vaporetto 24h pass ~£20
🛏Budget hotel or hostel in Mestre
- →Grand Canal vaporetto ride
- →St Mark's Square
- →Doge's Palace exterior & Bridge of Sighs
- →Shared gondola (optional)
Venice morning → Innsbruck
Innsbruck, Austria
Use the morning for what coach tours rarely allow: the quieter Dorsoduro side — Salute church, Zattere waterfront, the Rialto Market if it's a weekday — and a €3 cicchetti lunch. Then take the train Venezia Mestre → Verona → Brennero → Innsbruck (~5–6 hours, ~£35–50 with an ÖBB Sparschiene ticket). Evening stroll Innsbruck's old town: the Golden Roof, Maria-Theresien-Strasse and the ski jump visible on the hillside. Stay in a hostel or pension near the old town. Swarovski Crystal Worlds store visit is free to replicate; the actual Kristallwelten attraction in Wattens needs a bus and ~£20 entry if you're keen.
🚌ÖBB Venice–Innsbruck ~£40; Innsbruck tram/bus ~£3
🛏Innsbruck hostel/pension near Altstadt
- →Dorsoduro & Zattere waterfront
- →Rialto Market
- →Golden Roof
- →Bergisel ski jump viewpoint
Innsbruck → Munich → Rhine Valley
Rhine Valley / St Goar, Germany
Morning train Innsbruck → Munich (~1h45, ~£20 with a Bayern/Sparschiene ticket). Spend 3–4 hours in Munich: Marienplatz and the Glockenspiel at 11:00 or 12:00, Hofbräuhaus for a stein and a pretzel, and the Viktualienmarkt for lunch. Then regional train Munich → Mainz or Koblenz (~4h, ~£25 with a regional Quer-durchs-Land ticket) and a short local train to St Goar or Bacharach. Sleep in a Rhine guesthouse — cheaper and far more characterful than the ACHAT Bad Dürkheim business hotel — and drink a local Riesling on the riverbank.
🚌Innsbruck–Munich ~£20; Munich–Rhine regional trains ~£25
🛏Rhine Valley guesthouse in Bacharach or St Goar
- →Marienplatz & Glockenspiel
- →Hofbräuhaus
- →Viktualienmarkt
- →Rhine riverbank evening
Rhine cruise → Amsterdam
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Morning: replicate the included Rhine river cruise on a scheduled KD Köln-Düsseldorfer boat between St Goar and Boppard or Bacharach (~£20–25 one way, 1–1.5 hours past the Lorelei rock and castle-clad hills). Then train Koblenz → Cologne → Amsterdam Centraal (~4h, ~£35–50 via NS/DB). Stay in a hostel in Amsterdam-Noord or near Sloterdijk to keep costs down, then finish with the free sights: Dam Square, Royal Palace exterior and the Bloemenmarkt. Optional canal cruise at dusk — book a 75-minute open-boat tour on GetYourGuide for ~£18 (cheaper and better than the big glass boats). Depart from Schiphol the next morning by train (~£5).
🚌KD Rhine boat ~£22; Koblenz–Amsterdam train ~£45; Schiphol train ~£5
🛏Amsterdam hostel (Noord or Sloterdijk area)
- →Rhine river cruise past the Lorelei
- →Dam Square & Royal Palace
- →Bloemenmarkt
- →Evening canal cruise (optional)
Self-launched vs. Costsaver
| This itinerary (self-launched) | Costsaver | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£1,290 | £1,780 |
| Duration | 12 days | 12 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £490 per person (28%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more Costsaver-style trips? Check them out here.~£1,290
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.
Customise with Tour BusterCreated by
Travel Crew
0 trips
Frequently asked questions
How much does European Experience: Paris to Amsterdam (Self-Launched) cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £1,290 per person for 12 days in Western Europe (Paris, Lucerne, Florence, Rome, Venice, Innsbruck, Munich, Rhine, Amsterdam). 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 Costsaver?+
Yes — Costsaver charges around £1,780 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £1,290 — a saving of roughly £490 (28%) per person.
How long is the Western Europe (Paris, Lucerne, Florence, Rome, Venice, Innsbruck, Munich, Rhine, Amsterdam) trip?+
This itinerary runs 12 days, covering 12 day-by-day stops through Western Europe (Paris, Lucerne, Florence, Rome, Venice, Innsbruck, Munich, Rhine, Amsterdam).
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, budget trip through Western Europe (Paris, Lucerne, Florence, Rome, Venice, Innsbruck, Munich, Rhine, Amsterdam), 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?
Drop your comment below — if you've done a similar route, tell us what worked, what you'd add, or what you'd skip.
No comments yet — be the first to share your take.
Sign in to leave a comment.