Europe 20-Day Itinerary

In 20 days (excluding the two days required to fly into and out of Europe), we were able to explore 6 countries and multiple cities. This post will compile the destinations in the order of how we traveled. Please click on the links for individual blogposts on each city.

Click on a pin in the map to read the blog post or scroll down for travel itineraries. Happy travels!

Germany: Munich 3-Day Itinerary

Read Day 1 here - BMW Welt and Olympic Park

Read Day 2 here - Neuschwanstein Castle

Read Day 3 here - Nymphenburg Palace and Deustche Museum

Neuschwanstein Castle

Nymphenburg Palace

Austria: Salzburg 1-Day Itinerary

Munich --> Salzburg

Read about Salzburg here - Mirabell Palace and Gardens, Salzburg Old Town, Mozart's birthplace, Fortress Hohensalzburg

Salzburg Old Town

Austria: Vienna 1-Day Itinerary

Salzburg --> Vienna

Read about Vienna here - Sch�nbrunn Palace, Vienna Old Town, Naschmarkt

Schonbrunn Palace

Hungary: Budapest 3-Day Itinerary

Vienna --> Budapest

Read Day 1 here - Rose Gelato and House of Terror
Read Day 2 here - Buda Castle
Read Day 3 here - Gell�rt Hill

Budapest Parliament Building

St. Stephen's Basilica

Czech Republic: Prague 3-Day Itinerary

Budapest --> Prague

Read Day 1 here - Prague Castle
Read Day 2 here - Staropramen Tour and Old Town
Read Day 3 here - Wenceslas Square and Kampa

View from Prague Castle

Wenceslas Square

Germany: Berlin 2-Day Itinerary

Prague --> Berlin

Read about Berlin here - Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, German Bundestag, Brandenburg Gate, Potsdamer Platz, Berlin Wall Memorial, Berlin Cathedral

Berlin Wall Memorial

Berlin Cathedral

England: London 4-Day Itinerary

Berlin --> London

Read Day 1 here - British Museum and River Thames
Read Day 2 here - Buckingham Palace and Tower Bridge
Read Day 3 here - Warner Brothers Studio Tour
Read Day 4 here - King's Cross and Harrod's

Kensington Palace

Warner Brothers Studio Tour

France: Paris 3-Day Itinerary

London --> Paris

Read Day 1 here - Notre Dame, Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe
Read Day 2 here - Mus�e de Louvre, Sacr�-C�ur, Galeries Lafayette
Read Day 3 here - Mus�e d'Orsay, River Seine, Champs-�lys�es

Eiffel Tower

Sacre-coeur

Budapest 3-Day Itinerary: Day One

Read Day 1 here - Rose Gelato and House of Terror
Read Day 2 here - Buda Castle
Read Day 3 here - Gell�rt Hill

Vienna --> Budapest

Our train from Vienna to Budapest was scheduled for 8:12am and it departed the station by 8:15am. So make sure to be at the station on time! The train arrived in Budapest by 11am and we went to buy tickets for the metro. The cheaper option for three of us was to buy a group ticket for each day we were there (Ft 3300 per day) as opposed to buying one 72-hour ticket per person. The group ticket can be used for up to five adults travelling together.

Train to Budapest

Budapest train station

In Budapest we booked an apartment with Aventura Hostel and Apartment. The hostel is in a different location than the apartment itself so we first had to go to the hostel to get our keys and then take one metro stop to the apartment. I recommend trying this option out! We booked the retro apartment and there was plenty of space for three of us and a kitchen with the basic necessities. A grocery store is nearby for buying ingredients.

Retro apartment

The apartment was across from the Budapest St Stephens Basilica and in a convenient part of town. The famous gelato place that scoops gelato in a rose shape is directly in front of the basilica. I got a large cone with four flavours for Ft 750.

St Stephens Basilica

Rose gelato

We took the metro to Vorosmarty Utca station to go to the House of Terror which was about the Soviet occupation in Hungary. We were inside for less than 10 minutes when it started hailing hard! It was shocking to see this in the summer.

Metro station

The House of Terror cost Ft 2000 for adults and Ft 1000 for EU students or students with an international student card. Despite its name, the display inside did an excellent job of emphasizing the history and happenings rather than the fear and bloody acts committed. It makes for a worthwhile visit.

Read Day 1 here - Rose Gelato and House of Terror
Read Day 2 here - Buda Castle
Read Day 3 here - Gell�rt Hill

Budapest 3-Day Itinerary: Day Two

Read Day 1 here - Rose Gelato and House of Terror
Read Day 2 here - Buda Castle
Read Day 3 here - Gell�rt Hill

We took the metro to Szell Kalman ter and switched to bus 16 to go to Buda Castle. It boasted a view overlooking the Danube river at the Pest side of the city as the castle is on the Buda side. The area is pretty large with a palace, large garden and other buildings.

View from Buda Castle

Fisherman's Bastion

Sight at Buda Castle

After roaming the castle, we took bus 16 back to the metro station and had lunch at a mall called Mammut. Then we took tram 6 towards Margaret Island. The tram stopped at the perpendicular bridge that connected to the long skinny island. We rode bus 26 to almost the end of the island and walked back halfway. There were various school groups and photographers there but there was not much to do unless you were swimming, strolling or biking in the park.

Margaret Island

In the evening we walked from the apartment to Chain Bridge to cross the Danube River. The evening was pleasant as the sun was no longer scorching and there was a cool breeze accompanied by shades of the orange and purple sunset. We walked along the Buda side of the river towards the Parliament so that we could see its entirety at night. The building lit up beautifully against the navy night sky.

Parliament by day

Parliament by night

Read Day 1 here - Rose Gelato and House of Terror
Read Day 2 here - Buda Castle
Read Day 3 here - Gell�rt Hill

Budapest 3-Day Itinerary: Day Three

Read Day 1 here - Rose Gelato and House of Terror
Read Day 2 here - Buda Castle
Read Day 3 here - Gell�rt Hill

Budapest --> Prague

We headed out for our last day in Budapest in what turned out to be a very pleasant day. We took the metro to Szent Gell�rt t�r and there was an old style Hungarian hotel famous for its thermal bath. Next to the hotel is Gell�rt Hill where the Citadel sits atop.

Gellert Hotel

It took about a 20 minute walk uphill to reach the Citadel and the view of Budapest was gorgeous. I recommend making the short trek! We took some of our favourite photos from this spot.

View from Gellert Hill

After walking back down the hill, we took tram 47 to Fovam and walked along the river toward the Parliament in search of tram 2. We ended up taking a river cruise called Dunayacht which was a tour on water of the city. It cost Ft 2100 for adults and Ft 1900 for students. The cruise went down the river, around Margaret Island and back. It's a great option to rest your feet in the middle of the hot summer day before proceeding to the next destinations.

River cruise

For our last day in Budapest we wanted to try a Hungarian restaurant and we were recommended Kiskkakukk. The food was delicious - especially the roast duck - and service was friendly.

In the evening we packed all our things and headed to Keleti palyaudvar, the main train station, for our 8:05pm departure on the overnight train to Prague. It cost Ft 45 570 for three tickets. The experience was great actually!

Metro connected to train station

We ordered a 3-person room which was small but had everything you needed and was clean. There was a small sink, three water bottles, three bars of soap, three face towels and three beds stacked on top of each other hanging from one wall. The other wall had a ladder for you to climb into the beds. The washroom at the end of the train cart had a shower. I slept soundly through the night and we arrived in Prague by 6:45am in the morning. We were served a croissant and choice of tea or coffee each before arriving in Prague.

Overnight train

Read Day 1 here - Rose Gelato and House of Terror
Read Day 2 here - Buda Castle
Read Day 3 here - Gell�rt Hill