Backpacker’s Guide To Eastern Europe – After my first trip to Europe and visiting only popular cities in the West, the whole next year I dreamed of Eastern Europe at University waiting for summer to come. It took me many years to plan my sample itinerary for Eastern Europe – and I’ll explain it all to you in detail now that it’s all said and done.
I’ve written about all of these cities before, so there will be links to the respective guides. As I mentioned in my sample itinerary for Western Europe, at the time I didn’t have the funds to go to Ireland and Spain as they would have required flying with my time constraints. So I made sure to hit them first before heading east.
Backpacker’s Guide To Eastern Europe
I mentioned Ireland and Spain in my Western Europe itinerary and as I said, you can do Ireland first, then the Western Itinerary I wrote about, which ends in Spain, then fly to Greece, so start this “Eastern Europe” itinerary “. So now I’ll start with Greece!
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1. Athens, Greece. Flying to Athens was exciting but nerve-wracking because my backpack failed and I had nothing but almonds and my journal in my carry-on. The first thing to know about Athens is that there is no one there in July and the hot months. They are on vacation because it is so hot! Honestly, the city was a bit dirty and desolate, but interesting and of course seeing the ancient ruins on the Acropolis was very cool. Tips for traveling to Athens.
2. Mykonos, Greece. Mykonos is a party island. From Athens you need to take a ferry to the nearest port and you will want to find a travel agent in town to book your ferry tickets. They are a bit expensive if you compare to the islands of Thailand. Mykonos was beautiful, expensive, had delicious food, and there are quiet areas if you know where to look; we found a nice apartment in a remote area. Read more: Best of Mykonos in Greece
3. Santorini, Greece. When it comes to fun and beauty, Santorini takes the cake. There is no doubt why this is the island with the most tourists. That’s amazing. You have famous sunsets and that white on blue rounded architecture everywhere you look. The food was a little pricey but delicious and the shops were full of the cutest things. I couchsurfed here mostly to save money and also because we didn’t experience Greece like a local. We stayed with a model/dive instructor and had a blast club jumping and exploring the island on bikes the whole time. Read on for tips: What I love about Santorini, Greece: Diving and the gods
4. Corfu, Greece. Corfu is a “green” island. The water is so clear, but with lush green forests in the background. In fact, it looks a lot like Thailand. We stayed at the popular party hostel Pink Palace, which in retrospect was a mistake as you get a bit trapped when you see the local parts of the island.
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5. Tirana, Albania. So, Albania was a bit of an accident. We got pretty much stuck in Santorini and were told we had to go to Italy to get to our next city (Dubrovnik). The only other option was to take a ferry to the southern part of Albania and take a taxi to the north, as local buses are hit and miss. We went by local bus/train through Albania through Montenegro to Croatia. We took a local bus to Tirana and met a cool chick, Bena, who shared with us all the secret local hotspots of Albania, from beaches and bars to UNESCO sites.
6. Dubrovnik, Croatia. After a few days of unplanned travel, we arrived in Dubrovnik and I was blown away by how much I love this city. If there’s one place I want to go back and take Ben, it would be this city. I know it became more touristy in part with the help of Game of Thrones filming in the castle. It is a wonderful medieval city. Great food and such a beautiful view of the sea that I didn’t mind a little crowd. We stayed at Rooms in the Old Town, which I 100% recommend. They will meet you at the bus station.
7. Sarajevo, Bosnia. Sarajevo was a bit of a culture shock after being in beach party towns, not to say we didn’t party in Sarajevo (I was only 20 after all). A place not so long ago destroyed by war, you can see the destruction even today, and getting to know the history of that war is very important. This was the first place I had been where there was a call to prayer, but it was interesting in that there were Christian churches and synagogues at the same intersection. Also, the food was amazing as was the coffee! Definitely buy a coffee set here.
8. Belgrade, Serbia. Not only interesting, but also affordable. It’s a nice city to see, but I was only there for a short time. It was a beer festival in Belgrade, so you can only imagine what I was up to. We found a hotel online and it was $3 a night with breakfast. How is it possible!?
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9. Budapest, Hungary. The first thing I learned about Budapest is that one side of the river is Buda and one side is called the pest. I recommend going around the city to learn, and I couchsurfed here. We mostly learned about what happened there during World War II, which I’ve always been interested in. Be sure to visit the famous Szechieni Baths, which are the highlight of a trip to Budapest.
10. Krakow, Poland. Although I enjoyed the walking tour and learned a lot, I found the city a bit boring. Maybe the weather had something to do with it. I enjoyed the city fair and markets. I’m sure it’s a fluke that I wasn’t blown away, but I would go back. Read more tips for visiting Krakow.
11. Prague, Czech Republic. Prague is amazing! Spend as much time as possible here. Affordable, great food, incredible history and architecture, and fun nightlife. I couchsurfed here and loved seeing the city from a local’s perspective. Read some tips about Prague.
12. Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic. This place is about 4 hours from Prague on a cheap bus that offers hot chocolate and a movie! The city is the “last bohemian city” with a castle that is uniquely hand-painted to look like more modern architecture than it really is. There’s a beer moat, lots of little home bars, and your hostel might offer you a communal fix on arrival.
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So there you have it, my sample itinerary for Eastern Europe based on my own travel. All in all, I started the trip by flying to Ireland, then flying to Spain, then flying to Greece. The rest was as you read and then after Czech we took the bus back to Prague to fly to Ireland to catch the return flight home.
I had more fun on my trip to Eastern Europe than Western Europe, and although some people think it’s not that easy to travel, I found that not to be true except for the lack of buses in Northern Albania and Montenegro. It was very accessible and I learned a lot.
I hope you found this Eastern Europe travel itinerary helpful! Don’t forget to find a cheap flight using my tips and get some travel insurance that covers adventure sports. If you’re planning a trip, check out my tips on how to plan a trip from scratch.
Rachel Jones left her career as a nurse and lived on the beaches of Goa, India for five years. She now lives in Mexico where she advises on the 40+ countries she has visited in the last 10 years. She is the author of two e-books on India travel: The India Guide and The Insider’s Guide to Goa. Her blog Hippies in Heels, like its name, is a contradiction in terms, combining quirky adventure spots with glamorous tailor-made travel. The hippie in heels has been featured in ELLE, Marie Claire, Grazia and Cosmopolitan magazines. She is a writer for Bravo TV. This post may contain affiliate links, which means I will receive a commission if you purchase through my link, at no additional cost to you.
Month Budget Europe Itinerary: Backpack Around 10 Countries Under S$5k With The Eurail Pass
For a continent as large and diverse as Europe, the sky really is the limit. Creating a travel plan is not an easy task, especially if you have limited time and budget.
In this post, I’m going to share two unique European backpacking trip ideas that you can choose from. The numbers in parentheses are the days you can spend for reference. Feel free to add or subtract based on the overall timeline.
This itinerary starts in Frankfurt, Germany and ends in Rome. Traveling is relatively easy as train and bus connections are quite good throughout the region. In Italy, during peak season, you may need to book trains, especially overnight trains, in advance, but this can easily be done online or bought at the train stations themselves.
Your trip begins in Frankfurt where you can spend two or three days exploring