Four days is enough to run the classic Flemish loop from one Brussels base: a day in the capital, a day trip to Ghent (the value pick), a day trip to Bruges (the postcard, best early), and a day trip to Antwerp for Rubens and a free rooftop. No car needed, every hop runs 30 minutes to an hour by train, and a realistic budget is roughly EUR 20-45 a day outside lodging if you skip one paid attraction daily.

Five days in Belgium: Brussels, Bruges, Ghent, Antwerp and Leuven by train Five days buys the whole classic Flemish loop from one Brussels base: Bruges, Ghent, Antwerp and Leuven, each a same-day round trip on SNCB, no car and no hotel-hopping. Budget roughly EUR 200-350 for two before lodging and train fares, mostly entrance tickets and food. Ghent beats Bruges on value; both still earn a day. Shorter on time? The 4-day plan covers Brussels, one Flemish city and Antwerp, and nests inside this one.

Seven days is enough to run the full classic loop from one Brussels base plus two genuine extra days: Brussels, Ghent, Bruges, Antwerp and Leuven by train (no car needed for any of that), then a choice-of-two finish, one day in the Ardennes and one at Flanders Fields. Expect roughly EUR 200-300 total outside lodging if you skip a paid attraction most days and lean on frituur cones and free waterfronts.

Three days in Portugal: Lisbon and a taste of the coast Three days is enough for central Lisbon plus one full day trip out, nothing more. Everything runs in euros, and a couple can cover this route on roughly EUR 200-320 total before lodging, tighter if you skip Quinta da Regaleira. Book the Pena Palace on parquesdesintra.pt before you land; the timed online slot sells out most peak-season mornings. Go in spring or autumn if you can, since summer packs both Sintra and Lisbon’s tram 28 past comfort, and the overtourism strain on both is real, not exaggerated.

Five days in Portugal: Lisbon, Sintra and Porto on the Alfa Pendular Five days buys Lisbon, a Sintra day trip and a proper Porto-plus-Douro leg, all connected by CP train rather than a rental car. Budget roughly EUR 500-750 total for two before lodging, most of it the Alfa Pendular fare and the Douro day out. The standard one-way Lisbon-Porto Alfa Pendular fare sits at EUR 35.70 in tourist class as of January 2026, but booked far enough ahead the same seat can drop to a fraction of that, so buy early rather than at the station.

Seven days in Portugal: the full Lisbon, Porto and Algarve loop Seven days is genuinely the minimum for a real Lisbon-Porto-Algarve loop; anything shorter should skip a region rather than rush all three. Budget roughly EUR 800-1150 total for two before lodging, spread across CP train fares, one rental car for the Algarve leg, and the Benagil boat tour. Book the Pena Palace timed slot on parquesdesintra.pt before you land, and go in spring or autumn if the dates allow; summer packs Sintra, Lisbon’s tram 28 and the Algarve’s beaches at once, and the overtourism strain in Lisbon and Porto is real, not a marketing exaggeration.

Austria in 2 Days on a Budget (With Daily Costs) Two days in Austria means two days in Vienna, not a lightning tour of the whole country, and this itinerary is honest about that rather than cramming in a rushed Salzburg add-on that leaves you exhausted on a train. Budget roughly EUR 55 a day for sights, food and transit once you count Schonbrunn’s EUR 30 State Apartments ticket, hotel not included.

Austria in 4 Days on a Budget (With Daily Costs) Four days is enough to add one real day trip and one overnight beyond Vienna without turning the trip into a transit marathon: two days in the capital, a Wachau Valley day trip to Melk Abbey, then a Railjet run to Salzburg for a night in the Altstadt. Budget roughly EUR 50-65 a day once you count rail fares and one paid sight, hotel not included.

Austria in 7 Days on a Budget (With Daily Costs) Seven days is the realistic whole-country loop: Vienna for two days, a Wachau Valley day trip, a Salzburg overnight with a Hallstatt day added, then on to Innsbruck and the Alps, all connected by ÖBB Railjet with no domestic flight needed. Budget roughly EUR 55-65 a day once you count rail fares and one paid sight, hotel not included. Skip driving this route entirely: the Railjet covers every leg, so you avoid Austria’s motorway vignette (from EUR 12.

Germany in 3 days: Berlin, Dresden and Munich, no padding Three days buys the Berlin-to-Bavaria dash: one long-distance train change, two cities swapped, and nothing left for Neuschwanstein or the Rhine. Budget roughly EUR 300-450 for two people, most of it the two ICE fares between cities. Book those fares as Sparpreis the moment your dates are fixed on bahn.de ; the EUR 63 Deutschland-Ticket is a real deal on Berlin’s buses and trams, but it does not cover a single kilometre of the ICE trains that actually move you between the three cities below.

Germany in 4 days: Berlin, Dresden, Munich and Neuschwanstein Four days is the shortest version of this route that actually reaches the fairytale castle: Berlin, Dresden and Munich on the same schedule as the 3-day plan, plus a full day trip to Neuschwanstein. Budget roughly EUR 440-650 for two people, the two ICE legs plus a regional-train day trip and a timed castle ticket. Book the ICE fares as Sparpreis on bahn.

Germany in 5 days: Berlin, Dresden, Munich, Neuschwanstein and the Romantic Road Five days is where this route starts to breathe: the same Berlin, Dresden and Munich base as the shorter plans, the Neuschwanstein day trip, and a full day on the Romantic Road ending in Rothenburg ob der Tauber’s walled old town. Budget roughly EUR 620-900 for two people across five ICE and regional legs, two timed tickets and a full day of meals in a fourth region of the country.

Germany in 6 days: Berlin to Cologne, the full budget rail dash Six days is the longest version of this route: Berlin, Dresden, Munich, a Neuschwanstein day trip and the Romantic Road, then west to the Rhine Valley and Cologne to close the loop. Budget roughly EUR 750-1080 for two people across six ICE and regional legs, three timed tickets and one river cruise, four regions of the country in less than a week.

Czechia in 3 Days on a Budget (With Daily Costs) Three days covers Prague’s free core plus Czechia’s single best value day trip, priced in koruna, not euros, using cheap Ceske drahy and RegioJet trains instead of a rental car. Spring and autumn keep both Prague and Kutna Hora quieter than a summer visit. Want the whole country instead of just Prague and one day trip? The 7-day version pushes on through Cesky Krumlov to Brno and Moravia.

Czechia in 4 Days on a Budget (With Daily Costs) Four days keeps the same Prague and Kutna Hora base as the 3-day version and adds Cesky Krumlov, priced in koruna using a RegioJet or FlixBus fare instead of a rushed day trip. This is the shortest version of this route that leaves Prague’s day-trip radius entirely. Want to keep going into Moravia instead of stopping here? The 7-day version pushes on to Brno.

Czechia in 5 Days on a Budget (With Daily Costs) Five days keeps the 4-day route intact and gives Cesky Krumlov the daylight hours it needs before the bus back to Prague, priced in koruna throughout. Prefer to stay Prague-based and add Karlstejn or Terezin instead of Krumlov’s overnight? See our Prague day trips series . Want Brno and Moravia too? The 7-day version keeps this exact route going. Book these before you go

Czechia in 6 Days on a Budget (With Daily Costs) Six days keeps the same Prague, Kutna Hora and Cesky Krumlov base as the 5-day route , but instead of the bus back to Prague, it pushes on to Brno, Moravia’s capital, priced in koruna the whole way. This is the shortest version of this route that reaches Moravia at all. The 7-day version adds Brno’s priciest single ticket, Villa Tugendhat, on top.

Czechia in 7 Days on a Budget (With Daily Costs) Seven days is the realistic minimum for a genuine whole-country Czechia trip rather than a Prague city break, and this route covers it in koruna throughout: Prague, one Bohemian day trip, an overnight in Cesky Krumlov, then Brno and Moravia. It keeps the same 6-day route intact and adds Villa Tugendhat, Brno’s priciest single ticket. Only have a few days? The 3-day version covers just Prague and Kutna Hora.

Two days: all of Monaco, no Riviera add-on Two days is enough to see Monaco itself properly, and honestly it is close to the limit: the whole principality is about 2 square kilometres, walkable end to end in under an hour at sea level. Day 1 covers Le Rocher, the Palace and the Oceanographic Museum; Day 2 covers Monte-Carlo, the Casino and Larvotto Beach. If you want a Riviera day trip added on, see the 3-day version , which nests this same plan and adds Nice.

Three days: Monaco itself, then one Riviera day trip Three days keeps the same two days in Monaco and adds one Riviera day trip, Nice, the closest and cheapest option from the principality. It nests directly into the 2-day version if you need to cut a day, or the 4 , 5 , 6 and 7-day plans if you have more time for the Riviera. Book these before you go Book the Oceanographic Museum ticket in advance, EUR22.

Four days: Monaco itself, then Nice and Eze Four days nests the 3-day plan and adds Eze, the perched village whose infrequent connecting bus turns it into a full extra day rather than an add-on afternoon. Cut back to the 3-day plan if Eze doesn’t interest you, or keep going with the 5 , 6 and 7-day versions for more Riviera time. Book these before you go Book the Oceanographic Museum ticket in advance, EUR22.

Five days: Monaco, Nice, Eze and Menton Five days nests the 4-day plan and adds Menton, an easier, flatter day trip than Eze’s climb. Drop back to the 4-day plan if that’s a day too many, or keep going with the 6 and 7-day versions for the rest of the Riviera. Book these before you go Book the Oceanographic Museum ticket in advance, EUR22.50 adult. Book the full-day Monaco, Monte-Carlo and Eze tour from Nice for the harder-to-plan day trip.

Six days: Monaco, Nice, Eze, Menton and the Italian border Six days nests the 5-day plan and adds Ventimiglia, the Italian border town whose sprawling Friday market is worth crossing for. Drop back to the 5-day plan if Ventimiglia’s Friday-only schedule doesn’t line up with your trip, or extend to the 7-day version for Cannes and Antibes too. Book these before you go Book the Oceanographic Museum ticket in advance, EUR22.

Seven days: the full Riviera-from-Monaco spine Seven days nests the 6-day plan and closes with Cannes and Antibes, the furthest realistic day trip from a Monaco base. Drop back to the 6-day plan if that last leg is more travel than you want, or trim further to the 5 , 4 , 3 and 2-day versions. Book these before you go Book the Oceanographic Museum ticket in advance, EUR22.50 adult. Book the full-day Monaco, Monte-Carlo and Eze tour from Nice for the harder-to-plan day trip.

Monaco on a budget: what actually costs money here Monaco’s reputation as the world’s most expensive square mile is basically true for hotels and restaurants, but the sights split cleanly into free and one real ticket. The free list: the Palace’s Changing of the Guard, the Cathedral, the Casino Atrium, Port Hercule, and the free public lift network that gets you around the terrain. The one paid sight worth planning around is the Oceanographic Museum , about EUR22.

Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. Book or buy through them and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point you to things we would actually use. Slovenia in 2 Days: Ljubljana and Lake Bled on a Budget Two days in Slovenia covers Ljubljana’s old town and one full day at Lake Bled, and that is genuinely all it covers. This is not the whole-country loop (that needs at least four days to reach the Soca Valley, five for a Karst cave, six for the coast), it is the highlight-reel version.

Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. Book or buy through them and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point you to things we would actually use. Slovenia in 3 Days: Ljubljana, Bled, and Bohinj on a Budget Three days in Slovenia stretches the Ljubljana-and-Bled trip half a day further, to the quieter Lake Bohinj inside Triglav National Park. It still is not the full country loop (the Soca Valley needs a fourth day, a Karst cave a fifth, the coast a sixth), but it is the point where a rental car starts earning its cost.

Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. Book or buy through them and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point you to things we would actually use. Slovenia in 4 Days: Ljubljana, the Lakes, and the Soca Valley Four days in Slovenia is where the trip turns from a lake weekend into a genuine road loop: Ljubljana, Lake Bled, Lake Bohinj, and then over the Vrsic Pass into the turquoise Soca Valley.

Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. Book or buy through them and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point you to things we would actually use. Slovenia in 5 Days: Ljubljana, the Lakes, the Soca Valley, and a Karst Cave Five days covers Ljubljana, Lake Bled, Lake Bohinj, a full day over the Vrsic Pass in the Soca Valley, and one of the Karst caves on the drive back, comfortably and without rushing.

Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. Book or buy through them and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point you to things we would actually use. Slovenia in 6 Days: The Full Country Loop on a Budget Six days is the whole-country loop done properly: Ljubljana, Lake Bled, Lake Bohinj, the Soca Valley over the Vrsic Pass, a Karst cave, and Piran on the coast, all as one clockwise drive rather than isolated day trips.

Two days in Albania is Tirana plus one real day trip, and Berat wins that slot over anything on the coast. Pay in LEK, not euros: shops that quote a euro price round the conversion in their favor, so the same coffee or byrek runs roughly 5% more if you hand over euros instead of lek. Fly into Tirana International Airport (TIA), the country’s only working air gateway in 2026, and plan on EUR 25-45 a day if you’re keeping this backpacker budget.

Three days buys Tirana, an overnight in Berat instead of a rushed round trip, and a third day at Kruja on the way back rather than pushing on to Gjirokaster, which deserves a fourth day of its own. Pay in LEK: shops that quote a euro price round the exchange in their favor by roughly 5%, real money over three days of meals and museum tickets. Fly into TIA, Albania’s only working gateway in 2026, and budget EUR 25-45 a day backpacker style, plus whatever an ATM takes.

Four days is Tirana, Berat, and Gjirokaster, then the drive back, still short of the coast but long enough to do Albania’s two UNESCO hill towns properly instead of rushing one. Pay in LEK, not euros, for the same roughly 5% saving that applies to every purchase here. Fly into TIA and budget EUR 30-55 a day backpacker to modest style, more once the scheduled bus fares between towns are added in.

Five days adds Saranda, Ksamil, and Butrint to the Tirana-Berat-Gjirokaster run, the first version of this trip that actually reaches the coast, even if it means one long travel day back to Tirana at the end. Pay in LEK for the usual roughly 5% saving over euro prices, and budget EUR 35-60 a day once Butrint’s ticket and a seafood dinner enter the picture. Fly into TIA; it’s still the only real gateway in 2026.

Six days adds a real night on the Riviera, Himare or Dhermi, to the Tirana-Berat-Gjirokaster-Saranda run, with the Llogara Pass drive back to Tirana as its own day rather than a rushed afternoon. Pay in LEK for the usual roughly 5% saving over euro prices, and budget EUR 35-65 a day once Riviera seafood and a sunbed enter the picture. A rental car earns its keep on this version; the coast beyond Ksamil barely has scheduled buses at all.

Seven days closes the full loop: Tirana, Berat, Gjirokaster, Saranda and Ksamil with Butrint and the Blue Eye, then Himare or Dhermi before the Llogara Pass drive back. Pay in LEK for the usual roughly 5% saving over euro prices, and budget EUR 35-65 a day across the week, less inland, more on the coast. A rental car pays for itself well before day seven once the Blue Eye, Gjipe, and the coast road all enter the math.