The route goes Kraków to Bratislava, then Budapest, and finishes in Vienna. The final rail journey is Budapest to Vienna, so buy the correct direction and station pair. Keep a clear allowance for international journeys and one main paid activity per full day. In Budapest, separate the bath from Castle Hill. Vienna’s free Wien Museum collection is another option alongside a palace ticket.
Central Europe · Published planning example
Open a day to read the plan and its spending notes.
Begin the trip with an Old Town or Planty walk that fits your arrival. Save a timed museum for tomorrow and check the onward international ticket before filling the schedule. Sleep in Kraków.
€27.00 for one bed, €23.00 for meals, €5.00 for local travel and €5.00 for extras. Add the paid visits, excursions, intercity tickets and airport journeys you choose. These are allowances; replace them with your bookings.
Estimated day spending: €60.00
Choose a Wawel exhibition or a Schindler’s Factory visit, then explore Kazimierz at a relaxed pace. Keep time to organise bags and tomorrow’s journey to Bratislava. A full Auschwitz or Wieliczka outing would need more space than a short spare afternoon. Sleep in Kraków.
€27.00 for one bed, €23.00 for meals, €5.00 for local travel and €5.00 for extras. Add the paid visits, excursions, intercity tickets and airport journeys you choose. These are allowances; replace them with your bookings.
Estimated day spending: €60.00
Travel from Kraków to Bratislava using the connection below. From the booked station or bus stop, reach your room before exploring the centre. Walk through the old streets towards the Danube and choose dinner nearby. Hlavná stanica, Petržalka and Nivy have different arrival routes.
€30 for one bed, €25 for meals, €6 for local travel and €5 for extras. Add paid visits, excursions and intercity or airport tickets. These are chosen allowances; use your actual bookings.
Estimated day spending: €66.00
Walk up towards Bratislava Castle, then choose whether to visit the museum inside. On Saturday, Stará Tržnica is a useful market stop; on other days choose a café lunch. Leave room for the Danube waterfront rather than adding a distant castle on the same short afternoon.
€30 for one bed, €25 for meals, €6 for local travel and €5 for extras. Add paid visits, excursions and intercity or airport tickets. These are chosen allowances; use your actual bookings.
Estimated day spending: €66.00
Travel from Bratislava to Budapest using the connection below. Use the BKK ticket that covers your journey from the station or airport. Drop your bags, have a simple meal and walk near the Danube if time allows. Keep a timed bath or Parliament visit away from this arrival day.
€30 for one bed, €25 for meals, €6 for local travel and €5 for extras. Add paid visits, excursions and intercity or airport tickets. These are chosen allowances; use your actual bookings.
Estimated day spending: €66.00
Spend the morning on Castle Hill, choosing one paid interior if it interests you. Have lunch before returning towards the river. Leave the bath for a separate day so you are not carrying wet things through the whole sightseeing plan.
€30 for one bed, €25 for meals, €6 for local travel and €5 for extras. Add paid visits, excursions and intercity or airport tickets. These are chosen allowances; use your actual bookings.
Estimated day spending: €66.00
Choose an operating bath and its actual weekday price. For Széchenyi, bring a towel and slippers and decide whether the cheaper early-entry option fits. Gellért Bath is closed for renovation. Keep the later afternoon for a quiet meal and rest.
€30 for one bed, €25 for meals, €6 for local travel and €5 for extras. Add paid visits, excursions and intercity or airport tickets. These are chosen allowances; use your actual bookings.
Estimated day spending: €66.00
Travel from Budapest to Vienna using the connection below. Drop your bag, walk through the streets around Stephansplatz and choose dinner nearby. Keep the evening open so a later train or flight does not cost you a timed visit.
€45 for one bed, €32 for meals, €7 for local travel and €5 for extras. Add paid visits, excursions and intercity or airport tickets. These are chosen allowances; use your actual bookings.
Estimated day spending: €89.00
Give Schönbrunn the morning. Walk in the main park for free, or book the palace rooms you want and allow time for entry. Return to town for lunch instead of trying to add several distant museums.
€45 for one bed, €32 for meals, €7 for local travel and €5 for extras. Add paid visits, excursions and intercity or airport tickets. These are chosen allowances; use your actual bookings.
Estimated day spending: €89.00
Keep breakfast and a nearby walk as the plan, then collect your bags and leave time for the station or airport. Use the actual departure and local transfer time to set the day’s pace.
No overnight stay; €32 for meals, €7 for local travel and €5 for extras. Add paid visits, excursions and intercity or airport tickets. These are chosen allowances; use your actual bookings.
Estimated day spending: €44.00
Use the Kraków days for the Old Town, Wawel area and Kazimierz, with one museum you want to spend time in. Schindler's Factory has a 60 PLN regular ticket; a Wawel ticket depends on the exhibition chosen. A trip to Auschwitz-Birkenau or Wieliczka needs a separate journey and enough time, so do not add it as a brief stop before an international train.
The Kraków guide gives current arrival and local-ticket advice. Keep the arrival day flexible after the longer international journey, and buy the onward ticket for the actual station pair. The Poland day figures below use chosen bed, food, local-travel and extras allowances; paid visits and intercity fares are separate.
The route goes Kraków to Bratislava, then Budapest, and finishes in Vienna. The final rail journey is Budapest to Vienna, so buy the correct direction and station pair.
Keep a clear allowance for international journeys and one main paid activity per full day. In Budapest, separate the bath from Castle Hill. Vienna’s free Wien Museum collection is another option alongside a palace ticket.
Bratislava · Budapest · Vienna. Each guide explains local arrivals, food stops and the ticket choices for a stay.
For eight days, choose three bases and redraw the onward journey. Turning Bratislava into a quick stop with luggage can erase much of the time you hoped to save.
The saved day figures add up to €672.00 for one traveller. The Kraków days use the chosen bed, meal, local-travel and extras allowances shown below. The other countries retain their existing example day amounts. Replace those amounts with your own bookings before treating the subtotal as a trip budget.
Add paid visits, excursions, intercity tickets and airport journeys. Count the accommodation nights you actually book, including any overnight train or extra arrival night, so you do not pay for the same night twice in your plan. The city budget cards are an alternative plan; do not add them on top of this subtotal.
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How to get from one stop to the next. Journey times are approximate; use the ticket and timetable links to choose a departure for your travel date.
Bus · Allow a substantial travel day
Compare a dated coach from Kraków to Bratislava with rail connections. Use the actual boarding and arrival stops and include local travel. Keep the first Bratislava evening free of timed visits.
Train · About 2½ to 3 hours
Use a direct train from Bratislava hlavná stanica and confirm the Budapest station, usually Nyugati on this corridor. Add the local journey to your room and read the reservation rules.
Train · About 2½ to 3 hours on a suitable direct train
Search the correct Budapest departure station to Wien Hbf. Compare MÁV and ÖBB conditions including reservations, then add the Vienna city journey to your room.
For eight days, choose three bases and redraw the onward journey. Turning Bratislava into a quick stop with luggage can erase much of the time you hoped to save.
Compare your room and daily spending choices in the cost calculator. Check each journey fare, including local transfers, and count tickets covered by a pass only once.
Change the days in each city, leave out stops, and update the estimate without changing the published itinerary.
