After my first time to Europe and visiting only the popular cities in the West, I was dreaming of Eastern Europe the whole next year in University waiting for summer to come around. It took ages to plan my sample Eastern Europe itinerary – and I’m going to detail it all here for you now that it’s said and done.

I’ve written about all these cities before so there will be links throughout with proper guides. As I mentioned in my sample western Europe itinerary, I didn’t have the funds at the time to go to Ireland and Spain as they would have required flying with my time constraints. Therefore, I made sure to hit those up first before heading East.

I mentioned Ireland and Spain in my Western Europe itinerary and as I said you could do Ireland first, then the Western Itinerary I wrote about, ending in Spain, then flying to Greece so start this “Eastern Europe” itinerary. So, I will start with Greece now!

Sample Eastern Europe Itinerary for Backpackers

1. Athens, Greece. Flying into Athens was exciting, but nerve-wrecking as my backpack didn’t make it and I didn’t have anything but almonds and my journal in my carry-on. First thing to know about Athens, is in July and hot months no one is there. They are on vacation because it’s so hot! The city was a little dirty and desolate to be honest, but interesting and of course seeing the ancient ruins at Acropolis was very cool. Tips for travel to Athens.

2. Mykonos, Greece. Mykonos is a party island. From Athens, you need to take a ferry to the closest port and you’ll want to find a travel agent in town to book your ferry tickets. They’re a little pricey if you’re comparing to Thailand islands. Mykonos was gorgeous, expensive, had delicious food, and there are quiet areas if you know where to look; we found a cute apartment in a secluded area. Read more: The Best of Mykonos Greece

3. Santorini, Greece. In terms or partying and gorgeousness, Santorini takes the cake. There’s no question as to why this is the most tourist island. It’s stunning. You have the famous sunsets and that white on blue rounded architecture everywhere you look. Food was a little pricey but scrumptious and the shops were full of the cutest stuff. I couchsurfed here mainly to save money and also because we hadn’t experienced Greece like a local. We stayed with a model/scuba instructor and had a blast club hopping the whole time and exploring the island on bikes. Read on for tips: What I love about Santorini Greece: Scuba and the Gods

4. Corfu, Greece. Corfu is the “green” island. The water is so clear, but with lush green forests in the background. Actually, it looks a lot like Thailand. We stayed at popular party hostel the Pink Palace, which is retrospect was a mistake as they trap you a bit from seeing the local parts of the island.

5. Tirana, Albania. So Albania was a bit of an accident. We pretty much were stuck in Santorini and told we had to go to Italy in order to get to our next city (Dubrovnik). The only other option was taking a ferry to the southern bit of Albania and going via taxi north, as local buses are hit and miss. We did take local buses / hitchhike through Albania through Montenegro to Croatia. We started via local bus to Tirana and met a cool chick, Bena, who shared all the secret local hotspots of Albania with us, from beaches and bars to UNESCO sites.

6. Dubrovnik, Croatia. After a couple of days of unplanned travel, we made it to Dubrovnik and I was overwhelmed with how much I loved this city. If there was one place I wanted to go back to and take Ben, it would be this town. I know it’s become more touristy partially with help from Game of Thrones filming on the castle. It’s a medieval wonderful town. Fabulous food and so gorgeous overlooking the sea that I didn’t mind the small crowds. We stayed at a Sobe in the Old Town which I 100% recommend. They will find 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 still see the destruction today and learning about the history of that war is very important. This was the first place I’d been that had a call to prayer, but was interesting in that there were also Christian churches and Synagogues in the same intersection. Also, the food was incredible as well as the coffee! Definitely buy a coffee set here.

8. Belgrade, Serbia. Not only interesting, but affordable. It’s a cool town to see but I was there only a short time. There was a beer festival in Belgrade happening so you can only imagine what I was up to. We found a hotel online and it was 3 bucks a night with breakfast. How is that possible!?

9. Budapest, Hungary. The first thing I learned about Budapest is that one side of the river is Buda and one side is called pest. I recommend doing a walking tour of the city to learn, and I also couchsurfed here. Mostly, we learned about what happened there during world war 2, which has always interested me. Make sure to visit the famous Szechyeni baths, which is a highlight of a trip to Budapest.

10. Krakow, Poland. Although I liked the walking tour and learned a lot, I found the city a bit boring. Perhaps the weather had something to do with it. I did enjoy the town fair and markets. I’m sure it was a fluke that I didn’t have a blast, but I would go back. Read more tips for visiting Krakow.

11. Prague, Czech Republic. Prague is incredible! Spend as much time here as you can. Affordable, great food, amazing history and architecture, and a fun nightlife. I couchsurfed here and loved seeing the city from a locals view. Read for some tips on Prague.

12. Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic. This place is about 4 hours from Prague by a cheap bus that offers hot chocolate and a movie! The town is the “last bohemian town” with a castle uniquely hand-painted to look like it’s more fancy architecture than it really is. There is a moat with beers, lots of little homey bars, and your hostel will possibly offer you a joint fix on arrival.

So, there you have it, my sample Eastern Europe itinerary based on my own trip. All in all I started the trip flying into Irelend, then flying to Spain, then onward via flight to Greece. The rest is as you read, then after Cesky, we took a bus back to Prague to fly to Ireland to catch the roundtrip flight home.

I had more fun on my trip to Eastern Europe than Western Europe, and although some people think it’s not as easy to travel, I found that wasn’t true except lack of buses in Northern Albania and Montenegro. It was very affordable and I learned a lot.

I hope you found this Eastern European backpacking itinerary helpful! Remember 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.

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Our couchsurfing host messaged “I’m on the pest side of the river”. That was how we found out Budapest is actually Buda on one side of the Danube, and Pest on the other. Most attractions are on the Pest side, including the steamy Budapest Bath House Szechenyi Baths.

The Danube

After a night of barhopping with our CouchSurfing host to lots of hipster bars, like “the hole”, we were ready to lounge and soak in the  “Roman Baths”. The bars in Budapest were really unique: drinking from buckets with hammocks as seats, and enjoying outdoor bars while sitting on upside down beer crates. The nightlife in Budapest alone is worth going for.

We were unusually messy that day

Exploring the Szechenyi Baths

You just cannot go to Budapest without taking a dip into the warm water of this ancient bathhouse. It’s a little yucky… but the architecture dated back to 1913 is marvelous! It looks like someone’s house or a princess’s palace. It doesn’t hurt that a gorgeous park surrounds them; on the park grounds is the Vajdahunyad Castle.

There are hot springs all over Budapest; they are bubbling away just under the ground. Szechenyi is just one of many baths, the next popular being called “Gellert”. There are 3 pools outside that aren’t temperature regulated, so they were very warm in the summer. The Indoor houses over 20 pools/saunas that are temperature regulated. It is the biggest medical spa in Europe. They add healing minerals to the water, so you can go around and choose the one that’s least stinky! They claim that the natural spring water can cure anything from arthritis to back pain.

Seriously, I’m sure you’ve caught on I didn’t like actually being in the baths. I don’t really ever like taking a bath. It was so dirty here! There is gunk floating in the water and the warmth just made it feel like I was going to leave with some flesh eating disease. I know what you’re thinking, why are you telling me to go here!? Because it’s a beautiful place. If you don’t want to get in to water, you can still catch some rays and people watch.

Tips for Szechenyi Thermal Baths 

• Take the metro to the Szechenyi-furdo stop. This was the most serious city about checking for validated tickets- don’t try to cheat!
• Rent a locker or cabin for your things
• Don’t forget to check out the whirlpools inside. I’m just not a public hot tub person. They gross me out!
• Bring your own towel, it’ll save you waiting in line and money.
• On top of rentals it’ll cost you about 20 bucks to get in.
• Give yourself at least 2-3 hours here.
• People weren’t naked in any baths I went to, but I was told that there were some swimsuit optional pools.
• There is a gym, and spa but I didn’t get a massage here. It didn’t have that relaxing feel for me. It was like a city public pool: packed.
• Consider visiting in the winter. I think the warmth would be welcoming instead of gross.
• You’ll get a discount (at the bath and many museums) if you buy the “Budapest Card” and book online. I didn’t do that because I usually only go in 1 or 2 museums.

 The Rest of Budapest

Budapest is one of my ultimate favorite cities. Every building, every site. is more beautiful than the last. The sun setting over the river, the cobblestone streets, and the friendly people make it even better.

Our couchsurfing host, Atilles, took us on a private tour of Budapest. Reason number 51346 why I love couchsurfing. If you don’t have a CS host, there are free walking tours available. From our tour, places worth seeing in Budapest (there are many more,  but we were on a time crunch that evening):

• House of Terror: museum honoring the people lost due to Nazi actions and Communism
• Admire the Hungarian State Opera house; it’s gorgeous.
• So is St. Stephen’s Basilica.
• Feeling fancy? Eat at the Michelin-starred restaurant Onyx
• Parliament in Budapest is probably one of the most beautiful and huge parliaments I’ve seen. Very cool.
• The Holocaust Memorial near the Great Synagogue to have a moment of silence for the 600,000 Hungarian Jews that died in the Holocaust.
• Eat local goulash then wish you hadn’t. bleckk broth.

This was the heartbreaking place that the Nazis tied together Jews and a rock, forced them to stand on the ledge, and shot and killed only one so he/she would fall back and the others would drown to death. sick.

Have you been to Budapest? What was your favorite part- did you love or hate the baths? 

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