We Saved Over $3,100 by Planning Our Own Tour

A good friend is coming to visit me this summer, and we want to take a trip to Prague, Vienna and Budapest. My friend preferred to book a packaged tour, and I can understand why. It’s an area of Europe she has never been to before (nor have I), she works and she doesn’t have much time for trip planning.

I, on the other hand, prefer independent travel over a packaged tour, especially when exploring Europe. I have no interest in traveling with a large group, being transported in a bus or having to stick to a tight schedule. And when I saw what they were charging for the very basic travel package my friend was interested in taking, I knew we could create our own tour for a fraction of the cost and have more time and money to explore, attend events we were interested in and enjoy fabulous meals. For more reasons why I prefer independent travel, check out: Independent Slow Travel Versus a Guided Tour.

I’m planning our trip following a similar itinerary to the 10-day/9-night packaged tour that included three nights in Prague, three nights in Vienna and three nights in Budapest. Due to our schedule, our trip will be a day shorter: nine days/eight nights. This is a much faster trip than my usual slow travel itinerary in which I’d typically spend a week exploring one city. But my friend has limited time, and the trip will be a good introduction to these Eastern European cities.  

Here’s the itinerary for the packaged tour and what is included:

Day One: Transportation is provided from the airport at only two times of the day. We would miss both rides as our flight from Rennes arrives in the evening. We would have had to arrive a day earlier and pay for a hotel if we wanted to take part in the afternoon tour and dinner.

Day Two: Walking tour in the morning and educational lecture in the afternoon. Afternoon on your own.

Day Three: Castle tour in the morning; afternoon on your own.

Day Four: Bus to Vienna, walking tour of the city center.

Day Five: A visit to the Kunsthistorisches Museum.

Day Six: Nothing. It’s a free day.

Day Seven: Bus to Budapest

Day Eight: Budapest city tour and dinner at a winery.

Day Nine: Another free day and dinner provided in the evening.

Day Ten: Transportation to the airport at 7 am or 11 am.

Here’s the breakdown what is included:

• Three nights accommodation in Prague

• Three nights accommodation in Vienna

• Three nights accommodation in Budapest

• 4 guided tours

• 1 museum visit

• 9 breakfasts at the hotel

• 3 dinners

• Bus transportation from Prague to Vienna

• Bus transportation from Vienna to Budapest

• Transportation from the Prague airport into the city center

• Transportation from the Budapest city center to the airport

Planning our trip

Following a similar itinerary to the packaged tour, I’ve put together as close a cost comparison as possible. Prices are based on the current EUR to USD rate of between 1.13 and 1.14.

Airfare

Rarely does a packaged tour cover airfare, so this is something you’ll need to book even if you plan to take a guided tour. Hopefully, you’ve been building miles through a travel reward credit card so you’ll be paying very little for international airfare. The other perk of booking with miles is that it doesn’t cost more to fly into one city and out of another. In other words, you don’t have to book a round-trip ticket and spend additional time returning to the city you flew into. If you’re not using a travel rewards credit card, see my post Fly for Free or Next to Nothing.

Accommodations

The packaged tour included hotels with an average price of 150 euros or $170 a night where we would share a small room (around 260 sq. ft.) with two twin beds. It included a 28-euro breakfast every morning, I don’t like having to be up at the crack of dawn, and having to scarf down a big hotel breakfast because it’s the only included meal of the day. My friend and I are not big breakfast eaters. I usually bring my own muesli and purchase yogurt and fresh fruit. She likes to visit a bakery and savor the local specialties. We both enjoy coffee in the morning. I have budgeted 10 euros a person, per day for breakfast.

I prefer staying at an Airbnb instead of a hotel, so we have access to a kitchen and we have separate rooms to sleep in as we have different bedtime routines. I’ve found gorgeous, one-bedroom apartments in central Prague for $110 a night. As long as the sofa bed is comfy and the bathroom is not in the bedroom, I’m happy to sleep in the living room. In central Budapest I found two-bedroom apartments for $100 a night. I have budgeted eight nights at $125 a night. For more info. on finding a great Airbnb accommodation, read: Critical Questions to Ask Before You Book an Airbnb in Europe.

Train travel for two

I found the best website for booking train travel between these cities is Österreichische Bundesbahnen (ÖBB), the national railway company of Austria. I much prefer to be on a European train than a tour bus, especially during a four and a half journey. The train from Prague to Vienna for two people is 67.20 euros or $76.28. And the train from Vienna to Budapest for two is 92.80 euros or $105.33.

Hop-on hop-off bus tours

The first thing I recommend, especially if you only have a few days to explore a city, is to book a hop-on hop-off bus tour. Every major city in Europe has these, often run by two or three different companies, so book the one with the best reviews.

I like to do the bus tour on the first day, as it’s a great way to orient myself on the layout of the city. And I can see what places I want to spend more time exploring. Since you can get off and on throughout the day, you can explore a large city without wearing yourself out walking everywhere or having to take taxis or navigate the mass transit system. It’s best to bring your own headphones as the ones they provide for free have poor sound quality. Just remember to take them with you before you get off the bus.

The cost of a bus tour in each city for 24 hours is:

• Prague          37 euros

• Vienna:         45 euros including a walking tour

• Budapest:     36 euros

It’s only around five euros more to add a second day. Some tours include a river tour for around six euros more. I have budgeted $268 for a tour for two in each city.

Walking tours

Every major European city has free walking tours conducted by locals who know the ins and outs of the area. At the end of the tour, you give them a 10 to 15 euro tip. I have budgeted 90 euros or $102.

Museums, concerts and excursions

Here’s where you’ll spend most of your planning time. There is plenty of information on the internet, on YouTube and on Instagram. You can google top attractions to see a list of the most popular sites. Or use AI if you have it. If you are interested in using AI for trip planning, let me know in the comments, and I’ll do a post on that.

As you view that list of must-see attractions, be selective. You don't want to spend your vacation dashing to every tourist attraction for a quick photo op. By being selective, you may not see it all, but you’ll enjoy yourself more and you'll retain the memories more clearly if you don’t overload your itinerary. Remember to leave plenty of unscheduled time for wandering.

Our itinerary

Day One: Arrive in Prague in the evening

Day Two: Hop-on hop-off bus tour of Prague and explore the city

Day Three: Walking tour of Prague

Day Four: Train to Vienna in the morning; Explore the city in the afternoon

Day Five: Hop-on hop-off tour of Vienna and explore the city; Visit Kunsthistorisches Museum

Day Six: Walking tour in the morning; Train in the afternoon to Budapest

Day Seven: Hop-on hop-off tour of Prague

Day Eight: Walking tour in the morning

Day Nine: Fly home

Our total cost for two people for eight nights

The following costs in dollars are for two people and only include comparative amenities to what is included in the basic packaged tour. In place of the guided tour's five half-day tours, I have included three, all-day, hop-on hop-off bus tours and three walking tours for the two of us.

• 8 nights of accommodations @ an average $125       1,000

• 6 tickets for 24-hour hop-off hop-on bus tours              266

• 6 walking tours @ 15 euros each                                102

• 2 entry fees to Kunsthistorisches Museum   41      

• 16 breakfasts @ 10 each                                            160

• Train transportation for two for two journeys                 182

• Airport transportation by taxi in two cities                     70

• 4 taxis to and from the train station to our Airbnb         65

• 3 dinners for two @ 120 euros or $136                        408    

• Miscellaneous city transportation                                 50                    

Total:                                                                                   $2,344

Nightly/daily rate:     $293 x 9 = $2,637

Since this was an 8-night trip and the tour was a 9-night trip, I took the total cost divided by eight for a nightly/daily rate of $293, and then multiplied that by 9. The 9-night tour costs $5,790. If our eight-night tour were extended to nine, that would average out to a total cost of $2,637.

That’s a $3,153 savings! A savings of $1,576.50 for each of us.

This was comparing the cost of independent travel to a very basic tour. There are far more elaborate and expensive tour packages; some costing more than a $1,000 a day per person.

Extra excursions

The packaged tour I used for comparison gave us the option of adding in any or all of 13 extra dinners, concerts and tours. If we'd purchased all of these, it would have cost the two of us an additional $2,230. With the money we saved we’ll be able to enjoy many extras at a fraction of the cost the tour company was changing. For example, a lunch cruise on the River Vltava in Prague, which was a 71 euro per person extra is only 49 to 59 euros if we book it ourselves. Or only 18 euros if we want to take an evening cruise and enjoy our lunch on dry land. A guided tour of the Vienna State Opera is 15 euros a person, and the on the packaged tour it was 58 euros per person. A tour of the Imperial Summer Palace of Schönbrunn will costs us 34 euros a person instead of the 60 euros the tour charges.

In conclusion

It definitely takes more planning and research time to create your own independent travel tour and do all the bookings. But to save thousands of dollars, I think it is worth it. Especially when you have the freedom to create a customized itinerary and to explore on your own terms and timeline. With those savings, you can treat yourself to dinner at an upscale restaurant, a concert, a cruise or other events. Or you can save that money for your next adventure. Happy travel planning!