Solo Backpacking Europe From India on a Budget, A Complete Plan

It is quite common to be confused while planning your first Europe Trip Itinerary especially when you are doing Europe on a Budget. Many people take the help of the travel agencies which suggest only the overrated and highly touristic areas. Backpacking to Europe solo from India can be a task as you need to prepare for a lot many things for the Visa process. However, this blog which is a result of my own planning for my 83 days long solo backpacking trip to Europe from India, would be your step by step guide for your long-awaited Europe Trip on a Budget.

Following is the self-followed ways to begin with ’The Great Europe Trip Plan’.

Plan Europe trip itinerary places visit

First of all you must know the following points before moving ahead
  • Schengen Visa for the tourists is available for a short-term of only 3 months at a time. Not sure how to score a visa? Well, here is a complete visa guide for you.
  • The visa approves your unrestricted movement to only 26 countries in Europe.
  • Geographically, if you observe the map of Europe, it can be divided into western, eastern and central Europe. You must choose the countries based on their vicinity in order to make your commute easier.
  • Before planning and booking your flight, do research a bit about the best time to visit each country + offseason too, so that you can check for less expensive flights.
  • The selection of time also depends on what do you exactly wish to see. For an instance, European cities face extreme cold, snowfall from November- March but it is also the best time to get cheap flights and hotels. You can even enjoy the Christmas extravaganza during December and January.
  • The continent is in full bloom and in its best beauty from April to July. However, each country has its own time of celebrations which must not be missed.
The Big Fat Europe Budget

Considering the low value of INR or any other Asian currency, you may definitely feel Europe (Especially western and Northern) but there are ways to reduce the cost while having the best local experience. Read the detailed guide for the same.

On average, if you don’t spend much on any luxury and follow my budget travel guide to Europe, the following can be your budget for western/Central and Northern European Countries.

  • 15-20 Days – 70,000- 80,000 INR per person (Food + Transport + Stay + sightseeing)
  • 30-40 Days – 1,20,000 – 1,50,000 INR (Food + Transport + Stay + sightseeing)
  • 60-80 Days – 1,20,000 – 1,50,000 INR (Food + Transport + Stay + sightseeing)

(Note: Slower the travel, lesser the expenditure)

My 83 days backpacking trip to 8 countries could be done in 1,10,000 INR including flight, visa, stay, food, internal commute and some gifts and chocolates for irritating friends and relatives 😐 Actually gifts and chocolates cost more than anything else, so my personal advice is, better don’t share any of your plans with anyone and save on useless gifts hahaha 😉 . I could do with spending 56K for 83 days, and you can definitely do for an even lesser amount. There were many couch surfers who were running at a lower budget than mine and doing it better.

Wanna Know How to do it in Budget? Check my budget travel tips

 

Note: Don’t mail or comment for any travel package, I am not any travel company. However, I would always be happy to help you with the itineraries and can suggest the places to stay and explore. For regular updates, You can subscribe to my blog (Fill in your mail-id at the end of the page). This way you will get regular useful updates of my travel. 

 

 

Where to Stay in Europe?

If you are traveling with friends, then hostels are the best options in Europe. A hostel in Western and Central European Countries may cost you around 20-25 Euros including breakfast.

Most of the hostels in Europe have family rooms and private rooms for couples. And if you wish to go for a culture exchange (Read the Last two words again), you can use Couch Surfing in Europe. You can read all my personal tips on Couchsurfing while in Europe here. Couchsurfing didn’t only help me in traveling on a budget but it also helped me in experiencing the unusual places and of course, the company of a local helps you the most. Read how I ended up traveling to unexplored places with my Couchsurfing hosts.

However, the hostels are not advisable for honeymooners, they can opt for apartments or budget hotels.

 

 

 

How to Plan a Backpacking Trip to Europe from India (Or anywhere else)

While most of us would be confused while choosing the countries and cities to travel in Europe, it is as easy as making a list while traveling anywhere in your own country.

Step 1: Find out the best countries in Europes/ Countries for the Budget Travellers in Europe
Step 2: Google the must-visit places in each chosen countries.
Step 3: Put the cities of your choice one by one in google maps and it will show you the route to travel. You can drag the places up or down seeing the convenient route.

Backpacking Europe from India

Just for your info, the Eastern European countries are way cheaper than Western and Central.

 

Europe Itinerary for backpacking solo: Here is an Itinerary that I followed & you can follow too

I had simply ticked the countries in a downloaded map of Europe. Also, check if the country falls into the Schengen Area.

Spain – (add Portugal if you wish) –>  France –> Luxembourg –> Belgium –> Netherlands –> Denmark à Germany –> Czech Republic –> Austria –> Germany –> Switzerland /(You can also continue to) –> Austria to Slovakia –> Hungary –> Slovenia –> Italy

The above list makes you cover most of the Western and Central Europe..

You can choose a small group of countries from the above list.

Now comes the biggest question of where to go within these countries and when? So, here is a crisp guide for you.

 

Enlist the Must Visit Places In Each European Country

Once you have enlisted the places of your choice in each country, put it in the google map in the following manner, this would show you where to start and where to exactly end in order to reach the next destination.

 

Spain

Adviced route to be followed: Barcelona (Catalan Capital City) –>Valencia (For its Sea Coast) –> Granada (For the love of Flamenco & Zambra, & the Gypsy Caves) –>  Malaga(For the Sea Lovers again) –> Ronda (For its giant bridge and natural vistas) –> Seville (Andalucian capital and a quiet beautiful city)  –> Cordoba (For the Flowery Streets and an ancient Mosque-Cathedral)–> Madrid (Another Spanish city) –>then either move towards Pamplona if you are interested in the La Tomatina or Bull Race or move towards France (Paris).

The best time to visit Spain: Mid or After May when the spring sets and the Spanish streets are adorned with colourful flowers.

Best Mode of Transport: AlSA Buses or just check the Go Euro App.

 

France

Adviced route to be followed: Paris –> Either you can move southwards towards the Provence region in the south or can head to Strasbourg –> Colmar (For the beautiful Alsace villages like Ribeauville, Riquewihr and Eguisheim & the Petite Venise or Little Venice) –> You can move either towards Switzerland from Colmar or can take a bus to Luxembourg (Country) via Metz from Strasbourg.

The best time to visit France: Mid or After May when the spring sets and the French streets are adorned by colourful flowers. If you wish to see the vineyards in full bloom before its harvest then August-September are the best months to visit.

Best Mode of Transport: OUI Buses (The Cheapest one)  or just check the Go Euro App.

 

Luxembourg

Being a small country, Luxembourg provides the feel of a little city embellished with the fresh spring flowers. Luxembourg city must be visited if you are planning to take this route.

The best time to visit Luxembourg: Mid or After May when the spring sets and the city of Luxembourg has pleasant weather.

Best Mode of Transport: OUI Buses (The Cheapest one)  or just check the Go Euro App.

 

Belgium

Adviced route to be followed: Brussels (The European Capital City) However, the city doesn’t have much to see and I can honestly advise not to spend more than a half day here –> Ghent (For its historic buildings) –> Brugge (For the Flowery Streets and fairytale-like streets) –> Antwerp (for its famous diamond market – it can surely be skipped if you are not much interested in museums) –> Dinant (For its giant bridge and natural vistas) à Move to Amsterdam

The best time to visit Belgium: Mid or After May when the spring sets and the cities of Belgium have pleasant weather.

Best Mode of Transport: OUI Buses (The Cheapest one)  or just check the Go Euro App.

 

Netherlands

Adviced route to be followed: Amsterdam –> Explore the city of Amsterdam on cycle or the nearby fairytale villages of Edam, Marken, Volendam, and Giethoorn. Also, take a cycle tour for some offbeat exploration and cheese tasting or cycle to the colorful Tulip flower fields. Trust me, it would be an experience to cherish forever. –> Move to Aarhus (Denmark)

The best time to visit the Netherlands:  May end or After when the spring sets and the Netherlands weather isn’t too harsh. However, please note that the weather in Netherland is very unpredictable and it can rain at any time.

Best Mode of Transport: OUI Buses (The Cheapest one)  or just check the Go Euro App.

 

Denmark

The adviced route to be followed: Aarhus (The happiest Danish District)–> Copenhagen (the Danish Capital City with a colorful harbor) –> Take some day trips to the nearby hamlets like Hillerod, Dragor –> Move to Berlin

The best time to visit Denmark: June and after when the spring sets and Denmark has pleasant weather.

Best Mode of Transport: OUI Buses (The Cheapest one)  or just check the Go Euro App.

 

Germany

Adviced route to be followed: Berlin (However, I feel that Dresden is a good alternative to visit) –> Cologne –> Frankfurt  –> Munich (Take day trips to Rothenburg, Bamberg, and Zugspitze) –> Move down to Salzburg (Austria)

The best time to visit France: Mid or After May

Best Mode of Transport: Bla Bla Car, Flix Bus or just check the Go Euro App.

 

Czech Republic

Prague

The city of Prague itself has a lot to offer but one unique place that you must not miss is the chapel in Kuntahora that is decorated with the skulls and bones of more than 2000 people.

The best time to visit Czech Republic: Mid or After May when the spring sets and the city of Prague has pleasant weather.

Best Mode of Transport: Bla Bla Car or just check the Go Euro App.

 

Austria

Adviced route to be followed: Salzburg (Visit Hallstatt) –> Vienna

The best time to visit Austria: After May/June when the vineyards are all set to bloom.

Best Mode of Transport: Bla Bla Car. (Trains and buses do not have direct routes to most of the places)

 

The other guide blogs that you might need for backpacking

How to Score a Schengen Visa on an Indian Passport; An Ultimate Visa Guide

Europe Trip on a Budget!! How to Make it Possible

Europe Food Guide for (Non/) Vegetarians and Budget Travelers

Couchsurfing in Europe – Tips, Request Samples and More

How Couchsurfing helped me Explore Europe Better – My Experiences

 

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Europe Solo Backpacking Trip from India

 

Backpacking Europe From India

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4 thoughts on “Solo Backpacking Europe From India on a Budget, A Complete Plan

  • September 18, 2019 at 10:30 pm
    Permalink

    Helpful guide! If one could do a 20 day trip in Europe for 70,000 it isn’t bad!

    Reply
    • September 26, 2019 at 1:22 am
      Permalink

      Definitely not bad Renuka. It just depends on personal choices, I personally feel that budget should not be a matter of competition. However, I have learnt that slower the travel, lesser the money you spend.

      Reply
  • November 23, 2019 at 3:47 pm
    Permalink

    thank u for sharing your experience, and it also inspires others too. i also want to plan so can u help me?

    Reply
    • November 24, 2019 at 1:33 pm
      Permalink

      Sure Arpit, let me know what help you need besides whatever I have put up on Travel hippies. Would definitely guide you.

      Reply

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