Eastern Europe was a blast to explore. Not only is it way cheaper than many of the more “popular” cities in Western and Central Europe, but many of these stops are also way less crowded. There are many options as to what cities and what order to explore. I’ve outlined a possible 3-Week Eastern Europe itinerary with how many days I feel are sufficient in each city to see the basic sites. However, if you have more time, stay longer in each city to really get a feel for the culture!
I recommend flying into whatever city you find the cheapest airfare for. We opted to fly into Vienna because we scored $625 during the summer season! Sometimes flights to London are a good deal and it is easy to venture anywhere in Europe from London.
TripAdvisor is a great place to start your hotel search. Search for the best Eastern Europe hotels here!
Transportation Throughout Europe
Europe has many methods of transportation that make it easy to get from country to country. Flying is usually the quickest and visitors can frequently find cheap flights if flexible on dates and times. Trains are the most comfortable way to travel and provide gorgeous scenery throughout the ride. Buses are almost always the cheapest way to get from city to city and can sometimes be the same length ride as a train. I like to take a variety of methods to get around and make the choice depending on what is the cheapest and easiest. On this 3-week Eastern Europe Itinerary, I used all the methods of transportation.
Day 1: Home to Europe
Depart your location to catch a flight to Europe. Make sure to wear some comfortable clothes and pack a few snacks in case you get hungry between meals.
Day 2: Arrival in Europe
Depending on where you fly into, hop another flight or a train to Prague. Get a good night’s rest to help fight off jet lag.
Day 3: Prague
Spend your first full day in Europe exploring Prague, a city full of spires and beautiful buildings. Make sure to stop by Old Town Square to view the marvelous astronomical clock and Old Town Hall. Spend the afternoon exploring the Jewish Quarter and visit the Museum of Communism. Do not forget to take a stroll across the Charles Bridge and check out the many statues lining the walkway.
Day 4: Prague
Continue exploring Prague and start your day with a visit to Prague Castle. This spot offers excellent views of the city and is the perfect place to take pictures. Afterward, hike around Petrin Hill for more views of Prague including the Prague Castle. Check out the Lenin Wall along the way.
Day 5: Prague to Vienna
Catch a bus or a train and head to Vienna, the capital of Austria. Although not technically part of Eastern Europe, it is a good stop in between cities. Vienna a big classical music center with an incredible history. Did you know Sigmond Freud spent most of his adult life in Vienna? Spend the evening exploring Vienna and stop to enjoy some schnitzel for a delicious dinner.
Day 6: Vienna
Vienna has many gorgeous sites to explore. Start off the morning at the Belvedere Palace and Gardens. Perhaps visit the Sigmond Freud museum. This evening attend a performance at the Vienna Opera House or in one of the many concert halls.
Day 7: Vienna
Today, spend the morning exploring Schonbrunn Palace, the main summer residence of the Habsburg rulers. This afternoon wander through the museums of The Hofburg Complex, which was once the political center of the monarchy.
Day 8: Vienna to Bratislava
A train to Bratislava is the most efficient and quickest way to get from Vienna to Bratislava. A one-way ticket only costs $12 and trains leave every hour from Vienna Hauptbahnhof. Leave in the morning and spend the rest of the day exploring what Bratislava has to offer. Make sure to spend time wandering around the Old Town.
Day 9: Bratislava to Budapest
Spend the morning enjoying Bratislava and then catch a train to Budapest. A one-way ticket costs about $12 and takes about two and a half hours. This evening, grab dinner at one of the many amazing restaurants and then hit up a thermal bath, a popular activity in Budapest.
Day 10: Budapest
Spend today exploring the Buda side of Budapest. Get to Fisherman’s Bastion early for the best pictures and then spend some time wandering around Budapest Castle. Afterward, head over to Gellert Hill for some amazing views of Budapest.
Day 11: Budapest
Explore the Pest side of Budapest today. The Pest side is less hilly than the Buda side and contains various buildings to see. If interested in visiting the Parliament building, make sure to reserve tickets ahead of time! For dinner, hit up the Street Food Caravan before heading over to the ruin bars.
Day 12: Budapest to Belgrade
Today, catch a bus from Budapest to Belgrade. It is much cheaper than flying and the drive will take you through some gorgeous countryside. You should arrive in Belgrade around dinnertime, so grab dinner at one of the delicious restaurants in the main part of town. Belgrade is a fantastic stop on any 3-week Eastern Europe Itinerary.
Day 13: Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital of Serbia. Formerly part of Yugoslavia, Belgrade is an up and coming city full of delicious food and interesting sites. Spend today to see the main sites of the city and eat at some amazing places.
Day 14: Belgrade to Sofia
Spend the morning exploring more of what Belgrade has to offer. Maybe take a photography tour of the Old Town. Then catch a flight or a bus to Sofia, Bulgaria. Upon arrive in Sofia, grab dinner at one of the many delicious restaurants and wander around this fabulous city.
Day 15: Sofia
This capital city is nestled in the foothills of the Vitosha Mountains. In the morning, spend time wandering through the various churches in the area. Make sure not to miss the Cathedral Saint Alexander Nevski. This afternoon opt for a free food tour! Make sure to reserve a spot ahead of time.
Day 16: Sofia
Today, take a day trip to the Rila Monastery. This UNESCO site is still a working monastery that was built in the 10th century. Many tours also stop you at Boyana Church, another UNESCO site that is famous for its frescos.
Day 17: Sofia to Bucharest
Wave goodbye to Sofia and head to the “Paris of the East.” Opt to fly, take the bus, or a train. Bucharest has a dark history, but in the present-day, it is an amazing city with many gorgeous sites to see.
Day 18: Bucharest
Wander around Bucharest today and learn more about this fascinating city. Opt to take a historical walking tour that takes you to many of the main sites and a delicious Romanian lunch. This afternoon stroll through King Mihai I Park. Later, catch a sunset from the rooftop bar, Linea/Closer to the Moon.
Day 19: Bucharest
Today, take a day trip to Transylvania to see Bran Castle, also known as Dracula’s castle. Make sure to stop at the medieval Saxon city of Brasov and spend time walking around the town. It also makes a great place for lunch. If time, opt to visit Peles Castle with its ornate interior.
Day 20: Bucharest to home
Wave goodbye to Eastern European adventures and begin your journey home. Depending on where you flew into, you may need to use this day to reposition yourself for your flight home.
Hopefully, this 3-Week Eastern Europe Itinerary helped you plan an amazing trip to Eastern Europe! Drop a comment below with what you did on your trip.
28 thoughts on “3-Week Eastern Europe Itinerary”
This looks like such a fun trip!!! I’d love to take an Eastern European vacation!
It was fantastic! It’s also super budget friendly!
Eastern Europe is amazing and you totally should visit.
I’ve recently been thinking about heading over to Eastern Europe. I need to visit and can’t believe it’s taken me this long. Your itinerary looks great.
You defiantly should go. It’s budget friendly and so pretty!
I just spent a couple of weeks in Budapest and loved it. I should have spent more time moving around because Sofia sounds so amazing. Thanks for the great itinerary.
Budapest was my favorite! There is always next time! 🙂
Wow this is an incredible itinerary for Eastern Europe. On our last trip to Europe we mainly explored the Western part of Europe but I am planning a trip around Eastern Europe soon and your post will definitely come in handy with all the helpful details. There’s so much to see in these incredible countries – beautiful architecture, amazing food and it’s always a bonus when it ends up being so much cheaper than exploring other parts of Europe. Thanks for all the details.
Woooaw this sounds like an epic trip! Although if I am honest, I would probably want at least double the time to spend time relaxing and really enjoying each city. Still, I have a lot of friends that love jam-packed itineraries, and this sounds right up their street!
I would looove to explore each of these cities, and then use them as bases to get out into the gorgeous countryside. I really do need to explore more of Eastern Europe.
Haha I agree. I would have loved to be able to spend more time in each bit it provided a nice sampling of areas to come back to.
What an amazing trip! Our family is hoping to do a trip to Eastern Europe next year, and three weeks sounds perfect!
Eastern Europe was amazing and I highly reccomend it!
I’ve been living in Europe my whole life and still have to make it to all this places (so far I’ve only visited Bucharest!). This itinerary is very useful, thank you for sharing!
Oh wow! You definitely should. You could easily do each city as a long weekend.
So many amazing places listed here, I’d have to make this a much longer trip than three weeks! haha
Haha oh I would love to have taken three weeks in each place… but it’s a good sampling to see what you want to come back to.
Wow!! I’ve never been to Serbia or Bucharest but they look amazing! Hope to reach these destinations one day! xx
Definitely try to visit them if you can. They were amazing!
I love this itinerary, Easter Europe is so underestimated by many. Definitely will save this post for when I can travel again. Actually had a trip planned to Vienna and Budapest in April… I’ll just do it later in the year and add all your other suggestions too 😉
Bummer. I hope you get to go on the trip eventually.
This is such a perfect itinerary! It is my goal to see more of Eastern Europe this year. So far, I’ve been to Prague, Vienna, Bratislava and Budapest from this list. 🙂
Oh you’ll have to make it to the rest of them sometime!
Wow, this sounds amazing! I really want to visit Romania soon, and this would be an ideal itinerary to see so much more during the same trip!
I want to go back to Romania. It’s a really awesome country.
I love Eastern Europe and reading this has made me realise how badly I need to head back and explore the places that I didn’t get to the last time. Also, your pictures are really beautiful ?
Eastern Europe is so awesome! Thank you.
I used to live in Eastern Europe and went to many of these places! All of your travel tips are point on and so helpful! When I go back I will have to utilise some of these 🙂
Great! I’m glad I could help.