At the beginning of the semester my roommates and I sat down wanting to figure out how to visit the most countries during our mid-session break while still giving us time to see the cities we were visiting. We also didn’t want to break the bank to get to these cities. So, with very precise planning, we were able to map out a way that we could get from Florence to Paris, to Brussels, to Amsterdam, to Prague and finally to Vienna. Five countries, eight days.

Quick selfie with the Eiffel Tower! We spent an hour or so hanging out at the Eiffel Tower, sitting in the grass eating bread, cheese and meats!

We started our planning by looking at the cheapest cities around Italy, that we could get to by train, to fly out of. The cheapest option ended up being Bologna, Italy. The Bologna Airport, Bologna Guglielmo Marconi Airport, has a shuttle to and from the train station, which allows for easy transport to the airport. This flight took us to Paris, France where we spent our time at Musée Picasso-Paris, the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower, as well as meandered around finding other iconic places throughout Paris.

The waffles in Brussels were to die for! They had so many toppings to choose from!

From Paris, we took a bus to Brussels, Belgium. We were only in Brussels for one night, so we woke up super early and did a self-guided walking tour. This allowed us to see the city at our own pace as well as try the delicious foods that are originally from Brussels; such as fries and waffles. That night we took another bus from Brussels to Amsterdam, Netherlands. We stayed 2 nights in Amsterdam and we made the most of it, meeting up with friends that are also in our program. During our full day in Amsterdam we did another self-guided walking tour as well as the Anne Frank House.

Amsterdam was, by far, my favorite place we visited during the 8 days! We did a boat tour where we learned the history of Amsterdam and interesting facts about the city, while taking in the beautiful views!

In Prague we went to the Prague Castle and took in the amazing views!

From there we flew to Prague, Czech Republic. During our full day here we did another self-guided walking tour. Prague was one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever visited! Vienna, Austria was our last and final stop, for just one night. We bussed from Prague to Vienna, which took about 5 hours (not too bad). We went out to dinner when we got to Vienna and the next day did another self-guided walking tour as well as stopped for a Vienna classic, chicken and pork Schnitzel from a famous Schnitzel restaurant, Figlmuller at Wollzeile; which was amazing. After a late lunch we flew from Vienna to Milan, and finally took a train back to Florence.

Although we didn’t have a lot of time in Vienna, the views and architecture were breathtaking throughout Vienna!

This experience was something I will forever hold close to my heart, and we did it all on a budget! If you want to plan your next European adventure on a budget I suggest sites like OMIO and Hopper to find flights and other means of transportation, and Hostel World to find hostels in the cities you’re traveling to! Safe travels!

Written by: Chyler, Spring 2024 Florence student, from Belmont University