Check before you go Routes checked 9 Oct 2026. Trains, fares and borders change: confirm every leg with its operator before you book. Why

SZLAK Plan a szlak →

żółty · The Western line

Szlak Zachodni

Six capitals in fourteen days, and it is the expensive one on purpose.

  • Days14
  • About, a day€70
  • Legs6
  • Night on board1
Lisboa Porto Sevilla Donostia Bordeaux Paris Bruxelles Amsterdam Hamburg Berlin Wien Ljubljana Zagreb Split Mostar Kotor Sofia Veliko Tarnovo Brașov Budapest Košice Praha Kraków Warszawa Zakopane Vilnius Rīga Tartu Tallinn Helsinki

The one everybody should do once. Fast trains, open borders and beds that cost three times what they cost on the Karpacki. The way to afford it is to book the trains early: on this line the difference between an early and a late fare is bigger than the difference between a hostel and a hotel.

When. April to October. December's Christmas markets make it a different, good trip.

For whom. Someone with two weeks who wants the big cities, and who books ahead.

The hardest leg is Hamburg → Amsterdam. Over five hours with a change at Osnabrück. From 2 October 2026 to December 2027, four direct ICEs a day run from Hamburg-Harburg while the line is rebuilt.

The 6 legs come to about €225 in fares bought a few weeks ahead, and 26 h on the move. With a dorm bed, food and local transport every day, the whole szlak is about €986 — €70 a day. How we count.

Plan this szlak →

  1. Kraków 2 nights then night train, 11 h
  2. Praha 2 nights then train, 4 h 10
  3. Berlin 3 nights then train, 1 h 47
  4. Hamburg 1 night then train, 5 h 15
  5. Amsterdam 2 nights then train, 2 h 05
  6. Bruxelles 1 night then train, 1 h 25
  7. Paris 2 nights the end of the line

Before you go, on this szlak

Borders, money, phones.

Borders

All Schengen: no border checks on the trains, though spot checks happen. Carry your passport or EU identity card.

Money

Złoty in Poland and koruna in Czechia; euro everywhere else. Cards work everywhere; in Praha, avoid street exchange booths.

Phone

EU roaming covers the whole route.

Clock

One time zone all the way.

Book ahead

  • Kraków → Praha night train: the couchettes sell out.
  • Amsterdam → Bruxelles and Bruxelles → Paris: early fares from €25–30, late ones over €100.
  • Amsterdam beds: weeks ahead.

Buy on the day

  • Berlin → Hamburg: a train every 30 minutes (flexible fares cost more).

Noclegi i odcinki (the nights and the legs)

The whole trail, stop by stop.

Times are the usual fastest journey. Fares run from booked early to bought late; dorm beds from low season to high. Prices in euro, 9 Oct 2026.

  1. Nights 1–2 · Poland

    Kraków

    2 nights

    The cheapest two nights you will have for a fortnight. Enjoy them.

    Arrive
    Kraków Główny (trains) and the MDA bus station sit side by side under Galeria Krakowska; the Rynek, the main square, is ten minutes on foot. From the airport the train takes about 20 minutes.
    Sleep
    Stare Miasto (Old Town) or Kazimierz. A dorm bed costs about €12–22 a night.
    Do
    • Walk the Planty, the park ring where the walls stood, then the Rynek and the Cloth Hall. Free.
    • Wawel hill: the courtyards and the walls are free; the cathedral and the royal rooms are paid.
    • Kazimierz, then the footbridge to Podgórze and Schindler's Factory museum (book a time).
    • The Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial, about 1½ hours away. Entry must be reserved in advance at visit.auschwitz.org, and it books out.
    Meet people
    Free walking tours (you tip what it was worth) leave from the Rynek every day, and most Old Town hostels run a pub crawl or a shared dinner.
    Worth knowing
    Eat in a bar mleczny, a cheap canteen: soup and pierogi for roughly 25–35 zł.

  2. Night train Night 3, on board

    Kraków to Praha

    EuroNight Chopin (ČD / PKP)

    Time
    11 h
    Runs
    1 a night — 20:49 → 07:51
    Fare
    €29–45

    Couchettes only, six or four berths, from Kraków Główny to Praha hlavní nádraží. By day: Leo Express (about six hours, from about €14) or ČD's EuroCity Cracovia and Silesia (about 6½ hours, from €19).

    The couchettes sell out in summer. Book early.

    Check and book on České dráhyLeo Express

  3. Nights 4–5 · Czechia

    Praha

    2 nights

    Two nights. Stay outside the centre — Žižkov or Vinohrady — and walk in.

    Arrive
    The night train arrives at Praha hlavní nádraží, the main station, ten minutes' walk from Wenceslas Square.
    Sleep
    Žižkov or Vinohrady. A dorm bed costs about €18–30 a night.
    Do
    • Charles Bridge at seven in the morning, before the crowds.
    • The Prague Castle grounds: free to walk; the buildings are paid.
    • Letná park and its beer garden over the river; the fortress at Vyšehrad.
    • The beer garden in Riegrovy sady at sunset.
    Meet people
    Free walking tours from Old Town Square; beer gardens are shared tables.
    Worth knowing
    Czechia uses the koruna. Pay by card or take cash from a bank's ATM; avoid street exchange booths and machines with high fees.

  4. Train

    Praha to Berlin

    ČD / DB EuroCity

    Time
    4 h 10
    Runs
    every 2 hours
    Fare
    €25–60

    Direct trains along the Elbe, through Dresden, to Berlin Hauptbahnhof.

    Sit on the right heading north for the hour along the Elbe gorge.

    Check and book on Deutsche BahnČeské dráhy

  5. Nights 6–8 · Germany

    Berlin

    3 nights

    Three nights and still not enough. This is the one to come back to.

    Arrive
    Trains from Praha arrive at Berlin Hauptbahnhof; the S-Bahn and U-Bahn go everywhere from there.
    Sleep
    Friedrichshain, Kreuzberg or Neukölln. A dorm bed costs about €20–35 a night.
    Do
    • The Reichstag dome: free, but book online in advance.
    • Tempelhofer Feld, the old airport turned park, runways included.
    • The Berlin Wall Memorial on Bernauer Straße and the East Side Gallery. Free.
    • Mauerpark on a Sunday: the flea market and, in summer, open-air karaoke.
    Meet people
    Free walking tours from the Brandenburg Gate; Mauerpark on Sunday afternoons.
    Worth knowing
    An AB ticket covers the city. Validate paper tickets before you board.

  6. Train

    Berlin to Hamburg

    DB ICE / IC

    Time
    1 h 47
    Runs
    every 30 minutes
    Fare
    €20–90

    ICE and IC trains between the two Hauptbahnhöfe. The line reopened in June 2026 after ten months of rebuilding.

    Super Sparpreis fares are the cheapest, and they tie you to one train.

    Check and book on Deutsche Bahn

  7. Night 9 · Germany

    Hamburg

    1 night

    One night. A stop, not a stay — but a good stop.

    Arrive
    Trains from Berlin arrive at Hamburg Hauptbahnhof. The direct trains to Amsterdam during the 2026–27 works leave from Hamburg-Harburg, about 15 minutes away by S-Bahn.
    Sleep
    St. Pauli or St. Georg. A dorm bed costs about €25–40 a night.
    Do
    • The Elbphilharmonie Plaza and its view over the harbour (a timed ticket, free on the day).
    • The Speicherstadt warehouse district (UNESCO).
    • Ferry 62 from Landungsbrücken: a harbour tour on an ordinary transport ticket.
    • The Old Elbe Tunnel (1911): walk under the river. Free.
    Meet people
    St. Pauli and the Reeperbahn at night; hostels go out in groups.
    Worth knowing
    The Sunday Fischmarkt starts at dawn: go straight from the night out, or not at all.

  8. Train

    Hamburg to Amsterdam

    DB / NS

    Time
    5 h 15
    Runs
    every 2 hours with a change; 4 direct a day during the works
    Fare
    €33–80

    Normally an IC to Osnabrück and a change to the Amsterdam train. From 2 October 2026 to December 2027, four direct ICEs a day run from Hamburg-Harburg to Amsterdam while the usual line is rebuilt.

    The direct ICEs leave from Hamburg-Harburg, not the Hauptbahnhof: S-Bahn, about 15 minutes.

    Check and book on NS InternationalDeutsche Bahn

  9. Nights 10–11 · Netherlands

    Amsterdam

    2 nights

    The dearest beds on any szlak. Two nights, and book them first.

    Arrive
    Trains from Germany arrive at Amsterdam Centraal. For Bruxelles, the Eurostar leaves from Centraal and the cheaper Eurocity Direct from Amsterdam Zuid.
    Sleep
    Oost or Noord. A dorm bed costs about €35–70 a night.
    Do
    • The free ferries behind Centraal across the IJ to Noord and the NDSM wharf.
    • Vondelpark, the Jordaan and the canals on foot.
    • A rented bicycle for a day: the city's own way of moving.
    • Museums sell timed tickets; the Rijksmuseum and the Anne Frank House sell out weeks ahead.
    Meet people
    Hostel bars and free walking tours from Dam Square.
    Worth knowing
    The tap water is excellent, and supermarket lunches halve the food budget here.

  10. Train

    Amsterdam to Bruxelles

    NS / SNCB Eurocity Direct · Eurostar

    Time
    2 h 05
    Runs
    about 16 a day (Eurocity Direct)
    Fare
    €25–60

    The Eurocity Direct leaves from Amsterdam Zuid — not Centraal — via Schiphol, Rotterdam and Antwerpen, with no reservation needed, from €25. The Eurostar from Centraal takes 1 hour 52, from €29.

    Check and book on NS InternationalEurostar

  11. Night 12 · Belgium

    Bruxelles

    1 night

    One night, and a good one if you go to Saint-Gilles.

    Arrive
    Trains from Amsterdam stop at Bruxelles-Central and Bruxelles-Midi; the Eurostar to Paris leaves from Midi.
    Sleep
    The centre or Saint-Gilles. A dorm bed costs about €25–40 a night.
    Do
    • The Grand-Place (free), then the comic-strip murals around the centre.
    • The flea market on Place du Jeu de Balle in the Marolles, every morning.
    • Frites from a friterie, eaten standing.
    • The Parvis de Saint-Gilles in the evening.
    Meet people
    The bars around Saint-Gilles and Place Saint-Géry.
    Worth knowing
    Midi station is fine by day; at night, keep your bag close.

  12. Train

    Bruxelles to Paris

    Eurostar

    Time
    1 h 25
    Runs
    about every hour
    Fare
    €30–120

    Eurostar from Bruxelles-Midi to Paris-Nord. The cheap alternative is a coach: FlixBus, about four hours, often under €25.

    This leg decides the budget. Book it the day you book the first bed.

    Check and book on EurostarFlixBus

  13. Nights 13–14 · France

    Paris

    2 nights

    It ends here. Two nights are too few, which is what the next trip is for.

    Arrive
    The Eurostar from Bruxelles arrives at Gare du Nord; the metro goes everywhere.
    Sleep
    Belleville, Canal Saint-Martin or Montmartre. A dorm bed costs about €30–55 a night.
    Do
    • Montmartre and Sacré-Cœur, and Père Lachaise cemetery. Both free.
    • The Canal Saint-Martin in the evening, and Parc de Belleville for the view.
    • National museums are free for EU and EEA residents under 26, with ID; everyone else books a time slot.
    • The Seine on foot from Notre-Dame to the Eiffel Tower.
    Meet people
    The Canal Saint-Martin and the banks of the Seine on warm evenings.
    Worth knowing
    A metro ticket costs about €2.50; buy one on your phone or on a Navigo Easy card.

The end of the Szlak Zachodni: 14 days, about €986. Checked 9 October 2026 — confirm every leg with its operator before you book.

The other four

Not this one?

Szlak Bałtycki Up the eastern edge until the land runs out, then across the water. 16days €49a day Szlak Adriatycki Down through the Alps until the water turns the wrong colour. 18days €56a day Szlak Karpacki Three weeks along the mountains, on the cheapest money in Europe. 21days €41a day Szlak Atlantycki The one you join rather than the one you start. Down the western edge. 15days €66a day