Photo: Diego Delso · CC BY-SA 3.0
Dotted path is schematic (great-circle-ish arcs between stops), not a transport route.
Stop by stop
Click a stop (or its pin on the map) for costs, country facts and what to do there.
1Lisbon PortugalAlfama, Belem, Sintra, a surf lesson at Carcavelos.5 nights
$805 mid
Photo: Ingo Mehling · CC BY-SA 4.0Seven hills, Atlantic light and Europe's most established nomad capital.
Lisbon became the reference European nomad city in the late 2010s and has paid the price in rents, but the reasons remain: 300 days of sun, a walkable centre of tiled facades and miradouros, surf beaches thirty minutes away by train, a D8 visa that actually works and a city that is still, by Western European…
- Daily budget
- $69–$317 per person, backpacker to comfortable, editorial estimate, Oct 2026
- This stop
- $805 5 nights at the mid-range daily estimate
- Best months
- Apr, May, Jun, Sep, Oct
- Internet
- 300 Mbps typical fixed line, editorial
Things to do
- Alfama and the miradouros Santa Luzia and Graça viewpoints at sunset; fado in a small house, not a dinner show.
- Belem The Jeronimos monastery, the Tower, the MAAT museum and the original pasteis de nata.
- LX Factory and Alcantara Converted industrial quarter under the bridge.
- Sintra Pena palace and the Moorish castle; go on a weekday at opening.
Portugal: practical facts
- Currency
- Euro (EUR) · 0.89 EUR/USD (Financial Modeling Prep (indicative mid), Nov 05, 2026)
- Language
- Portuguese; English widely spoken in cities and the Algarve
- Plugs and voltage
- C, F (230 V)
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Emergency
- 112
- U.S. advisory
- Level 1
Full destination guide →Portugal country guide →Visa rules →
2Porto PortugalRibeira, port lodges, the Douro by train.3 nights
$435 mid
Photo: Krzysztof Golik · CC BY-SA 4.0Granite, port wine and the Douro: Lisbon's grittier, cheaper northern rival.
Porto is the city many Lisbon nomads moved to when the capital's rents doubled, and the city many travellers prefer anyway: a tumble of tiled houses down to the Douro, the port lodges of Gaia across the water, a food culture built on francesinhas and tripe, and the river valley's vineyards an hour upstream. It is…
- Daily budget
- $62–$286 per person, backpacker to comfortable, editorial estimate, Oct 2026
- This stop
- $435 3 nights at the mid-range daily estimate
- Best months
- May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep
- Internet
- 250 Mbps typical fixed line, editorial
Things to do
- Ribeira and the Dom Luis I bridge Walk the upper deck to Gaia at sunset.
- Port lodges in Gaia Taylor's, Graham's or the smaller houses; tastings from 15 euros.
- Livraria Lello and the Clerigos tower Book the bookshop; climb the tower.
- Douro valley Train to Pinhao, or a day of quintas by car; harvest in September.
Portugal: practical facts
- Currency
- Euro (EUR) · 0.89 EUR/USD (Financial Modeling Prep (indicative mid), Nov 05, 2026)
- Language
- Portuguese; English widely spoken in cities and the Algarve
- Plugs and voltage
- C, F (230 V)
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Emergency
- 112
- U.S. advisory
- Level 1
Full destination guide →Portugal country guide →Visa rules →
train to Madrid · about 9.0 hours
3Madrid SpainPrado, Retiro, tapas in La Latina.3 nights
We do not hold a full destination profile for Madrid yet, so there are no stop-level cost or climate figures here; the facts below are country-level. Nearest profiled destination: Porto (about 420 km).
Spain: practical facts
- Currency
- Euro (EUR) · 0.89 EUR/USD (Financial Modeling Prep (indicative mid), Nov 05, 2026)
- Language
- Spanish; Catalan, Basque, Galician regionally; English in tourism
- Plugs and voltage
- C, F (230 V)
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Emergency
- 112
- U.S. advisory
- Level 2
AVE or Ouigo · about 2.5 hours
4Barcelona SpainGaudi, Gracia, the beach, Montserrat.5 nights
$945 mid
Photo: Lolo7433 · CC BY-SA 4.0Beach, Gaudi, late nights and a city that has decided how many of you it wants.
Barcelona has everything a long-stay traveller asks for: a beach inside the city, a grid of neighbourhoods with their own squares and markets, Gaudi's improbable buildings, mountains behind, Mediterranean food at long lunches and a nightlife that starts at midnight. It also has Europe's most organised resistance to…
- Daily budget
- $76–$372 per person, backpacker to comfortable, editorial estimate, Oct 2026
- This stop
- $945 5 nights at the mid-range daily estimate
- Best months
- May, Jun, Sep, Oct
- Internet
- 300 Mbps typical fixed line, editorial
Things to do
- Sagrada Familia Book a timed ticket weeks ahead; the interior at morning light.
- Park Guell and the Gracia neighbourhood Timed entry to the monumental zone; the free upper park and Gracia's squares below.
- The Gothic Quarter and El Born Cathedral, Santa Maria del Mar, the Picasso museum.
- Montjuic Miro foundation, the castle, the magic fountain and the cable car.
Spain: practical facts
- Currency
- Euro (EUR) · 0.89 EUR/USD (Financial Modeling Prep (indicative mid), Nov 05, 2026)
- Language
- Spanish; Catalan, Basque, Galician regionally; English in tourism
- Plugs and voltage
- C, F (230 V)
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Emergency
- 112
- U.S. advisory
- Level 2
train via Perpignan · about 5.0 hours
5Marseille and Nice FRCalanques, the old port, the Riviera coast path.4 nights
We do not hold a full destination profile for Marseille and Nice or its country yet, so there are no cost, climate or visa figures for this stop; the route notes describe what it involves. Nearest profiled destination: Barcelona (about 340 km).
train via Genoa · about 6.0 hours
6Florence ITUffizi, Duomo climb, a Chianti day.4 nights
We do not hold a full destination profile for Florence or its country yet, so there are no cost, climate or visa figures for this stop; the route notes describe what it involves. Nearest profiled destination: Split (about 420 km).
Frecciarossa · about 1.5 hours
7Rome ITForum, Vatican, Trastevere evenings.4 nights
We do not hold a full destination profile for Rome or its country yet, so there are no cost, climate or visa figures for this stop; the route notes describe what it involves. Nearest profiled destination: Split (about 370 km).
train to Bari and overnight ferry · about 14.0 hours
8Split CroatiaPalace, Hvar and Vis, Krka.6 nights
$1,008 mid
Photo: Silverije · CC BY-SA 3.0A Roman palace turned living city, with the islands of the Adriatic at the end of the pier.
Split grew inside the retirement palace of the emperor Diocletian, and 1,700 years later the palace is still the centre: cafes in the peristyle, apartments in the walls, the cathedral in his mausoleum. Around it is a confident Dalmatian port city of beaches, the Marjan hill forest, a ferry harbour that serves Hvar…
- Daily budget
- $70–$332 per person, backpacker to comfortable, editorial estimate, Oct 2026
- This stop
- $1,008 6 nights at the mid-range daily estimate
- Best months
- May, Jun, Sep
- Internet
- 100 Mbps typical fixed line, editorial
Things to do
- Diocletian's Palace The cellars, the cathedral bell tower, the peristyle at night.
- Marjan hill Pine forest, viewpoints and swimming coves on the city's own peninsula.
- Hvar, Brac and Vis Day trips are possible; stay a night and the islands change.
- Krka national park Waterfalls an hour away; Plitvice is 3 hours.
Croatia: practical facts
- Currency
- Euro (since 2023) (EUR) · 0.89 EUR/USD (Financial Modeling Prep (indicative mid), Nov 05, 2026)
- Language
- Croatian; English very widely spoken on the coast
- Plugs and voltage
- C, F (230 V)
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Emergency
- 112
- U.S. advisory
- Level 1
bus · about 4.0 hours
9Dubrovnik and Kotor CroatiaWalls at dawn, then Montenegro's fjord-like bay.4 nights
We do not hold a full destination profile for Dubrovnik and Kotor yet, so there are no stop-level cost or climate figures here; the facts below are country-level. Nearest profiled destination: Split (about 160 km).
Croatia: practical facts
- Currency
- Euro (since 2023) (EUR) · 0.89 EUR/USD (Financial Modeling Prep (indicative mid), Nov 05, 2026)
- Language
- Croatian; English very widely spoken on the coast
- Plugs and voltage
- C, F (230 V)
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Emergency
- 112
- U.S. advisory
- Level 1
bus · about 5.0 hours
10Tirana AlbaniaBlloku, Berat, the Riviera at Himara; Schengen clock paused.5 nights
$475 mid
Photo: Diego Delso · CC BY-SA 3.0The Balkans' most colourful capital, a year-long welcome for Americans, and a coast and mountains no one has priced in yet.
Tirana was a closed, grey capital until 1991 and has spent three decades painting itself: pastel apartment blocks, a cafe culture that rivals Italy's, a boulevard of new architecture, a cable car to a mountain, and the Blloku district where the Communist elite once lived now full of bars and coworking spaces. It is…
- Daily budget
- $41–$189 per person, backpacker to comfortable, editorial estimate, Oct 2026
- This stop
- $475 5 nights at the mid-range daily estimate
- Best months
- Apr, May, Jun, Sep, Oct
- Internet
- 80 Mbps typical fixed line, editorial
Things to do
- Bunk'Art 1 and 2 Communist-era bunkers turned into museums of the dictatorship.
- Skanderbeg Square and the National History Museum The mosaic facade and the centre's new face.
- Blloku Hoxha's villa, the cafes, the bars.
- Dajti Express cable car Up the mountain for views and hiking.
Albania: practical facts
- Currency
- Albanian lek (ALL) · 80.66 ALL/USD (Financial Modeling Prep (indicative mid), Nov 05, 2026)
- Language
- Albanian; Italian and English widely understood
- Plugs and voltage
- C, F (230 V)
- Tap water
- Generally treated in Tirana; most visitors drink bottled
- Emergency
- 112 (129 police, 127 ambulance)
- U.S. advisory
- Level 2
bus to Athens or ferry from Saranda to Corfu · about 12.0 hours
11Athens GreeceAcropolis, Koukaki, the Riviera.4 nights
$584 mid
Photo: A.Savin · CC BY-SA 3.0The Acropolis above, a city of neighbourhood tavernas and rooftops below, and the islands beyond.
Athens was a city people flew through on the way to the islands; now it is a city people stay in. The reasons: low rents by European capital standards, a cafe and nightlife culture that spills onto the street, Koukaki and Pangrati's neighbourhood life a walk from the Acropolis, the Riviera beaches on the tram line…
- Daily budget
- $64–$292 per person, backpacker to comfortable, editorial estimate, Oct 2026
- This stop
- $584 4 nights at the mid-range daily estimate
- Best months
- Apr, May, Jun, Sep, Oct
- Internet
- 100 Mbps typical fixed line, editorial
Things to do
- The Acropolis and its museum Timed tickets; 8 a.m. or the last two hours; the museum at dusk.
- Ancient Agora and Kerameikos Quieter ruins where the city actually lived.
- Lycabettus and Filopappou hills Sunset over the whole basin.
- Koukaki and Pangrati Cafes, bakeries and the city's best neighbourhood tavernas.
Greece: practical facts
- Currency
- Euro (EUR) · 0.89 EUR/USD (Financial Modeling Prep (indicative mid), Nov 05, 2026)
- Language
- Greek; English widely spoken
- Plugs and voltage
- C, F (230 V)
- Tap water
- Safe in Athens and most of the mainland; bottled on many islands
- Emergency
- 112
- U.S. advisory
- Level 1
ferry · about 4.0 hours
12Naxos or Paros GreeceBeaches, villages, a slower island than Santorini.4 nights
We do not hold a full destination profile for Naxos or Paros yet, so there are no stop-level cost or climate figures here; the facts below are country-level. Nearest profiled destination: Athens (about 180 km).
Greece: practical facts
- Currency
- Euro (EUR) · 0.89 EUR/USD (Financial Modeling Prep (indicative mid), Nov 05, 2026)
- Language
- Greek; English widely spoken
- Plugs and voltage
- C, F (230 V)
- Tap water
- Safe in Athens and most of the mainland; bottled on many islands
- Emergency
- 112
- U.S. advisory
- Level 1
ferry back and flight or bus-and-ferry to Istanbul · about 8.0 hours
13Istanbul Türkiye (Turkey)Sultanahmet, the Bosphorus ferry, Kadikoy.5 nights
$585 mid
Photo: Julian Nyča · CC BY-SA 4.0Two continents, sixteen million people and a Bosphorus ferry for the price of a simit.
Istanbul has been a capital of empires for 1,600 years and still behaves like the centre of the world: the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque in Sultanahmet, the Grand Bazaar's covered kilometres, Beyoglu's nineteenth-century avenues, Kadikoy's Asian-side food streets, and the Bosphorus running through all of it with…
- Daily budget
- $49–$248 per person, backpacker to comfortable, editorial estimate, Oct 2026
- This stop
- $585 5 nights at the mid-range daily estimate
- Best months
- Apr, May, Jun, Sep, Oct
- Internet
- 100 Mbps typical fixed line, editorial
Things to do
- Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque and Topkapi Sultanahmet's core; go at opening, dress modestly.
- Bosphorus ferry to Anadolu Kavagi The full-length public ferry is the best day out for a few lira.
- Grand Bazaar and the Spice Bazaar Then the quieter hans behind them.
- Kadikoy and Moda Food market, street art, the Moda seafront at sunset.
Türkiye (Turkey): practical facts
- Currency
- Turkish lira (TRY) · 50.04 TRY/USD (Financial Modeling Prep (indicative mid), Nov 05, 2026)
- Language
- Turkish; English in tourism
- Plugs and voltage
- C, F (230 V)
- Tap water
- Treated but most residents drink bottled
- Emergency
- 112
- U.S. advisory
- not available
Full destination guide →Türkiye (Turkey) country guide →Visa rules →
Weeks one to three: Iberia
Lisbon (5 nights) and Porto (3), the train to Madrid (3) and on to Barcelona (5), with Seville or Valencia as the alternative pairing. Overnight trains and the low-cost AVE operators keep this cheap.
Weeks four and five: France and Italy
The coast to Marseille and Nice (4), the train through Genoa to Florence (4) and Rome (4), then Naples or across to Bari for the ferry to Croatia or Albania.
Weeks six to eight: the Adriatic, Greece and Turkey
Split and the islands (6), the bus south to Dubrovnik (2), Kotor in Montenegro (2) and Albania's Tirana and Riviera (5), which pause the Schengen clock. Ferry or bus to Greece: Athens (4) and one island (4). Finish with the ferry and bus (or a cheap flight) to Istanbul (5).
The Schengen arithmetic
Non-EU visitors get 90 days in any 180 across Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Croatia and Greece combined. This route spends roughly 45 Schengen days before Montenegro and Albania (non-Schengen), then 8 more in Greece: comfortably inside the limit with margin for changes. Turkey is outside it entirely.
Practical notes
Trains: book the Lisbon-Madrid, Madrid-Barcelona and Italian high-speed legs a few weeks ahead for the cheap fares; FlixBus fills the Balkan gaps. Ferries: Bari to Dubrovnik or Durres; Patras to Italy if reversing. Budget: Western Europe is the expensive half; the low figure assumes hostels, picnics and advance tickets at 65 dollars a day; the Balkans and Turkey bring the average down. Season: May to June and September to October avoid the heat and the August closures; the islands and Croatia are best before July or after August.