Why would someone want to go backpacking on their own without friends, family, or a partner?
Where do you even start planning and finding places to go and stay?
These were some of my questions when I first considered a Solo backpacking trip back in 2018. I decided to do a short hostelling trip and get my first taste of backpacking across 3 European cities. I had done family holidays and trips with friends but, 19-year-old me decided to embark on a new challenge. What I learnt changed my perspective on travel and sparked my desire to explore as much as possible. This trip created a backpacking passion and this blog will cover the planning, the cities and lessons… So where did I end up going?
Prague, Munich, and Salzburg over 10 days….. It turns out this was a long time alone with my thoughts. Prague had been recommended as a cheap and safe city which sounded ideal for my first time in a hostel. Munich had been on my bucket list for many years thanks to the beer, football, and cars! And Salzburg wasn’t for Mozart or the Sound of Music but as a gateway to the Alps (no hiking this time, unfortunately).
Backpacking Trip Itinerary
| Day | Activity | Duration | Cost |
| 1 | London Flight | 2h0m | £67 |
| 1 | Prague Tram to Centre | 0h30m | £5 |
| 1 | Prague Hostel (2 Nights) | – | £28 |
| 2 | Prague Castle & Walking Tour | 2h0m | £10 |
| 3 | Prague FlixBus to Munich | 5h20m | £15 |
| 3 | Munich Hostel (3 Nights) | – | £69 |
| 4 | Walking Tour, Olympic Stadium & BMW | – | £15 |
| 5 | Bayern Munich Allianz Arena | 2h30m | £20 |
| 6 | Munich Train to Salzburg | 1h30m | £15 |
| 6 | Salzburg Hostel (4 Nights) | – | £82 |
| 7 | Untersberg Cable Car | – | £25 |
| 9 | Berschgarten & Eagle’s Nest Tour | 9h0m | £90 |
| 10 | Salzburg Castle | 2h0m | £10 |
| 11 | London Flights | 2h0m | £36 |
The itinerary was roughly set but I had a lot of free time to walk around and discover the cities. I had no idea what to expect from the hostels but I cannot recommend Hostelworld enough for research and booking. I was intrigued by the Salzburg hostel with the hilltop view of the Castle. What I was not prepared for was the fellow backpackers I would meet! The other factor I hadn’t planned for was to be suffering from heatstroke.
The Hostels
Hostel Prague Tyn – 6/10
A small hostel hidden a few minutes from the Old Square which had the perfect location. It was cheap, cheerful and had large rooms thankfully given the summer heat! It had a good kitchen which people gravitated towards but it had a mismatched interior. I’ve been to better hostels since but for my 1st time, it didn’t terrify me to never again hostel.
Jaeger’s Hostel Munich – 8/10
A real party hostel which starts with a shot of Jaegemesiter at the bar to make you feel right at home. It’s located a few mins walk from the central station and next to every other hostel it seemed. Only a short walk into the shopping area and to the main square (Marienplatz). The simple metal bunks and lockers made it feel basic but the real magic was at the bar where it was so easy to strike up a conversation and join in with groups. It made me feel very welcome despite no cooking facilities.
Stadtalm Naturfreundehaus Salzburg – 8/10
A very small hostel on top of Monchsberg which after a few days feels like a drag. Perched on this cliff face, the views over the Castle and Old town are stunning, especially at sunset. The rooms were basic and pretty small with 4 beds per room. It didn’t have the same social side as Tyn or Jaeger’s but the location was special and perfect to escape the city below. I did not try the restaurant but enjoyed a breakfast.
Transport Tips
After deciding to fly from London Gatwick as it was cheaper than Heathrow… I had to decide on the order of my travel. Do I start in Salzburg and finish in Prague or vice versa? And how best to cover 500km+ of travel?
The prices of flights swayed me to fly back from Salzburg at only £36. Along with the idea of ending the with a few days in the Alps after 2 cities. Getting from Václav Havel Airport to the centre is simple using the metro system and a Revolut debit card. I didn’t use public transport in Prague, a small city, and walked around instead.
To travel to Munich, I booked a morning Flixbus for £15 and got my money’s worth over 6 hours. Then I took a metro into the centre of Munich where the hostel was close to the Central Station. I used the metro system in Munich to travel to the Allianz and the Olympic Park without problems.
The final leg to Salzburg was a fast 1.5-hour train journey along beautiful countryside into the Austrian city. Afterwards, I mainly used the local busses to travel to Unterberg and then to the Airport, all paid in cash.
Prague – Who’s Charles and why is that building Dancing?
Day 1
I arrived in Prague nervous and excited about backpacking alone, but more weighted towards the nerves… an 80:20 split. Having heatstroke didn’t help my appetite to indulge in the local beer and food but that didn’t stop me from tasting the cuisine. What shocked me was to find that Beer was cheaper in restaurants than Bottled water! The Old Square is enchanting and has a real vibrance with the street performers. I explored the Charles Bridge and was amazed by the artists there. After a day of walking around and seeing the tourist attractions, I retreated to the Hostel and tried my hand at socialising… I was outside my comfort zone but was welcomed into a chat and got to know everyone, off to a good start! I met Niki (Portugese/Canadian) and 2 American guys who joined for the Castle visit on Day 2.
Day 2
Day 2 was focused on a “Free” Walking tour around the Jewish Quarters, Old Square and over to the Castle. My favourite part was the stop by the Castle to grab a tinnie of beer and soak up the view over the city. I gave Goulash a go and was nice but the real winner for food was the Chimney Cakes. I would highly recommend Good Food Coffee & Bakery near the Charles Bridge, the most enjoyable thing I ate in Prague!
Munich – Englischgarten is not very English but stay for the Bier
Day 3
After a long coach journey and checking into the Hostel, I was free to explore the beautiful city of Munchen. The Marienplatz (Main Square) was as crowded as expected and then worked my way towards Englischgarten. I spotted a crowd watching a river and it turned out to be people surfing, not what I had expected! I spent hours walking around the garden, eyeing up the beer gardens and enjoying the sun. I returned to the Hostel and found a familiar face in Niki which taught me how many people’s trips were interlinked. The heatstroke was slowly getting better but I was barely eating but drinking litres of water so unfortunately no food recommendations.
Day 4
On Day 4, I joined a Free Walking Tour to learn about the history of the city and the culture which was fascinating! I popped back to the Hostel and met Sam (Kansas, USA) in the dorm where we got chatting. This was the first backpacker who I clicked with shared experiences and stories; it certainly gave me confidence. We both went over to the Olympic Stadium to look around and then walked over to the BMW Welt to see the free exhibition & shop but chose not to pay for the museum or guided tour. Instead, we headed to Hofbrauhaus, the famous Beer hall, where we shared a table, ordered 2 steins of Hofbrau Original, and practised poorly remembered German with the locals (luckily Sam was half fluent which helped the conversation).
Day 5
The final day was a Bayern Munich Stadium Tour at the Allianz Arena. The tour and museum started my fandom of Bayern over the last 5 years. The guided tour of the stands, changing rooms, and playing tunnel was fascinating to see and learn about the Club’s history and success in the museum. I headed back to the centre and grabbed a simple sandwich for dinner before an evening walk to Englischgarten. Finally, I headed back and met up with Sam and another group of Americans, Canadians, Australians, and Swedish where I explained why Brexit had happened. I kindly declined a night out to bars and clubs as had an early start to Salzburg in the morning and was not quite 100% over the Heatstroke but the Hofbrau helped! I very much felt at home and comfortable in Munich, it’s one of the few cities I would consider moving to.
Salzburg – Time to explore the Alps
Day 6
The journey continued to the small and charming city of Salzburg which surprised me. Unfortunately, my hostel was far away from the central station and up a rather steep incline which became my cardio fitness over the next 4 days. After dropping my bag off, I ventured into town where I did another Walking Tour (3/3) and found out about Mozart and the Sound of Music. The streets were narrow and then opened up to magnificent architecture.
Day 7
After Munich, I hadn’t expected to see Sam again but he messaged about a day trip to Salzburg to make the most of his time in Europe, so we met up and did a short excursion to Untersberg where we got a cable car up the mountain. I would have preferred to hike up but didn’t have the right clothes or shoes and wouldn’t have worked for Sam’s train back. The views were stunning and stretched across the horizon. The tickets for ascent and descent were about £25 and a cheap bus back into town where I gave my own mini walking tour trying to remember the facts from the previous day.
Day 8 – Berchtesgaden & Eagle’s Nest Tour
The most anticipated day of the trip with a pre-booked Tour into the charming Bavarian Alps. After reading Band of Brothers and seeing the TV show, I wanted to visit Eagle’s Nest (Kehlsteinhaus) so I found a Tour which included Eagle’s Nest, Berchtesgaden, Salt Mine and Königssee. And it was worth the £90 I paid as got an incredible experience of the Alps and spectacular panoramic views from Eagle’s Nest. The last stop at Konigsee was the surprise of the excursion with a massive lake surrounded by snow-capped peaks.
Day 9
The last full day in Salzburg was a quiet and relaxing day which I felt was needed as I was getting a little homesick. I spent most of the day reading, and exploring the Monchsberg and Castle grounds which were slightly disappointing. The views from the Castle walls and turrets were impressive. The most memorable part of this day was the incredible sunset over the distant mountains.
Day 10
The final day of the trip was uneventful as I had an afternoon flight so after a nice breakfast at the hostel, I started walking towards the city centre. I got the bus over to the Airport after passing Red Bull Hangar 7 and the Salzburg football stadium. If I had known, I would have spent a day exploring these but it gives me reason to return.
Packing List
This was my first hostelling trip therefore required a new backpack for all my kit. I decided to invest in the classic Osprey Farpoint 40 as is cabin-compatible for flights, easy to open and access my clothes and could be locked which was good for peace of mind. For my full Packing List, check the link below:
Backpacking Trip Costs
Overall, the trip was about on budget with a large chunk going on the Berchtesgaden Day Tour. The Hostels averaged to be £18 per night which is a bargain in comparison to 2024. It turns out backpacking is affordable and means you can squeeze more trips per year that way! The price of trains and coaches were very cheap considering the length of travel and my only souvenir was a Bayern Munich Shirt so it was a successful 1st trip.
| Item | Cost |
| Flights & Transport | £138 |
| Accommodation | £179 |
| Food & drink | £200 |
| Activities & other | £125 |
| Total | £642 |
Solo Backpacking Lessons
After the 10 days of solo travel, I returned with a new appreciation for backpacking. It made me want to go interrailing and visit more hostels now I had been recommended cities such as Bratislava, Porto and Barcelona. I had increased my self-confidence and ability to strike up a conversation with strangers. It made me realize, that many more young people enjoy budget backpacking and who are like-minded in valuing experiences. I learnt about the subtle differences in cultures between English-speaking countries (UK, US, Australia and New Zealand) and that Brits are lucky to have Europe on our doorstep. My main lesson was embracing solitude and the flexibility of doing what I want with the freedom to go off and explore. I felt safe in the hostels and with the people I met but I would have liked to have been more adventurous in my food choices but the heatstroke really ruined my appetite…. there is always next time! I learnt that heatstroke can really drain your energy and that things don’t always go to the plan. But part of backpacking is to be adaptable and learning that obstacles will happen and not to let them ruin your experiences (too much)!
Thank you for reading my first blog post and welcome to Backpacker’s Mentality! Soon there will be more Backpacking posts about Himalayan and Alpine Treks, Canadian Road Trips in Canada and Tuscany, Solo trips to Lisbon & Copenhagen and European Hostelling so follow our Social Media and visit soon to find out more!
Please feel free to comment below if you liked the post or have visited any of the cities, it would be great to hear your view and travel experiences!