If you look online you will find the McDonalds calculator - which shows the price for meals in different countries. This is not that you should be eating Mickey D's - there are many local places that will have better food at similar prices. But the key is the price.

In the US a Big Mac Meal costs about $8. It will be significantly higher in much of europe. In Switz the big Mac meal will cost about $17 and in Scandinavia it will cost about $20. Other foods are similar prices.

As for drinks - not sure what you mean. You should know that local beer or wine are usually less expensive than soft drinks and what is typically drunk by students - and at student pubs and cafes. Hard liquor or mixed drinks are VERY expensive due to very high taxes.

As for soda - in euope they are very small and very expensive - about 3 euros for an 8 oz can. And ice is rare - if you ask fir glass with ice you are likely to get one cube. (You can get tall soft drinks only at american chains - at very high cost).

Much better to drink wine or beer (in moderation) or water. (You can get large bottles of water and carry around during the day - and refill at your hostel at night.)

Strongly suggest you check out prices for everything before heading out - esp for Scandinavia and Switz - so you don;t run out of money before the end of the trip.

As for nightclubs - unless you have unlimited funds I would stay away from them (often huge entry fees as well as high drink cost - $25 per if they're honest and $100 a bottle for rotgut champagne if they're pulling a scam with very pretty and cooperative young ladies) - stick to student pubs and cafes.

I suggest you head for your nearest bookstore (or possibly library) and take a look at the Lonely Planet guides. They have suggested budgets near the front, and one will be for people staying in hostels and eating as cheaply as possible. You might also check out the forums on their website.

What kind of drinks are you talking about? Tap water is safe to drink in Europe and free. If you mean alcohol or Coca Cola you can forget your budget.

Btw, your itinerary does not include Eastern Europe, it's Western and Central.

I've found that in Europe, the cheapest food can be crepe stands, Gyro stands, basically anything that qualifies as "Street Food." It's often cheaper (like 5 Euro) and much tastier than McD's, which in Europe is NOT cheap.

You can also go cheaper if you go into a supermarket and buy picnic items like bread & ham. I've done that (back in my college days), sat down by a river and had a nice lunch.

Oh and drinks are not a problem. Table wine is usually cheaper than bottled water at a restaurant.

In terms of hostels---what is your budget per person for sleeping? You might find "better" deals just pricelining a room. This depends on the City & the hotel of course--some places simply don't allow 3 ppl per room.

I apologize for my uncertain questions, thank you for all the help though! In terms of beverages, i meant alcohol, we may just buy a bottle and drink rather than buy individual drinks. We plan on budgeting 115 dollars per day, strictly on food (water too), alcohol, sleeping, and light recreation. We can walk around the city ( we are very fit) all day so transportation isnt bad, and we just want to relax in pubs and hangout all day, see the city by word of mouth, and do it with a buzz! Sorry for fulfilling the college stereotype but alcohol does infact interest us alot. Sorry maybe i should have just said Europe not "eastern" ;P. So do you think budgeting 115 dollars a day is good for those things? I am sorry if this lacks continuity but i just want to make sure i ask the right questions.

115 dollars per day total for 3 of you, or per person?

If 115 dollar total, that makes it only like $38/per person for sleeping, food & drinks? That sounds not doable to me.

Per person my apologies

$115/per person per day is good actually.

I would start by looking up hostels to get an idea of how much it is per bed/night and how much you're willing to spend.

If you avoid sit-down restaurants and stick with counter "take away" places, etc., I think you can easily get by with say $55-$60/per person per day for 3 "meals". Breakfast is probably bread & coffee, which is cheap

If you drink at a pub, then well that will come out of your food budget won't it

Random note---in Paris (this was 10 years ago), they had a hard time understanding when we wanted "shots" at a club. As in, they serve mixed drinks but not so much shots. It was too expensive anyway, but just as an FYI. They thought we were crazy.

Also, is a Euro Rail pass our best bet? The only time we need a train is traveling from city to city, and the pass is 450 dollars for 5 day unlimited travel. And to clearify, our total budget is 2700 dollars for 14 days, 700 airfare ( already bought) 450 train and 115 per day per person spending.

BTW...you might want to also ask your questions on Lonely Planet. Quite alot of backpackers & hostellers over there too.

MaddieEms i appreciate your insight, it is very helpful, on an honest note, do you think it is plausible to buy a bottle (1.75 ml) and drink it between 3 of us? In order to save money, and then just drink lightly at a pub?

Stann -- I never "pre partied" before going to a pub/club. I honestly don't remember where there was hard alcohol, if any. I've never bought bottles in Europe.

You might do well to buy hard alcohol Duty Free as you're flying out of the States since alot of the Duty Free stores are not open when you land.

If you're planning on seven alcoholic drinks a day per person, why are you even bothering to go anywhere? My interest in your trip just vanished.

No need for attitude, were college kids, 7 drinks gets us buzzed, which is what we want when looking around the cities. I wouldnt judge anyone based on their event planne, nor do i think i should be. We are looking to over budget so we have room for le-way. I say 7 drinks because its a reasonable thing throughout 15 hours of day (saying we sleep for over 8 hours). Thank you for your concern, but please i urge you to help me on the importance of verifying my budget.

I'm curious, is English your first language?

Yes it is. Obviously speaking in correct punctuational terms is mandated with this internet forum. I forgot we cant assist people without them capitalizing correctly, placing semi colones where need be, and double checking "readable" spelling. I honestly thought people would take time to help me review my itinerary, not bash me for posing questions. Thank you though for showing the ignorance of people, and the inherent nature that responding with ill will is inevitable.

Stann, try this site. I think you will find what you are looking for:

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/forum.jspa?forumID=53

Here is the Europe forum:

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/forum.jspa?forumID=27

In Italy you can buy drinkable wine in supermarkets for about 5 euro - or US$7.50. A bottle of wine is about 5 standard drinks, so your booze budget looks OK.

I must say I fing it strange that the most carefully budgetted items are a rail pass and seven drinks ...

Something to really be aware of - there is NO tolerance for public drunkenness in many places in Europe, and little tolerance for public drinking.

Coming from America, where there is absolutely 0 tolerance for both public drunkenness and public drinking, we can manage. My questions are not based around the social norms of a place, nor am i trying to break any laws, i will abide by local jurisdiction and drink where is prohibited. I strictly want to know is 115 dollars per day is okay, and if buying a bottle of alcohol to be consumed where prohibited is feasible.

Stann Im not sure that rail pass is worth it. You might do better by buying point to point tickets as you change locations.
A good place to get an idea of rail costs and scheduling is a site called the man in seat 61.
Try www.themaninseat61.com

Someone gave you a good tip to check out lonely planet, there are more young, budget travellers there.
You might get the locations and prices of some good hostels there. It has been so long since I stayed in a hostel I couldn't even guess at the cost.

Yes I think it is feasible to buy a bottle and share it between you in your hostel or budget hotel. That will stretch your party budget further.
The water in Europe is safe to drink so don't waste any of your money on bottled water, in fact take your own water bottle with you to fill up. And as someone else said, don't bother with soft drinks there, very expensive compared to home.
You can make your food budget go further by eating from food stands or getting picnic things from supermarkets.
Take a big bottle of Tylenol with you for all the hangovers...
Have a great time, meet some other young people, be safe. You can go back later when you are our age to have a different kind of trip.

Why did you start another thread?

>>>>>, i will abide by local jurisdiction and drink where is prohibited.

Where might this be? What local jurisdiction allows you to drink where drinking is prohibited?

>>>>>> I strictly want to know is 115 dollars per day is okay, and if buying a bottle of alcohol to be consumed where prohibited is feasible.

Yes, it's feasible. However, you don't want to consume a bottle where it's prohibited. Unless of course you are in that local jurisdiction above that allows that sort of thing


Are you drinking now?

This is one funny thread.

You should have plenty of cash to keep yourselves buzzed 24/7, "StannDarshh."

Is it our Puritanistic American drinking age laws that make 20 the new 13?

115 dollars a day is a pretty good budget, but in places like Switzeralnd could be a bit tight and almost impossible in Sweden.In Hungaruy and the Czech Republic it is a generous budget.
Last time I was in Sweden (about 7 years ago ) a beer was about $10 but last year in the Czech republic a beer was less than $2 and in some places just over $1 (I am useing a rough conversion from the GB£).
I am a regular visitor to Prague and the Czech Republic so can help with info on that area,the other areas though I have visited its been so long any info I have will be pretty useless.
This website will help with Prague and the Czech republic,good section on cheaper accommodation and some discount vouchers as well.
http://www.livingprague.com/

Hope you guys have a good trip, but so far I am not sure what you really want to do or see in Europe besides getting a buzz on before drinking lightly in pubs. Perhaps an all-inclusive resort in Mexico is a better idea. And Lonely Planet might be a better place for your queries.

Never mind old fart on here ( and I am 50 myself, but not an old fart which is not an age but a mindset)

I partied across europe for three months when I was 23, best time of my life,, had so much fun.

I would skip Sweden , its too far out and too expensive and you don't have enough time.

Order house wine, avoid hard liquor and coctails tres $$$ Get a bottle of 6-7 euro wine from grocery store and pre drink before clubs.. clubs can be money drain, better to find pubs and bars.. dance clubs often charge huge admmittance fees with drink miniums, once agian $$$.

If you want a coke, buy a can from a corner store, order it out can be pricey.

Buy bread and meat / cheese and make sandwiches for lunch, picnics are cool .
Some hostels have simple kitchens you can use to heat up food.

Sometimes a triple hotel room can be cheaper then a private room in a hostel, hostels can be cheap if you are ok in the 10-12 person dorms. Hostels charge per head, hotels usually charge per room.


Go and have fun, I spend majority of my visiting time in Europe now in Cathederals, museums and galleries, and love it, but I remember just being young and having fun.. DO however do a bit of research and try to see at least one or two of your own "must sees" in each destination..

You can and will likely go back later for more indepth touring.

PS Watch your money, keep stuff in a moneybelt , all except one days cash , do not access moneybelt in public.Pickpockets love drunken fools.

If you are female , watch your drinks at all times. do not let strangers buy you drinks unless you watch bartender pour it and hand it to you .Do not walk home dead drunk alone late at night, this goes for MALES and females, thats kind of dumb anywhere.

Ps while public drunkeness is an issue, public drinking is not a huge issue in all places, for instance it is absolutely permitted to bring some wine/booze onboard a train with a picnic lunch..

Also forgot to add, skip Switerland too, its gorgoeous but outrageously expensive, even the McDonalds.lol

Plus to keep budget in control its better to move less. I wouldn't use a rail pass myself but prebuy point to point tickets, for 2 weeks I would look at Berlin, Amsterdam and Prague , with maybe Budapest as an extra.. you only have 2 weeks and you seem to forget that each day you travel is minimally a 1/2 day lost to doing anything but sitting on train or in train stations..lol You don't want your holiday to just be a tour of train stations right?

Agree - with 7 drinks per person per day you won;t remember anythng you see anyway. Where did that number come from.

Is this a drink around the world a thon?

Much better to stay home and save the money if you will spend the whole time n a drunken stupor.

Separately, although europe is generally a very safe place - if you leave a pub or club drunk there is a reasonable chance you will find yuourself without your money and your passport.

Really - drunk is no way to go through europe - or life!

Sorry - 7 drinks a day over 16 hours means that you will be drinking starting at breakfast and regularly all througout the day - which means IMHO - that you are all alcoholics. And probably will have no livers left by the time you are 40.

And double that warning - if you walk around "buzzed" all the time, not only will you miss eruope, you will probably run a good chance of being scammed and/or rolled - and you run a good chance of making yourselves obnoxious to all around you.

I am NOT a teetotaler. Not do I have a problem with your age - our DDs were allowed wine with meals from the time they were 15. But we - and they - drink in moderation - not to spend our lives "buzzed" - how boring!

So you're going to blow $2700 apiece just to be drunk all over European train stations? Weirdest vacation idea ever. Why bother? You can be even drunker at home on that budget.

When you say buying a bottle of "alcohol" what do you mean. Wine and beer are cheap. Hard liquor and mixed drinks are expensive - unless you are willing to drink Old Rot Gut - and buying mixers is not cheap either. Soda is expensivein europe - like 3 euros for a tiny (8 oz) can of Coke.

nytraveler, sorry where did you pull that number out, it is not 3 euros for a can of coke at a grocers, you can get a six pack for 3 euros though.

But it's 3 euros or more for a coke at a café. Soft drinks are outrageously expensive.

But op will mostly be drinking before hand , not in bars or cafes.. and I already mentioned to buy coke in a store, many posts ago .
And , coke can easily be 5 euros in a cafe or restaurant.

I guess i should phrase my questioning more tentatively from now on. We are not alcoholics, but we are budgeting accordingly. Since i have posted this i realize that i must narrow down the cities that i travel to. We limit 7 drinks per day, not saying we will drink throughout the day, but rather want to ensure that we budget enough to be able to if we wanted to. After all 7 standard drinks (1.5 oz hard alcohol, 1 beer, or 1 4 oz lass of wine) isnt too hefty for college kids. Our goal is to not spend 2700 dollars to get drunk in Europe, its to spend 2700 while drinking, engaging in new cultures, and exploring a new exciting land. Again, i know i must reduce the span of my travels and the amount of places i wish to go, which can be done, i just want to make sure i have budgeted enough money to have some college-level fun.

Justineparis, thank you for your level headed response, at least some people remember what its like to be a young traveler. i appreciate your response (as well as other too )

"We are not alcoholics... After all 7 standard drinks... isnt too hefty for college kids. "

Surely, there are some "college kids" who drink that much or more. But many of those are alcoholics in training. The NIAAA (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism) offers the following research-based thresholds beyond which moderate drinking ends and "at risk" drinking occurs (they have no special category for "college kids"):

"For men:
No more than 4 drinks on any single day AND no more than 14 drinks per week"

You are planning around a weekly drinking schedule that is 3.5 times higher than the NIAA threshold.

"People who are alcoholic often will spend a great deal of their time drinking, making sure they can get alcohol..."

Planning a Europe budget around alcohol is a clue that you should reconsider your self-diagnosis.

Oh for god's sake, what an attitude. Most of us were young travelers at one time (six weeks for me as a college student), or have also sent our young college student children traveling. I have never seen a budget question that from the getgo was concerned with enough money for alchohol consumption. And sorry, 7 drinks a day are a lot of drinks, maybe less so if you are sitting poolside or on a beach, but for a long and busy day of touring, seems excessive. I do remember when one of my daughters had an opportunity to travel to Europe with a soccer team in college. In addition to playing soccer, the coaches arranged touring opps in the cities, and allowed them the freedom to do the cafe thing at night. Her comment to us when she returned was that a few of the girls, having partied hard every night, would sleep in, too hungover to sightsee. She also said that a) in her opinion they 'missed' Europe and b) their parents, who were paying, should be really pissed. .

The thought of you boys chugging a bottle or a six pack to get a cheaper buzz before hitting up a pub or three simply makes me wonder what this trip is about. There are college students all over Europe, and many do ask questions here. I don't think the majority define 'college-level fun' by alchohol consumption. And do pay heed to the comments about losing your shirt, wallet and passport while inebriated. Nothing says 'hey pick-pocket' faster than a group of drunk American kids.

with that many destinations - fine when young go for it and many of us once did - travel around a lot and if under 26 years old then by all means look at some kind of Eurail Youthpass - probably a Global Pass valid in all countries save Britain - it is a 2nd class pass but that again is fine for younger folk - you will meet so so many other young folk from around the world on trains - using Youthpasses or the European eq

equivalent of Inter-Rail (hit wrong key - continuing now) - anyway for lots of great info on European trains and passes, etc I always spotlight these IMO fine fine sites - www.seat61.com; www.ricksteves.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com (download the latter's free and superb IMO European Planning & Rail Guide for lots of rail itineraries in lots of countries (http://www.budgeteuropetravel.com/id2.html). One way to reduce travel costs also is to hop the many overnight trains - save time and also the cost of a night in a hostel ($25 on an average I'd say about in big tourist cities) or hotel.

Oh boy, I honestly believe this has turned more into alcohol than i intended. Thank you for the suggested "self evaluation" but i am perfectly fine and understand that moderation is necessary. I am not budgeting my trip around alcohol, i just think that may be the largest expense, as such is true anywhere in the United States, alcohol is always a hefty expense. We want to see the sights, and engage in activities at night. Honestly though, i never had intentions of revolving my trip around alcohol, i just want to budget myself to be able to drink where i can legally. I am 6 foot 6 and 210 pounds, i can handle 7 standard drinks throughout 15 hours, though i never do this at college, but on vacation, why not splurge. Again, this is revolving too much around the alcohol. Does nobody understand the concept of a college eurotrip? We want excitement, nightlife, and the sole intention is not to drink irresponsibly.

Stann...please look up the Thorntree message board recommended above....you will find lots of backpackers a college kids travelling around Europe. It is a lonely planet message board...

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/index.jspa

I meant that to help you, not to be critical...enjoy your trip!

There are many kinds of vacations, we do get what a college Eurotour is, and that said, staying sober most of a long day in order to catch trains, walk around cities, visit churchesm& musums, etc. is not the same as lounging pool, beach or lakeside. Two weeks will be pretty intense as you move around, and depending on what part of summer and where you go, it could be pretty hot. Heat is dehydrating, alchohol more so. So save those drinks for the end of the day, and enjoy both the sights and parties of Europe. Gelato or beer? Hmmm.

cut the guy some slack,i remember my first trips into europe,cycling round France ,the Benelux countries and Germany, we camped,stayed in hostels and sometimes slept rough, our priority was to live as cheaply as possible and sample as many different alcoholic beverages as we could as cheaply as we could.getting laid was a bonus but I was not too succesfull at that.yes we saw a great deal of the culture met loads of folk and had an absolute ball of a time.
My next European trip is back to Prague for the Czech Beer festival(my 6th year in a row) and i am bloody sure i will be having more that 7 drinks in a day.
StannDarshh,I hope you and your buddies have a great time and as i said before if i can be of any help in the czech republic part of the trip just ask.

Wow, I agree, what a strange thread. And sure many of us partied when we were your age, but you set yourself up by mentioning budgeting for seven daily drinks. So go ahead and spend most of your time drinking but it's a waste. Youll look back at your trip and remember.... Oh, wait. You probably won't remember.. I sure hope mom and dad aren't paying for ths fiasco.

<<Again, this is revolving too much around the alcohol>>

Well, you are the one who specifically mentioned budgeting for 7 drinks a day! In the 15 years or so that I've been participating in travel boards, it's the first time anyone has posted anything even remotely like this. Ask how much a decent bottle of wine might cost in France or Italy? Sure. Ask whether mixed drinks are more expensive in Paris than in LA? Sure. Ask whether you can find good Cognac in Prague? Sure. But specifically mentioning budgeting for 7 alcoholic drinks a day? That's just plain WEIRD.

I think the OP should go to Italy, where we were able to buy Smirnoff vodka two years ago for a mere 8.49 euro a bottle, or about 12 bucks. A paper bag would cost an extra 5 or 10 cents.

On the dollar vs. depth of hangover scale, that is pretty good value.

Have no idea why you think college kids can drink more than other people. they may want to - but they have no greater capacity - nor is it any safer for them to do so.

Perhaps I should tell you about my uncle the alcoholic who had to have half his stomach removed due to stomach cancer - resulting from too much drinking. He spent the last 20 years of his life (very luckily he did not die within 2 years as his MD predicted) able to eat very limited selection of food since he couldn't digest most.

Seven drinks a day is way beyond healthy. And if you all do that regularly - you ARE alcoholics.

And while many europeans do drink routinely - with 16 the usual legal age for wine or beer - then don;t binge like that continually. There is a big difference between a glass or 2 of wine when going out to dinner and 7 shots a day to stay buzzed.

Sure. But specifically mentioning budgeting for 7 alcoholic drinks a day? That's just plain WEIRD>

What's weird to an elder Fodorgarch may not be to the average 20 year old and of course you never seen this in 15 years on a Fodor's dominated by senior citizen travelers, some of whom probably imbibe several times a day but don't dare say it for the approbation they will get!

OP - Run, don't walk, over to the Lonely Planet Thorn Tree forum where you can get advice from kids your age. Most posters here are as old as your parents - and older. Most are not familiar with the out-of-control (in our opinion) drinking situation that is the norm on American college campuses.

As far as costs, my son and his friends traveled to many of the countries you mentioned during his semester abroad in Florence. They used EasyJet and trains, stayed in hostels, ate pizza, sandwiches and be happy hour food (aperitifs/aperitivos)and went to clubs, concerts, festivals and other events like raves (prefer not to think about those).

They generally spent less than 100 euros a day each, which works with your budget (although they sometimes stayed with friends in other cities). The countries you're going to are all quite expensive, though.

Looking back at the OP, and seeing that you have what, two weeks planned for Eastern Europe, that actually sounds like an affordable plan. Then you toss in Sweden and Switzerland, adding longer travel times and expenses, plus those are two expensive countries. If there is no particular reason for those two, I would toss 'em, your $$$ will go farther.

<<What's weird to an elder Fodorgarch may not be to the average 20 year old>>

The references to "Fodorgarchs" are incredibly tiresome. Not to mention stupid. And whether you're 20 or 60, 7 drinks a day is beyond normal

This is starting to sound more and more like my parents, so ya i have gone over to Lonely Planet. I said 7 as a number, not a concrete plan, probably was foolish of me to think people could infer that when budgeting its better to over compensate.

>>>>so ya i have gone over to Lonely Planet.

We've been suggesting that from the beginning. As a matter of fact, it was suggested 7 times on this thread.


>>>>This is starting to sound more and more like my parents

Maybe you should start listening to them. They, like us, have a lot more experience that you can ... LEARN from.

Anyhow - best of luck to you. Have fun and be safe. I mean that sincerely.

StannDarshh, I am a member on Lonely Planet though I have a different name there.,sorry you have been given such a hard time on this forum for being honest but there are a lot of folk on here have no idea what real travelling is.too many Old farts that can't remember what it was like to be young,I do and though I still have the enthusiasim of youth i no longer have the energy of youth,how I would love to be able to go back and do all these wonderful journeys of my 20's all over again.
One suggestion I would make to you is to break your journey into country by country and then post questions about that country, the questions can be the same but it makes it easier for folk to reply to a specific question about a specific area and easier for you to keep the various areas separate.
I really wish the internet had been around when I was your age and starting out on my travelling adventures.
Trip Advisor also has a great forum community and you can get a lot of help on them as well.They do have a lot of older folk on these forums too but their heads are not quite as far up their rear ends as the ones on this forum.
Good Luck with your plans.

I would not consider myself as having my head up my arse, as Uncle Gus so politely terms it.

I suppose that I am just not across the concept of scheduling or creating a budget that is based on seven drinks a day, whether they are single malt or whatever.

Yep, I am old enough to be the OP's father. I do not think that makes me an "old fart". It probably allows me to be a more adventurous traveller, though. Travels like 8,000 km on a bicycle around Australia, several Sydney to Hobart yacht races, a lot of camping in the Australian bush, and the Camino del Santiago planned for next year, driving across Australia, along 1,000 km of dirt road.

I would never have a profile picture of me holding a glass in some bar. Somewhat tacky, I think.

yep, head still up your arse but with a hat on.
I really do think there is oine heck of a lot of snobbery on this forum.
If you can't help on a thread then just don't answer, why critise someone for their way of travelling or their way of living.
BTW my photo is of one of my travels ,sitting outside the Starobrno brewery in Brno Czech Republic enjoying their offerings and the top I am wearing is an Everton Football Polo shirt way way downmarket suporting a team from Liverpool but I care not one jot.
One of the joys of travelling is visiting various breweries and distilleries and sampling their wares,of course many folk would not admit to doing such things unlesss it was an upmarket vineyard.

I'm afraid the Thorn Tree posters have aged along with the forum. Lot of old farts over there too.

yep I am one of them

Just realised I had changed my profile picture, that pic is me in U Tri Ruze ,one of the newest Brew Pubs in Prague,and I am trying their beers and writing about them for the first time.( notice notebook in the background.

First of all, I just think that many LP users are just more familiar to low budget traveling and sometimes less "mainstream" travelers comparing to many users here. It has nothing to do with age, I contribut there too and I know many members who are middle aged or much older to have grand-grand children.
Secondly, the way I see it, each person travels for different reasons. If nightlife and drinking is an important aspect to one's trip, so be it. Not my traveling style, but I am not saying that this person is or might turn into an alcoholic.

To the OP, I think some people were far too critical but still it is wise to be openminded and keen to get some more generic advice than just seeking for an answer to specific question withour further comments.
My specific answer is that yes, buying a bottle before hand, you can manage your planned drinking every night on your budget. It is possible.
That said,in general I find somewhat immature having to have lots of drink in order to have a good time and I am somewhat worried on your comment "i can handle 7 standard drinks throughout 15 hours, though i never do this at college, but on vacation, why not splurge. " . If you haven't done something like this before (and I mean for consecutive days and/or on a strabge city/unfamiliar environment), how are you sure you can handle it? Maybe a foreign environment is not a wise choice to experience your tolerance at drinking. I am saying this as a matter of fact-ish advice,I am only 10 year older than you and I like drinking, but I mostly prefer drinking at familiar environments. When abroad I never drink more than a couple of drinks. Although not on your chosen destinations, I work in hospitality industry and I have seen very bad results of people who tried to do same things as you. Having to escort many people to hospital or to police station, I have watched many trips ruined by too much drinking. And too much is not necessarily to get absolutely pissed, just not as clever/flexible/common sensed as you'd be absolutely sober.
I wonder why don't you mention is this budget enough to visit X, Y site or 2 museums/sites/attractions per day or take a day trip to Z... Is this aspect of your trip less important?

Unclegus wrote:

yep I am one of them

Me too!

Fodor's is a great forum, and the place to go for good advice. Unfortunately there is a tendency of some Fodorites to gang up on posters with unconventional questions, and on those who don't agree with their advice. This could be considered bullying, and often results in new posters giving up on Fodor's entirely.

Wellllll. Crowd of old puritanical farts here. You're actually on the wrong forum for your needs - but I'll give a shot at answering. My budget as a student always focused around how much alcohol I could consume. Now I'm an upstanding member of society married with two children and holding down a job. However did I manage that - what with a few holidays drinking a bit too much.

Your budget is fine for Berlin Prague and Budapest. I'd give Switzerland and Sweden a swerve this time. Wait until you are one of the oldies complaining here and you can get up in the morning at 6, have some herbal tea and enjoy a brisk walk instead of a hangover.

Regarding Amsterdam - remember you don't have to drink there for the buzz! Though you would have to budget more for food when the munchies kick in.

Be careful, in most of Continental Europe - "Night Club" means a brothel rather than a club/disco type place. Places clearly marked "night club" are almost definitely brothels and I guess that's not what you're looking for - especially on your budget.

Clubs on the other hand are not expensive in Europe generally and no you don't have to buy bottles of champagne. If you are staying in hostels or even hotels, they can direct you to places frequented by students where the beer is usually cheap.

Drinking in public is not an issue, however drunkenness in public is not well tolerated (- except unfortunately in the UK and Ireland (I'm Irish)). You can have a few beers sitting in the park during the afternoon with no problem.

Enjoy your trip.

The references to "Fodorgarchs" are incredibly tiresome. Not to mention stupid. And whether you're 20 or 60, 7 drinks a day is beyond normal>

that may be true St Cirq but the OP came here asking travel-trip questions and not to be moralized on personal aspects - answer the travel-trip questions and leave your patronizing moralizing out of it - this is a travel forum and I think you and other Fodorgarchs should keep that in mind!

Prost!

Good advice Lawchick.
One of my absolute pleasure in Prague is visiting the Beer Gardens in the summer time, Letna park has a huge one and the beer is pretty cheap and you can get cheap sausage based snacks., this is also the area where the skateboarders and roller bladers hang out using the base of an old Stalanist monument as their playground,there is some creative Pop art around as well .

If you are staying in hostels or even hotels, they can direct you to places frequented by students where the beer is usually cheap.>

Indeed most hostels these days have pubs with booze on the premises - often the cheapest place to drink and convivial places to meet young folks from around the world.

.,sorry you have been given such a hard time on this forum for being honest but there are a lot of folk on here have no idea what real travelling is. Too many Old farts that can't remember what it was like to be young>

well said, well said and Fodorgarchs should take this to heart and lose some of their attitude that they and their style of travel is always the best.

Fodorgarchs - just answer travel questions and leave the moral judgment to yourselves.

Here's another old fart chiming in to say I wish you had more time but understand summer jobs are crucial to pay for school so am assuming that is what's limiting your time.

With two weeks, I would go for three locations to settle in a bit and enjoy the nightlife. I was your age when I first spent the summer in Europe, but so long ago that Frommer's "Europe on $5 a Day" was stil feasible although we averaged around $10.

What is still true is wine is often cheaper than coffee, street food and food markets are a good source for cooked food as well as fruit and veg. There were no McDonald's in Europe"back then" that I remember, there may have been some. We had good, cheap meals in Switzerland at the Migros stores which had
great cafes. Someone already mentioned beer halls and beer gardens which in addition to excellent beer serve huge portions of brats, spuds, etc.

Regarding the "buzz" in Amsterdam, there was talk of limiting access to the cafés that sell marijuana to locals only. I don't know whether or not this has taken place.

Have a good trip, watch your wallet and who you hook up with, I stumbled on that stupid Hostel film and now worry about our kids and friends' kids, totally irrational but as an old fart, I can indulge.

Sorry - when someone posts on a pubic forum they have to understand that they are going to get a lot of answers from different types of people - and that they may no like some of them.

If the OP doesn;t want to red my responses he dosn;t have to. but he can;t stop me from giving my opinion.

And IMHO spending a whole trip through europe half-drunk is not only a complete waste of time and money - it is dangerous in small (likely to be a target for pickpockets or rolled in an alley) and large ways(there are a lot of clubs owned by not nice people who lure in young men who are too stupid or drunk to know not to go - and then demand large sums of money for drinks for them and the pretty girls that turn up).

However, just ignore that - since my hundred plus trips to europe haven't taught me a single thing.

pubic forum

unclegus - I have a thread started just down the list for Czech Republic (topic: question for anyone who has lived in Prague). I would love to hear your input, on that topic, or my second favorite topic of BEER (I know *gasp*). I would love to hear about any advice you have on good local brews to try, or places to try them in. I always like to try new beers, where ever I go.

Stann - I'm traveling to Budapest and Prague in June. I got a hotel in Budapest, but am staying at Little Quarter Hostel in Prague (5-bed dorm), I try to stay away from 10-12 room dorms since the line for the bathroom in the morning can be annoying. I recommend that you just plan things out a little to double check your budget. Use booking.com or venere.com to look up hostels (limited selection on those websites), and a google search for trains between cities (ex. Budapest Prague train >> this will probably take you straight to the appropriate website). Write down times and $$ on a calendar to get a sense of transit times and approximate costs. This at least is an easy way of getting an approximate cost for getting to each location and knowing you have a place to sleep. This might help you narrow down where you can actually afford to visit. Some hostels may actually give you a better price if you are staying 3+ nights. Good luck!!

unclegus - Just realized that you've already posted in my thread, with great advice. Thanks!

start a sepaate thread about beers or look through some of my other posts on here,also check out Trip advisor,i must have 100's of threads about Czech beer, beerhalls and micro breweries.

Regarding the "buzz" in Amsterdam, there was talk of limiting access to the cafés that sell marijuana to locals only. I don't know whether or not this has taken place.>

No that has been put on hold and travelers from outside of Holland can still go to coffeeshops and buy over the counter a panoply of various hash and pot and smoke it inside too.

You know, although OP said 7 drinks a day, I think he like most of us, will skip days, you know , drink, be hungover skip drinking, drink, get hung over , skip drinking..

Secondly, I also think people drink more on vacation then at home. I have wine with lunch on vacation in Paris, but would almost never do that at home. In Hawaii I may have a drink by the pool at 3 in the afternoon, but I don't afternoon drink at home..

Have a great trip OP!

Perhaps you should come to the UK - the idea of 7 drinks on a night out isn't seen as excessive here (but we are a bunch of boozers)

I'm in my late 40s and off to Barcelona this summer on a 'girls' weekend/hen weekend' and I know we'll be drinking at least that, and enjoying ourselves, and not in a complete alchoholic blur either. We'll still be up for sightseeing in the day.

I think you've picked some good cities to visit for this sort of trip.

More good wishes to the OP for a great trip !
I'm more impressed with the thought you've given to prepare and anticipate the need for a budget, as well as the skilful and polite way you've handled the opinions, moralizing and judgments you've received that were not asked for. Good for you ! Treat this experience as a life lesson in dealing with the reactions of others wherever in the world you go. You've handled it admirably IMO.

On to the trip - you've been given some great advice if you can sift through it.
Completely agree that in Budapest and Prague you will get good value for your money, as well as have a great time there. They are two of my favourite cities. The food and beer and entertainment there are cheap(er) and fun, and there are lots things to see and do. Eat local as others have advised and use McD's only as a standby. Local food is delicious and often inexpensive. Keep an eye-out for where you see the locals lined up and don't be shy to get in the line or walk into a local joint. More often than not, they will welcome you and help you out.

Also agree that an apartment for the three of you in these two cities could be a cheaper option than a hostel. In Prague I had an enormous, very modern, fully equipped airy apartment close to the Charles Bridge and right outside the castle, with a beautiful view and which easily slept 4 people for 66 euros a night. I only stayed there 2 nights so it wasn't even a long term rental. Don't skip visiting an absynthe bar in Prague, even if just for the experience.

You can find similar deals in Budapest. When in Budapest, don't forget to try out one of the traditional baths. The outdoor Szechenyi pools are great fun and great for relaxing after a night of heady Budapest wine or other bevvies. One of the baths (forget which one but look it up) even has late night parties with movies and or music while you soak. They are very popular with young locals and tourists of your age, and are pretty decent and inexpensive. There are lots of really nice bars and restaurants in Budapest. Places near the river tend to be more expensive but just keep walking around that area and you'll come across little local watering holes. They're there.

If you plan to visit nightclubs, ask what the cover charge (entrance fee) is and whether there is a minimum drink tab (sometimes there is and it can be quite high) before you are allowed to leave. I've heard stories of people being followed out and harassed if they were ready to leave without spending enough. However, if you're 6'6" and a party of three, I don't think anyone would mess with you, lol.

Scandinavia and Switzerland, while both incredibly beautiful, will drain your budget. Save them for the next trip when you're working with a bigger budget.

Berlin and Amsterdam are also both fun cities where you can have a great time during the day and night, and you're sure to do so.

Have a great time and don't forget to post a trip report when you get back to tell us how it went.