I'm new to Fodor's- Hello. My fiance and I have our airfare set-- 10 day trip in June: flying into Paris, flying out of Amsterdam. It's our first time in Europe. We are going to nail down our accomodations in the next week. I know that hotels are very expensive-- any advice? We are open to hostels if they are alright, and we can get private rooms. I'd love any advice you can give.
Hotel/housing Paris-Belgium-Netherlands- 10 day trip
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What is your budget? Paris and Amsterdam and ? Personally would recommend just those two for 10 days.
Paris and Amsterdam both have a huge number of places to stay at modest prices - and often a private room in a hostel will cost more than one in a simple hotel.
If you give us a specific budget people will be happy to help (but, no, prices will not be like the Days Inn at the side of the Interstate).
Are you willing to do without - private bath, elevator, air conditioning?
And agree that in the few days you have you will still miss a lot of sights in those 2 places.
My husband and I did the same trip, but in reverse, several years ago. Flew into Amsterdam, then flew out of Paris. We spent 4 nights in Amsterdam at a B&B and 5 nights in Paris at a hotel. In subsequent trips, we again stayed in B&Bs (Amsterdam) and a rental apartment (Paris). There are many, many options for both and I highly recommend that route vs. a hotel. Generally B&Bs and apartment rentals are less expensive and, in the case of the apartments, you get more room (and a small kitchen) in which to spread out. There are B&Bs and apartment rentals for every price point. When we travel to Europe our budgeted nightly rate for 2 is about $125-$150 USD per night (and I always try to stick to the low end). Prices are higher next to the prime tourist sites, but with such great transportation options in those cities, you should feel comfortable being just a bit out of the most popular areas but a still walkable or or easy bus/train away. I've yet to run into a problem with those numbers. But be aware that many apartments rent for a minimum of 3 or 4 days, so that may be a limiting factor. Also, many places rely heavily on IKEA decor, but if that doesn't bother you (and it doesn't bother me!), then it's fine. And nothing beats having a washer and dryer available so you don't have to pack as much clothes.
We used vacationinparis.com for our Paris trip. I had a few quibbles with our apartment, but nothing terrible and the location was great (near the Jardin du Luxembourg). I'd certainly check into them again. For B&Bs, I'd try amsterdam-bed-and-breakfasts.com. We stayed in the Jordaan neighborhood, but don't recall the name of the B&B. Anyway, it was a great location and the owner was very nice.
Others here will have good recommendations for B&B and vacation apartment websites. If you have an idea of what Paris and Amsterdam neighborhoods in which you'd like to base yourself, you'll get more specific recommendations. Many of these sites have Google maps so that you can pinpoint what area you want and see what's available. I love that!
Have a great trip!