Go Back  Fodor's Travel Talk Forums > Destinations > Europe
Reload this Page >

How much will a budget to Europe be for 2 months?

How much will a budget to Europe be for 2 months?

Old Apr 19th, 2014, 01:16 AM
  #1  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 6
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
How much will a budget to Europe be for 2 months?

Hi all,

I am planning to backpack some parts of Europe. Not on a luxurious trip but rather a modest one. I did a little research, on low cost airlines, rail and hostel prices. It will be better to have inputs from those who experienced before!

Itinerary in mind starting off with:

London
Burges and Brussels
Amsterdam
Cologne
Luxembourg City
Paris
Geneva
Nice
Monaco
Rome, Florence, Pisa, Venice and Milan
Liechtenstein
Zurich
Berlin

What do you think the estimate amount would be? Any suggestions or tips on the places to visit and must do's will be great! Thank you!
gsgs144 is offline  
Old Apr 19th, 2014, 01:37 AM
  #2  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 11,212
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
You have 18 locations - you'll need lots of money for all this moving around and most of these locations are expensive.

A quick guess would be a minimum of E8,000.

You need to look at some guide books as it's a large task to suggest places to visit for 18 locations, particularly when you have so little time in each place. You're going to need a very tight list of sights and choose carefully which ones to include and which to exclude, based on your interests. You must have some idea of what there is to see if you've chosen these places.
adrienne is offline  
Old Apr 19th, 2014, 03:25 AM
  #3  
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 42,574
Likes: 0
Received 3 Likes on 3 Posts
IMO, before any realistic estimate can be made we need to know a few things:

are you going to use a rail pass and if so, a First or Second class one

how many meals a day do you eat and where do you plan on buying the food? in a food store? in a care or restaurant?

Are we including the cost of your getting to the first location and from the location back home in this/

What is the absolute MAXIMUM cost of staying the night in any accommodation you will accept?

What activities will you engage in when you do stop? Museum visits? churches? other recreation?

How long will you stay in each place?

I am asking this simply because to give a bunch of locations and then say "How much will it cost?" is not a realistic question, IMO.

My own upcoming trip to Europe only involves five locations and a period of 15 days. The cost of hotels, transportation between, as well as the planned activities are already exceeding $12,000 and that doesn't include airfare.

Sorry, more info needed and have a grate trip.
Dukey1 is offline  
Old Apr 19th, 2014, 03:26 AM
  #4  
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 42,574
Likes: 0
Received 3 Likes on 3 Posts
Sorry, no pun intended in using the term "grate" but rather I meant GREAT TRIP.
Dukey1 is offline  
Old Apr 19th, 2014, 04:04 AM
  #5  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 7,067
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
If you are willing to stay in youth hostels, and planning to eat most of your food 'picnic' style (take out, food from markets, pizza and sandwiches rather than sit down meals with service- and European street food is great so this can be a fun way to do it), and planning to walk or use public transportation (rather than taxis) to get around, and not go into every sight/museum - then you can do it for under 100€ per day.

You can easily find out what your main transportation costs will be - just go on the air and train sites. easyjet, skyscanner, bahn.de, raileurope (don't buy ticket on this site but you'll get an idea of length of time of the trips and cost).

With this information you should be able to figure out if you can afford two months or if you need to scale back, and if you can get to all the destinations you list or need to eliminate some. You have mostly large cities listed. Consider eliminating some and having more time in the others so you can do day trips to some of the smaller towns in the regions.

You have Geneva and Zurich on your list but don't mention anywhere else in Switzerland. There is nothing wrong with either of those cities but I didn't want more than half a day in either of them and the rest of Switzerland, including its other cities (Bern, Luzernne), but especially its villages and mountain areas, are much more interesting. But Switzerland (all of it) is very expensive compared to the other places on your list. I'd rethink that part of the itinerary.

I found Cologne to be way less interesting than any of the other places on your list. The Rhine Valley is near there (but I wouldn't stay in Cologne for that) and that's very pretty with lots of cool castle ruins and vineyards. You have Luxembourg City on your list. It's very close to the German city of Trier (absolutely beautiful city). It's on the Mosel River which runs into the Rhine.

Monoco is a day trip from Nice, and if you are on a budget it won't cost you anything because you won't even be able to afford to get lunch so you'll just walk around and look at things.

If you can plan this trip out ahead of time you'll save a lot on trains. For example, right now you can get train tickets between all those destinations in Italy for 19€ or less (for summer travel) but if you wait to buy them when you are there most of those trips will be double that or more. You pay for spontaneity .
isabel is offline  
Old Apr 19th, 2014, 05:24 AM
  #6  
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 57,890
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Agree you need to decide HOW you want to travel. You say modest - we don't know if that means a 2* hotel versus a 4* in your mind - or hostels.

For meals we don;t know if that means a quick lunch in a cafe and brasseries and a dinner in a modest restaurant - or if you are happy with a sandwich on a bench for lunch (stuff from the local market) and boil up some pasta at your hostel.

Are you willing to forego nightlife - or stick to one bar or glass of wine in a student cafe or pub?

Are you willing to walk everywhere - or are you willing to pay for local public transit?

Do you expect AC in your lodgings or are you willing to go with no AC, stairs versus elevator and a shared bath?

If you can answer these it will help people put together a restaurant.

And do understand the costs of traveling from city to city - esp if you don't buy tickets in advance.
nytraveler is offline  
Old Apr 19th, 2014, 06:32 AM
  #7  
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 7,160
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Perhaps you can get more information from the Lonely Planet's Thorn Tree forum, which caters to the low-end traveler.

When you calculate train transportation costs, add in the cost of seat reservations, which you must sometimes buy even if you have a rail pass. And, even cheaper, look at bus passes and using the bus instead: www.eurolines.com.

In Italy an alternative to hostels are convents. You can get started at www.monasterystays.com. However these sometimes have curfews, which might interfere with your nightlife.
Mimar is offline  
Old Apr 19th, 2014, 08:05 AM
  #8  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 49,560
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Your list includes a lot of places that, to me, are boring and expensive, like Geneva, Zürich, and Monaco, to name a few. I agree you should check out Lonely Planet and maybe target some places that would be more lively, interesting, and moderately priced for your age group.
StCirq is offline  
Old Apr 19th, 2014, 08:15 AM
  #9  
 
Join Date: Oct 2013
Posts: 1,086
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Ditto the go to the Thorntree forum. That is where you will find plenty of experienced budget travellers.

Your list of 18 places reads like you just listed all the cities you have heard of in Europe. Cities do not a country make. You should consider a mix of city and country depending on what your interests are. You have said nothing about what you want to see and do in these places.

Received wisdom on the LP Thorntree is that a backpacker staying in hostels, eating supermarket food and paying for the odd beer or museum entry can get by on 50-60E per day. That does not include transportation between places.
dulciusexasperis is offline  
Old Apr 19th, 2014, 08:20 AM
  #10  
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 27,607
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
In addition to the thorntree, the Lonely Planet site lists estimated costs for "budget" and "midrange" travelers in the destination section. For example: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/france/p...on/money-costs

I agree that your list of places needs work. Perhaps you can explain why you chose them? If not, more time with guidebooks is required.
thursdaysd is offline  
Old Apr 19th, 2014, 08:22 AM
  #11  
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 78,320
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
If going to half those places by train and any other way would be foolish except for perhaps a long-distance discount flight though overnight trains can take you literally from one end of Europe to the other overnight and save on the cost of a hotel to boot.

But if going that much on trains look at some kind of Eurailpass and then at least you will know exactly what your transportation costs will be - in most of the countries on your wish list you can with a pass just hop on any train anytime - complete flexibility and those fully flexible full-fare tickets can cost a ton of money.

For lots of great info on planning a European rail trip check out these superb IMo sources: www.seat61.com; www.ricksteves.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com - download the latter's free online European Planning & Rail Guide for oodles of tips and rail itineraries in each country.
PalenQ is offline  
Old Apr 19th, 2014, 07:32 PM
  #12  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 6
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Wow, thanks for all the responses! Really kept me re-think about my itinerary once more.

@Dukey1

"are you going to use a rail pass and if so, a First or Second class one"
>yes I will get one, since I am 25 and under there's this youth purchase from www.raileurope.com which I look up on. And I will be getting the Second class.

"how many meals a day do you eat and where do you plan on buying the food? in a food store? in a care or restaurant?"
>2-3 meals a day, getting from the grocery store. Meantime looking for hostels which provide cooking. Or getting anything cheap from takeaways.

"Are we including the cost of your getting to the first location and from the location back home in this"
>No, just the budget when I am in Europe.

"What is the absolute MAXIMUM cost of staying the night in any accommodation you will accept?"
>It would be great between €20-30.

"What activities will you engage in when you do stop? Museum visits? churches? other recreation?
>Yes, Museum, churches visits and sight-seeing. Basically to taste the day-to-day living of the people in each region.

"How long will you stay in each place?"
>Approximately, 3 days. Shorter days like 2d1n or day trip for smaller cities.

Transportation - public buses or train. For shorter distances I'm alright with walking.
gsgs144 is offline  
Old Apr 19th, 2014, 07:52 PM
  #13  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 6
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
@isabel thanks for the response!

Yes I am willing to stay in the youth hostel. Food wise, I am looking into groceries, takeaways and street food.

Will taking a bus from London to Bruges be a better choice than rail? I don't mind the hours though. Looking at night ride.

I might remove Zurich and Geneva due to cost. I'm thinking about travelling in the order of London - Amsterdam - Bruges - Antwerp - Luxembourg City or what do you think a better routine be? How far will the city of Trier be from Luxembourg City? Can I do a day trip there and back to Luxembourg? Is there any towns or interesting places near by that I can go to?

And yes, Monaco will be a day trip from Nice. A walking trip inside Monaco and back in Nice at the end of the day. I'm planning this one year ahead. My trip will be next year! Thanks for the response!
gsgs144 is offline  
Old Apr 19th, 2014, 08:04 PM
  #14  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 6
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
@nytraveler thanks for the response!

"Agree you need to decide HOW you want to travel. You say modest - we don't know if that means a 2* hotel versus a 4* in your mind - or hostels."
>Hostel will be the choice of lodging. Will avoid hotels if possible.

"For meals we don;t know if that means a quick lunch in a cafe and brasseries and a dinner in a modest restaurant - or if you are happy with a sandwich on a bench for lunch (stuff from the local market) and boil up some pasta at your hostel."
>Yes, I'm happy with anything that is simple and cheap. Will be looking for hostels which allow cooking.

"Are you willing to forego nightlife - or stick to one bar or glass of wine in a student cafe or pub?"
>A student cafe will be great. I will do some sight seeing at night or walk in the city too.

"Are you willing to walk everywhere - or are you willing to pay for local public transit?"
>Walking distance is not a problem for me. I will take the cheapest form of transportation.

"Do you expect AC in your lodgings or are you willing to go with no AC, stairs versus elevator and a shared bath?"
>Most hostel do have an AC, don't they? Stairs and shared bathe is fine.

And yes I hope to get the tickets at least 3 months before I get into Europe.

Anyways. Thanks for the response!
gsgs144 is offline  
Old Apr 19th, 2014, 08:28 PM
  #15  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 6
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
@Mimar

Yes I'm looking the cheapest form of transportation. Which website for hostels would you recommend? Hmm I might give a pass for convents. Well thanks for the response anyway!

@StCirq
Thanks for the response! Yes I am looking up for more information on other places.

@dulciusexasperis
I have mentioned some of the things I would do above. Getting food from the groceries, to be cooked in hostels, takeaways and street food whichever the cheapest mean.

@thursdaysd
I might exclude Zurich and Geneva in the itinerary. Initially having the idea of visiting the Swiss Alps. For the rest of the cities, would be museum visits, sight-seeing and the taste of living among the people in each region. Will getting museum visit passes be an ideal choice? Would like to avoid the queue, especially in places like to the Louvre, the Colosseum etc.

@PalenQ
Thanks for the tips on rail passes. Just looking into some of them now. So do I collect the tickets in Europe after booking or just a print-out copy will do?
gsgs144 is offline  
Old Apr 20th, 2014, 03:40 AM
  #16  
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 78,320
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Railpasses you get in your home country, printed passes - no printing of own but with regular tickets it varies from country to country - some you print out, some you collect once there and some you get a code to give to the conductor.
PalenQ is offline  
Old Apr 20th, 2014, 07:23 AM
  #17  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 3,041
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Our trip n the cheap to Germany last fall averaged $94 per day each.
bigtyke is offline  
Old Apr 20th, 2014, 07:24 AM
  #18  
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 25,426
Received 4 Likes on 4 Posts
Liechtenstein is a pretty expensive place to stay or even eat sandwiches. My BIL lives across the valley in Switzerland and can only afford to eat out in Austria (which also shares this tiny valley). I went for the day and found the cheapest sandwich in a supermarket at Euro 15 to keep me going. Given how nice Lake Constance is (mainly in Germany) and just out of the valley if you end up here, pop in for a day from somewhere more sensible

Geneva and Monoco. Weird places and really only useable by the mega wealthy. Other than that trip looks ok.
bilboburgler is online now  
Old Apr 20th, 2014, 08:20 AM
  #19  
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 27,607
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
Yes, museum passes can make sense. You need to compare the cost of the pass to the cost of the museums you actually plan to see. You could add in something for not having to stand in line.

If you want to see the Swiss alps, go see them, don't stay in a city. Try the area around Interlaken.
thursdaysd is offline  
Old Apr 20th, 2014, 02:06 PM
  #20  
 
Join Date: Aug 2003
Posts: 2,182
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Hostelworld is a good place to start for the hostels:
www.hostelworld.com

Lonely Planet also has some hostel links and low end hotels. If you want to meet people you might also try either couchsurfing: www.couchsurfing.org or Servas: www.usservas.org/

Couchsurfing tens to skew younger and servas is an organization you join in order to get connected to "hosts" from different countries where you generally can stay 1-2 nights. We have been hosts for Servas and hosted Europeans in LA for example. It is a great way to meet locals, get a closer look at a culture and save a little $$
jpie is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information -