Where to go in April on a budget?

Old Sep 29th, 2004, 04:05 PM
  #1  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 318
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Where to go in April on a budget?

My younger sister (16) and I (25) want to do a trip to Europe during the first week of April. She has never been before, I have only been to Spain (Madrid, Salamanca, surrounding areas) and Portugal (Lisbon). We don't want to go to Italy since I am planning to do that at a later date with the hubby, but would prefer not to go somewhere it will be too cold to walk around and see everything (and I mean 'too cold' as in too cold to someone who is from Florida!). We only have about a week to do it and are on a budget, so we were thinking of staying in one city with maybe a day trip somewhere to save $$ and maximize time. I know this is pretty vague, but we're flexible at this stage and just looking for ideas, any suggestions are appreciated!
audreyleigh99 is offline  
Old Sep 29th, 2004, 04:20 PM
  #2  
 
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 4,717
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Italy may not be very large geographically, but seeing one tiny part of it still leaves most of the country open for you and your husband to see together.

What about Sicily? As warm as anywhere in Europe is likely to be, and in a week you could choose to do either eastern Sicily (based in Taormina and Siracusa, with day trips to Mount Etna, Noto, Ragusa) or western Sicily (based in Palermo, which is quite a bit more demanding than Taormina or Siracusa, with day trips to Erice, Cefalu and possibly even Agrigento).
Eloise is offline  
Old Sep 29th, 2004, 09:50 PM
  #3  
rex
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 13,194
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Bringing your message back up "to the top" as it appears you are still getting the hang of participating on the forum.

Clicking on your own name will locate all of your previous posts.

Best wishes,

Rex
rex is offline  
Old Sep 30th, 2004, 05:08 AM
  #4  
ira
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 74,699
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Hi audrey,

The first week in April can be chilly everywhere in Europe.

I suggest that you bring a sweater and a windbreaker and go to Paris.
ira is offline  
Old Sep 30th, 2004, 05:39 AM
  #5  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 16,525
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Sicily or Andalusia !
bobthenavigator is offline  
Old Sep 30th, 2004, 06:02 AM
  #6  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 19,370
Received 79 Likes on 8 Posts
You might think about the Greek islands. Try www.johnnyjet.com for links to London bucket shops (cheap tour agencies) for inexpensive packages from London to sunnier climes, very much geared to younger travelers.

Barcelona is another option. It won't be as warm as places further south, but it's a spectacular "first European" city, and the fact that everything tends to happen later in the day (dinner at 10, for instance) makes it very easy for jet-lagged N. Americans to adapt during short trips - their 10pm feels like early evening (or afternoon) to transatlantic travelers.
Gardyloo is offline  
Old Sep 30th, 2004, 06:18 AM
  #7  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 97,142
Received 12 Likes on 11 Posts
Paris is what came to my mind too! Sure April may be cool and rainy, but I don't think it snows or anything...

Paris is a wonderful single destination and can be done on a budget (see several other threads about saving money in Paris). Certainly there are popular day trips to do, or you might just enjoying seeing the sites in the city.
suze is offline  
Old Sep 30th, 2004, 07:23 AM
  #8  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 8,637
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Hi
I'd say Paris too, or London. London is relatively expensive for hotels (though lots of budget suggestions can be found here) but many of the museums are free, and certainly there are lots of daytrip options. April can be lovely, but in most of the northern hemisphere it can be fickle.

I have files on London and on Paris; if you'd like to see either, email me at
[email protected]
elaine is offline  
Old Sep 30th, 2004, 07:48 AM
  #9  
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,496
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I would say if you are a budget, avoid London. While it is true most of the museums are free, everything else is so expensive considering the exchange rate. Although we got a good rate on our hotel this summer, everytime we went out to eat or paid to get into a venue I could see the dollars adding up. Granted I was paying for three people (my daughters were with me) but everything was so expensive. We eat very cheaply BTW so it's not like I was splurging. Even though I love London, I couldn't wait to get to France where my dollar went a lot further.
paula1470 is offline  
Old Sep 30th, 2004, 10:00 AM
  #10  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 318
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Thank you all so much for your help...the Paris and Barcelona suggestions sound really good, I think I will look into them more. I actually never made it to Barcelona when I was in Spain before, but always wished I had. I looked up the posts on Paris on a budget and was plesantly surprised, I thought it would be just as bad as London in terms of prices. And if we can save some $$ I guess I can suck it up and put on a jacket! And thanks Rex, I am definitely still getting the hang of how to post things and seem to keep goofing up!
audreyleigh99 is offline  
Old Sep 30th, 2004, 10:38 AM
  #11  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 97,142
Received 12 Likes on 11 Posts
It's pretty much in agreement that Paris is surprisingly (to me anyway) cheaper than London overall. I'm not sure how it would compare to Barcelona.

Your hotel room would be the biggest single expense after your plane tickets. We easily found casual and affordable places to eat. And much of our siteseeing was simply walking around the city (free!).
suze is offline  
Old Sep 30th, 2004, 11:07 AM
  #12  
 
Join Date: Nov 2003
Posts: 1,755
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
..to save money, what about a package to malta?..some really good deals from some of the London bucket shops...
travelbunny is offline  
Related Topics
Thread
Original Poster
Forum
Replies
Last Post
dodi66
Europe
14
Nov 23rd, 2016 08:27 AM
johnsheils
Europe
25
Nov 22nd, 2014 08:58 AM
toledodd
Europe
6
Oct 1st, 2013 05:41 AM
danen5
Europe
6
Oct 26th, 2003 10:50 PM

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are On


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

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