My other problem with the idea of all staying in one room is that you will have nowhere to put your stuff, or to sit, except on your beds. And there won't be any room in the bathroom for 5 people's toiletries either.

It is true a hotel offers a source of information from a concierge or front desk. However, for $250 a night you could rent a two-bedroom apartment with a living room with sofa bed plus a kitchenettes. And two bathrooms. Check out sleepinitaly.com for one place for apartments. There are lots more, too, like VRBO.com (vacation rental by owner). It might be worth it.

"even though we'll be passing through Paris via train, which was my dad's argument in cutting Paris in the first place"
If you will not be visiting Paris, then there is no reason to take a train from London to Italy. A flight would be a much more efficient use of your limited time and will probably be cheaper.
----
good point. I know my dad was excited about taking a train instead of flying more, though.
I'll still bring this up~

Thanks charness, I agree and a will look into the sites your presented.

In all probability, you will take a 4.5-hour train ride from Venice to Rome.

The Rembrandt Hotel in London has a three bedroom suite. They offer a number of other room types as well. Their website description is very accurate in every detail. Excellent restaurant in hotel, provides English styled breakfast, with lunch and dinner served daily. Many bistros within easy walking distance. Located in Knightsbridge across the street from the Victoria and Albert Museum. The Natural History Museum and The Science Museum are a short walk. Harrods is a 10 minute walk, Kensington Underground station is nearby, double decker bus stops in front of hotel. Great place to stay to visit London.

While it's true that the Rembrandt has a 3-bedroom suite that would suit the cost is aobut $1200 per night. The OP is loking to spend a total of $250 for all 5 people.

I hate to say it - but esp for London that is an extremely low budget - it's not much more than 5 people would pay in a hostel. The two people might bid on Priceline and have a chance of getting somehting for $100 (but not something great) but that won't work for 3 people. I have never used but have seen others reco Eurocheapo for people with very a challenging budget. Perhaps that might be an option.

Hotwire is another option for London- I've had success with it in the past, after studying up so I was reasonably certain which hotel I was booking.

If you're open to the idea of apartment, then for options in Rome I would also look at Real Rome. They tend to have more budget oriented properties and the owner/manager is great to deal with.

http://www.realrome.com/

Yeah what I'm finding for price ranges to accommodate 5 adults is $900 to low-$1000 range for three nights stay in London. (through Booking.com)

Ellenem is absolutely right. Fly from London to Venice. In the end, it gives you more sight seeing time and most likely saves money. Your Dad will get to ride the train in Italy.

Boy, your family is so lucky to have you doing all of this!

I would suggest the following. If you decide to make your itinerary:
- London-Paris-Venice-Rome: take the train from London to Paris (your father might get a kick out of the Eurostar in the "chunnel"!); air from Paris to Venice; train from Venice to Rome.
- London-Venice-Rome: definitely fly between London and Italy, then train within Italy.
- London-Paris-Cinque Terre(?)-Rome: this you could do each leg by train, but do compare the costs of train vs. air tickets. You can take an overnight train from Paris to Milan and pay for a sleeping car, thus eliminating one night's hotel stay and add a day of sightseeing - but know that you won't really see any of the landscape, and it's definitely closer to camping than a hotel lodging!

If you do fly within Europe, use one of the discount airlines mentioned above (like Easyjet or Ryanair). Of course, more caveats come with that-! These airlines tend to be really strict on the amount/weight of luggage you can take. If you get to a point where you're looking to lighten your luggage, there is a lot of advice on these forums for that, too. :)

Thanks ggreen (: I'll be sure to compare costs of flights over trains.
We're used to strict flight rules regarding weight of luggage and such thanks to small jets we took when we were in Panama. I may be looking into tips to lighten the load when we get closer to packing. I really appreciate all your help guys.

And in Rome for three nights I'm getting between $600-low $1000's as well. -this is fine, price-wise for us. (of course, their are high thousands, but we can't afford a place for $4000+/3 nights stay)

Thank you for providing websites to help narrow down where it is we will and can afford to stay. (: I've FWD them all to my mom, who will be taking over the lodging information/bookings.

For London trey Londontown.com. The hotel we stay at the Milleniumj Gloucester has a fitness /workout room. They may not have a room for 5 but the couples could split up and they do have triples! Look at the prices for Club room they are larger, include internet, breakfast, canapes and wine or beer, and snaacks during the day.

There are a couple of hotels in Rome that have apartments for families. The Hotel Mozart and the Hotel Modigliani are 2 such places and they may be just around your price range. Make sure that they can hold 5 people though.

I would do an apartment for 5 people in Rome on a budget, as suggested above.

Regarding Rome, Sleep in Italy has a few apartments with 3 (and one with 4) bedrooms for your dates in your price range, with AC.

See for example this one:
https://www.sleepinitaly.com/en/show...d_appartam=630

We stayed at the Domus Julia in Rome, and liked it very much:

www.domusjulia.it

"The following prices may vary depending on the season and events in Rome, and on our promotional offers as well, therefore we show the minimum and maximum levels of which may fluctuate.

Double single use
€ 70,00- € 140,00
Double superiori
€ 78,00- € 180,00
Triple superior
€ 89,00- € 210,00
Suite (2 pax)
€ 89,00- € 200,00
Suite (3 pax) € 95,00- € 220,00
Suite (4 pax) € 105,00- € 240,00
*Above-mentioned prices include: breakfast, VAT, services and air conditioning. Do not include city tax of Euros 2,00 per person/day.

However, please send ALWAYS an e-mail or contact us by fax or telephone to have ours BEST RATES"

I can't imagine you will find lodging for 5 people for $250/night, though.

Have glanced at booking.com and they do indeed show a number of places with one room for 5 people at astroundingly low rates. But I suggest you look carefully at two things - first the location. Many of those listed for London are not only not central - they are at the end of hell and gone. And would require a trip of at least an hour to get from the hotel to the center (and transit costs for 5 people). Also look at tripadvisor.com. While it's certainly possible to get a couple of negative reviews for any hotel - if a hotel gets lots of negative reviews it probably IS a dump.

Also, try londontown.com

Hi Lauren
Let us test our understanding.

Your vacation is:
3 nights London
1 night Paris
1 night Venice
3 nights Rome

Train London to Paris
Train Paris to Venice
Train Venice to Rome

Is this correct?

dugi, the OP is in the process of refining, in discussion with her family. (See posts by the OP upthread, from about May 28, 12 at 7:14pm on.)

Hi Lauren

Have you finalized your flights?
What date are you leaving the USA?
What date are you leaving Rome for the USA?

We stayed at a wonderful small hotel in Rome near Termini called the Hotel Adler. We stayed in their Bellsuite rooms (I think it might be listed as a separate hotel now) which had the best air conditioning I have ever had in Europe. I think that it's a little over your price range, but you might want to check it out. They have two rooms available during your time frame.

Hi, looking at the accomodation you already booked maybe a room in Casa Villa Gardenia in Mestre/Venice isn't what you want. We simply LOVED our stay there: A very nice 'lady-of-the-house' enjoying to be that, giving attention, tips and serving excellent breakfasts. The bus to Venice is in the street; in 15 min. you're there, take the public boats through the Canal Grande... Take a wallk through the gardens where the Biënnale is being held. We were there summer 2011 and will go back next year!
Try it! Enjoy your trip, greetings HJ

Is the trip this year? I think you will find it next to impossible to find something in London as that is the week prior to the Olympics and rates are sky high.

Also I dont think people have mentioned this but hotels in Europe are generally not like hotels in the US - ie. they are tiny, with tiny bathrooms/showers, and do not have 2 double or queen sized beds in them. They are probably 1/3 of the size if not smaller than places I have stayed at for $250 in the US. They will most likely not have a desk with a chair, and minibar and a separate comfy chair for you to sit in. I cant imagine fitting 5 adult sized people in a room unless it was a suite or something similar. Not at all common in central places for your budget.

If you want an American style hotel you will either need to increase your budget substantially, or try Starwood hotels or other large American chains understanding that these will likely be very far from centre and will require commuting to see the sites.

Although flying in Europe can be inexpensive, the airports are some distance from city centers so be sure to add in the extra cost (both time and money) of getting from the airport to the city before deciding whether to fly or train.
I would also take Cinque Terra out of the possible itinerary. As beautiful as it is, the logistics of getting there and finding appropriate accomodation while they're still cleaning up from their devestating mudslides would be difficult on such a short trip.
I agree with the previous posts. I think your itinerary is too optimistic. It would be better to cut one (or even two) cities out of your trip and have more time to enjoy your time in the remaining cities. In light of the possible nightmare the Olympics may create in London, I'd suggest Venice-Florence-Rome and save London-Paris for another trip.

I think the $250 budget for five people in major cities of Europe is entirely too low. That's only 162 in pounds or 200 in euro. I just looked at the London School of Economics (they rent out their dorm rooms in summer) and even they seem to be above your budget for five people.
http://www.lsevacations.co.uk/ratesavail.htm

Italy does drop their prices a tad in the major cities the 2nd half of July and during August as everyone tries to escape the heat in the cities.

I think the $250 budget for five people in major cities of Europe is entirely too low. That's only 162 in pounds or 200 in euro. I just looked at the London School of Economics (they rent out their dorm rooms in summer) and even they seem to be above your budget for five people.
http://www.lsevacations.co.uk/ratesavail.htm

Italy does drop their prices a tad in the major cities the 2nd half of July and during August as everyone tries to escape the heat in the cities.

I would factor all costs based on 3 and 4 locations then take that total and look at two locations only.

You should find that you will have more to put toward a decent, centrally-located hotel or apatrment.

Obvious expenses

Posted too soon.

Obvious expenses include flights or trains, all transfers from airports and stations, transport into and out of city centers if staying in the 'burbs, not to mention loss of time actually in a city.

I would cut down the cities, to two, and add to the hotel budget. Particularly in London, I have seen some of those "rooms for 5", think one double, one small single and a bunk bed with a bathroom the size of a single closet.

Look at Hotel Selene in Rome, ,its not luxe resort,but rooms are fair size, have mini bars, and ac and it convenient location ( close to Terminus train bus station) .

I love love love Paris, and would never suggest skipping it, but in this case, I would not even consider it. Eiffel Tower has a broken elevator, its been broken now for some time, lines for remaining elevator are running about 2 or more hours. Only option is to take stairs, sounds like your dad would not be into that.There is one way to make Paris work.

I would skip London completely, 3 -4 day in Paris, 2 nights in Venice, and 3-4 in Rome. Fly into Paris and out of Rome.

Look at renting an apartment in Paris,, more room, often cheaper, even though some do surcharge for stays of less then a week.

Frankly, I think its a lot to for everyone to expect daddy to pay for whole trip,, the two other adults could throw in a wee bit, even 40-50 dollars a night.. why is it in some families parents are paying for holidays for apparently adult children.

And I also think you are doing your family a huge favor by doing all this research,, you are saving them some hassle preventing them from wasting time for things that do not really exist,, ( all inclusive resorts in the middle of an ancient city!!??) your dads perception of what type of accomadation is available in Europeon capitals is quite interesting.

Also, two hotel rooms can be under 100 euros each a night, maybe 120 for the triple. Its a bit late now to get the deals , so many good budget places will be filled up,, but you can look at the prices at these hotels, I have stayed at most of them, they are clean, have a/c and are very well located in Paris. ALL of them have SMALL rooms , as is the norm in Paris in the budget-moderate price range.

Hotel Eugenie

Hotel Saint Pierre( the one on rue D'Ecole de Medicine near the Sorbonne)

Hotel Diana

Hotel Des Mines

All these hotels put you in areas where you can enjoy cafes, shops and walking to many ( but not all) sites.

We're doing the same travel this June, but instead of Rome, we're heading to Madrid. The key to saving money in Europe is do your reservations in advance. We started ours in March and completed all our reservations in April. If this is your first time, it makes it even challenging bec you don't know the places to go. It helps if you know local people. For hotels, try Ryanairhotels.com. We find the cheapest ones from that site. Once you selected a hotel from this site, it directs you to another booking sites where you can do the actual reservation. Always select the known sites. Be aware of the ratings and reviews of the hotels you seclected and check out Tripadvisor.com. It's true what others say, the hotels are tiny. Use google map to see the actual streets. In Paris, beware of places in the outskirts area. Since you are going to go around the place, more than likely, you will only use the hotel for sleeping and will be getting back to the hotel very late at night.Make sure you have transportation. Taxis and trains stop much earlier. Be aware of the schedules.Some hotels also do not have 24-hour service. That means their door will be closd and you will be locked out. We also sue EasyJet airlines for local travels in Europe.They're much much cheaper, sometimes up to 80%, especially if you hit the sales.Just make sure you know that they charge much higher in luggages.Book online and travel light! If you can also pay for all your hotels and trips online, it is much cheaper and you do not get charged for local fees using your credit card.In Italy, look for aparthotels.They use school dorms as aparthotels during summer.they're much cheaper and nicer and bigger than hotels and can accommodate up to even 6 ppl or more for 2bedrooms. I dont think they have the same WITHIN Paris, but you can find some outside of Paris. Dont believe what you see on Craigslist. Also beware of aparthotels that charge you deposits that you may never recover. Read the fine prints. Ryanairhotels should show the different types. Ryanair.com also has cheap, cheap air tickets, even as low as 9.99 pounds or EU10.00 euros. But they charge up to 60lbs per luggage.This is our second trip with the family. The first trip we had, we didn't know a lot of things and messed up some of our schedules and fares.We spent many days and nights doing these researches.You'll have to do the same.There are many discounts you can get from online that you will not get if you purchase locally.For example EuroRail.In many cases, hotels or trains, 17 year old is still a child. It might not too late for you to get discounted EuroRail from London to Paris or even Paris to Venice or Italy especially when you are traveling as a family.You have to do this ONLINE. If you have the Europass, it's only EU10 euros per travel. Save you lots of money, if it matters.Good Luck!!

Hey guys, thanks for the help and suggestions and all of your time. Sorry it's been awhile since I've been able to get back. We're just trying to finalize things, and my parent
s have spoken to a couple of friends and with numerous roadblocks seeming to pop up with our ideas of a Europe Trip, such as the Olympics, Eiffel Tower Maintenance, and Euro to US Dollar Conversion, we're 99% sure the trip will be changed to Ireland alone.

Many friends have made the suggestion of traveling to Ireland, and my parent's are loving the idea and have decided to save the European trip for another upcoming year of travels. I'll make a new forum/topic with the updated information and itinerary soon.

Thanks for checking back in, Lauren, look forward to reading about the new family travel plans.