jatora

Hey everyone was just hoping I could get some tips on my new itinerary. I've been researching like crazy finding the best deals/how much things will cost etc. etc. but at the moment here's what I have:

Date City Country via
may 26-28 Lisbon Portugal Flight
6/1/2015 Madrid Spain Flight
6/6/2015 BarcelonaSpain Train
6/11/2015 Rome Italy Flight
6/12/2015 Athens Greece Flight
6/17/2015 Rome Italy Flight
6/22/2015 Florence Italy Train
6/27/2015 Venice Italy Train
7/2/2015 Milan Italy Train
taking a train to Lake Compo and then connecting to another that goes to Zurich for a scenic route
7/7/2015 Zurich Switzerland Train
7/12/2015 Munich Germany Train
7/17/2015 Frankfurt Germany Train
7/22/2015 Brussels Belgium Bus
7/27/2015 AmsterdamNetherlands Bus
8/1/2015 Hamburg Germany Train
8/6/2015 Copenhagen Denmark Train
8/11/2015 Stockholm Sweden Flight
8/16/2015 London England Flight
8/21/2015 Dublin Ireland Train
aug 25-27 Austin Texas Flight

We(my girlfriend and I) will be staying primarily in hostels with a fair amount of couchsurfing. I have compared the costs of flight/bus/train for all routs and what is listed is what currently has the best price using RyanAir/EasyJet for flights of course.

Just wanted to share and get any advice/tips on this route if anyone has any Thanks

jatora

We aren't on too tight of a budget but we want to squeeze pennies wherever we can and try to keep costs to $50/day/person(plus transportation costs), which should be possible with the euro equalling the dollar recently. As such we will mostly be keeping around the cities trying to find all the cheapest/free things to do.

sandralist

Some of the way you have listed things is a bit confusing. Is it really cheaper to fly from Barcelona to Rome, spend one night there, and then fly to Athens the next day? Athens is so much cheaper than Rome, and airport hotels, or going from and to airports is pricey enough for 2 people -- I think any flghts you can find from Barcelona to Athens, even 1 stops, would work out cheaply.

Even with a near-parity exchange rate, I don't think it is possible for 1 or 2 people to travel to most of your destinations on $50 per per person per day. Many of your destinations are some of most expensive in Europe, and not all of them use the euro. Even some that do -- like Italy -- have quite high food costs.

Also, if you are spending time and money to get to these places, have you budgeted for sightseeing? Some fabulous things are completely free, but some have entrance fees.

Cheap countries in Europe include Greece, Portugal, some off-the-beaten track places in Italy and Spain, and countries like Croatia or Estonia. You might be able to make your budget work spending more time in these places and eliminating Scandanavian destinations or high price cities like Venice --- but you are on a very tight budget but don't seem to realize it. If you are okay with eating fruit and yoghurt, lots of pizza, picnicking most of the time and skipping the interiors of lots of places, maybe you can get by and have a great time.

But I think you either need to consider a new itinerary or stuff more money in the piggy bank in anticipation of the trip. Double check the cost of everything in the Scandanavian countries and Switzerland, and I would also say the UK and Dublin.

PalenQ

For your overall train days compare the costs to that of a Eurail Flexipass - either a Global one or a Select pass with 4 separate countries on it - keep in mind that if over 25 passes are usually first class and that has its benefits and you can chose which trains to take once there - in most countries you can still hop on any train anytime - fully flexible rather than the discounted tickets which sold in limited numbers must be booked way in advance to guarantee and then thypically are non-changeable non refundable typically - if the price of discounted tickets even approaches the price of a pass go for the pass.

You can also take overnight trains like between Cocpenhagen and Stockholm I believe and save on daytime travel time and the cost of a hotel night - ditto for boats between Greece and italy.

For lots of great info on European trains and passes and discounted tickets I always spotlight: www.seat61.com - superb info on discounted tickets; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com. I use the German Railways www.bahn.de/en for schedules for all European trains.

PalenQ

5 days in Zurich - consider staying in the fabulous Jungfrau Region - say up in Grindelwald where you are practically eyeballto eyeball with soaring glacier-girdled peaks thousands of feet high looming over lush cow-dotted meadows - a myriad of cable cars and mountain trains going very which way - hiking trails from an easy stroll to more demanding.

This is to me and many the absolute highlight of Switzerland and hotels and hostels are significantly cheaper here due to the plethora of them than in Zurich - a city that leaves many underwhelmed.

Zurich is not the highlight of Switzerland or even IMO the most interesting city for the average traveler - Lucerne on its lovely lake would make a nice stop from the Jungfrau Region to Zurich.

The fabulous Jungfrau Region:

https://www.google.com/search?q=jung...=1600&bih=1075

janisj

>>8/21/2015 Dublin Ireland Train<<

If this means you are taking "a train" from London to Dublin . . . Why? It would be a train, a ferry and another train and take an entire day just traveling/sitting.

Get on a plane at whichever London airport and get off at DUB - an hour's flight plus a quick bus into town.

jatora

Sandralist - For some reason, the flight from Barcelona - Rome, and then from Rome-Athens (using RyanAir), is far cheaper than going straigt from Barcelona - Athens, so im hoping i wont have to spend a night in Rome in between, but i left it there just in case.

PalenQ - thanks for the overnight train advice, didnt think about this saving money on hostel costs Also im taking your advice on zurich and cutting it out of the tip in favor of the interlaken area

janisj - looking at my route planner it looks like its just 1 train ride with a change over to the next train, but a flight may still be cheaper and im keeping my eye on prices, thanks

janisj

>>janisj - looking at my route planner it looks like its just 1 train ride with a change over to the next train, <<

Uh -- there is this little item called the Irish Sea in between. There is no train/tunnel between the UK and Ireland . . .

jatora

well god damn...i guess im doing a flight lol

mariha2912

Most users on this forum are not extreme "budgeteers" but advice on even more hard core low budget travelers' forums such as the Lonely Planet's Thorn Tree one is that a budget of at least 60 EUROS/person per day is necessary to make a trip to Europe work.
This ammount stands for hostel dorm stays, self catering, limited moving around, a couple of activities/attractions or a couple of beers every now and then and that's it. You may make this 70 euros for most Western Europe countries and 50 euros for eastern europe countries.
I very much doupt you may make it on your budget. Why not to limit all this moving around and add time and money to enjoy on fewer locations? In general in a transit day moving between places you spend twice the budget you would spend in a day staying within a destination.

Sassafrass

Unless you are planning some great day trips or have family or friends you are visiting and have free lodging, I personally do not think Frankfurt or Brussels is worth so much time as you have allotted. There are many, IMHO, more interesting places to see.

FHurdle

I agree with Brussels. A single night is sufficient for a first-time visitor. Brussels is a great city to see by leaving one's baggage at the train station for six hours and then continuing on one's way.

dreamon

Your transport costs will be large and you will spend too much time for my taste en route between places. When flying don't underestimate how long it takes hotel to hotel and the additional costs of getting to/from the airport. Also, you've only mentioned cities. Europe is a lot more than the sum of its cities.

I recommend you pick a smaller number of regions and spend more time in each. I would not find your itinerary very rewarding as I wouldn't be able to get a sense of a place buzzing around like that. Like the others have said, I don't think A$50, US$50, HK$50 or SG$50 would go very far. Three months is a wonderful amount of time to be able to spend travelling but I think I would do it differently - but it's not my holiday and if that's what you want and can manage the costs then go for it.

PalenQ

>>8/21/2015 Dublin Ireland Train<<

If this means you are taking "a train" from London to Dublin . . . Why? It would be a train, a ferry and another train and take an entire day just traveling/sitting.>

This is where you cold slow down and smell the English countryside a bit - you can break up this trip say in Bath or Wales - just 2-3 hours or so from London - Llandudno is one town that has cheap B&Bs - say 20 pounds a head - use it as a base to hop to Beaumarais Castle, Mt Snowdon or just climb the great Orme by antique trolley - more can be less in many cases.

But if you want to take a boat train from London to Wales then the fast boat to Dublin you can at www.nationalrail.co.uk get some really cheap tickets if you book far far in advance - I've seen about 40 pounds all told or less - walk-up fare is a whole lot more however.

jatora

sorry, my $50/day cost is just for food/lodging and should be plenty for all but 1 or 2 cities that im visiting, ive alloted other funs for transportation costs

jatora

im also taking brussels off the list and rethinking frankfurt now

Sassafrass

You may think you are not on a "too tight of a budget" but actually, IMHO, you are on a super tight budget. Travel on a tight budget and a little penny pinching is fine. You may have some unexpected wonderful things happen. Picnics, street food, all great. This budget is fine for people bumming around, not too concerned with sight seeing Famous places or experiences in Europe or caring where they sleep. However, this is my caution.

There may be things you would really like to do that you miss because they cost a few euros. You are allowing plenty of time on some of your places, but walking around for three or four days, passing by great museums, churches, castles, etc. because of your too tight budget, could get a little depressing.

Would it not be better to cut the trip short by two or three weeks and give yourselves a little more money so your constant thoughts will not be about how much you spend for a sandwich or a major, world class museum you do not get to see because it would cost the same as lunch? IME, at first, it is an adventure, but after awhile, it is no longer fun to pass a gelato shop on a hot day and not be able to have one, or want a drink and look for a water fountain. Sure, those are little things, totally not necessary to life, but when traveling, so nice to splurge on once in a while.

janisj

>>Would it not be better to cut the trip short by two or three weeks and give yourselves a little more money so your constant thoughts will not be about how much you spend for a sandwich or a major, world class museum you do not get to see because it would cost the same as lunch? <<

Absolutely 100% (1000000% actually)

If you cut 3 weeks off the trip you will will end up w/ an extra $15 per day spending money -- the difference between $50 and $65 is a LOT when museums like the Rijksmuseum costs $20, the Louvre costs $13-$17 depending on which parts you want to visit, The Prado - about $15.

PalenQ

big tourist meccas cost more than normal towns, especially hotels and restaurants and cafes and museums...

Maybe try to spend more time in cheaper areas and smaller towns - eastern Europe, Portugal, the Balkans are much much cheaper than western Europe - I'd say you need for hostel and food along at a minimum $50/day and that is food from supermarkets or at hostels - if staying in proper hotels much more. and $50 is rock-bottom - no beers in pubs (can be much much more expensive than at home - coffee in a sidewalk cafe ditto - I agree with Sass and janis that it may be better to trim of a few weeks rather than run low on funds and have to either go on a starvation park bench budget or plea with folks back home for more.

Even with the dollar's rise and euro's plunge Europe is still more expensive than the States - on some things like restaurants and bars and cafes much more IME.

jatora

if i could post my spreadsheet on this stupid forum ud see i have all this taken into account. i know all hostel prices, all transit prices, and have allowed a LOT of wiggle room. there is plenty of extra money for sightseeing and short trips