Looking to celebrate a special occasion in Europe this summer. Any suggestions regarding affordable destinations? Thank you.

Hi Katie

Define "affordable"...Is 100euros a night, 200 euros etc...How many people? Would an appartment be something you would consider?

My experience is once you get out of the main cities, prices come down. So Paris and London can be $$, but Loire Valley and Bath were not.

That being said, people here have used Priceline to get good deals in London and you can go cheap in Paris, but without a price range...


What are you interests? What countries appeal to you?

I went all over Europe last summer with this vacations company called Contiki Holidays. I went to England, France, Switzerland, Austria and Italy all in two weeks but they offer a huge variety of packages for you to choose from. It was extremely affordable (all inclusive packages) and I had a great time... not your typical vacation tours company. Definitley check it out!

Affordable... I'd like to stay within $5,000 - $6,000 American for 7 - 10 days. Will check out Contiki... thanks.

You're talking $500-$600 a day for a 10 day trip. Right? Is this for 2 people? We are budget to moderate travelers, and we've been many places in Europe (but never to Britain) and we have never, eve spent anywhere near that amount of money per day. With that kind of budget, you can go anywhere. Find a destination that calls to you.

julies - not sure OP doesn't mean total budget in which case it might be pretty realistic.
$1500-$2000 for transportation.
$1200 for lodging
$250/day for food, incidentals, souvenirs, tours.

Yes, sorry - I did mean entire budget, including transportation, lodging, food, etc. for two. We'll be flying out of New York.

Katie - I think that with your budget you can, as julies mentioned, choose your heart's desire. Think of the weather. Paris evacuates in August and can be hot and the "country" in France is cheaper anyway.
Where would YOU like to go?

Your budget should be more than adequate. We routinely spend 2 weeks in Switzerland, including airfare from the West coast, for under $5000 for 2 of us.

Now that we are over the budget question we come to "where". Close your eyes and imagine yourself in Europe. Were you on the ramparts of a castle, viewing the Mona Lisa or shopping on the Champs Elise (sp)? That will help you decide what you are looking for.
Don't try to conquor all of Eurpoe on one trip. Pice a couple of places you can fall in love with.

We spend about $5-6,000 for 2 weeks on our European trips. This includes everything including airport parking at our starting point. So $5-6000 for up to 10 days shouldn't be a problem. Italy, Germany, France, Czech Republic, Austria,Benelux--all have come out in that range.

I like go-today.com You get your basics -- plane, hotel (you select the quality level and most have breakfast), connecting rail reservations, and the option of adding side trips. It gives you the framework. You can study up and figure the rest -- especially if you have been before.