Approximate cost for 2 month travel in Europe ?
 

Hello,

We are a family of 4 with 2 adults and 2 kids aged 8 and 10. We are thinking about touring Europe for two months from mid April 2014 till mid June 2014.

What would be a ballpark estimate (in USD or Euro) for this trip excluding the airfare to reach Europe ? We are open to either taking the train or driving inside Europe depending on the cost difference between a rental car and train. We want to do the major spots in 7 to 8 countries like France, Italy, UK, Germany, Netherlands, Venice.

We can stay in rental apartments with cooking facility to save on eating outside by cooking the evening meal.

Thanks a lot.

golfdude

You could start with checking out apartment prices in the places you want to rent. Then do the same for hotels for the nights you are not in an apartment. After that figure out what you think you need for a food budget. which would include restaurant meals......you can figure this all out with some investigating and a calculator. There could be a lot of variables gives price of admissions, transportation etc. My minimum guess could be at least 400-500 euros a day and that is keeping things very, very "tight".

We are based in the UK and have taken a few trips the past 3 years. (click on my name to peruse my travel reports if interested).

We have 2 kids and stay in a mix of apartments, B&B's and hotels. I keep track of expenses and the trips average about 600 USD/day (that's £380 or 450€). That includes transportation to/from but you will be in the same boat. That also includes some car trips to Scotland and Cornwall that have lowered the cost.

It's not on your list, but might I suggest a wonderfully relaxing week in Switzerland if you like the outdoors? It was one of our favorites and will be a good way to catch your breathe on such a long holiday.

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...e-oberland.cfm

As I mentioned, click on my name to see the others that are available.

LP has a good thread about budgets.
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntre...readID=2153476

A country per week is a lot of moving around and that will substantially add to your budget. It also doesn't give much time to explore and get to know each country. I can't imagine how you can do the "major spots" in each country in a week (or even in 10 days) unless you're constantly on the go and moving location every couple of days. A better plan would be to limit the number of countries you're visiting and combine both city and smaller town locations.

I'd budget for $600USD per day but have the ability to add to this budget to accommodate all the travel you'll be doing.

I'm sorry, but I disagree with the above about how much "depth" you can get in a certain timeframe.

Yes, you can spend YEARS in a country or city and not necessarily see "all the important things" but since we have no idea what really appeals to you I am going to assume you actually KNOW what you think is important enough to see.

I would advise you to become, if not already, aware of the geography involved; the distances are much smaller sometimes than those you may be used to.

What I will comment further on is the rental car vs the train issue. The car will give you the maximum amount of flexibility but it also means you have to consider and add IN the costs of parking and parking in Europe is not necessarily the same as what you may be used to. There is also the cost of fuel and insurance (although some people are satisfied with what their credit card might offer).

Be aware that if you are planning to rent a car in one country and drop it in another one you may be incurring a major drop charge. Also, major highways on the Continent which are similar to US interstate highways sometimes are toll roads (Germany being an exception) or require you to purchase a sticker for your car in order to use them.

Are you familiar with the wholesaler/consolidator Autoeurope and its sister company Kemwel? Check out the autoeurope.com website; put in some dummy dates and places to get an idea of what a rental car might cost.

There is also the efficiency of getting from Point A to Point B and in some cases you can FORGET getting between the two in a car as fast as you can on the train unless you are going to be consistently driving at 186 mph and even in Germany you can forget that one.

How familiar are you with trains? The services in Europe are vastly more efficient and plentiful than they are in places like the US. But you will give up some of the flexibility you would have with a car.

Railpasses: may or may not be a good idea, economically. Passes are generally more economical if you are planning to use them a LOT. Often buying point to point tickets ends up being cheaper.

Budget airlines: if you decide to cut down the number of countries and even though it is often easier and sometimes faster to take a train from city center to city center, go to these sites for the possibility of BUDGET air carriers in Europe:

www.whichbudget.com

www.skyscanner.com

BE AWARE that these airlines may or may not fly direct between two points; they are similar to the US Southwest Airlines business model: the sooner you book the cheaper the flight.

Have a great trip.

Three to four people seems to be the tipping point to where a car is more economical, but it depends on how much luggage you bring and how often you plan on switching cities. A family of four modestly packed can get by easily with a Passat Wagon or similar.

Be wary of the budget airlines. You pay for EVERYTHING. Nine times out of ten, if you book far enough in advance then legacy tickets are cheaper (and provide better service).

My "I don't know anything about you but you asked for a number" estimate for two months, not including airfare to/from Europe is $18k-20k. That comes out to around 200 Euro per day.

That's a very good summary of the options, Dukey, but I would add a couple of minor corrections.

Most of the flights in Europe are direct, and changing planes can add hugely to journey time and cost. Flights are sold as one-way, with no discount for buying a return, or penalty for flying into one place and out of another. You need to watch for baggage allowances, and expect to pay if you have larger bags and put them in the hold. Most of the other passengers will be Europeans who are on short business trips, one-week or weekend breaks, etc, and the flights are aimed at that market.

Many flights are also between regional airports, and this suits those of us who live outside the major centres. They may also fit in with your plans, and save you a journey back to London, for example.

Sometimes, the best way to find a flight is to look at the departure list from a particular airport, since this will show both low-cost and regular airlines. The final price may not vary much between the two.

My first suggestion for those who are uncertain about travel arrangements is to get a guidebook or two--maybe one that covers the major cities of Europe.

You can break your costs down into 1) lodging, 2) food, 3) admissions, and 4)local transportation.

1) very easy to find double rooms for, on average, 100€. More in cities, less in the countryside. You would need a quad and they are much less common ( as opposed to the US where every chain room is essentially a quad) but they are around. I would figure 150€/night. Look on booking.com, one of the major booking sites and you'll see prices including quad rooms.

2) Food - figure a minimum of 30€ per day per person. That is street food (eg pizza, a pannini, etc.), food from markets for picnics, etc. with occasional sit down meals in non fancy restaurants. Some countries (France) you can ask for tap water with sit down meals, in others you tend to get brought bottled water. Soft drinks cost as much as a glass of wine (but usually about €3. So I'd figure 150€/day - you could very easily go under that if you really want to, and of course most people go way over that.

3) Major 'sites' are now close to (or even more than) €10 per person. But so much is free. It differs from country to country. In London the museums are free but churches (Westminster Abbey, etc) cost. In Paris it's the other way around - museums cost but you can walk into Nortre Dame and other gorgeous churches for free. Overall though - walking around cities and exploring neighborhoods is the 'best' way to see new places and that is free. Really depends on your travel style. But I guess I would figure on at least 50€ per day and certainly more if you are the type that wants to go into every castle/museum/monument. Depending on how long you spend in a given city look into passes. And kids the age of yours will be free or reduced admission in lots of places (but not all).

4) The more you move the more it costs. On the other hand, to some extent that is why you are going in the first place. You really have to price that out but it's part of the planning process and you should be able to know in advance what it's going to cost. Go on the train sites for each country and put in dummy dates to get prices and see routes and schedules. Unlike airfare train prices don't really change from month to month. You can however, get very reduced prices by buying on line 3 months ahead. I got train tickets in France last summer for 25€ that would have been 80€ had I waited and bought them a few days before the trips. Same for Italy, UK, Belgium, etc. Cars can be cheaper for 4 people than train but parking, tolls, gas are quite expensive. For a two week car rental last summer I ended up spending more on those things than the cost of the rental itself. And drop fees if you want to pick up in one country and drop in another can be huge and not always noted on the websites. If you want to do that be sure to call AutoEurope/Kemwell and ask. Also check both of them as their prices can be very different even though they are related companies.

<i>My first suggestion for those who are uncertain about travel arrangements is to get a guidebook or two--maybe one that covers the major cities of Europe.</i>

But, but it's easier for people to just ask here.

did this with our kids i 1984 and had a great time. have been back 10+ times since. i would recommend. choose 6-7 locations and spend a week or so there. you will get much more of a feel for life in other cultures. would recommend staying in the countryside (check for apartments/houses on VRBO) and then you can take public transport into cities and also use you car (check a lease for that amount of time) for day trips to the surrounding area. if you want to see "all" of europe, then be ready for a constant get up early and go go go every day. not the best idea with such young kids. europe doesn't have to be expensive!

In a scenario above, bare bones, and assuming finding a room for 4 has the budget at 260E. And I think that is VERY bare bones, especially for food. No transportation, no entries.

If you have 60 days and average 400E--24,000E. That may be enough (not at all sure), but if that is too much to even consider then the OP needs to start paring down places, or overall time.

Are you planning to go to cities or avoid them? Or a mix? A car is a hindrance in European cities. Parking is expensive and hard to find. Public transportation is very good. Switzerland has superb public transportation, and some of the cutest towns are car-free. So Switzerland is another place not to have a car.

On the other hand, a car is really necessary for some destinations. Provence, Tuscany and Umbria, the Dordogne come immediately to mind. (Not to say you can't visit these places without a car, but you'll see much less and spend a lot of time waiting for the next bus to come, not fun with 2 young kids.)

If you plan your trip carefully, you can rent a car for part of your trip only, see some of the countryside, -- and avoid the large charge for dropping the car off in a different country.

Thanks a lot for all the posts and suggestions. $500 USD per day is way over my budget !! I was thinking more like $300 USD per day. Let me start planning and I might have to cut down on the places or number of days to accommodate my budget.

We plan to do a mixture of both cities and countrysides. One other question I had was is it possible to rent apartments in Europe with kitchens ? That way if we can cook one evening meal in the kitchen, I am guessing we can cut down on the food bill. I checked airbnb and found apartments with kitchens which looked cheaper than hotels.

Thanks.

$300 per day for a family of 4 is VERY tight. Most rooms in europe have one double bed - so you are either getting two rooms or getting a family room - which is going to be more expensive. And for the most modest hotels that will mean sharing baths, no AC and stairs versus elevators.

Also you are doing a LOT of traveling - which will not be cheap for 4 people.

Once you allow for even budget dining (picnics etc), local transit (often much more expensive than in the US), sights and an ice cream or sit down at a cafe for a coffee/soda once in a while you will have totally blown yuor budget.

Suggest pick a couple of the places you KNOW you want to stay and look at costs of local transit, major sights and budget places to stay - to get a feel for how tight your budget can be.

Yes, there are many apts available to rent - but for that you have to do a LOT of work - to make sure it isn;t a scam, to figure out where it is (neighborhood/safety and how close to transit) and size/amenities (apts in europe are typically much smaller than in the US and for your budget you would need to be putting all 4 of you in a studio I think.

US$300 a day? That is about 220 euro. Could you explain how you were coming up with that figure? Maybe someone could figure out where you went wrong, whether lodging or food (the main components). And that is even without the car or local transportation costs. I guess if you thought you could spend only 25 euro per person per day on all food and drink and get a room for four for 120 euro, that would do it, with no extra money for any transportation or sightseeing. Without the transportation and any sightseeing fees, that would be highly unlikely, but theoretically possible if you really don't eat in restaurants much and only buy drinks from supermarkets. But with the transportation issues (and talk of renting cars), I think it would be impossible.

1.How do you get your school age kids out of school that long?
2. The last time I saw a "Europe on $80 per day" paperback was 10-15 years ago.
3. Just returned from 20 days in (relatively) low cost Germany- 2 folks by car, no cost for 12 hotel nights except for car parking, free breakfast every day, inexpensive apartment with free car parking 5 nights,3 star hotel 3 nights, no fancy meals (most expensive was $60), lunches were always street food or home made sandwiches, didn't spend a dime on sightseeing, bought a sweater and a few T-shirt souvenirs, and we still burned about $400 per day excluding roundtrip airfare. Good luck with a budget of $300 per day for 2+2...

Homeschooled?

Based on our experience last year I think $300 USD a day for a family of 4 is very do-able. It just takes some planning.

Last autumn (Sept-Nov) we visited 5 countries, had a car for 55 days, ate and drank well, visited every museum, gallery or historic site we wanted, attended a day-long cooking class, brought home lots of Provencale fabric and, at the end of it all, were pleasantly surprised to find that over the course of 85 days we averaged well under $200 USD per day - for 2 adults.

We stayed in a series of apartments (along with a few Hotels/B&B's while traveling in between), and balanced the expensive apartments (e.g. Lyon and Paris) with considerably lower-priced places in the Languedoc, Dordogne and Provence). All the apartments were at least 1 bedroom (one place was 4 bedroom villa) and none were what I would consider marginal or poorly located in any way.

For us, the single major factor in cost control was limiting food and drink costs by having almost all our evening and morning meals at "home". For us an enjoyable part of travel is shopping at the markets whether they be open air or a typical supermarket. Sometimes it's a bit of a puzzle and frustrating but usually it's enjoyable and always educational. About half the time we had lunch "in" but along with occasional picnics, the bistros, kebab places and traiteurs got their share of our attention.

Our car was a purchase/buyback arranged through RenaultUSA (diesel) and I think we put well over 3000 miles on it. This was the third time we've used RenaultUSA and it's always been a good experience. Most of the apartments were arranged before we left on the trip and in the Languedoc and Dordogne we stayed for 2 and 3 weeks and got very nice discounts for the extension. As others have noted, you don't want the car in the cities so plan your route and schedule accordingly.

Good luck with your planning!

As an example - in Paris during your dates (considered high season) the Hotel Marignan has quad rooms for €130 for private toilet but shared showers, or €154 for private (ensuite) shower and toilet. I have stayed here - it has a superb location and includes breakfast (which most Parisian hotels do not). It is not luxury by any means but is in no way sleazy or shady or anything. Here's the website www.hotel-marignan.com/prices.html#

Very close to the hotel is a restaurant I really like - Creperie Cluny - dinner (savory) crepes are around 10€. That's a sit down dinner. Getting sandwiches and eating lunch on a park bench could easily be done for 25€ for all of you. Add in some snacks and you could easily eat for 100€ a day in Paris for the four of you.

Metro tickets are 1,70€

So if you didn't pay admission to anything (walking tours are free if you do them yourselves) you could 'do' a day in Paris for $300 which is only 220€ (the exchange rate stinks right now but even if it improves $300 won't be much more than 250€). So "doable" - yes; "easy", not so much.

Smaller towns will definitely cost less than major cities but then your transportation costs will be more. And if budget is an issue don't even think about Switzerland or Scandinavia. But France, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany - they are all 'reasonably' priced.

I will say extensive planning helps keep costs lower. Start by listing the places you most want to go, figure out how long in each place and then start looking at lodging (booking.com is a great site for that), then look on the train/airfare sites and figure out how much it's going to cost to get between places. You can even figure out just how much admissions, local trans, etc will cost. It's all online if you just spend time looking. The food thing is the main thing that's hard to know by just looking at websites or guidebooks but I've given you an idea.

Good luck and happy planning

You could stay in hostels; a lot of them have quad rooms and it would be cheaper than a hotel.

As I said above, moving around less will reduce your budget and allow you to stay in apartments.

For my past few trips I've been exploring less expensive countries such as Poland, Czech Republic, Portugal. You could combine a couple of western cities with less expensive locations.

Do not forget that when you book with airbnb you will be charged a booking fee that come straight off your cc. So you can add more to the price of accommodation than it is advertised at immediately. It is not so cheap as you think.

We have travelled to Europe several times with three kids. I think $300 a day is doable for many of the days. Kids 8 and 10 usually don't want to go to museums or other sites every day. I suggest you build in a lot of down time.

We also use Booking.com and Tripadvisor to find places. I have found the one $ hotels/hostels listed in Lonely Planet to be excellent. Finally figure out when the cheapest advance purchase train fares are offered. We recently took the train between Stockholm and Oslo for $29 per person.

Budget feasibility is inherently subjective. What I would accept/ tolerate as a younger person with less cash differs from what I now expect as an older person who has stashed some discretionary cash. Can you get by on USD300/day for your group, excluding transatlantic travel? Sure you can. Will it be posh? Not by a long shot, but it need not be bread and water every day, either. All depends on what you are willing to accept in terms of level of comfort/convenience and where you decide to splurge/economize.

Renting apartments is often more economical than a hotel, and the economy of dining in increases in direct proportion to group size. Most places do offer at least basic kitchen facilities. There can be start-up costs for staple items that are generally not provided with vacation rentals, but ziplock bags become your best friend as you take those with you from place to place (at least ones not requiring refrigeration.) Another thing to look for in vacation apartments (aka holiday or self-catering apartments/flats) is availability of laundry facilities.

Best to avoid craigslist, instead go with established agencies or services (vrbo.com, airbnb.com, homeaway.com, holidaylettings.com, etc.) and check for reviews on specific properties here and/or other travel boards. In general, if it sounds too good to be true it probably is, but there are some decent value priced places available. The best deals do often tend to book early.

When looking, keep in mind that location outside central tourist areas usually means cheaper rent, but do a little research to understand the tradeoff. In Paris, for example, public transport is quite good and proximity to a metro station is more important than the arrondissement (fire away, fellow Fodorites, but if it comes down to going or not, I'll stay in the 20th.) In contrast, in New York it is cheaper to stay across the river in suburban New Jersey but you wind up spending lots of time and money going back and forth.

As for ground transport, in cities a vehicle can be a liability with costs for parking and heinous traffic making self drive an insanity. Between cities or for a road trip in which you overnight at places along the way a car may make more sense. Do keep in mind the often high charges for drop off in a different country.

You did not ask about air travel planning, but keep in mind you may be best off doing an open jaw itinerary where you fly into one city and return home from another. For example, fly into Rome, make your way to Venice, on to Germany, Netherlands, France and end up in the UK from where you return home.

So now that you have found us here, come back with specific questions as your planning progresses, and keep in mind that the more specific your questions and complete the info (e.g. a link to a specific apartment's web site rather than reference to a part of town) the better the quality of the responses you can expect.

And above all, have fun with the planning as well as the actual travel!

Note the $200/day is for 2 people--I know everyone can read, but it's worth noting. And two small children may not eat that much but they have other needs.
I would just say, as others, planning is essential. Knowing the customs of cafes in Paris, for example, is also necessary. If you sit down (as children may want or need to) you are charged more than if you stand at the counter --maybe to eat that crepe that was mentioned.
Taking on a very restricted budget also may not allow for things that just come up. And locking in to a long trip may not allow for bailing out early because of some emergency without a lot of expense. I hope it works out but it does require close planning.
And just a thought, Switzerland for all its beauty is jolly expensive.
Have you been any of these places before so have some knowledge of how to navigate?

<i>Taking on a very restricted budget also may not allow for things that just come up.</i>

Aye. That's why I determine my budget then plan on spending 150% of that. Less chance of a surprise that way.

Thanks a lot for all your replies. I really need to digest all of this and come back to you with queries.

We are all US citizens but currently living in India. In India schools are closed from mid April till mid June for summer vacations. Thats how we can think about going for 2 months.

Thanks.

golfdude

Thinking bout prices in India may be giving you a skewed view of what things cost in europe.

For one - just look at the cost of the Metro or the tube. For another - if you are going to rent a car - how much gas will you be using at $8 per gallon.

<are open to either taking the train or driving inside Europe depending on the cost difference between a rental car and train. We want to do the major spots in 7 to 8 countries like France, Italy, UK, Germany, Netherlands, Venice>

If going like many only to the big tourist cities you've been dreaming about your whole life then the train is the best as cars are increasingly useless in many cities that have banned them from their city centres - many town center hotels may not offer parking, which can also be expensive - about $30 a day in Amsterdam.

Great sites to learn the ins and outs of train travel and railpsses which if you go to those countries by rail may be a great deal - www.ricksteeves.com; www.seat61.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com.

$200 a day for two adults isn't close to what you'll have to spend for 2 adults plus 2 children. The accommodations will cost a lot more, for one thing. If you stay in a hotel, for example, getting a room for 4 people is a lot more expensive than getting the cheapest double you can find in a 2* hotel. And it doesn't matter how much children eat, buying food for them in any kind of restaurant, even cheap ones, will add up. Luckily, they will be free in a lot of plces like museums, but probably not the ones they will like most. Public transportation is cheaper for them.

The exchange rate for USD vs. euro hasn't really changed much in years, so I wouldn't count on that changing much at all, going to 250 euro for $300 would be a change of almost 15 pct and a euro only costing $1.20, which hasn't happened in over 3 years. It has been $1.25 to $1.35 per euro most of the time for a couple years, and it was even worse than now in the Fall of 2011 at the end of October and a lot worse in the summer of 2011.

I think staying in some places longer so you can rent cheap apartments would help, or even hostels which can be decent in some places, and the less expensive cities and places, of course.

today's new said the $ was at an 8-year low vis-v-vis other currencies - $200 for a family of 4 is possible but only buy staying in hostels or cheap hotels.

Pal, it "might" be possible for someone who knows ALL the ropes, where to go for the buys, hostels, etc. And no mistakes. Need to be realistic--and especially when travelling with children.
And who knows what the exchange will be when they finally go.

Switzerland can be VERY expensive. Be warned.

<I was thinking more like $300 USD per day.>

Even though they are kids you have FOUR people. So that's only $75usd which is 55 euro per person per day. I don't think that's possible.

How about cut the trip in 1/2 length, then you'd have 110 euro per day per person, which is a much more reasonable figure, especially since it needs to cover car rental or train fare, a place to sleep, all meals, admissions, etc.

Another way to bring the budget down is changing the countries you visit. You've picked some of the more expensive places in europe.

And 2 adults (re the $200/day) is not a family of 4!

"...$200 for a family of 4 is possible but only buy staying in hostels or cheap hotels."

Is the discussion going a little sideways here? Nobody has suggested a budget of $200 per day for this family. And the OP has indicated $300 is in the range - along with a willingness to look into apartment stays which would be the primary factor in cost containment for both lodging and food.

Regarding an auto rental, yes there is a extra cost for pickup/dropoff in a different country. We felt the $250 (approx.) for a Munich pickup and a Lyon drop off was worth it but you could lay out a looping route and avoid that. In our case we scheduled the big city stays for the front and back end of our trip so as to only have the car in between. Also, with an auto you can take along the various condiments and other supplies you purchase for use in the apartments.

And yes, some countries like Switzerland would be very hard on the budget. Our experience would add Austria and northern Italy to that category.

No, I don't think it's "going a little sideways".

220 euro per day for 4 people traveling, when it needs to cover everything - at least an inexpensive apartment or family room in a hostel, a car rental or train fares for going city to city, local transportation with in towns/cities, food/beverages/snacks for four, admissions, etc. is going to be tight in the countries they want to visit.

Don't despair golfdude - with good planning your budget might yet be doable! We have travelled Europe twice in the last few years, for 9-10 weeks each time. The first trip covered England, France, Switzerland and Italy; the second trip covered France, Spain, Portugal and Italy. (Different parts of France and Italy each time, of course)! We are a couple, and we drove ourselves. Our tripping covered some big cities (London, Paris - no car in these) but concentrated more on mid-sized towns and cities (Durham, Oxford, Montpellier, Nice, Salamanca, Porto, Lucca, Siena, for example) plus many of the smaller villages which are such a delight in England and France particularly.

I've been amazed at some of the budgets suggested here. The cost of our trips was remarkably consistent for both trips. Ignoring airfares, we got by on 200 euros per day for the both of us. And that covered everything: prepaid costs (insurance, eurolease car), plus all accommodation, petrol, food, drink, entry fees, misc purchases etc - including what we would have spent if we'd stayed home and not gone anywhere! And we don't believe we skimp on things: we stay in reasonable hotels and B&Bs, we see a lot, we eat well but at local (as opposed to "touristy") places, and we enjoy a carafe of wine with dinner and a pre-dinner beer after the day's driving. It's all in the planning, really, and in living (as much as possible) like a local wherever we go. OK, a family of 4 will obviously cost more - but certain costs (car hire, petrol) won't increase, and others (like accommodation) won't necessarily double because of it.