April 9-19
 

I am in the beginning to plan a trip to Europe April 9-19. I will be leaving from the DC Metro area. I would like to go to either London, Paris or Rome. (Possibly 2 of those locations...but not 3)

I will be going with my girlfriend. Just the 2 of us. I would like to keep the total pricetag under $3,000 (1500pp). I would like nice accomodations, but I dont need a 5 star place. Hilton/Marriot Equivalent will be fine.

Just looking for some ideas here. I am scouring travelocity/orbitz/others...but was wondering if anyone who does this more often knows of a good way to plan a cost-effective vacation to Europe.

Thank you!

please clarify - &quot;<i> I would like to keep the total pricetag under $3,000 (1500pp).</i>&quot;

Does that actually mean &quot;total price tag&quot; -- including transatlantic airfares? Or, for everything
on the ground&quot; - hotels, intra-Europe travel, food, admissions, etc? Or, just for hotels?

If it is #1 or #2 - not very likely.

Sorry, when I said Total Pricetag, I was basically referring to the cost of Airfare and Lodging.

Food, Entertainment, etc. Will be in addition to the $3,000

You might look at airfare cost first and go from there. Try an open jaw ticket - fly into London, out of Paris ( for example.)
Easter in Rome could be expensive and very crowded.

Ooooohh....

Thats Easter Weekend...

Yeah, I think im going to rule out Rome. We are not catholic and we hate large crowds...

London or Paris it is...

Hi P,

You have enough time to visit both London and Paris.

I would start in London, take the www.eurostar.com to Paris and fly home from there.

Check www.kayak.com, www.mobissimo.com, www.1800flyeurope.com and www.flycheapabroad.com for airfare.

In Paris, We always stay at the Hotel Bonaparte, 61 Rue Bonaparte in the 6th. From 131E dbl w/bkfst. It is just around the corner from Place St. Sulpice, near 3 metro stops and 4 bus routes. Has AC and an elevator.

The staff speaks English well, and is very helpful.

Tel 33 1 43 26 97 37
FAX 33 1 46 33 57 67
[email protected]
www.hotelbonaparte.fr

For more info, enter &quot;Hotel Bonaparte&quot; in the &quot;search this forum&quot; box.

Enjoy your visit.
((I))

Pagnotar -

I just checked ITAS for flights between DC and Paris, and the cheapest I found for your dates were right at $900 each. For DC and London, the cheapest I found for those dates were around $620. That would leave you around $1750 for lodging in London or $1200 in Paris for 9 nights.

You certainly would NOT be getting a 5 star, and I doubt you could even get Hilton/Marriott equivalent for those prices. For Paris, Ira's suggestion of the Hotel Bonaparte (we've also stayed there and it's nice and convenient, but not the equivalent of a Hilton/Marriott), you're looking at $170/night or just over $1500 for Paris (so $300 over your budget). The Hiltons in Paris cost more like $325-400 per night (unless you stay at the one by CDG or Orly which would be pointless), and the Marriotts are at least as much. So for Paris you'd have to downscale your lodging expectations quite a bit.

For London (and I haven't been there in over 40 years but did look up on Travelocity), things are better because you have more money to work with. But even there, a 4- or 5-star is unlikely.

Happy Travels,

Sam

In europe Hiltons and Marriots are generally considered 4* hotels (european ratings are different than american) and will NOT be inexpensive unless you come across some special deals.

If thats the type of hotel you want ( large and modern - versus local, small, quaint but simpler) I think you'll have some trouble with your budget. A quick look at London Hiltons for that time of year shows most rates from $200 per night up - so $2000 for 10 night. If the $3000 is covering both of you that means finding air fares of $500 each.

A good way to stay in Paris for more than 3-4 days is to rent an apt.
Better space than a hotel room , coffee at home first thing in the morning...etc.

http://www.vacationinparis.com/

For Paris, go to the France threads and there is a thread on apartments in Paris started by a poster and I have two threads on hotels in Paris for both the right bank and the left bank. All three threads are among the first 50 threads. Happy Travels!

At that budget, with your expectations for a hotel, I say Good Luck. It's going to be a challenge!

You might try an airfare/hotel package through British Airways www.baholidays.com I've actually had decent luck with hotel bookings on there. You do need to be quite careful which hotel you do end up booking, because some of the ones they use are dogs, but there are some decent ones too (the Rembrandt is the one I go with). I'd try for South Kensington, Bloomsbury or Mayfair areas.

You might also want to try Priceline or Hotwire for London hotels. Check out the forums at betterbidding.com and biddingfortravel.com for tips and hotel lists.

But you should beware that London and Paris hotels will not be the standard that you are used to if you think that Hilton/Marriot are in the &quot;reasonable&quot; category.

You do have time to visit both Paris and London and to get an overview of each city... but the Eurostar will be an additional drain on your already tight budget.

itasoftware.com
be sure to look at the month-long view, too

I would so much prefer staying in a small Parisian Hotel rather than a Hilton or Marriott. The ambiance of a French hotel adds to the enjoyment of my vacation.

I have stayed at the Muguet Hotel in the 7th which is a little gem of a hotel. Don't know what their prices are these days, but they list themselves as a 2** hotel, but are a 3** for sure! I would certainly book quickly because they have a large clientele!

I have also stayed at the Familia Hotel in the 5th. Very small family run hotel, very clean, very friendly, and fairly inexpensive.

I have also stayed in an apartment in the 7th which I probably will always do in my future trips to Paris. Love getting up in the morning and not having to get ready and then run out for coffee and croissants!

Enjoy the planning!

joy/luvparee

Are you stuck with those dates or can you go after Easter, which will be cheaper anywhere ?