Cost of European Holiday
Mar 31st, 2013, 09:49 PM
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Cost of European Holiday
Hi! My husband and I are thinking of a European holiday in Jan/Feb 2015. We are both teachers and in our early 50's. We would probably stay in the lower to mid range hotels, hire a car wherever possible and eat out mainly in the evenings (we would be more frugal for breakfast and lunch). Places of interest include Greece, Italy, Croatia and London (perhaps). We would like to travel for 4 to 5 weeks. I have never been to Europe and have no idea of the costs involved. Would anyone like to assist me with a projection of how much they think this holiday could cost, travelling from Australia? We really need a starting point to save for. I know there are many many factors involved but I am really only asking for an estimation. Thankyou for any assistance you can give.
Mar 31st, 2013, 11:47 PM
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Hi Jacjay, i live in melbourne and my husband and I are off to Europe at the end of August.
A few things I would like to point out regarding cost: - you are going in low season. Jan/Feb is winter in Europe so prices will be lower than in the summer/tourist months. It is also really hard to predict what the $aud will be to the Euro. Back in 2009 when we went with the kids it was about 67c to $1aud. and now it is nearly 80c. Will this continue to improve or decline - who knows.
Flights - I really do not like the bigger travel agents. There are travel expo's which offer cheaper fares. I am not sure where in Australia you are from, but here in Melbourne the travel expo is on in February. I would suggest you go to one next Feb (2014) and that will give you an idea regarding fares. Watch out for specials that are listed in the papers. Also sign up to each airline site - you can sign up using your email address and you will be alerted of any specials. If you live in melb or sydney or brisbane i think you can estimate anything from about $1300 -$1900 for airfare (economy)
Hotels - I think you should probably allow for about !00E per night average. But to get a better idea, research the places you want to go and check out trip advisor for hotels. put in a rough date and check out prices for 2014 - at least this will give you a guide. But I am sure that some places may be cheaper so I would say to plan about $100aud per night.
You will also need to take into account how you wish to travel to each of these places - train or flying using some of the budget airlines in Europe.
Once you get your airfare and get closer to the date - people here will help you plan the best way to travel. I also find travel agents much more expensive than planning things out myself.
A few things I would like to point out regarding cost: - you are going in low season. Jan/Feb is winter in Europe so prices will be lower than in the summer/tourist months. It is also really hard to predict what the $aud will be to the Euro. Back in 2009 when we went with the kids it was about 67c to $1aud. and now it is nearly 80c. Will this continue to improve or decline - who knows.
Flights - I really do not like the bigger travel agents. There are travel expo's which offer cheaper fares. I am not sure where in Australia you are from, but here in Melbourne the travel expo is on in February. I would suggest you go to one next Feb (2014) and that will give you an idea regarding fares. Watch out for specials that are listed in the papers. Also sign up to each airline site - you can sign up using your email address and you will be alerted of any specials. If you live in melb or sydney or brisbane i think you can estimate anything from about $1300 -$1900 for airfare (economy)
Hotels - I think you should probably allow for about !00E per night average. But to get a better idea, research the places you want to go and check out trip advisor for hotels. put in a rough date and check out prices for 2014 - at least this will give you a guide. But I am sure that some places may be cheaper so I would say to plan about $100aud per night.
You will also need to take into account how you wish to travel to each of these places - train or flying using some of the budget airlines in Europe.
Once you get your airfare and get closer to the date - people here will help you plan the best way to travel. I also find travel agents much more expensive than planning things out myself.
Apr 1st, 2013, 12:08 AM
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<< I have never been to Europe and have no idea of the costs involved >>
Get some guide books from your library to see a range of prices. Greece and Croatia are less expensive than Italy and London. It depends on where in Italy you'll be staying - during the winter it will probably be the major cities rather than the countryside.
Hiring a car will be more expensive than traveling by trains/buses. In Greece you'll be on the main land as the islands are more for summer travel. From Athens you can take day trips by bus or tours to other areas.
Trains in Italy are very inexpensive and if you stick to cities they're the best way to travel.
London will be fairly expensive for food and lodging but many/most museums are free.
Four/five weeks sounds like a lot of time but it really isn't if you're moving around over a wide area. The more you travel around Europe the more it will cost you. Better to choose a smaller area and see it in depth.
Get some guide books from your library to see a range of prices. Greece and Croatia are less expensive than Italy and London. It depends on where in Italy you'll be staying - during the winter it will probably be the major cities rather than the countryside.
Hiring a car will be more expensive than traveling by trains/buses. In Greece you'll be on the main land as the islands are more for summer travel. From Athens you can take day trips by bus or tours to other areas.
Trains in Italy are very inexpensive and if you stick to cities they're the best way to travel.
London will be fairly expensive for food and lodging but many/most museums are free.
Four/five weeks sounds like a lot of time but it really isn't if you're moving around over a wide area. The more you travel around Europe the more it will cost you. Better to choose a smaller area and see it in depth.
Apr 1st, 2013, 12:24 AM
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Agree with Millie. I'm not sure what is the best time to book flights for Jan/Feb so I'd ask advice from a travel agent on when to look out for your flights. Don't forget that a lot of expats head home to Europe around Christmas time.
Costs can obviously vary hugely. If you divide your budget into transport, accommodation, food, sightseeing and shopping, you'll be able to break it down.
Obviously transport will cost a lot more if you're moving long distances but booking in advance (usually 3 months within Europe for flights and trains) can save heaps. Don't forget local transport as well. (Staying centrally is not only nicer but can save on local transport costs.)
Hotels and bed and breakfast can start from as low as 50euro a double (and still be nice). Apartments are sometimes more expensive but you save on meals. For example, in 2011 we stayed in a gorgeous 16th century appartment in Germany for 75euro a night. That meant we could have breakfast and the occasional evening meal 'at home'. Check booking.com to research the places you're likely to be visiting.
Food costs can be minimised by picnics, pre-prepared baguettes and other snacks. Evening meals can start from about 15euro per person. Eating at lunch time is more affordable (and often nicer).
For sightseeing, check the cost of places which you'd like to visit but generally you can count on 5-10euro for each museum, castle, art gallery.
4-5 weeks will fly by so I recommend not trying to see too much. Allow yourselves time to linger in a cafe all afternoon, sleep in, not feel too timetabled. Generally, I try to arrange at least 3 nights in each place (giving 2 full days to explore). Moving on to the next place usually takes at least half a day. So if you divide 4 weeks by 3 days, you have a maximum of 9 places to visit - as a guideline. Coming from Australia, don't fall into the trap of thinking that distances are small. Of course they are compared to Australia but there is so much more to see in a more compact area.
Also factor in the time of year you will be visiting. For example, I have heard (but cannot attest to) that the Greek islands are VERY quiet in the winter and won't give you that clasic Greek experience which you might have in the back of your mind. Of course, other parts of Greece, such as the larger islands and the mainland may be a different kettle of fish.
Have a fantastic trip!
Costs can obviously vary hugely. If you divide your budget into transport, accommodation, food, sightseeing and shopping, you'll be able to break it down.
Obviously transport will cost a lot more if you're moving long distances but booking in advance (usually 3 months within Europe for flights and trains) can save heaps. Don't forget local transport as well. (Staying centrally is not only nicer but can save on local transport costs.)
Hotels and bed and breakfast can start from as low as 50euro a double (and still be nice). Apartments are sometimes more expensive but you save on meals. For example, in 2011 we stayed in a gorgeous 16th century appartment in Germany for 75euro a night. That meant we could have breakfast and the occasional evening meal 'at home'. Check booking.com to research the places you're likely to be visiting.
Food costs can be minimised by picnics, pre-prepared baguettes and other snacks. Evening meals can start from about 15euro per person. Eating at lunch time is more affordable (and often nicer).
For sightseeing, check the cost of places which you'd like to visit but generally you can count on 5-10euro for each museum, castle, art gallery.
4-5 weeks will fly by so I recommend not trying to see too much. Allow yourselves time to linger in a cafe all afternoon, sleep in, not feel too timetabled. Generally, I try to arrange at least 3 nights in each place (giving 2 full days to explore). Moving on to the next place usually takes at least half a day. So if you divide 4 weeks by 3 days, you have a maximum of 9 places to visit - as a guideline. Coming from Australia, don't fall into the trap of thinking that distances are small. Of course they are compared to Australia but there is so much more to see in a more compact area.
Also factor in the time of year you will be visiting. For example, I have heard (but cannot attest to) that the Greek islands are VERY quiet in the winter and won't give you that clasic Greek experience which you might have in the back of your mind. Of course, other parts of Greece, such as the larger islands and the mainland may be a different kettle of fish.
Have a fantastic trip!
Apr 2nd, 2013, 01:01 AM
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Like you, we are thinking of travelling from Australia to Europe in Dec/Jan and I visited a travel agent today to find out when the best time to look out for cheaper fares would be. I was told that Dec/Jan is the busiest and most expensive time to fly to Europe. Some quick research yielded fares starting from $2500 return. And that's booking now.
Apr 2nd, 2013, 05:33 AM
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I think it's more likely you will eat lunch out. You will be out at sites/museums during the day and will likely eat where convenient. If you rent apartments, you may eat in at night some. It will be dark at 5pm so many nights you might not want to head back out.
Apr 5th, 2013, 05:03 PM
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HI JACJAY,
As requested, here's an estimation for planning a 4-5 week trip, in US dollars:
Airfare for 2RT $2500 - 3000
Lodging $50 - 120/night
Food, ground transport, misc. expenses $100/day
Can you go for less, yes, because you are going off season and thus can get economical lodging. But you are traveling around and that adds on cost more than staying in one place. I think it is easy to underestimate travel costs so you want to be prepared. It is always nice to end up spending less than you set aside. The suggestion that you can stay in Europe for for 10-20 e a night? Maybe in a place to two but I don't think that is realistic for a budget. I suspect you don't want to stay in hostels and being on vacation should be just that, a vacation.
As requested, here's an estimation for planning a 4-5 week trip, in US dollars:
Airfare for 2RT $2500 - 3000
Lodging $50 - 120/night
Food, ground transport, misc. expenses $100/day
Can you go for less, yes, because you are going off season and thus can get economical lodging. But you are traveling around and that adds on cost more than staying in one place. I think it is easy to underestimate travel costs so you want to be prepared. It is always nice to end up spending less than you set aside. The suggestion that you can stay in Europe for for 10-20 e a night? Maybe in a place to two but I don't think that is realistic for a budget. I suspect you don't want to stay in hostels and being on vacation should be just that, a vacation.
Apr 5th, 2013, 05:45 PM
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The lodging and daily expenses shown above are way too light for London or major Italian cities, particularly when renting cars. The cost of petrol/gas will really eat into the budget. Sightseeing in Italy would cut into half the daily budget leaving only $50 per day for food for two people. These prices could possibly be used for Greece or Croatia.
Apr 5th, 2013, 09:37 PM
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"you are going in low season"
There's no such thing in London. Northern hemisphere winter is obviously the busiest time for flights between Europe and Australia (Europeans outnumber Australians 25 to 1) and it's us going for midwinter warmth that drives January round the world plane fares up.
And tourism is a trivial contributor to the London economy: we eat in restaurants, and businesspeople people visit the world's largest single commercial centre, 365 days a year. Queues to get into the Tower of London might be shorter in Feb than in August - but that makes no impact on hotel or taxi prices.
There's no such thing in London. Northern hemisphere winter is obviously the busiest time for flights between Europe and Australia (Europeans outnumber Australians 25 to 1) and it's us going for midwinter warmth that drives January round the world plane fares up.
And tourism is a trivial contributor to the London economy: we eat in restaurants, and businesspeople people visit the world's largest single commercial centre, 365 days a year. Queues to get into the Tower of London might be shorter in Feb than in August - but that makes no impact on hotel or taxi prices.
Apr 7th, 2013, 08:33 AM
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RE. Croatia:
Well if you are going to visit Croatia then Istria is a must and of course city of Pula and Rovinj. there is a ferry from both cities (4 hours) directly to Venice. Hotels wore more expensive than a whole apartment so we rented a 3-room apartment with sea view her: http://viakon.eu/apartments.html. It was 200 m from Kamenjak nature park and it was out of this world. We live in Copenhagen/Denmark and we could feel the price difference in our favour
. We rented ou car at Economy car and they wore cheapest each time: http://www.economycarrentals.com/def...resellerid=780
Hope it helps.
regards from Copenhagen
Well if you are going to visit Croatia then Istria is a must and of course city of Pula and Rovinj. there is a ferry from both cities (4 hours) directly to Venice. Hotels wore more expensive than a whole apartment so we rented a 3-room apartment with sea view her: http://viakon.eu/apartments.html. It was 200 m from Kamenjak nature park and it was out of this world. We live in Copenhagen/Denmark and we could feel the price difference in our favour
. We rented ou car at Economy car and they wore cheapest each time: http://www.economycarrentals.com/def...resellerid=780Hope it helps.
regards from Copenhagen
Apr 7th, 2013, 09:18 AM
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<< Istria is a must >>
Istria is more an area for summer rather than winter. There's a recent trip report about visiting Istria in the winter.
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...rip-report.cfm
Istria is more an area for summer rather than winter. There's a recent trip report about visiting Istria in the winter.
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...rip-report.cfm
Apr 7th, 2013, 02:38 PM
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You are going in the middle of winter. Beach resorts will be mostly shut and transit to and from them (ferries, etc) will be very scarce.
At that time of year I would focus on major cities where the bad weather (sleet, snow, etc) won't matter so much. (You may not get any snow - but in 4 to 5 weeks at that time of year I would be surprised if you don't. And do plan on quite a bit of chilly rain.
At that time of year I would focus on major cities where the bad weather (sleet, snow, etc) won't matter so much. (You may not get any snow - but in 4 to 5 weeks at that time of year I would be surprised if you don't. And do plan on quite a bit of chilly rain.
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