hello all,

my boyfriend and i have discussed going to europe this year in either august or september. we are both aware that september might be a wiser choice in terms of budget and weather. we both love art, history and architecture, so visiting historical sites and museums is an important part of our trip. shopping is of course in the picture, but we don't plan on spending lots of money on souvenirs and other random stuff.

one thing we can't agree on, or even plan in the first place, is the itinerary. we just really don't know where to go, as we will be travelling on a budget (we are both students) and generally do not know how many days we should be staying in each city/country. however, we have agreed that france/belgium, spain/portugal are countries that we do not absolutely have to visit.

so far, we think that staying two weeks in london and scotland is a good idea, since we have places to stay in for free. then, we are thinking of flying straight to germany for another week. i would also LOVE to go to prague.

i would love to go to italy to make this trip a more well-rounded one, but budget and time are major constraints!

do any of you have advice as to which places we should ABSOLUTELY visit, and how many days we should be staying in one city? thank you all very much,

Sunah

London is going to be ridiculously expensive even if you have free lodgeing... Do you have free transportation too? Because a taxi ride will cost you more than a night's stay in Prague.

I love Eastern Europe so always endorse it. Head to Krakow. I've seen that place suck up a lot of time from people.

Head here and you can see all of my pictures and trip reports from 26 European countries =)

http://www.tylernofziger.com/message...forum.php?f=19

Remember that Easy Jet and Ryan Air have essentially opened up the entire continent to you affordably and quickly...

http://www.easyjet.com/en/book/index.asp

http://www.ryanair.com/site/EN/

And if you have the choise, I would definitely take East Jet over Ryan Air...

your pictures are AWESOME and i'm pretty impressed by Atilla's Getaway...

as for ryanair and easyjet, i've spent so much time browsing through fares and the cheapest i found was 0.01 GBP to fly from glasgow to london.

also, i'm thinking about crossing out london and just going east after visiting germany....

thanks for your help!

The most expensive thing about London is accommodations. If you have a place to stay - definitely go for it. And WHO take taxi's in London. Well sure, a lot of people do. But not when they are on a budget. (Seems odd one would use cabs to demonstrate how expensive London can be) Buses are great and dirt cheap. The tube is very economical. Plus - almost every museum and gallery in London is free.

Rooms in Scotland are a fraction the cost of London. One thing to help you decide between Aug/Sep - besides the airfares - is August in Edinburgh is very expensive and very crowded because of the festivals. Now, IF you have free accommodations in Edinburgh during August - the festivals are WONDERFUL.

I personally think London, Scotland and Italy would be a great trip. But I REALLY don't like Italy in August - so that would mean doing that part in Sept.

But London, Scotland, Germany and Prague would be terrific too. I don't think trying to squeeze in Germany AND Italy would be a very good idea - especially on a budget.

If you can book open jaw tickets it will save you back tracking to fly home. Say into London and out of Rome, or Into London and out of Munich or Frankfurt.

If you have a free place to stay in London, that's a huge benefit.

You don't need to take taxis to get around there; just get the seven-day travel card, loaded on an Oyster card, and take the Tube or buses - or walk.

Most museums are free, and I *think you would be able to use the two-for-one coupons at www.daysoutguide.co.uk with your travel card for places like Westminster Abbey and the Cabinet War Rooms.

We spent three days in London on a fairly low budget in May - you can read our trip report at http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35015831 if you like.

Lee Ann

Please don't drop London just based on Tyler's post. There are many, MANY ways to economize in London w/o scrimping.

My cab example was just one of many. Of course you won't take cabs but no where in the world should a cab ride cost you 50-80$.

There's a lot of other costs that add up beside transportation and a place to stay. But if you do have free lodging, then that's probably a good time to go. Of course you can always stay at the Globetrotter in London for like 20 bucks, so accomadations don't HAVE to kill you in London. I dunno, I've been to London a couple times and I'm just not a huge fan. I know I know, everyone will jump on me and you SHOULD visit sometime, but there are other exciting, lesser seen, places in Europe that I'd go to first.

I thought the tube seemed rather expensive too? Of course I've spent a LOT of time in Eastern Europe where your dollar goes A LOT farther, and don't like spending more money than I have to. If they are on a budget like they say they are, head to Eastern Europe.

And if you want to go to Prague, go there! I've been to 29 European countries and still think Prague is one of the best bangs for the buck out of everything. Everyone should see it at least once! Also, don't look past Krakow, Auschwitz is worth a stop if you like history and museums.

No one should do anything based on one person's review haha... EVERYONE has different opinions on the countries we visit.

I LOVE Prague, I'm sure some don't. I don't like Florence, I'm sure some do.

How the people treated you, as well as how well your food was cooked in a location make about as much of an impression as the price and weather and sites you see. And those things are totally random based on who you meet and what restaurants you stop at.

Just do as much research as possible and look at as many pictures as you can. You'll find your inspirations.

London isn't the 5th most expensive city in the world for nothing...

From the most recent Money CNN report

1. Moscow
2. Seoul
3. Tokyo
4. Hong Kong
5. London
6. Osaka
7. Geneva
8. Copenhagen
9. Zurich
10. Oslo, New York (tied)


I still love London, and the museums are free... so if you pack powerbars and use drinking fountains and get a good deal on a tube pass, you might make it out ok.

I prefer eating in restaurants though and living a little looser so I feel that my dollars go further in other places.

Gosh, what's with Moscow? My cousin lives there and says it's insanely expensive?

wow, thanks for ALL of your great advice! it really did help a great deal

You don't have to "pack powerbars" to eat economically in London. Reserve a hotel where breakfast is included, and chow down before you hit the street.

Many stores will sell you a lunch including sandwich, chips, and soft drink for $5-6. You can eat a pub lunch for not much more than that.

That survey is based on Business travel i.e. -- 4+ star hotels, posh dinners, cabs, business lunches etc. If one is sensible they can do London quite reasonably.

If you search on here you will find all sorts of trips to London that don't break the bank . . . . . .

how many days should we stay in london? i feel that maybe 3 or 4 days should be enough, then we'd head to scotland (and thankfully stay with relatives)...

it depends on what you want out of a trip to London. If you really want to see/do very much you'll need more than 3 or 4 days. But if you just want a teeny-tiny taste and plan on coming back to LOndon some other time -- then 3 or 4 days is OK.

Remember - your first day is really more about transferring to your hotel, recovering from jet lag, and getting your bearings.

Free accomodation in London is 3/4's of the budget issue solved.

Another way to economize in London is to buy groceries- if you have the use of a few basic kitchen applicances like a fridge, toaster, and kettle, you can make your breakfasts and dinners from cereal, yogourt, cheese, fresh fruit and vegetables, toast, raw nuts, etc. For lunch you can always find some sort of inexpensive, pre-packaged sandwich or salad.

As others have already said, you can load an Oyster Card with a week's pass or with cash for pay-as-you-go, and if you love museums you're in luck because the major ones in London are free- the National Gallery, the Tates, the British Musuem, the British Library, the V&A, amoung others.

If you want to go to London, don't let worries about the cost deter you. If you're willing to eat simply and forgo the clubs/nightlife, you'll have no trouble keeping your expenses down.

To go off on a completely different direction, I would recommend Italy over either London or Germany and I would also recommend France and Spain over London and Germany. So if you haven't decided absolutely on what countries you will visit, then consider at least Italy. I haven't been to Prague although it is on my wishlist for the future so can't comment there. And this is only my opinion and preferences.

"Remember - your first day is really more about transferring to your hotel, recovering from jet lag, and getting your bearings."

Or - you might be at your hotel by 10:00 and ready to roll. The first day abroad does not have a one-size-fits-all solution.

All of our responses go to show just show how varied everyone's opinions can be on their perceptions of travel haha.

If I had a little vacation to do in that time and hadn't been to Europe I'd hit Prague, Croatia, Switzerland and Munich (if you are there in September you could hit Oktoberfest)...

But if you ask 1000 people you'll get 1001 answers.

Hi S,

>two weeks in london and scotland is a good idea, since we have places to stay in for free. then, ....<

Go to Paris for a week.

Then if you die, you won't mind.

Fly into London and out of Paris.You can fly from Glasgow or London to Paris on www.ryaniar.com

Enjoy your visit.