<We've been there 2 1/2 times but I think I could go back there tomorrow.>

Nothing wrong with going back to Italy again. I can pretty much guarantee there are still many new things for you to see and do there

I'm big on doing what I WANT to do when I travel. I have no need to fulfill a "bucket list" or check things off just to say I've been there (or because they are a little cheaper than where I really want to go).

I think you can have a great trip combining Croatia and/or Slovenia with Italy. We took ferries back and forth b/n Italy and Croatia and had a great time.

I may have missed it, but have you been to Budapest/Hungary?

I have never been to Budapest/Hungry.

I visited Romania in 2009 and I was very surprised at how inexpensive everything was. Bucharest is not the nicest part but it's worth a day or two, then enjoy the gorgeous scenery in Transilvania.

Budapest is also fabulous and more budget friendly than most of Europe. Hungary and Romania are neighbors, maybe you could see both on the same trip. Neither use the € yet so maybe that is why they are less expensive.

I would look into Budapest. We really enjoyed our trip there. Upon arrival, my husband wanted to leave immediately, as it is not necessarily an "easy" city to enjoy. He did no research before the trip and he was therefore initially disappointed. That being said, he wound up loving the city, as did I.

The two least expensive cities that we have visited are Lisbon and Budapest. Enjoyed both and would love to return to each city. We had excellent meals in both places and our accommodations were budget but very nice and well located. Spain is another affordable place to travel. And we are avid users of Priceline for hotels in larger cities.

At the urging of some travel friends we will visit London in the fall - I have definately had a bit of sticker shock as we usually travel in So. Europe where prices on transportation, lodging, food and beverage seem much cheaper!

We had a brief visit to Lisbon last fall and I was pretty impressed - now I am considering an extended visit there and then taking overnight train to San Sebastian. I found plenty of tasty food options in Lisbon (and food is an important part of the rip to me). There are quite a few day trip options from Lisbon and cheap - we took a 45 minute train ride to a coastal town for about 5E (maybe that is why they have budget problems). I have found what looks to be a nice hotel in Lisbon for 100E a night - NO WAY JOSE in London. San Sebastian also has quite a few reasonable hotel options.

But I'll put in a vote for Budapest too - we were very pleasantly surprised - alot of the Art Noveau architecture and we loved the baths. I do think the people were not quite as friendly (they don't smile much) and there was some shabbiness in some of the buildings - I think they are still emerging from the communist years. Also some lovely nearby areas for daytrips along the Danube. I think with some research you could find good food too - not as dismal as Poland by any means.

Thanks for all the input. Per some of your suggestions I asked; "Where do I WANT to go?"

Italy was the answer.

We are heading out this September for two weeks via FINNAIR for $815 RT.

Let the planning begin in earnest!

I loved Portugal, and it was very economical. It's a beautiful country, and very much under the radar, so not as touristy as some other places. Food and wine are also very good. We did 8 days traveling from Porto to Lisbon with a couple of Pousada stops in between. The coast and Douro valley are spectacular. I look forward to returning and seeing other parts of the country.

I think destination is very important... you should go where you want to go most... and not let price be the determining factor of your vacation.

Like PalenQ said, if your not interested in beaches... then shoulder season or off season is the best way to save money. Also, I would rather eat out of supermarkets or inexpensive places rather then go to a country I have no interest in.

Re: Poland.

(1) Going to Warsaw would lose the wow factor because the city was destroyed in WWII and I've never heard a wow about it - we avoided it other than for flights.

(2) Krakow didn't do it for us either, especially compared to Budapest or Prague, although there were a couple of sights IN Krakow that were excellent in contrast with the city as a whole.

(3) You must not have gone to Gdansk (we did) or Lodz or Poznan (we did not, heard good things though). Malbork Castle and an historical tour of Gdansk would have given you enough wow to make the LOT flights suck less.

Some of the nastiest fish I ever smelled was at a mid-level restaurant in Lisbon. Spanish cuisine is far superior.

As for LOT: yeah, it's not quite Cathay Pacific business class, but you must not have flown on Olympic or, even worse, an American Airline 767-300 international leg. The AA planes are not only small, with narrow seats and no cushion, but they don't even have personal TVs, which Olympic had at least as far back as 2001.

As for Italy, this bit of wisdom from my old man, who has been there far more often than I (three trips for me): "It's hard to find a bad meal in Italy." So don't fret the resto suggestions - just find a place and grab a bite.

we are just finishing up our trip to mostly the puglia region in italy and we have found it to be a little less expensive than other parts of italy.

i am a brand new fan of airbnb and probably sound like their spokesperson-- but we really, really saved some money this trip by using them for 3 of our places. next trip will be more as all 3 were winners. maybe we were just lucky.

we are now in bologna-- and joked that dinner at 'diana' tonight was free because we saved so much by not staying at a regular hotel. we had kitchens and whole apartments at the other 2 places-- and this one is just a bedroom and own bathroom-- but for $60E a night-- we had a fantastic dinner out just a short walk away.

i guess i'm saying-- go where you want to go-- and look into some new options for lodgings. we had to scour a bit on this trip-- but were able to keep to an overall average well under 100E a night.

happy planning!
kawh

Italy is my idea of perfection, but if you love Italy, my guess is that you would also like Spain. It has history, fantastic museums, stunningly beautiful architecture, picturesque landscape and warm welcoming people. It also has that kind of active vibe that you find in much of Italy. It wasn't on my travel list for a long time - no idea why. When I finally went, I was sorry I took so long to go there and have returned twice - so three trips and would love to go again.

we are not budget travelers...but I find Berlin, Bologna, Seville to be very reasonable .

I strongly suggest you should come to Taiwan. It's not expensive and there are a variety of cheap delicious food. The most important thing is Taiwanese are very friendly.

The top three least expensive trips we have taken to Europe in the last 5 years would be Portugal and southern Spain; Budapest; and Berlin. Outside of Europe, South America. The bonus of going to South America from the US is while like Europe it is a long overnight flight, you are only crossing a couple time zones, thus no jet lag recovery.

I see you are going back to Italy. Have a great trip!