Good afternoon,

I am very new to these forums and planning first trip to Europe...this is what I have so far--

Poland Kracow------Auschwitz 4 days
Austria Vienna Salzburg Sound of Music 6 days
Germany Bavaria castles -Munich-Black Forest?? 6 days
Italy Rome - ------ 7 days

I am still learning the geography---LOL

I will have between 6-7 thousand dollars for lodging trains etc-excludes airfare

Thoughts????

Sounds like a fascinating trip. What month in the year are you traveling? Are you a solo traveler? Are those US dollars?

Many of the places you want to visit are geographically far apart. Are you comfortable with long train rides or would you prefer to fly? If you want to fly and do it on a budget, then you need to pack very lightly. But even you do some laundry in Austria and again in Italy, that shouldn't be a problem.

If your dollars are US, your budget looks fine to me for comfortable and safe places to sleep, sightseeing, good food and even some shopping.

OK, let's do the math.

$6500 divided by 23 days = about $280/day for food, lodging and in-trip transportation.

What do you plan to spend on hotels? $150/day? That leaves you $130/day for food, travel and miscellaneous. I think that's tight, but I don't know what types of hotels you stay in or your meal choices. Only you can answer.

Adding more infor to above post

I didn't include Paris-chose Rome instead. I can switch the length of days/nights in each city also.I love castles, food architecture and people.

I am an event planner by profession but this I wanted help with to maximize my enjoyment. I have waited 30 years to take this trip. I probably cant do over 25 days.

I do hope to return but..........I know people always saw fewer countries/cities and longer in each area. I hope I am starting off on right foot

Thank you!!

Thank you
Sandralist,

I am trying to go before summer/June.
Solo traveler and US dollars
Long train rides fine-about 9 hours, I gauged
I am hoping for 100. night accommodations
Geographically fart apart, I realize and actually pared it down, several times and left out Paris.

Thanks for the info

vincenzo32951,

Meals and hotels just have to be clean------
It seems that I could find hotels, B & B for 100.00 US??

I could take a few days off, and maybe Poland I only need 3 days and 5 each in Germany and Austria. That would be 3 days less for everything.
I am flexible

Thank you for your time.

It looks like you haven't booked your flights in and out of Europe, so you might think about reversing the order of your trip if you are going before June so you have the best chances of pleasant weather and fewer crowds in Rome.

To help meet your budget for lodgings in Rome, consider renting an apartment, especially since you are spending several days there. Also, as a solo traveler, you might find having a little kitchen a huge help, not just when it comes to saving money on food, but also because 2 restaurant meals per day in Italy when you are alone (and even if you aren't) can be too much food. It can be nicer, I think to have a nice big lunch in a restaurant and rest your tired feet, but then join the Romans in the early evening having a gelato or a slice of piazza around 5pm, as they stroll about the city -- then follow with a simple dinner at home.

Try also to rent an apartment in Vienna (one with a laundry!)

Even with an apartment in Rome and Vienna, your lodgings are going to cost more than you will need to spend in Poland and possibly Munich/Bavaria. AirBnB will be a good resource for you in most places, but there are also good studio apartments for Rome on RomeLoft, and other people will have suggestions.

Even if you are planning train travel all the way, you want to make sure your suitcase is light enough for you to comfortably carry it upstairs to train platforms, and also get it onto trains. You are traveling for a long-ish time, and you will need a strategy for not overpacking. The one thing that could really ruin your long-planned adventure in Europe is to pull a muscle the first day maneuivering a too-heavy suitcase.

Nine hours on a train is a long time for me. I am lucky in that I can sleep on trains, so I would be tempted to do overnight train travel -- but you should ask a lot of questions to people who have done it in Europe and specifically the countries you would be traveling through.

Rather than cut days off your trip, I would look for other ways to economize (or save up more dollars between now and your departure date). Street food can be delicious and nutritious, the open air food markets are quite good (and often have food courts), you can buy train tickets in advance for a discount, and learn to stop for coffee in the local everyday cafes rather than internationally famous ones.

Once you decide on your destinations, you might want to start a new thread for each segment of your trip to get specific advice about where to stay and such. Vienna and Munich have excellent in-city public transportation, and people can give you tips about inexpensive neighborhoods that are not the well-known tourist areas, that will be cheaper. Don't know about Poland, but Rome has not got great public transportation, so it's best not to put yourself too far out of walking distance of the things you MOST want to see.

There are people posting here and on Tripadvisor who either live in the places you are going, or have visited multiple times, and they can give you suggestions and details.

If starting in June agree to do Italy first - to avoid the worst of the heat and the crowds. $100 per night is possible if you search early - but this is definitely budget territory and you may not have a lot of options in the historic center. (One of my rules for europe is to always stay in the absolute center - avoids wasting time and money trekking to and fro your lodging, esp after dinner).

Sorry I can't help with specifics since this isn't our price point - but do look early and carefully - make sure the lodging has american style AC and elevators if the latter matters to you.

With 6 days in Rome you might want to consider a day trip - possibly Ostia antica (Pompeii is IMHO umissable but is a relly long day trip from Rome) or Orvieto.

Renting an apartment isn't a bad idea as a way to save money. (I think you're really going to have to do dig deep to find a hotel/B&B for no more than $100, especially in some of the larger cities.)

Just a note about apartments. We often stay in them, but you should realize you won't have the help and recommendations that you often get at a hotel. For the first-time visitor to a city, that can be an obstacle to fully enjoying your visit. The fix is to do lots of research prior to your stay so that you're fully briefed on restaurants, transportation, attractions, etc.

I just did a quick look at Motel One in Munich for imaginary dates in May and the price was 84 euros per night. Motel One is a well regarded budget chain in Germany, and it has more than one venue in Munich that is very nicely situation for tourism.

And that is just one option. If you look at b&bs, or AirBnb, you will find more. Many people who post on Fodor's are business or budget travelers, and they have recommendations from personal experience of nice stays at your price point, in hotels, b&bs, and apartments. Also check the Rick Steves' message boards for Europe where a lot of travelers are very attentive to getting discounts for trains, scoping out the best hostels for over 40 travelers, and other economy tips.

One more tip: Some small Roman b&bs do not take reservations online more than six months in advance, and won't post their 2017 rates for summer (perhaps including May) until after the New Year. But if you e-mail them directly (after the holidays!) you can find out prices and make bookings.

Also, if you decide to stay for a week in Rome but don't want to rent an apartment, you should DEFINITELY contact lodgings directly, since most will offer you a discount on the per-night rate if you are staying a whole week (or even 5 days or more).

Finally, if you want to reassure yourself you can meet your budget target for Rome and still be comfortable and safe and in a good location for sightseeing, just go to Booking.com and do a search for your likely dates in each of your destinations, and check the box on the left side that filters the choices to show only those places charging between 50-100 euros per night. (Look at the top of the page on Booking.com and you can click to get prices shown to you in US dollars.) Then read reviews of what's on offer. You can also filter the search to be shown places with Wi-Fi in that price range, air conditioning, elevator, etc, and you can look on a map to see exactly where any hotel that suits all your needs is located with respect to the sights you want to see.

There are lots of good options out there -- and if you are staying for a week, don't forget to ask for a discount.

sandralist,

Thank you so much for all the information-I guess I will have to up my accommodations budget a bit to 150.00-175.00 I am astonished at all the information you provided and so greatly appreciate it, especially "reserve" order of trip-brilliant.!! I can go in May also, if easier and mild weather.The only reason I wanted to start in Poland is because going to Auschwitz is going to be hard and wanted not to end the trip crying. I am a WWII buff, but that is a small price to pay to commemorate the atrocity that is the Holocaust.

nytraveler,

I will increase my budget as 100.00 seems too low to all of you and I respect and appreciate the time you have taken to help me.I would love to see Pompeii

vincenzo32951,

Thanks for apt info also-and I hear you about not having the amenities and as first timer traveler, solo..it might make a huge difference

Does anyone think for me a fist time solo traveler, a consult of an hour with a Rick Steves expert would be worth it, as I am all over the map--geographically?

A few people are saying do not miss Florence? I was thinking just Venice & Rome? I better go start saving some more $$$$

Thank you all!!!

Don't listen to what a 'few people say' - just follow what you want to do - Florence is a Renaissance powerhouse but art and architecture does not appeal to everyone. Take a look at some guide books as well as individuals' ideas on a forum. Lonely Planet, DK Eyewitness, Michelin Green Guide - all are worthy of a few hours browsing and you may stumble upon something unbelievable that really speaks to you.

For Germany I'd recommend you Würzburg as a base. Würzburg itself is a nice city: beaitifully situated on the River Main, a typical German baroque palace (Residenz), an interesting fortress on the other side of the river, with a nice walk through vineyards.
Würzburg is a perfect base for visiting interesting places in this northern part of Bavaria: Bamberg, Nürnberg and Rothenburg ob der Tauber are all easily reached within some 1 hrs on at least hourly trains. Much nicer than Munich with the usual day long outing to Neuschwanstein, which is a nineteenth-century fake and really not worth your time and money.
Würzburg is 4 hrs on the train from Salzburg (and 2 hrs from Munich if you want as a stop in between), and the railway will bring you within 1,5 hrs to Frankfurt airport for your next leg.

>>>Does anyone think for me a fist time solo traveler, a consult of an hour with a Rick Steves expert would be worth it, as I am all over the map--geographically?<<<

Before you lay out the money for that, see how far you can get on your own using guidebooks and social media to figure out the logistics. You've chosen a very unusual itinerary, and a lot of people are going to try to talk you out of it -- not because it would be logistically hard to do, but because they have too-fixed notions of what a "first trip" should be for somebody else.

But it appears to me that you put a lot of thought into what you personally you would like to do, and the pace at which you want to travel. Other travelers who have been to Italy are so enthusiastic about this destination or that, it's understandable they want to share their thrills, but you really can't let it guide you. For what it is worth, a lot of "first timers" go to Florence and are miserable. They come back saying they wished they'd skipped it. And of course, there are other travellers for whom Rome or Venice was the pits and they wished they'd spent all their time in Florence!

It's often very hard to figure out why any of us go to a famous place with beautiful things to see and end up saying: "Eh" and then move on to the next town and jump for joy and wish everybody in the world could see this. If you scratch the surface it turns out some people liked Florence better than Venice because they finally had gotten over their jet lag, or some shopkeeper in Venice was rude to them while everybody in Florence smiled at them -- or very typically, people love most the place in Italy where they sat in a piazza (any piazza) and drank the most wine!

So while I definitely think you should continue talking about your trip with friends or on the internet, and hearing everybody's people's ideas, I suggest you not be too swayed by the belief that your are a "first timer" and other people would know better than you what kind of first trip you should take to Europe. If in a few weeks you feel ever more confused about the geography of Europe, and social media is only confusing you more, then maybe a travel consultant like the ones Rick Steves offers could sort out any kinks.

Since you want to travel by train primarily, you should get familiar with the fabulous website of Man In Seat 61 if you aren't doing that already:

http://www.seat61.com/takethetour.htm#.VnPW7dzoa2w

You've already gotten some great advice, and I'm jumping in a bit late, so please forgive me if some of my comments are now moot.

Re: flying or taking trains or buses -- I prefer the greener options of ground transportation whenever possible. Not all travelers do.

For your lodging, consider trying booking.com -- and be sure to consider options that let you cancel with at least 24 hours notice.

As a solo traveler, I do NOT consider apartments -- I don't want to be spending my time shopping or cooking, nor do I want to be isolated from others during meals. When traveling, I want a good breakfast, and I want a nice array of options for that first meal -- that's one of my criteria for selecting a lodging. And breakfast at a B&B or small hotel can provide a great opportunity to meet other solo travelers. I do want to relax over a nice meal at the end of the day, after everything I can possibly visit has closed. And I want to have a glass of wine with that meal, and to be close enough to where I am staying that I can safely walk there. So for me, a well-located hotel or B&B or hostel or whatever that offers a good breakfast would beat an apartment, since I would not take advantage of any of the apartment's options. That said, I understand that apartments offer a great option for many people, especially people traveling with others or people who will NOT venture out alone if solo. JMO -- YMMV. But FWIW, when I traveled on a very, very short budget, I made sure my lodging offered a decent breakfast; found it reasonably easy to find some bread, cheese, and fruit (or something simple like that) at an affordable price for either a picnic or sit-down meal during the day; and then savored a glass of wine or beer at an outdoor cafe in the evening. Much better, from my point of view, than retreating to an apartment! Again, JMO and your preferences might differ greatly from mine.

I encourage you to consult guide books by the Rough Guide and Lonely Planet -- you will do well to confirm any specific guidance on-line before committing to a plan, but these guide books should give you some great info to help you plan. IMO, the best way for any traveler, new or experienced, to plan a trip is to consult multiple guidebooks --whether you buy them or spend some time with a few in your local library, identify the things YOU most want to see in each location, note their opening/closing times (and check them on the internet for the latest info), and mark them on a calendar. Take note of transportation times, add some time on either side of your arrivals in any new city (for getting to/from your lodging, checking in/out, packing/unpacking, getting oriented, etc.). See how things fit together; adjust....

"Does anyone think for me a fist time solo traveler, a consult of an hour with a Rick Steves expert"

That would definitely NOT be a choice I would recommend. JMO.

"A few people are saying do not miss Florence? I was thinking just Venice & Rome?"

Your call! We each have our own interests. Florence was a higher priority for me than Rome -- but then, I had a lifelong interest in Florentine art and architecture. Others, not so much. The bottom line is that THERE ARE NO MUSTS! See what YOU want to see and experience. And if you do a bit of research, you'll be better able to choose.

Whatever you decide, you should have a spectacularly memorable trip!

Having an apartment does not require you to cook or pressure you to "retreat" indoors. I stayed for a week in Rome in an apartment and had cocktails out every evening and ate every dinner in a restaurant. The fact that you are a solo traveler does not change the picture for you. Loads of solo travelers rent apartments, and are out and about in the evening (don't know what kja is implying). It's just not an issue. If you want more space for a week's stay than a hotel room will offer, plus a washing machine, and you want to reduce your costs, being a solo traveler shouldn't affect your decision.

In Italy, most hotels and b&bs do not offer what most visitors consider a "good breakfast", especially in the budget hotel category, but even in general. Italians themselves do not eat breakfast other than a pastry + coffee. For touists, Italian hotels/b&bs typically offer a not-so-great cold buffet of packaged products for breakfast. Only you know the importance of a good breakfast to you, and what the definition of that is, but if a "good breakfast" is important to you (as it is to my husband), an apartment could be a real plus, or even a necessity.

In every apartment I have stayed in within Europe, I have had a bottle of wine so I could enjoy a glass in the evening. Often the wine was a present from the landlord when I arrived! Also, please note that cafes/bars in Italy genrally close at 7.30pm, so if you want a glass of wine or nightcap later than that but not a full restaurant meal, an apartment is a plus.

But again, there is nothing about renting an apartment that stops you from going to a cafe for wine or a restaurant for dinner if that's your mood. And they are all located in safe neighborhoods, right near restaurants, just like hotels. And that will be true in all your other destinations, not just Italy. Tourist apartment rentals are overwhelmingly in the tourist zones. They are just cheaper than hotels in the tourist zones.

I'm not pushing you to get an apartment, and kja has well-described kja's preferences, but there are also some misleading pictures being drawn there.

My comment was going to be about the $100/night budget.

Even for a budget traveler, if you want to stay in hotels in cities like Paris or Rome, that's very low. With your new estimate around $150-175/night you'll have a much easier time finding something decent and centrally located (location to me is very important, I don't want to be 'commuting' from the suburbs to save money if I only had 3-5 days in a city).

all the best, suze

I'm not into apartments myself for short stays (like this trip). I think they are more complicated to book, arrive at, etc. and find hotels much easier and more convenient. Plus in a new place I may very well use the help of the front desk staff.

I agree that as a first-timer and a solo traveler, apartments may not be the best choice. At a hotel you can get tips and directions from the front desk. At least it's someone to talk to. I too like a bigger lunch -- doubles as fuel and a rest for tired feet. Then a minimal dinner; in Rome it's gelato.

In Italy you can look into rooms in convents, very reasonably priced; here's a starting point: www.monasterystays.com. Don't know how helpful the nuns will be though.

Do convert your room budget to euros so you know what you can afford. And I don't think it's necessary to raise your budget.

Traveling by yourself in cities, take advantage of walking tours. Usually 2 or 3 hours, you get good information. Sometimes you can take day trip excursions to nearby sights. Here's one booking agency: www.viator.com.

I gather you're taking a 6-day tour in Austria.