jujubean

my family of four (kids 13 and 8) is considering a 2 week trip to Munich, then Salzburg and Vienna during the Christmas holidays 12/15-12/29. I am trying to figure out if it is financially feasible for us. We are moderate travelers - no fine hotels for us - but not hostels either. We like to visit some museums - maybe a few less with kids - and will take advantage of every free or low cost thing to do! I plan to tour the seasonal markets and take in the atmosphere. We will go to see the castles, but do not expect to ski or anything like that. we may rent a car for a few days to take trips to the country, but for the most part, we feel comfortable on public transport/trains.

how much should I consider in our daily budget for us to eat/sleep and play?

lindy27

My husband and I (no children) spent about $250 a day for both of us including food/hotels/transportation(not plane there)/play while on our trip last year in June. We spent on average 90 euro a night on hotel.

Next year we plan on going to those 3 places and are budgeting about $235 a day for both of us. We do eat out for dinner but eat a light lunch and try to find a hotel/B&B at 90 euro or below that includes breakfast.

I have heard that children are equal to about 1/2 the cost of adults while traveling due to discounts so consider the price of at least 3 adults traveling together.

Here is what we kind of spent while there per person per day: 6-10 euro for lunch (includes drink), 15 euro for dinner, 15 euro for entertainment, 5 euro for innercity transportation. One thing that we found surprising is the cost of beverages, water is bottled and not free and Coke is more expensive than beer.

jujubean

Thanks - it sounds like our travel habits are similar. I generally get grocery store items for breakfast(if needed),lunch and snacks. I guess then that I'll plan about 350-375 a day for all of us and hope to spend less. I was planning to carry around our own water bottles with tap water - is that feasible? do places (museums etc) allow you to bring in liquids? The beer is cheaper than water will be a boon for me!

yk

jujubean, yes, most museums will allow you bring in water. If they do not, they usually will keep it for you and return your bottles to you when you leave. Or they will ask you to put your bag (with the bottles) in a locker before you enter the galleries.

Overall, I find Germany to be one of the cheaper Western European countries. Austria is more expensive, but not too outrageous. Depending on how long each place you're staying at, you may find it cheaper to rent an apt instead of staying in hotels. That way, it's a lot easier to prepare your own breakfast and (if you want) dinner in the apt than eating out every meal.

swandav2000

Hi jujubean,

Another tip is to have your larger meal for the day at noon time -- when restaurant menu specials are much cheaper. Then eat your picnic for dinner. Don't forget that the grocery stores sell small-sized decent wine, too.

Have fun!

s

jujubean

yk,
good idea about the apartment. At this point, I'm just not sure about our itinerary - my 8 yo still believes in Santa, so I'll have to make some arrangements for Christmas - an apartment would certainly make it easier to get a small tree and store/wrap some gifts. Likewise, for our Christmas day meals - no worries about an open restaurant!

I must admit though, that I have a pretty serious travel bug and have been considering a side trip to either Prague or Venice, which would mean that we would be in no single place for more than 4 days. I really want to see Venice and have my feet touch Italian soil(or rock) again...do you think either of these 2 side trips would be feasible? considering an open jaw ticket - arrive Munich return from somewhere else.

wanderfrau

We stayed in a gasthaus one year in Austria and a castle another year in Germany over Christmas. Both had Christmas trees in the public areas and special programs that included the children. You may want to consider something like that.

jujubean

wanderfrau,

do you recall the names of those places?

logos999

Beer, 0.5 liters 70-85ct
Coke, 1.5 liters expensive 1.19€, cheap 89ct
Pepsi, 1.5 liters expensive 85ct, cheap 49ct (Lidl has best price)
Water, 1.5 liters 19ct

Depost on those plasic bottles is 25ct
coke in cans = expensive

logos999

Why is Pepsi so much cheaper than Coke??????
I've no idea, but it's the way it is.

No brand name soda = 25ct-39ct per 1.5 liter bottle

kfusto

We have gone for the Advent season a half dozen times and are headed back again this year to Germany and Austria. I agree that Germany is a great value and Austria can be as well.

Favorites for the markets are Berlin and Munich for large cities, and Salzburg, Garmisch, Wurzburg for smaller cities/towns. I find Berlin to be an excellent value for a world class city and there is a incredible variety of things to do.

I do not know about quad rooms - only that they seem a bit hard to come by.

We spend about 150 E per day on food and incidentals for two and for hotels, another 125E or so per night. With advance planning we have been able to stay in very nice hotels for that budget and there are certainly cheaper options as well.

kfusto

We did find Vienna to be quite expensive as compared to Munich and Berlin - we have been to each a number of times.

november_moon

We (DH and me, no kids) are taking our 2nd trip to Germany next year. On our first trip (2006) we did fine on 100 euro/day on food, drink, and incidentals, so this time around we are planning 120 euro. For lodging, last time we averaged 90 euro/night, so this time we are planning 100 euro/night.

jujubean

so, since Vienna is pricey, maybe I skip it and go to Prague instead - thoughts?

Kfusto - thanks for the market suggestions. What about Nuremberg?

yk

jujubean, my first trip to Vienna with DH, we stayed at hotels and ate out for all meals. We ended up spending about $270/day for the 2 of us. This includes:

sightseeing (museum admissions)
tickets for one opera; one Vienna philharmonic concert (during a 3-night stay)
Hotel
Lunch + Dinner at sit-down restaurants
Transport within Vienna

I returned to Vienna in 2009 with several relatives. This time, we stayed at an apt, cooked several dinners, and I ended up spending $106/d for myself alone. This includes:

Apt lodging
Sightseeing/admissions
Transportation
One opera; one ballet; and one symphony concert (during a 5-night stay)
food (mostly eating out lunches at sit-down restaurants)

lindy27

We also carried around plastic water bottles and refilled them where we could. We never had a problem bringing them anywhere. We didn't drink them while at a sit down restaurant for dinner but used them between meals and sometimes during lunch. Coke/water/beer is pretty cheap in the grocery stores, it is just restaurants where I find the water/Coke expensive.

I have heard Nuremberg has an awesome market but I've never been. We really enjoyed the town while we were there for a day though.

kfusto

We spent time last year in Nuremberg. It was not one of our favorites though the market was large. We found the city to have interesting historical sites but did think it was a bit scruffy and not nearly as lovely as Bamberg and Wurzburg.

We go to the markets for ambiance, food, wine, festivities and not for shopping so our highlights are based on the overall experience.

wanderfrau

jujubean, I'm looking for my notes. I do remember the places were not really "budget" options, but, I'll let you decide.

jujubean

thanks all.

MarthaT

Just remember at that time of year if you carry around water it might freeze. I went last year in Dec and also in 2007 and I am going back this year to the Christmas markets and the temps were below (last year way below) freezing.
I don't carry around water but it is something to think about.