Is the 1500-2000 euro for accomodation only?

Check out eurocheapo.com. For Paris, they have more than a handful of budget places that cost 50 euros or less for a single with shared bath:

http://preview.tinyurl.com/2d2rha

Same with Budapest:

http://preview.tinyurl.com/yucxaz

Vienna:

http://preview.tinyurl.com/ypen9v

Madrid:

http://preview.tinyurl.com/yu2tds

Rome is a little trickier but apparently they do exist:

http://preview.tinyurl.com/2c7zo8

Eurocheapo's lists include hostels, and the reviews are quite straighforward about whether a place is for rowdy partying students, or whether it's quite and has more mature travelers and/or families, so you can get a good sense of where you'd feel comfortable.

You need to start booking your rooms asap, though- two months isn't that far ahead and most of the best cheapies fill up quickly.

Patrick, if it's a twin room then that would be a good deal in many European cities. But I'm not sure where this place was.

If I remember right this was the elderhostel program at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival -- housing at University of Oregon in Ashland.

I just suggest that you do careful research on the various hostels - so you don;t end up at the ones aimed at 24 hour party animals - with noise, booze and drugs at all hours.

If you do research it will soon become apparent which are for you. (Although I must admit I wouln't be happy sharing a room with a bunch of teens/20 somethings at this time of life.)

I'm 25 and have been to dozens of hostels and have seen people of all ages staying there. I've never once thought it was awkward having older people staying there. I think a lot of these younger traveler vagabond types view the older people staying at the hostels as people who probably travel A LOT and see them with respect. Or at least that's what I gather from a handful of specific experiences I'm thinking of hanging out in the kitchens of hostels talking with older people. Usually it's a lot of younger people askin the older ones questions.

Anyway, if you wanted a viewpoint from my age group that's my 2 cents =)

Good luck! (and go for it)

Elderhostel programs in Europe are very expensive - $3000 to $4000 for 2 or 3 weeks is not unusual. But let's not divert this thread. Elderhostel are not "hostels" and would be too expensive for the OPs budget.

jfcarli: please post w/ more info - like is the €1500/€2000 to cover accommodations only - or are you trying to do the entire trip for that amount of money.

Hi

Check out http://www.gomio.com and http://www.twizi.com.

Hi, folks! Thanks for the unbelievable feedback.

I was thinking of Euros 1.500/2.000 for room alone, not including transportation and/or meals.

I have taken a look at the recommendations for convents, and I must admit that this idea came in like a beam of light in my dark ignorance re lodgings in large capitals.

I am not totally green to Europe. Have travelled before with my wife. But when together, we usually stay in small 100% touristy cities in the OFF SEASON and stay for long periods.

Last year, for example, we stayed from the 10th September till 28th November(almost 3 months), in the same apartment in Asiago(VI) and paid just 1.000 euros for the rent for the whole period. Electricity and heating was charged separately, of course.

But since we prepared most of our meals, this trip actually ended up putting very little strain on our monthly regular budget.

We use these long term rented apartments as a base for day travelling.

It is superb and very, very economic.

This time, since I am going alone, for other reasons than tourism, I will target the BIG capitals, always avoided before because of the high cost for rooms and for the nearly non-existant seasonal influences.

I haven't had a chance of checking the other alternatives generously offered by yourselves, but will analyze them very carefully in the next few days.

Thanks a lot.

for Budapest -- www.budabab.com 25 EUR a night for the smaller room

for Vienna -- www.pension-wild.com
43 EUR a night for single standard room

for Paris -- email Christian at [email protected] 50 EUR a night

Do check out the Hosteling International website, and READ THE REVIEWS! I didn't read them until after I had made my reservations, and didn't really pay attention to them anyway. It turned out that I should have! We had a great time in Vienna, but another hostel elsewhere in Austria wasn't as wonderful.

Thanks for the clarification. 45 euro for a place to sleep it doable, I believe... I was worried it needed to include food too!

I'd like to thank everybody for their personal contributions to this thread, particularly to caroline_edinburgh.

The convent recommendation really works like a charm:

a)MISSIONARIE DELL’EUCARESTIA - at Trastevere - booked one week in Rome in a convent (room with bath, plus breakfast) at 30.00 euros a day; (Speaking Italian helps :D)

b)Accueil st Paul - booked 11 nights in Paris (room with bath/wc down in the corridor, plus breakfast) also for 30.00 a day (speaking French also helps :D).

Thanks also to centralmainer: I booked with budabab for a week in Budapest, but... after booking it, the Paris opportunity came up; Couldn't resist and cancelled the Budapest reservation. Since this is more than a month and a half ahead and the booking was held for no more than 48 hours, I do't feel guilty...

If I could get the other cities also around at about the same cost it will be terrific. I presume the two worst ones (pricewise) have already been covered, i.e., Rome and Paris.

Once again, thanks everybody for the help.

You are most welcome & I'm glad to have been some help. I do hope you will do a trip report & tell us how it all went.

Thanks for checking back. while I was no help above, this was an inspiring thread to read. Great to hear about the convent stays, and savvy you... with the good language skills and all!!

for Budapest, I can recommend a flat to rent, in the pedestrian street, clean and comfortable. This is the site:

www.budapest-flat.com