jujubean, there is nothing wrong with taking peanut butter, granola bars, etc, with you on this trip if that's what your girls like to eat. You can give them what they want and you and your husband can have a meal to your liking.

The idea of picniking, while harder in the winter, is also a good way to stretch your food budget. And I found that the sausage stands in Vienna and Salzburg are usually pretty darn good.

I think that just being aware of what you are spending helps. Some people sort of bury their heads in the sand and figure they'll worry about paying the bill later.

On our European trips my wife and I budget $50 per day per person for everything except lodging and airline tickets. On our next trip, to Rome next May, we'll be staying at an apartment near Campo di Fiori for about $175 per night. A hotel in the same area would probably run $250 to $300 a night, which price would include an enormous buffet breakfast. All in all, then, I think you'll spend $300 - $350 per day for two
people, not counting airline tickets.

As a family of four an apartment will probably work out cheaper than a hotel and provide you with more space.... you can still eat out; all the time if you wish but maybe the kids can have a frozen pizza as a 'treat' one night?!

Hi, juju

Highflyer has more or less said what I was gonig to say - I am a real convert to apartments for family holidays, even though we rarly if ever eat in, except for breakfast.

Where is does save money, is allowing bulk purchases of drinks which we can then decant into smaller bottles, cheaper breakfasts, including much cheaper tea and coffee, afternoon tea when you get back from a hard day sight-seeing, pre-dinner drinks, etc. etc. Also the possibility to make up sandwiches/fruit/cake for picnics during the day.

and it gives you a great opportunity to have a look in the local supermarket - how else would we have found the frozen octopuses [octopi?] in the supermakrket opposite the accademia in Florence?

Good luck!