TexasAggie

We spent about $7000 on a 2 week honeymoon in June 2004 (Italy - Rome, Florence, Cinque Terre, Venice). Splurged on airfare and some hotels.

2 weeks in Italy in May 2005 cost us about $5400 (Rome, Sorrento, Positano, Cinque Terre). Got a good deal on airfare and didn't spend much on food but did stay in some nice (for us) hotels.

5 days in Germany in February 2005 (Wurzburg, Frankfurt, Bamberg) cost us right around $2300. We got an incredible deal on airfare and the rental car but spent quite a bit shopping.

2 week trip to Greece in April-May 2006 (Athens, Napflion, Olympia, Delphi)... estimating about $4300 but both tickets were purchased with FF miles.


So... your budget of $5300 per couple (exclusive of airfare) for 15 days in at least three different countries seems very reasonable to me. In fact, I'd be surprised if you could get under that by much unless you stay in budget accomodations and eat super cheap. Why are you moving around so much in only 15 days by the way?

Wekiva

"Why are you moving around so much in only 15 days by the way?"

I know...I know...I'm traveling w/ people who have never been and we all love moving around a lot. Our next trip will be a lot slower paced. But we did a similar trip in 99 and loved it. (London, Paris, Alps, Florence, Rome in 2 weeks) I know the pace isn't right for some people but it works for us.

laustic

Wekiva, the pace of your trip might not be for some people, but you have to design the trip for you and your tastes. Sometimes, those whirlwind trips can be really fun! You can identify places that you might want to return to and spend some more time! I think you are going to have a blast!

Larryincolorado

It seems to me you people are bragging about how rich you are and how much you wasted on your last trip.

Ok, in order to make the cost estimates meaningful, we need a few ground rules.

Air fare doesn't count. Someone who flies to Europe from the mid-Atlantic in March will spend less than someone who flies from the west coast in July. But that doesn't mean that they spent more or less overall. We can all figure what the airfare will be us.

Let's concentrate on the actual expenses in Europe, something we all can identify with.

Put the daily expenses in Euro. When I first went to Europe in 2000, the Euro cost about $.84 cents. On by last trip it was $1.22. Since then it was up to $1.34. This just confuses the issue. Use Euro per day.

Lastly, it might also be important to mention the country and the type areas (big cities or rural) you visited.

With that in mind, I was in Bavaria in 2002. We visited mainly non-big cities. For 14 days, we spent €1650 EUR for two, €60 per person per day. That was accommodations, food, transportation, admissions, and misc.

I returned alone in 2004, to the Black Forest and the middle Rhein. My total expenses that trip, for 12 days, was €750 Euro, about €63 per day.

If you stay in American style tourist hotels and eat in the fanciest restaurants, you can spend a lot of money and pretent you are not in Europe, but what is the point. Stay in local, family run pensions, and eat in the town, where the natives do. That is the way to really experience Europe.

rex

Way over-generalized. Spending ten times as much... on a meal, a night's stay, an experience or a purchase of a "thing"... might not provide a linear tenfold increase in enjoyment - - but many expensive things ARE truly more enjoyable in ways that can not be duplicated at the other end of the cost spectrum.

The chepest trip can hardly be called the "best" trip, just as it is silly to think that it is an inferior trip. But a ten-fold more expensive trip than its "optimally" cheaper cousin might involve very, very little "waste".

seeksocean

Rex..wise words! Thanks!

Neopolitan

It is so naive to think that "natives" always stay and eat in cheap places. Many of the most expensive restaurants and hotels in Europe thrive on the "native" trade. For someone to suggest that the only way to "see Europe" is go cheaply is the same as saying that all Europeans are poor or cheap. How silly is that?
Some people like to travel on a shoestring. That's great if they like that, but for them to pretend that anyone who doesn't travel that way is either stupid or not a good traveler is just too. . . .well.

scatcat

I don't keep up with any expenses other than airfare and rail pass. I only pay for half the hotel room when my sister travels with me. My husband will not fly...so it's cheap for just me. I don't eat much(except ice cream), so not too much on food. My main problem is the Louis Vuitton boutique in Nice. Blows any budget, so Id rather not think about it.

luveurop

I usually have a limit for what I will spend on airfare and hotels.

However, in regards to food, drink, and shopping, I have very little restraint. These can really kill any idea of a "budget".


That said I'm guessing I will spend about $3500 on my 6 night trip to Paris (leaving in two days!). I'm telling myself that I will NOT step one foot into LV.

Presocia

My May 2005 trip to Sicily (14 nights, excluding airfare): 2000 Euro

3 nights Palermo
5 nights Villarosa (Enna province)
6 nights Salina Grande (Trapani province)
10- day car rental

At the time, it seemed positively extravagant as it was a trip that included many firsts for me. Looking back, I think it's fairly moderate and entirely doable -- I hope to make other similar trips with a similar budget.

crefloors

I was in Copenhagen for seven days and Stockholm for 5 days, right after Christmas. I went with my brother and SIL. My base price for airfare from SFO to Copenhagen, Copenhagen to Stockholm, and Stockholm to SFO, transportation to and from the airports, the hotels in both cities, both 4 star....was 2300.00. I ended up adding to that BY CHOICE..I was going to share room with my neice who is going to school in Copenhagen so my brother had paid for half of my rooms. For various reasons I did NOT share with my neice and felt I should re-imburse my brother for the other half of the room in Copenhagen. In Stockholm, the hotel was just wonderful BUT, the rooms were VERY small. I went down to the desk and asked them if they had any additional rooms during the time of our stay and they said yes, so I kicked the neice out..LOL and got her a single room of her own. I paid for that room. So, I added probaly another thousand to my cost..fortunately I could afford it, and it was worth it to me. I'm too darn old and crotchity to be in a closet sized room with a 23 year old who is in love and Skyping the "boy" for hours every night. LOL

lyndash

This is a fascinating thread for me as I'm trying to do some rough guestimates for my next trip to Paris and Rouen. It will be a solo trip which does sort of alter the accomodation figure.
In Jan. and Feb. 2005 I took my daughter to Florence and Rome for 16 days and the total, including airfare, was $4,332. for both of us.
In Feb 2006 15 days in Paris for both of us, also including airfare, was $4,808. The euro was slighly better this year but airfare was somewhat higher.

Jackie

I'm going to Greece in Sept. The cost for 15 nights for me is $2551 including air (Athens to Crete and Santorini to Athens) hotels, 1 ferry ride and taxis. My sister and her husband will join me for 8 nights and their cost is $2691 for 2 for same expenses. I don't know what Island you are on, but we will be at Ammos in Crete and Esperas in santorini.

hernanc2002

I'm from Argentina. Actually I'm planning a trip of 34 days in 8 cities (madrid, barcelona, prague, berlin, amsterdam, antwerp, paris and london)

I did numbers and I will spend around the only amount of u$d 2800

- u$d 730 return fly BA-Madrid
- u$d 560 in regional pass, single tickets and low cost flies
- u$d 600 in hostels
- u$d 850 in others (20 € per day)

really a tight budget

J_Correa

I just ran the numbers for our budget - 2 weeks in Germany in July. We are right about $4000 or about $280/day for 2 people. Not including airfare because we used FF miles.

We are averaging $107/night for lodging. Have budgetted just over $100/day on food. So that is the bulk of our expenses.

Maire

I can't even read this thread...I hate to think how much this trip is going to cost

SShprints

I always roughly spend about $100 a day in Europe on food ans STUFF. Add in the hotel, and a car if there is one.

jsmith

These numbers do not include airfare because there can be such a variation during the year from the same departure point and when you include different departure and arrival locations there are just too many variables to be a meaningful comparison.

In November, 2004 we spent 6 nights in London and 7 in Paris for a total cost of $3670. We stayed in 3 star hotels. While in London we took daytrips on the train to Winchester and to Norwich (Combined $168). The GBP converted at $1.86 and the Euro at $1.30 on my ATM card.

In March, 2003 we rented a car for 8 days (Hertz Vectra automatic) in Glasgow and drove to Oxford for $352. We spent 6 nights in London. The total cost was $3692. We bought a Britrail Days Out of London Pass for $130 to go to Salisbury and Brighton for the day. The GBP converted at $1.60.

Included in these totals are transportation to and from the airport both here and abroad, film including printing, any nominal gifts and whisky at the duty-free.

suze

I have never add it up!!! I am not an extravagant spender and only get to Europe every other year. So I spend what I need to to have a good time.

That said, I've never rented a car. And have a friend to stay with in Switzerland, which is free except for all the wine I have to buy her and chores I do in exchange -LOL. When I'm in a hotel it's a 3-star one. Also I only go to a maximim of three cities in any trip, more often only one or two.

Itallian_Chauffer

I NEVER do this, but I had gotten tired of people at work asking, and since the receipts were still more or less all together, it was a relatively short trip and I had a feww spare moments ...

This was trip eight, in the last seven years. All to Ireland. Some people think that I'm a BIT compulsive.

TRIP SYNOPSIS:

Ireland for two, begining 30 March (PM) and ending 9 April (PM). Approximate Total Cost of $3000.

AIRFARE: Continental Airlines Coach South Florida to Shannon $1,133.26 (For Two)


EUROPCAR (through Irishcarrentals)RENTAL CAR: $304.83 Total 1,406 KM Driven

Includes Deposit: $30.01 + MC Charge: $217.86 (Rental + Airport Fee: 28.38 Euro + Initial Fuel: 63.25 Euro) + Foreign Transaction Fee: $6.34 + Fuel Fill Up: 40 Euro + 4 Euro + 10 Euro

ACCOMMODATIONS: 490 Euro --- APPROXIMATELY $ 600.00 Total

Ashgrove House B&B: Watergrasshill 50 Euro 1 Night
Pinwood Cottages Self-Catering: Kilcrohane 220 Euro + Utilities: 20 Euro 1 Week
Quality Inn Hotel: Clonakilty 82 Euro (includes 4 Euro Booking Fee and 7.80 Euro Deposit)
The Harp B&B: Killarney 64 Euro (includes 4 Euro Booking Fee and 6 Euro Deposit)
Shannonside B&B: Newmarket-On-Fergus 54 Euro (includes 4 Euro Booking Fee and 5 Euro deposit)


MEALS: APPROXIMATE TOTAL : 400 Euro (For Two) $ 500 US
Includes Tea, toast and jam, cold ceral and milk, orange juice, and fresh fruit for breakfasts while self-catering. Typical luch was 'pub grub' (soup, toasted sandwhiches and tea). Supper Irish stew, boiled ham and cabbage, etc. at resteraunt / pubs. We ate with relatives for three meals -- all veritable feasts -- at no expense to us.

ENTERTAINMENT : $100 US

Drinks at O'Raian's (including one 'round' - approx. 30 Euro

Tickets to see John Spillane in DeBarra's Back Bar 30 Euro (for two)
Drinks at DeBarra's -- approx 20 Euro


SIGNIFICANT PURCHASES: $730.00 US
Books on Irish History: 60 Euro
Niall Connolly Music CDs 25 Euro
Presents for Irish Relatives: 110 Euro
Tourist Fees: Mizen Head, Skibbereen Heritage Museum: 20 Euro
Genealogy Documents: 50 Euro
Gifts for USA Family and Friends: Approx. $400


Euro conversion figured at the rate of 1 Euro = $1.24 US Actual rates paid / charged ranged from 1.22 - 1.25

Bob