My dream trip to Europe - is my budget enough ?
 

Hello everyone,

I just finished school and been hired in a good and reputable company with a decent salary. But I'm 24 years old and never got the chance to travel to Europe, which I always wanted to do.

​​​​​​For my first trip, I was thinking about going in Paris between April 7th and April 19th. It's the only time I was able to have vacations and airfares are somewhat affordable.

I was planning on a budget of more or less 2500$ CAD (1623 Euros) EXCLUDING plane tickets.

I plan on visiting Paris (of course), Brussels (with a day trip to Bruges or Ghent) and Amsterdam. I plan on sleeping in hostels and finding affordable options to eat. I will probably visit a museum or two, do a tour and taste some beer. Generally speaking, I try to be a frugal traveler.

​​​​​ Having that said now, do you believe it's something doable ? What are your suggestions for me ?

Thanks and have a great day ! :)

One issue . . . the more one moves around the more it costs. But €1600 to cover the 11 days not counting your travel to from Europe gives you £145 per day. That is very doable but the extra moves/transport will eat into your budget a fair bit.

Forgive me for thinking in US dollars, but that's about $1900. If you spend $200 on round trip rail travel, that leaves about $140 a day. A hostel might cost $30-40 a day, so you should have $100 a day for food, local transportation and attractions/tours. Sounds like you might have something left over for a minor splurge or two. Go for it and have a great time!

You can save tons on trains by booking well in advance - for lots of insights on that and trains in general check www.seat61.com; www.ricksteves.com and BETS-European Rail Experts. Fly into Paris and out of Amsterdam.

You may also be able to time your museum visits so that they're free - for example the Louvre is open for free for those under 26 on Fridays from 6 to 9:45pm and several Parisian museums (for example Musee D'Orsay) have free admission on the first Sunday of the month (that's the first day you're there, April 7, 2019) - so if you time your flight right (or even better, if you can get in on April 6th), you can still try to make it to a museum for free.

Let's Go Europe is a great guidebook for folks your age on a low budget - tremendous objective coverage of hostels and youth hotels and budget accommodations in general - www.letsgo.com.

Lots of expenses are discretionary - cafes are neat to sit at and at night go out but these things can also cost a ton - hostels and youth hotels have usually have cafes on premises and plenty of folk your age to mingle with. Hostels also have kitchens you can cook your own foods in and supermarkets are ubiquitous -picnicking is great too and again can be very cheap - most have take-out deli fare. Formal restaurants can be very expensive - again Let's Go Europe has great tips on cheap eats - street food can be really nice too and local markets a joy to shop in for fresh veg and fruit.

135 euro per day for 12 days is enough for the style of trip you describe.

I agree with the comments though that moving around so much eats into your budget, more so than if you stayed in the same city, you'd have a little more wiggle room with spending.

Also, for travel between - say - Brussels and Amsterdam: Flixbus. Takes about the same time, does require a bit of planning, and is very cheap. Used them a lot for travel between Rotterdam, Brussels and Paris: totally ok and safe.

Anyway I think OP's concern about budget is that it is possible but with some planning as to transport costs is crucial.

Thank you everyone for your insights on the subjects.

To be exact, I'll be 11 days on site because two of the days are spent traveling by plane.

If I want to explore more and spend less time commuting between destinations, what if I spent 5 days in Paris, 2 in Brussels, 2 in Bruges and 2 in Ghent. All those cities are very close from each other by train. Would that be helpful in terms of the budget ?

Not really. Paris-Amsterdam and use each as a base if want to hit smaller towns can be cheaper all in all with discounted Thalys tickets than doing all those train trips. And IMO Amsterdam especially for younger folk, is a fabulous city- I'd skip all but Amsterdam and Paris - those other places are nice but Amsterdam is exceptional and its many hostels and youth hotels can be just as cheap as anyplace.

I am not the train route expert. But one thing you can do, is if you did go to Amsterdam, look at what cities your route stops at.

Take an early morning train, then get off part way to see a smaller town, then get back on in the afternoon and go the rest of the way to your final destination.

Key point: This strategy only works if the train station you visit has lockers and you are backpacking/traveling light and can fit your things into the locker.

Hi, just checking but I guess you are a native French speaker based on reading your notes. You'll be fine as they sort of speak your language in Paris.

Money looks ok, Flexibus will help on transport. I'd also try to avoid North American brands which are expensive in Europe, if the budget is very tight I might even consider going vegetarian for the trip while ethnic restaurants will save you lots. Beer can be expensive but you will find deals especially in Belgium such as early bird and maybe a tasting range of beers in the better places where say 3 small special beers are a good price. Note that the best beer is Belgian in the areas you are going to, though Dutch beer is beginning to catch up.

If your hostels have washing machines you can really reduce the weight of your pack

I am a native French-Canadian. I'm impressed. How did you know simply but reading my notes ? :)

As for my trip, I think that I'll do Paris (5 days), Amsterdam (3 days), Brussels (3 days).

Thank you for all your tips. They have been really helpful !

"hired in"rather than "hired by" :-)

Take an early morning train, then get off part way to see a smaller town, then get back on in the afternoon and go the rest of the way to your final destination.>

Only problem that n discounted tickets you usually cannot stop off without buying another ticket so it would be more expensive doing that.

I believe that Brussels now has the vibe that Amsterdam used to have regarding "alternative culture". You'll find that in Amsterdam, hostels are not really cheap, unless they are of very low quality. If you have months to plan, consider fixing your Amsterdam nights at once and book those at Stayokay (former Youth Hostels International). That way you can even book a private room. There are two stayokays in Amsterdam, but a very nice one is in Haarlem, 10 minutes from Amsterdam by train. Their prices are also lower. You can book through booking.com

Haarlem is a good solution to the cost of accom in Amsterdam, plus the railway station is very pretty

Stayokay Haarlem: nice surroundings too

There are two stayokays in Amsterdam, but a very nice one is in Haarlem, 10 minutes from Amsterdam by train>

quick check says stayokay Amsterdam in Vondel Park and Haarlem both advertise beds from e 17.50 - stay in Haarlem and you pay for return train fare to Amsterdam, making it more expensive. I have stayed several times in Haarlem because I found b&Bs a lot cheaper than anything in Amsterdam and after umpteen trips to Amsterdam wanted a more normal non-touristed town. But if I were in my 20s and first-time traveler I'd stay right in Amsterdam and be within walking distance of so many neat places - you can come back to your hostel or hotel during day - not possible by staying in Haarlem.

Price for a bed is the same, but a private room in the Amsterdam Stayokay is more expensive than one in the Haarlem Stayokay.

Plus return rail fare? For the average 20s type Amsterdam will make a far more exciting stay than in Haarlem - Amsterdam nightlife starts late and goes thru wee hours - schlepping back to remote Haarlem a pain. IMO.

>>schlepping back to remote Haarlem a pain<<

Guess your idea of 'pain' is different than mine. It is a very short train ride . . . and Haarlem is neat place in and of itself.

Funny when folks say about London say they are thinking of staying a 20-minute train ride away you always say they should be more in the center of London - always - but here you think the opposite?

Why the discrepancy?

Same reasons you always recommend a central London stay apply to Amsterdam IMO.

Because . . . London is larger by many times than Amsterdam and even staying in the very center of the city, one will spend a lot of time in transit just hitting the major sites.

One thing to know about this part of Europe is that bus travel has pretty much "exploded" over the last three years, and the fares are much lower than the train fares. Of course, naturally bus travel takes longer, so you have to think about the "time is money" factor.

Specifically regarding Paris, one-star hotels are very often cheaper than staying in a hostel (unless you love rooms with 8 beds). I do understand that one of the attractions of hostels is meeting other people and sharing information, but there are also times when you would just like to be alone. In my own neighborhood, there is the extremely popular Yves Robert hostel, modern and spotless. There is a park in back and various trendy cafés and other establishments in front. If you walk there from the Marx Dormoy metro station (which is the closest), you will pass about 3 one-star hotels with rooms for about 40 euros. Unfortunately, one-star hotels rarely appear on the internet and are not bookable online in most cases. But then again, April is not a busy month for such places and it is highly unlikely that any of them would be sold out.

It's a gamble, but one of the good things about being young is that you can be more daring. Things always work out in the end.

hotels can be isolating for sinle travelers - first time I went to Paris centuries ago I stayed in a hotel and felt so alone - I moved to a hostel and enjoyed mixing with others my age from all over the world - Paris has many neat hostels and youth hotels - now offering private rooms - great places to meet other folks to go out with at night, etc. Take a look at Let's Go Europe guidebook for great critiques of dozens of hostels. Amsterdam and Brussels also lots of hostels and youth hotels - so I'd seriously consider staying in them rather than a cheap hotel unless of course you like privacy then avoid hostels at all costs.

Schlepping? A 10 minute train ride? That would be a ride IN Central London. There's the #280 Night Bus: Leaves from Leidseplein, goes to Haarlem.

I just mentioned it, not only because of the price difference, but also because Haarlem is so much more sane than Amsterdam these days. But then, you haven't been there since 2011, have you?

Tu t'en sortiras merveilleusement bien. Pas la peine de te faire des soucis.

Oui!

Haven't stayed in that many hostels but I would have to recommend generatorhostels.com. Good value, they tend to have really interesting well designed buildings, great atmosphere and very sociable. They have sites in Paris and Amsterdam I believe. Only downside would be the food was pretty average and not cheap, but who want's to eat in the hostel anyway!

www.hostelworld.com has info on zillions of hostels in Paris and Amsterdam and chose one to fit your style.

As for my trip, I think that I'll do Paris (5 days), Amsterdam (3 days), Brussels (3 days).

I'd suggest taking a day away from Brussels and adding to Amsterdam and doing a day trip to some neat Dutch regional town or rent a bike and experience Holland from a bike like many locals do- there are some easy but nice country putzes -if interested say so as menachem and others can advise so well - really riding a bike in Holland is a unique experience- rent at one train station like Haarlem and riding thru the famous flower fields to the Keukenhof - the famous Dutch flower extravaganza only open in parts of April and May and then end up in Leiden - and take bike on train back to Haarlem.

If in Brussels 3 days do a day trip to Bruges maybe.

Personally, I would stay in Ghent and do day trips to Bruges and Brussels. The cafes along the river in Ghent are so vibrant and were filled with young people when I was there.

Maybe hit Brussels first and stay there one night and got to Gent for two - lovely, lively university town and day trip to Bruges - from Gent you can then go via Antwerp (great place for few hour look - stick bags in station locker) and bop around lovely town center - and take Thalys train to Amsterdam - booking ABS fare - All-Belgian Stations Fare that in conjunction with any Thalys train lets you go for a few euros from Gent (or Bruges) on any train for 24 hours to join your Thalys train.

Bruges is a great old town but also one that attracts hoards of bus tour groups turning it center into a kind of Disneyland - Gent is more an ordinary town with albeit some neat sights such as the Castle of the Counts of Flanders and its notorious torture chamber.

Instead of Thalys from Antwerp to Amsterdam, save yourself money and book the regular IC/D to Amsterdam. It's slightly slower, but the fare's often much less. For Thalys discounts you need to book well in advance (months). So you can't decide on a whim to go to Amsterdam on Thalys. But with the regular IC trains you can: just turn up on the day and buy a ticket. The "new" IC uses the same high speed route the Thalys does and is not much slower.

But if staying in Bruges or Gent and going to Amsterdam Thalys tickets cover connecting trains for just a few euros - and if book far in advance as should you can get price as low as IC and come out ahead by the Thalys ABC fare that lets you go from any Belgian sation to Antwerp within 24 hours of your Thalys ticket - that may be the cheapest way and you get there faster. But if wanting flexibility to chose trains once there then ICs are good for that- but I think even booking them a bit in advance can get cheaper fares?

I book a lot on thalys and on the Intl ICD to Brussels, also quite a bit in advance. Invariably IC is cheaper, even if you take into account ABS.