jackster748

My wife and I are going to Europe (first time) for the last 2 wks of June and the first 2wks of July. For Paris, and the Normandy area we have reservations. After that we plan on using our Eurail passes to just go where we want to, not tied to any schedule. If we hit cities like Rome, Athens, Amsterdam.........can we find hotels say in the 100 Euro range with out reservations?

rex

Presumably, you are asking for candid opinions. I think:

one: purchasing a rail pass to "cover" wandering across the continent without an itinerary is a good way to spend a fortune on train travel, and assure that you see more of the inside of a train than you will see of Europe. With "only" 20-plus days, you ought to consider visiting only two or three countries other than France... ideally contiguous (which is over half of Western Europe) - - or if you feel that you MUST visit one far-flung country (Greece, or in Scandinavia, for example), then you can and should plan to use the countless new low-cost intra-Europe airlines rather than spending 24 hours or more on a train, when a 2-3 hour flight would cost half as much.

two: can you find accommodations for under 100 euros in any city? Yes. Inherently, it will be in a crummier location, with fewer features, at a higher rate than someone who booked ahead. The majority of people who come to this forum for information will be happy that you are not competing with "us" - - since we book ahead - - for the rooms in the better locations, with the nicer features, at the lower rates than you will get.

And last, some advice you have not asked from me: I recommend _against_ traveling to Europe for more than 20 days your first time. Scale back your ambitions, and put the money you save into your piggybank, planning for your SECOND trip next year or whenever it makes sense to your budget. You will approach your next trip so much differently (and so much smarter), that your cost per day (or bang for your buck)... or both... will be vastly improved, after you have been to Europe (on your own) the first time.

Best wishes,

Rex

Catbert

Of course you realize, you'll get a diverse range of opinions here. It's up to you to figure out what's best for your style of travel.

I don't really understand Rex's frequent advice that first timers to Europe don't spend more than a couple of weeks. It seems rather condescending given his lack of knowledge about the posters personal situation. My first trip to Europe was a month. My second trip, a year later was also a month. I love spending that much time because you really get settled into the feeling of being away.

As for a Eurail pass (if you haven't already bought it), conventional wisdom seems to be that point to point purchases are often less costly. You might want to run some numbers, doing a quick online search.

You will certainly be able to get hotels when you arrive in various cities. The trade off between reservations and going without is that you have a lot more flexibilty as to staying in a place or moving on. You may want to make a list of possibles to take with you. I've done this and called a couple of days ahead when I had a better idea where I would be. It often means calling a few places (especially at peak season), but I've never had a real problem finding a decent place. If staying at the "perfect hotel" isn't high on your list, no worry. If you want a specific place, you probably should book ahead.

Have a great trip!

GeoffHamer

I strongly disagree with Rex's idea that booking hotels in advance will give cheaper rates. Hotels with vacant rooms often give cheap rates to someone who arrives on their doorstep asking for a room. I stayed in Luzern at Christmas: I arrived on Christmas Eve and the tourist office booked me into a hotel at less than half the advertised rate. Generally cheaper hotels keep to fixed prices; it's the more expensive hotels which advertise ridiculous prices and then offer big discounts.
If you're travelling around by train, make use of tourist offices which are generally in or near the railway stations: they'll book you into accommodation, saving you the trouble of looking.

Globerunner09

My husband and I have made five trips to Europe and with few exceptions go without making reservations. We have not stayed in Rome, Athens, or Amsterdam, but everywhere else we have been we have had much success finding places to stay without a reservation. We usually stay at guest houses in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and some parts of Italy, and they are wonderful.

Have a great time!

BabsB

I have travelled around France without reservations and didn't have too much problem finding reasonable accomodations. But it took time.... precious time. I now travel with reservations. I would suggest that you reserve your first night at the very least as you will be tired upon arrival.

nytraveler

Finding decent accomodations in major cities at the height of tourist season for 100 euro will be close to a miracle by itself. To try to do so without reservations almost guarantees you will either sleep in the train stationn - or have to pay big bucks at the last minute for whatever rooms are still left at that point.

Also - agree that rail passes are rarely an economical way to travel - and some of the places you're talkng about are distinctly for air travel - not rail (some of these trips could take 24 hours or more).

To take this kind of risk in January may make sense - not when hundreds of thousands of others are competing with you for decent rooms.

LoveItaly

Hi jackster, going against Rex's usual advice the first time we went to Europe (Italy) in the 1970's we went for two months. What made the trip so special...having two months. I don't understand the thinking that to have a wonderful time in Europe means just staying at the most 20 days. And I have been back to Italy many times and never stayed only 20 days. But that is just my experiences. Not being rushed, having time to soak in the atmosphere etc. IMO is what makes for a beautiful trip.

Regarding train travel..do figure out if point to point tickets will be the most economical for you..it probably will be.

Regarding hotel reservations, especially in the 100 Euro range. It was so much easier years ago to travel without hotel reservations but as more and more tourist travel to Europe and prices have gone up so much plus the strong Euro versus the dollar it is more difficult. But if you are not "fussy" about where you stay it sure is fun to not be locked into having to be somewhere at a certain date due to reservations. It just will depend on your travel style and mental outlook. I have gone from a two star in one place to a five star the next night and each is wonderful in its own way.

Do keep in mind the larger the city the more expensive the the rooms and everything else will be.

Have fun, and good wishes with your decisions.

padams421

Husband and I have travelled around Europe without reservations. On only night in a small town in Switzerland did we have a problem finding a room (and even on that night, we found a room in the next town). I would map out generally where you want to go before the trip, but that's just my preference.

Pegontheroad

When I travel alone, I always go without reservations except for the first night, when I'm jet-lagged and don't want to bother with hunting for a hotel. The rest of the time, I either go to a tourist office or I call ahead to one of the places listed in Rick Steves or Frommers.

rex

<< Hotels with vacant rooms often give cheap rates to someone who arrives on their doorstep asking for a room. >>

This point could indeed be true, and I have never put myself in the position to find out. By definition - - in a city where great hotels, and especially great bargain hotels... "gems"... routinely sell out (in summer, for example), the place that has rooms left is not as good as the place that sold out (big generalization there) - - in location, in features, or in "bang for buck". The "gems" are simply not... as a rule... available, to those who do not book ahead.

Not to mention giving up the time to find the place(s) that will stii lahve a room. So much preferable to spend those same hours investigating... online, and by other means... before you go, and not deal with that, when you are there.

My "standard" advice... advising against a month for a first trip does, indeed, depend on your age, and how much time is money (less often true when you are younger, perhaps). Of my 11 siblings (and wife's siblings) - - 9 of whom have never traveled to Europe yet (ages 32 to 54) - - and might take the big "splurge"... trying to "make up" for a long unscratched itch to "see it all" - - more than 20 days would be a seriously bad idea.

I've partially given up on my own generation of sibs... and tried to help open up the world to the nieces and nephews instead. 11 of the 29 cousins (which includes our children) - - and maybe I would whittle that down to 24 over age 18 have traveled to Europe, including three who have been back for study abroad (and our own kids, three othre trips beyond their first one).

A trip that prevents you financially from getting back for another decade or more... is not the lifelong approach to travel abroad that I would choose to foster.

tuscanlifeedit

100 Euros in Rome in June or July without reservations? I can't imagine that you would NOT have trouble finding decent accomodations in the center. Do you want air conditioning? Rome can be very hot at that time. Athens, too.

I have not been to Amsterdam, but I would think that I would not take the chance with Rome at that time of year.

WillTravel

I've yet to see anyone post a last-minute deal for a city or town that I've visited that I've felt was better than what I obtained on my own through very diligent research ahead of time. Of course I can't comment on the places I haven't been. When I was planning my trip to Italy, I kept a constant watch on numerous web sites to see if any better deal for nicer accommodation in a better area had shown up, but I never got anything better than what I had booked near the start of my planning.

But I actually have one exception of my own. When my son and I went to Copenhagen as part of a Scandinavian trip, I had tried and tried to get a low-priced room there. I wasn't too thrilled with the slightly out-of-centre, 0* place I booked. But two days before arrival, I won a 3* hotel bid on Priceline for 3 of the days in Copenhagen, after bidding for months, even at a higher price. But that bid still left 3 days at the no-star place. Then at an Internet cafe in Copenhagen, I managed to win another 3-day bid on Priceline, the day before we were to move hotels.

With Rome and Amsterdam, you can probably always find something for 100 Euros, but you might get something very crummy indeed, if you read reviews of accommodation in that price range. Or it might be very far from the center. I don't know about Athens. Many small towns are probably much more amenable to last-minute bookings than Rome or Amsterdam, both of which seem to have a plethora of not-so-nice, rather high-priced accommodation.