oxford

My wife and I are 28 years old and have two young children (not going on trip). Therefore, we are on a limited budget. We have a free trip to Europe and we decided on Paris... then it seemed as if most people on here love Rome so much so we decided on Rome... then I started wondering if Rome is right. Is there a book? Fodor's, Rick Steves, Let's Go! that has a section or a book for that matter to help people like us take a trip. We'd like a place where it would not be that expensive compared to US. Any help would be great...... We love food by the way!!

Doug

You'll hate Europe. It's not even worth traveling there. I'll do you a favor, I'll take those free tickets off your hands.

Nils

Northern Europe and Scandinavia is expensive. Europe is absolutely worth a visit! For relatively cheap prices I will recommend Prague which is maybe the most fascinating city in Europe. But you should avoid the most touristy hotels and restaurants. Try the restaurants where the local people have their meals. They are clean, have excellent food and wine and the prices are less than half of the prices in the city center. I also recommend Portugal, Greece and Ireland for relatively low prices, beatiful landscape and nice people. Nils

oxford

Ooops! I posted the original message. I meant to say WESTERN Europe... ie: not China...etc... so Italy, Greece, Portugal, England, Scand., etc... is ok. Sorry<S>

Maira

Spain, specially the Southern Region (Andalucia), is a reasonable choice for budget-minded travellers (aren't we all?....). Another good choice is the City of Prague (lodging might be expensive, unless you find a good deal on this forum). Paris is expensive, but worth every penny; so is Rome. My choice would be to check lodging in Madrid; there are very good deals! <BR>

Jerome

Between Paris and Rome, I'd take Paris in an instant. Rome is old and beautiful but the crime is rampant. Italians tends to think that foriegner should pay more than the local and they try to take advantage of the fact that Italy is a famous destination even by the Europeans themselves. I had a cheaper accomodation, reasonable food price, better value for the souvenirs in Paris than in Rome. Most of all, I heard less theft incident in Paris than any famous Italian cities from other travellers I met on the train. <BR> <BR>Spain is cheaper than France in general, more reasonable than Italy. But then again, southern Europe tend to be more risky than northern Europe. Barcelona, Madrid, Salamanca, Aranjuez, Sevilla, Cordova are all fascinating. Watch out for those SPANIARDS that are remnants of the old Spanish superiority complex. They could melt you with their looks.

dimi

Oxford - out of all of the areas you mentioned - Greece is the only country where you will get good value on your dollars. Trust me - I've done all of Europe and I've been proved right everytime.

Jen Z

If you're still debating between Rome and Paris, I still say Rome. I found Paris to be the MOST expensive city in all of Europe. If you went to Rome you could, perhaps, spend part of your time south of the city (Italy gets cheaper the further south you go). <BR> <BR>Do check out Rick Steves for budget style travel...he has specific country guides, plus the book that made him famous, _Europe Through the Back Door_. _ETBD_ is full of budget travel tips, so do check it out. <BR> <BR>Also, many youth hostels have double rooms, so check out _Let's Go_, too, for listings of those. Rick Steves lists a few, too: Pensione Ottaviano, in Rome, for example, has double rooms at 18,000-25000Lire per person (from my 1995 guide, so account for slight inflation). <BR> <BR>Travel doesn't have to be expensive. If you are very thrifty, finding doubles in hostels, it can be done for about 100$US a day, or even less, for the both of you, plus airfare. If it must be a hotel you stay at, get a cheap room with a bathroom down the hall (who cares how nice it is as long as it's clean, right? You'll only be sleeping there!). Picnic lots...it's much cheaper than eating in restaurants, and quite yummy, too. Most youth hostels and many hotels include breakfast (usu a continental...with two buns, cheese or jam, and coffee or tea -- pack one of your buns up for lunch to save on another meal). If you take Rick Steves' country guide with you, have it in your hand when you go to the front desk of a hotel listed in it -- you will often get discounts (Try Hotel Magic in Rome, for example). <BR> <BR>The two things that will make your trip expensive or not is your accomodations (especially) and what you eat. Common sense will keep you within a suitable budget, no matter where you go.

Jen Z

I forgot to mention... check out www.eurotrip.com. I haven't checked it out in depth, but what I've seen looks good for budget travel advice (including accomodation listings), and I've seen it recommended here in this forum before.

Sharon

I may very well be prejudiced, but I would definitely choose Paris. Yes, it can be expensive, but it doesn't have to be. There are plenty of hotels for less than 410FF to be found. Instead of dining out in restaurants all the time, make picnics by selecting yummies (which can be incredibly cheap!) from patisseries, boulangeries, etc. Paris was made for picnics! Some spots I'd suggest: place des Vosges, Champ de Mars, Jardins du Trocadero, western tip of the Ile de la Cité, pont des Arts, square Viviani (may be square René Viviani), and the square Jean XXIII behind Notre-Dame. Trust me, you will not be making ANY sacrifices by making your own picnics. I personally have never been to Rome, but I had a group of friends who went recently and they were hosted by an Italian family. They said they were glad they had not tried to do the city on their own, because of the crime. They said some of the fun was lost because they had to be so wary all of the time. <BR> <BR>If you do choose Paris, I'd be happy to give you some recommendations on where to stay, museum passes, etc. <BR> <BR>Bon voyage!

Rod Hoots

From the title and wording of your message, I assume that you have free airline tickets but no lodging or living expense money. If that's the case, you might think about joining a package tour in Europe, using your own air to get back and forth. Go to a reputable travel agent and check out a few reasonable but comprehensive tours. In my opinion you would see the most for your money and save a lot of hassle. You might even be able to squeeze in both Paris and Rome.

Christina

To be honest, I don't think anyone can give you <BR>the best advice because you gave no indication <BR>of your interests and tastes. I would give different advice to someone very interested in art/ <BR>architecture vs. gourmet cooking vs. outdoorsy/ <BR>athletic activities, for example. Don't you have <BR>ANY preferences at all, or any country that you've <BR>been interested in the art, culture or cuisine of <BR>that you particularly would like to see? <BR>That is the best way to pick where to go. I haven't <BR>been to Rome so can't compare, but Paris isn't that <BR>expensive except for food, I'd say. I've found <BR>London much more expensive than Paris, but I guess <BR>that's not one of your choices. One nice thing, you <BR>can get decent, moderately-priced hotels in Paris <BR>(unlike London and New York). But, if you have no <BR>interests or preferences to guide your selection, <BR>I'd go to Greece--it's very cheap, has wonderful <BR>food (of course, that's if you like that cuisine), <BR>interesting sites and museums, great beaches if you <BR>venture to one of the islands, the people are nice <BR>and friendly -- and, it is much more expensive to <BR>get to by air, so it would make sense to use a <BR>free ticket to go there rather than a cheaper city <BR>that you can see on your own later if you want (air <BR>fare to Greece is about twice that of London, I think. So, maximize the benefit of your free ticket. <BR>Also, nobody speaks Greek except Greeks, so they <BR>don't expect visitors to speak it and you don't feel <BR>out of it or guilty for not speaking it.

steph

SCOTLAND ALL THE WAY!!! SCOTLAND, ENGLAND, SPAIN OR ITALY!!!!.....orrr...u could always give those tickets to me if you can't decide in time... <BR>

Meg

I found London much more expensive than Paris. In Paris, moderately priced accommodations can be found in small, charming out of the way hotels and crepes can be had from street vendors for a few dollars. Fresh pastry from a bakery in the morning makes an incredible breakfast and those footlong hotdogs on a baguette with melted camembert cheese can't be beat. Picnics are great, too. A museum pass and metro pass are great ways to save extra money. Amsterdam is another city I've found quite reasonable. We stayed at the Bridge Hotel right on the Amstel at Prinsengracht for $75 a night (breakfast included) with a view of the Skinny Bridge from our window. Food was reasonable there as well but not all that memorable. Amsterdam is such a relaxing city and all those tulips - 50 tulips for $5 - or $2.50 if you buy the day old tulips. It is a beautiful place that is very easy to get around - and English is spoken - so we never found ourselves in a confusing situation. The museums are good and public transportation is easy and inexpensive to use ($10 for a 3 day pass). Good luck making a choice on where to go - I envy your problem.

Barbara Vesely

ITALY,ITALY, ITALY,ITALY, or maybe....ITALY!!!

Boots

<BR>Forget the horror stories about crime anywhere in Europe. Use a money belt or neck purse that go under your clothes. Avoid being an obvious tourist--loud clothing, loud voice, and I doubt that anyone will bother you.