jvictoria

Hi all,

My partner and I are traveling through western Europe and the uk between mid September and mid October. All of our accomodation and travel is paid for in full, however I was hoping for some guidance regarding spending money for sights and shopping. I have saved the equivalent of about 4000 euros ($5000 aud) which will be for myself only. We are holidaying for a total of 29 days, with the following itinerary:
5 nights Paris
3 nights Amsterdam
3 nights Berlin
1 night Venice
4 nights Rome
2 nights nice
4 nights Barcelona
4 nights London
2 nights Newcastle

I'm not sure how to make sure I'm not spending too much in some places, as I know some are more expensive than others. All I have been told really is that Paris and London will be the most expensive. I was hoping for some guidance from travelers who could tell me possibly the most to least expensive places? We want to see lots of tourist attractions and I'm also a big shopper (clothes, shoes, souvenirs, makeup etc) however I'm more interested in seeing sights than buying. Any help would be much appreciated, even if it's just to reassure me I've saved enough or that I need to save more! Also any tips on what to see or do would be great as its my first international trip so it's pretty overwhelming to plan.

Thanks in advance!

adrienne

You have E140 per day to spend (E4,000/29). Since you only need money to cover sightseeing, and food you'll be fine with that amount of money. You have a daily limit. If you go over one day then you have less the next day. It seems pretty simple to me. Just like a budget at home. You won't have any extra money to shop unless you prefer to shop rather than eat.

Figure out what sights you want to see, go to the web site and see how much the entrance fees are. From that you subtract from E140 and you will see how much money you have left for food.

Venice will most likely be the most expensive place for food, followed by London, Rome, Paris.

I do see a major flaw in your itinerary. You have not allocated any time to get from one place to the next. You don't say how you're taveling from place to place - bus, train, car, plane? If you're taking trains you won't get to see much of Venice since you'll arrive from Berlin and need to be off to Rome almost immediately.

1 night in a town does not mean a day of sightseeing - it might mean a few hours. 2 nights in Nice means 1 day. You're really running around quite a bit and not much time to savor the cities you're visiting.

There are too many places on your list to give tips. You can read some guide books or trip reports on this site. You must have some idea of things to see and do since you've chosen particular places to visit.

Your plan is overwhelming because you have too many places in too short a time. You're visiting 9 cities in 29 days; most of the cities are large with many sights and deserve at least a week IMHO. Plus you're leaving soon.

Anna_Galea

I think you did budget enough since you mentioned that you have travelling expenses and accommodation already paid - unless you plan to have lunches and dinners in expensive restaurants all the time. But I would still take a credit card with some extra money to be on the safe side.

Although accommodation and food is expensive in London - though you do find so many affordable fast food chains - it is a haven for shoppers who want to make a bargain. In London there are endless stores and markets where you find so many sales and can make extremely good savings, on the other hand, you can buy from the exclusive designer shops. You will find everything that suits your pocket. I just love shopping in Oxford Street, and also in the department stores that you come across everywhere.

So if I were you I would leave my shopping sprees for London, hopefully it is the last destination before last, so that you do not have to carry your purchases with you everywhere you go. I would only buy souvenirs in all the other cities you mentioned.

Robert2533

In Barcelona you can find a number of excellent restaurants that offer a good fix priced menú del día, a menu of the day, for lunch. Most will be under €20 and include desert, bread, wine and coffee. If you're looking for something under €15, just remember, it's difficult for anyone to prepare a decent meal for less much less than that unless they are using an inferior cut of meat or fish. We've found that the best menú del días are in the range of €20 to €25/person.

Many Paris restaurants and bistros also offer a menu of the day.

suze

I can make whatever budget I have work.

If you want a nice restaurant dinner one evening, eat cheap the next day from a deli, bakery, or have a picnic. Keep your shopping in check at the beginning of the trip until you have a feel for what you are going to need. No one can answer that part for you (I'm not a shopper when I travel myself). If you need to take an expensive taxi ride one day, just get around on foot the next. And so on.

aliced

I am a big shopper too, but only like to buy locally made products-- The Joan Miro museum in Barcelona has nice gifts, as do most of the museums. Love to buy art, small watercolors are easy to travel and repack. I would disagree with the daily limit, as in Italy last year, I splurged on a handmade leather bag in the back streets of Venice that blew that trip's play money then and there, but I love it. No longer buy ceramics due to mass and weight but small pieces are everywhere in Italy & Spain. If you see something you love, buy it and pass on the next city. Please note that admissions to cathedrals and museums are quite significant-- Sagrada Familia, the Gaudi houses, and the Picasso are about $20 pp. But worth every euro!! Do the tapas thing for dinners in Barcelona and in Venice hunt down the Taverna San Travaso behind the Accademia Gallery. It is reasonably priced and have dined there 15 years ago and again just in September. Paris food is great just about anywhere but seek out boulangeries (bread) and have croissant w/ ham and cheese, etc. Shoes/boots very expensive in Europe but perhaps espadrilles or sandals? Have a wonderful time, quite the itinerary.

jvictoria

Thank you all for your responses, very reassuring and helpful!

Adrienne, we are flying for the longer trips and catching the train for smaller (ie Venice to Rome is train, Berlin to Venice is plane). We have really tried to organize the times so we get maximum amount of time in the places we most want to see. With Venice, we fly in around 10am, and train out around 2pm the next day. Also, Venice was last On our list, we are really just going there to see the city itself. I know many experienced travelers may think we are trying to fit too much in, however who knows when we will be back, so I'd rather get a taste for everything on my first visit to Europe and the UK. We are well aware of the fact we wont be able to see every sight and savour every city, but we are fine with that!

Thanks again for the advice and tips!