Rana25

I like architecture, cruises, and walking around a city. I've been to Switzerland (Lucerne), France (Paris), and Italy (Milan) so ideally I would like to visit a new country.
Some things I'm looking for:
-Not expensive (500 euro maximum trip budget for food, souvenirs, attractions, and trips)
-Not too cold (the warmer the better!)
-Must have enough activities for 7 days or have a possibility for day trips from there

Some of the options I've looked at are Prague, Vienna, and Barcelona but feel free to suggest others and tell me things to do there.

Thank you!

suze

Well further south is likely to be warmer... in October Barcelona average daytime temps 70 F; Prague 60 F; Vienna 57 F
Any major city can easily occupy 1-week's time.

Jean

+/- 70 euros a day? Does that include lodging?

I'd look for the city you can fly into directly that offers the best value for your limited budget. Perhaps Lisbon...?

LancasterLad

Look outside of the box for great vfm.. Places that aren't in €uro la-la-Land.....

- Sarajevo, with a side-trip to Mostar by train.

- Skopje, with a side-trip to beautiful Lake Ohrid.

- Romania, Transylvania is easy to reach from Bucharest. Sinaia, Sighisoara, Sibiu, Brasov.....all quality at 2* prices.

melaniebonilla

I was about to suggest Barcelona or Madrid. You might also want to consider Lisbon or Porto, or Athens.

lindygirl

Barcelona and Granada if you choose Spain. Lisbon is another good choice, can also include a beach city in Portugal. Vienna and Salzburg, Austria. Munich and Dresden were great in Germany. I actually really like Rome and Venice. Krakow is another option, could also visit Prague on the same trip. I wrote a bunch of trip reports, maybe they'll help you get some ideas...

Spain: http://fanofblank.blogspot.com/2014/...-in-spain.html
Portugal: http://fanofblank.blogspot.com/2017/...nd-sintra.html
Germany: http://fanofblank.blogspot.com/2017/...nd-berlin.html
Poland: http://fanofblank.blogspot.com/2017/...-birkenau.html
Austria: http://fanofblank.blogspot.com/2017/...nd-vienna.html
Hungary: http://fanofblank.blogspot.com/2017/...d-amusing.html
Czech Republic: http://fanofblank.blogspot.com/2017/...utna-hora.html

Rana25

Thank you everyone!

lindygirl, these are great.

My friend just said that she will be joining me in half the trip and she has chosen either Salzburg or Budapest. So I have 2 options:

1- I can go to Vienna then meet her in Salzburg
2- Go somewhere close to Budapest and then meet her in Budapest.

My only concern about Austria is that I heard it is more expensive than other neighboring countries.

Which option do you think is better? And is Austria more expensive (in terms of excursions, food, transportation)? Hotel prices are pretty close so that's not an issue.

Thanks!

lindygirl

Rana25, glad they're helpful! I was going to say that in general I found Austria more expensive than Czech Republic, Poland, or Budapest. I didn't take many excursions beyond that salt mine tour in Salzburg and didn't take any in Vienna.

kja

For the time you have, I think Vienna and Salzburg would be perfect -- but only if you are interested in what Vienna offers.

thursdaysd

Do you still have only seven days? If so, you could easily spend all of them in Budapest. It takes almost exactly the same time by train from Vienna to Salzburg as for Vienna to Budapest.

Carolmom

I loved Vienna but a lot of the things we did there cost money (theater, palace tours, museums). You can ride the trams on the Ring Road for cheap (in fact I don't actually remember buying a ticket??), and see what interests you to go back and see up close. Many beautiful churches and other buildings, and lovely coffee or sweet shops. One day we chanced upon a free projection on the side of the opera house, of the opera (Wagner) which was going on inside. One thing we didn't do but sounds low-cost is hiking through some of the vineyards just out from the city and sampling the wine. Salzburg is a great destination for your interests too.

Having said that, we found Prague cheaper than Vienna for food and entertainment, and I have just been reading up on Budapest as a possible lower-cost option for our next adventure.

kja

That doesn't mean that tickets aren't required, and the fine for riding without a ticket can be high.
Vienna?s public transport system

Rana25

Oh wow, thank you all!

Do you have an estimate of what I can expect to spend per day in Vienna vs Budapest or Prague?

thursdaysd, yes I only have 7 days.

kja, I like the idea of Vienna and Salzburg but I worry it'll be expensive.

lindygirl, how long did you stay in Vienna and Salzburg?

kja

Many guidebooks have a section on what things cost -- get a good one, or go to your local library -- to see what you are likely to be charged for various things. But IME, costs depend much more on travelers' requirements than on averages -- if you want a room with AC in the heart of town you'll pay more than if a hostel or small hotel on a metro line is acceptable; if you want a sit down dinner in the heart of the city, you'll pay more than if you buy some bread, fruit, and cheese and find a park where you can picnic.

Or take thursdaysd's recommendation to combine Budapest and Salzburg -- and again, think about what you are willing to pay for what in return.

lindygirl

Rana25, I stayed 3 days in Salzburg and 3 days in Vienna. While in Vienna we went to Schönbrunn Palace but only walked around the outside which was free.

Sue81

Rana, honestly I don't think you should let cost be the deciding factor here. Not sure where you are coming from, but Budepest/Czech are farther as far as travel costs from some places. I love Vienna, The coffee houses are awesome, and inexpensive, some fine pastries too. The Spanish Riding School/training sessions are inexpensive and you can get a tour after of stables/museum, get over internet (actual performance is a bit more, but the training session was great, also veryinexpenive standing room area too, one hr usually. The trasit/trams on the Ringstrasse are inexpensive, get a travel book on Vienna/Rick Steves or..... The museums are fine, Gustav Klimpt paintings/Belvedere Palace I beleive or was it Schonbrunn?(movie Woman in Gold) if you are familiar with that. Vienna Opera House tours, etc. i love Vienna.

kja

Sorry, but I’m going to have to quibble with Sue81 a bit. While I can understand describing some costs as inexpensive, that’s always relative – and for someone traveling on a shoestring, even costs that many of us would describe as “inexpensive” can add up to prohibitive sums. I would urge the OP to identify specific sites of interest and then check the internet for current admission prices. (Sorry I didn't think to mention that on my earlier post, and of course, it applies to ANY destination you consider.)

And I would urge against skimping on a guidebook: The Rick Steves guidebooks are generally less expensive than others, and they also typically cover much less.

If Gustav Klimt (no p) is a priority, look into Vienna's Belevedere, Secession, and Kunsthistorisches Museum.

Sue81

It seems to me that I recall the Rick Steves books tend to point out less expensive places to go, stay, eat. Maybe you could get some suggestion for lower cost smaller hotels in Vienna on this site to check out. I agree with kja somewhat, but if you take the time to get the info ahead of time, you can cut down on costs. I know larger cities are usually a bit more costly, but they often have great bargains too....lovely church near the Spanish riding School, that has the tile roof, much damage during WWII, that was free as I recall.

kja

The Lonely Planet and Rough Guide also cover less expensive options -- I know, I've used them! -- and booking.com is the best source I know of for lodging at any price point.

lindygirl

If you're open to it, hostels will really help keep your costs down. I've had some great experiences staying in hostels in various countries and I'll do a mixture of hostels, Airbnb, and hotels if I need to offset lodging costs. I think I once paid US$10 for a bed in a 16-person mixed dorm in Krakow! That just meant I could splurge on other things so I was happy to do it.