$$ for 6 weeks in spring?

[rhea]

Have I averaged my budget out correctly?
It includes transport but not my airfare
Fly Manchester to Paris 1week
Train Paris to Switzerland
2 1/2 weeks there with a half fare card
Train to Austria, Czech & Hungary for the remaining 2 1/2weeks
I have about AU$4000-4500
Not much eating out, or partying, grocery shopping, solo traveller in dorms, the "main" sights but not a lot of museums
thanks

[Jules80]

Hey,

that's not a lot of money considering you are spending 2.5 weeks in switzerland which is an incredibly expensive place. i assume that budget includes your flight? if it does you'll may find you don't have enough money for 6 weeks. just to give you an idea, we spent the same per day in switzerland that we did everywhere else and in switzerland we were staying with friends at whose home we ate most meals!

Jules

[madamtrashheap]

Was thinking the same thing - and if you still have to purchase your ticket (from Australia I guess as you're talking in AU$), then that will be about AU$2000 alone.

Good that you're staying in dorms as this will keep costs down, but you'll probably find that the amount you've quoted won't cover even the other basics if you still have to buy a flight.

[me]

try to itemize your costs.

1. how much will plane fare cost you?
2. how much will surface transport, trains or bus, cost you?
3. how much will hostel beds cost ?
4. food?
5. cover charges (at sights)?
6. incidentals?

some of these will just be estimates. additional things will come up.

once you add them up, you'll have a better idea how far your €2440 - €2740 will take you.

- d

[rhea]

no its NOT including my airfare. I have broken it down and it seems to be enough, though Im just wildy guessing for sights.

Eg, Switzerland accomodation is $480, Food $250-300

[madamtrashheap]

rhea said:

It includes transport but not my airfare

Sorry rhea, misunderstood your first post - get what you mean now. So AU$4000-4500 will be for your trip (ie you've already paid for your flight) and the money will be used for transport, food, accommodation, sightseeing, etc.

When you say you're "wildly guessing" for sights and how much they cost, have a look on their website for the entrance fee to the places you'd like to visit and that should help. There's also a Monuments and Museum Card available in Paris - have a look here for the days and prices www.museums-of-paris.com/museum-pass.php.

Train/cable car trips in Switzerland will eat into your budget as mountain railways are mainly privately owned in Switzerland (not the national rail SBB). Again, look on the websites of the places you're visiting should help with an idea on costs.

Having said that, your budget is on the low end so have a backup plan in case you're running short (Austria isn't cheap either), and make sure you have internet banking access so you can check your account balance (c/card and regular account) as ATMs outside your home country won't give you an account balance.

[me]

i'd also suggest that you think in local currency, although i see AU$ are very similar in value to CHF - Not so much with Euros, Koruny or Forints.

it would also be best to have a cushion - 10% or so. don't budget too closely, in case prices are higher than you expect. it's just a good idea to have back-up plans in case things don't go as hoped.

btw, flights can be really cheap! depending where you're going in Switzerland, a flight from Paris might be much cheaper than a train ticket. example: easyjet has flights in May from CDG to Basel for €31.50, total.

- d

rhea said:

Eg, Switzerland accomodation is $480, Food $250-300

[herrbert]

If we stick to the low end of you estimate (4000 Aus$), and calculate it to Euros, it would be 2400 euros, giving you 57 euros a day for six weeks. In my opinion that is too low, esp. if you have Switzerland (and Paris) on the list. The other end 4500 Aus$, would be 64 euros, which still is tight but doable.

You should have some money in reserve. If you don't need it, that would be really good, but you never know if something will happen, that will make you needing more money. (e.g. on my last trip I needed to buy new shoes, as the old ones weren't as good as I thought)

[rhea]

I have alot more money, $4000 is ideally what id like to spend. Its not like im going to "run out"

The thing is, im not really sure exactly what i want to see in different places. Switzerland is the only place i KNOW exactly what i want to do. thats why im guessing
Im not really into museums though i may go to a few, but seeing the outside of the lourve will do me
I have itemized things, but since i dont have an itineray for east. europe, its harder. I have done switzerland & Paris though (originally it included italy&croatia)

[herrbert]

Eastern Europe tends to be a little bit cheaper that the West.

I've seen your plans on Eastern Europe, and they are OK. Vienna you shouldn't count as an Eastern European city (as it never was a Sovjet satellite state, although Vienna just like Berlin was divided in four sectors for a while). So prices there are higher.

I usualy tend to reserve about 20 euros a day for a bed (incl. breakfast), sometimes you make it, sometimes not, but for dorm-room it a good average to do calculations.

For food, you can differ, but in my opinion it is best to eat well, as you are out and being active (walking a lot), you need good food. That doesn't mean that you have to get an expensive meal everytime, but at least a decend one. I try to get my resources for the day in the supermarket, and a good meal in the evening for 15-20 euros for the whole day. (if you have a breakfast-buffet: eat very good, or sneak off, with some sandwiches for the rest of the day ;D)

And well attractions, that's a personal choice. I feel that if it is special, than I want to go and see it. But seeing the 6th palace from the inside, doesn't do anything for me (they all kind of look alike to me), and that is also true for the art-museums. (I am kind of bored, with seeing another Renoir, Rubens or Rembrandt). But if I know there is something special, I will try to get a look. (London & Madrid is perfect, as you can walk in, see what you want to see and ignore the rest ... because you don't pay for it, it doesn't make me feel guilty to spend a lot of money either)

Transport: really depends on the country, and the mode of transport, I always try to get an estimate. Lonely Planet books, often give a price, but you need to adjust this, as the book is sometimes a few years old.

[WillTravel]

(London & Madrid is perfect, as you can walk in, see what you want to see and ignore the rest ... because you don't pay for it, it doesn't make me feel guilty to spend a lot of money either)

How did you do this in Madrid? We had to pay at the major art museums (which are splendid).

[herrbert]

Get to the museums on sundays ... you can walk in for free. at least the state-owned museums of which the Prado and the Reina Sofia are the best known ones. The Thyssen is a private museum, so there you have to pay.

But if all you want is a quick look at Guernica by Picasso, you can swing-by at the Reina Sofia, get the elevator to the second(?) floor, and have look for free.

But note that these museums are opened until 14.30 on Sunday. Thyssen is opened until 19.00, also on Sundays. (I thought that the Thyssen has a little bit messy way of setting up an exhibition, but I love the).

Edit: double-check on the Thyssen.

[rhea]

I've broken the budget down,
This is the itinerary
Fly Manchester to Paris 7 nights
Vevey 4nights
Lauterbrunnen 5nights
Luzern 2nights
Zurich 1night
Innsbruck 2nights
Salzburg 2nights
Cesky Krumlov 1night
Prague 5nights
Budapest 5nights
Vienna 5nights
Bled 2nights
Ljubljana 2nights
total 45 days

EXACT
Accomodation $1565
Food $1125 ($25 a day)

Leaves me $1300 for sights & transport (from $4000)
Transport for Switz&Paris is $300 but I cant find sites to give me eastern europe prices

[madamtrashheap]

For eastern Europe you might need to look on individual rail sites for each country, or try www.raileurope.com which will give prices in US$, then you can convert using www.xe.com (convoluted I know, but it works).

[rhea]

i did go to raileurope but it doesnt give the right prices. Are there individual sites? the hungary one wont change to english for me