Planning to backpack Europe - need advice

[greeneyeddreamer]

eagle said:

those US$100/day guidelines were more valid the whole world thought in Dollars. today, since much of Europe has the €, it doesn't make much sense. i'd suggest you think in € for your trip. but, with fluctuations, that can mean changes in how much to budget. <in the long run, GBP & CHF will vary less against € than against US$. i know, i know, Keynes said "in the long run we are all dead.">

- d

So what should I budget per day in Europe in Euros?

[Eagle]

greeneyeddreamer, actually, those were David's comments in reply to my earlier Post. I'm sure he will have some suggestions for you on daily budget amounts. I wasn't too sure of the current exchange rate between the US$ and Eu$ so was just estimating.

In my view it's realistic to budget for about Eu$75 per day. Hostels in larger cities will be Eu$30-35 per night, food will depend on your preferences but I normally need at least Eu$35 per day (even where breakfast is included with the room), and local transportation, day tours and incidentals can be Eu$10-15.

Cheers!

[WillTravel]

I more or less agree with Eagle's assessment. Food can be less than 35 Euros per day, but if you have one cheap restaurant meal, one deli meal, and snacks, you will likely reach that amount without even trying.

I think that local transport, tours, museum admissions, and incidentals can add up to a lot, particularly in Italy. I'd say 5 Euros per day for local transport, and 20-30 Euros for the others, and more if you choose a daytrip.

[herrbert]

willtravel said:

I more or less agree with Eagle's assessment. Food can be less than 35 Euros per day, but if you have one cheap restaurant meal, one deli meal, and snacks, you will likely reach that amount without even trying.

I think that local transport, tours, museum admissions, and incidentals can add up to a lot, particularly in Italy. I'd say 5 Euros per day for local transport, and 20-30 Euros for the others, and more if you choose a daytrip.

I think that 35 euros is a little high if you calculate that for food and drinks. I think that a 25 euro, is closer, at least if you take care of your budget a little bit, by buying the drinks for during the day in a supermarket instead of going to a café, the same for sandwiches. If you can find hostel with a kitchen you can use, you can save a lot by cooking yourself.

A fiver for transport is reasonable, although it changes from city to city. Some cities are so compact that you don't public transport at all (e.g Amsterdam), in others it's pretty cheap (e.g. Madrid) and in other you really need it AND it is expensive. (London)

What you spend on other things also depends a lot on the things you want to do. Museums can is some cases be free (London, Madrid on sundays), but sometimes the prices to get in to see something are high (St. Paul's / London Eye).

I think that 55-60 euros a day is a minimum, for most places, in cities like London and Paris, that figure should be a bit higher.

[pointofnoreturn]

I honestly think that for every traveller, the budget is different. Some people are more frugal than others and some like to have a good time. I'd eyeball a $100/day budget with a safety net. If you do your research and find out the general costs in each city, you can modify your budget to make it work. To save even more money, book things in advance (train tickets, hostels, museum tickets, etc)... it'd be more restrictive for your trip but in the end, you do save valuable time and money.

I found that Greece was the cheapest country of all the places I've been. I got free admission into the sites due to my disability (pretty much hidden, but I always carried a letter from a doctor in case). Paris was somewhat expensive because the museums carry an admission cost. But I bought a 2-day Pass and I saved a lot of money on that and used the pass for the more-expensive museums and galleries.

Italy wasn't too bad. We did save money by visiting the country during Culture Week where everything was pretty much free. However, the lodgings were the most expensive in Italy as well as food.

London... I'm a sucker for London and I know it like the back of my hand so I have an advantage over other travellers by knowing the tricks and trades on how to save money in "a notoriously expensive city". If you are including London in your plans, you can always PM me to get ideas/tips on saving money.

[greeneyeddreamer]

Thanks for all the advice guys, I really appreciated it.

Im going to try to save as much money as humanly possible, the last thing I want is to be super frugal when Im in Italy!

The amount of money I save will also determine where I can go and for how long, so wish me the best! haha

One more question though - how far in advance should you book things like hostels, train rides and so on.....?

[Eagle]

greeneyeddreamer,

how far in advance should you book things like hostels, train rides and so on.....?

I usually book Hostels or budget Hotels as soon as I have a definite idea on my travel dates. Some locations are very popular, and booking six months in advance might be necessary if travelling in the "high" season.

On my last trip to Europe, even booking 3-6 months in advance, I found I had to accept second and sometimes third choice in some locations, even though I was travelling in the "shoulder season". One place that is often fully booked is The Beehive in Rome.

Regarding train rides, I assume you're referring to a Rail Pass? It's important to keep the timing in mind when buying a Eurail Pass, as they have a "shelf life". Tthese have to be validated within six months, and also have to be used within 2-3 months after validation.

If you were referring to reservations for those travelling with a Rail Pass, I usually just buy these at each station as I'm travelling. When arriving in a new city, I try to buy the reservation for the outgoing journey (if required) at the time (since I'm at the station anyway).

Cheers!

[greeneyeddreamer]

eagle said:

Regarding train rides, I assume you're referring to a Rail Pass? It's important to keep the timing in mind when buying a Eurail Pass, as they have a "shelf life". Tthese have to be validated within six months, and also have to be used within 2-3 months after validation.

If you were referring to reservations for those travelling with a Rail Pass, I usually just buy these at each station as I'm travelling. When arriving in a new city, I try to buy the reservation for the outgoing journey (if required) at the time (since I'm at the station anyway).

Cheers!

This confuses me, sorry. I need to buy a pass AND reservations?
what's the difference?

[me]

greeneyeddreamer said:

This confuses me, sorry. I need to buy a pass AND reservations?
what's the difference?

it is different in Europe, Rena.

a rail pass takes the place of the ticket. but, rail in Europe has separate fees for a ticket and a reservation. more & more trains require reservations, these days.

it is confusing to the uninitiated.

[greeneyeddreamer]

me said:

greeneyeddreamer said:

This confuses me, sorry. I need to buy a pass AND reservations?
what's the difference?

it is different in Europe, Rena.

a rail pass takes the place of the ticket. but, rail in Europe has separate fees for a ticket and a reservation. more & more trains require reservations, these days.

it is confusing to the uninitiated.

So if I buy a Euro Rail pass (for the month Im there) I still have to reserve a seat on the train at a cost? What are these prices like?

[me]

greeneyeddreamer said:

So if I buy a Euro Rail pass (for the month Im there) I still have to reserve a seat on the train at a cost? What are these prices like?

for some trains, yes. it's a few euro per reservation, other than night trains - those cost more.

[mega]

Hi i'm going to be 17 when i go, im going with my two best friends who are 17 and 18, being three young female unexperienced travelers, any suggestions?

[francefiend]

me said:

greeneyeddreamer said:

So if I buy a Euro Rail pass (for the month Im there) I still have to reserve a seat on the train at a cost? What are these prices like?

for some trains, yes. it's a few euro per reservation, other than night trains - those cost more.

You only have to buy reservations for trains that require it. Most local trains don't, while most high speed trains do require a seat reservation. Prices for night train reservations vary according to class and type of accomodation (reclining chairs and couchettes at the low end, private single rooms at the high end).

How do you know whether a train requires a reservation? Look up the journey on Die Bahn. The journeys with the little red "R" icon are subject to a compulsory reservation.

Chart of Reservation Fees (PDF - Rick Steves)

[me]

francefiend said:

Chart of Reservation Fees (PDF - Rick Steves)

that's a great tool, FranceFiend! i had never seen that. thanks for pointing it out!

- d

[herrbert]

mega said:

Hi i'm going to be 17 when i go, im going with my two best friends who are 17 and 18, being three young female unexperienced travelers, any suggestions?

Loads, but it might be best to open an seperate topic for your trip, otherwise it can get confusing ...