Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with europe and budget

People in Europa / Ciao ciao bella, Monaco

mippy — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 04:53:03 -0800

April. Europe. Our first proper holiday, and I haven't left the country in eight years. Where to go? On the shortlist are Amsterdam, Paris, Berlin, Barcelona, and, um, somewhere Scandinavian or Italian.

As the pound is worth little these days, and I have to pay £80 to renew my passport, we need to know cities and places to stay that aren't hugely expensive (hostels are fine as long as they're safe), and food too. We like museums, art and graveyards, interesting urban architecture and culture, shopping (ie. things that we can't get in the UK - we like crafts and boardgaming, and I like thriftshopping), pubs rather than clubs, nice cafes, things to see and do and photograph. Neither of us can drive, but I'm a beginner cyclist so we can get around that way.

30 days in Europe, what to see?

thewalrus — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 04:57:43 -0800

One month in Europe on a budget, what should we not miss? Landing in Frankfurt tomorrow! My wife and I will be landing in Frankfurt tomorrow. We plan to see Germany first and then either go via Austria to Italy, or the other way around via Hamburg to Amsterdam, then south from the Netherlands to Belgium, France, eastward.

Aside from the obvious things that can be found in guidebooks and the various good city-guide applications I've already put on my iPhone, what should we not miss? I'm looking for suggestions from metafilter on those hidden gems and out of the way places you've personally encountered on your travels. We have exactly 30 days and will be traveling on a moderate budget, staying in hostels that have private rooms for couples or budget pensions, riding 2nd class trains (generally not TGV, ICE, AVE if we can avoid it or there's a special ticket price).

Europe Without Breaking The Bank?

Tamanna — Sat, 23 May 2009 07:29:31 -0800

Help me plan a trip to Western Europe (Paris, London, and Rome) on the cheap. More details inside. So I'm planning a trip to Paris, London, and Rome in the future (either this winter or next summer) and am completely lost as to how I should prepare. I've checked previous AskMeFi threads, but they're either really old or don't deal with the cities I want to visit. Plus I live in India and many sites are too US-centric to be of much use.

So, my questions:

1. I'd like to spend roughly 20 days in Europe (5 in each major city, plus day trips to Normandy, Brussels, Venice and a couple of others.) Is this doable on a budget of EUR 50-70 a day? I'm amenable to living in hostels and will be a student at the time, so I can probably swing some discounts with an ISIC card.

2. I have two potential windows of travel: 20 May- 10 June and 15 December- 5 January. Which would be better? I'm fluent in French and plan to become at least passable in Italian before I go, so non-English language tours aren't an issue. I don't much like cold and rain, though, or crowds.

3. Are there any sites I shouldn't miss, no matter what? Conversely, any really overrated tourist traps? I'm a museum and history geek, and don't really care for clubbing or any kind of nightlife short of sitting around and chatting or curling up with a good book.

4. Finally, any other advice for a first-time single female traveler? I'm also vegetarian (ovo-lacto) so any info y'all might have on that count would be great.

Thanks in advance!

more bang for my meager buck

mustcatchmooseandsquirrel — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 13:35:50 -0800

I'm going to Rome for one week in February. How can I cheap out on lodging while there? I'm traveling with my boyfriend. The trip itself is only affordable to begin with because of the awesomeness of EasyJet. We're planning on trying to couchsurf but, if that doesn't work out, do you know of any hostels/hotels/monasteries where we can stay for less than 30euros/night total cost? (if you have any other advice on enjoying oneself in Rome while not spending much money, that's welcome too!)

Help me plan/budget a 1-week Spain or Greece vacation!

sdis — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 12:44:07 -0800

Help me figure out a budget and an example itinerary for a February trip to Spain or Greece! I'm in Austria, and found some €20 roundtrip tickets (Feb 4-11 or thereabouts) to Barcelona, Spain (Well, Girona) via Ryanair during a February school break. This is cool. Now what? [Alternatively, tickets to Greece are ~€60 each RT, but we have someone to stay with for ~3 days]

I'm trying to figure out a rough outline of what a potential low-budget trip would look like for me and my fiancée, in terms of itinerary and cost. (As it's much easier to modify an existing itinerary than start from nothing)

Trip Goals: Go do touristy things, have fun, eat some things, get out of cold Austria, while keeping costs to minimum. We'd prefer private rooms to hostels.

Budget holiday ideas, early September

billtron — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 14:20:14 -0800

Where to go from London for a few days of vacation? My wife and I are leaving NYC for a conference in London from September 6-8 and are looking for something to do for nearly a week following the conference. We have friends in Brussels we might visit on the way somewhere, and we were looking at Marrakech, which we know practically nothing about, and Vienna, since she's never been, but we would like more ideas.

We're on graduate student budgets, and we really like nature, history, and food. We don't really like resort culture, shopping or nightlife, although a periodic bar or club is not out of the question. We speak German, French, Portuguese and a little bit of Spanish. We'd like to stay in one place the entire time, if possible.

Returning to London is not entirely necessary since we are using miles with AA to get across the Atlantic.

A low-cost base city in Europe with good wifi availability?

linus587 — Sun, 20 May 2007 22:41:17 -0800

I'm doing 7 months in Europe, paying my way by telecommuting as a freelancer. To this end, wireless internet access is vital. I often spend a few days in a row working, without doing any sight-seeing, go out exploring a few days and repeat. I need a base city where I can work from, but also keep my expenditure to a minimum. I'm looking for a city with the following -- please, your suggestions are much appreciated!

1. Low cost for accommodation and food.

2. Good infrastructure for wireless internet access.

3. An airport which would allow good access to Western Europe for travelling via low cost carriers.

4. Preferably outside the Schengen countries

The following points would be a bonus.

5. Decent public transportation

6. Good variety of restaurants

7. Some sights of interest with the city / country itself

Many thanks,
_Linus

Extreme budget travel in Eastern Europe

mosessis — Tue, 25 Apr 2006 05:59:10 -0800

I need practical advice for extreme budget travelling in Eastern Europe this summer. I am a young American female travelling by myself for three months this summer, mostly in Eastern Europe. I've gotten great advice from previous threads on general travel, eu ro tr av el, eastern europe, tr av el ge ar, budget travel, hitchhiking, inspirational travel literature, hospitality clubs, and guidebooks, but it's only left me wanting more. Now that I know Mefis are such intrepid travellers, I want your hardearned experience and advice.

I've travelled around the UK and Western Europe doing the hostel thing, but even that seems like a bit more expensive than it needs to be. I've been doing weekend camping trips while living in Scotland recently and plan to bring my gear with me. While I will definitely take trains and buses if necessary, I would prefer to catch rides. The longer I can make my money last, the longer I can stay. I'm planning on bussing through Western Europe on my way to Poland, Czech, Slovakia, Croatia, the Ukraine, Turkey, Greece, etc.

Any advice is welcome, but some of the specific questions I'm thinking of are: Is camping a viable option in Eastern Europe? How easy is it to find/create sites? Is it safe/easy enough to hitch over there? What's the one thing I shouldn't forget to bring if I'm planning to stay by myself at campings (right now my camp gear is my tent, bag, ground mat, led headlamp, and swiss army knife. that's it.)? Which hospitality club is best for this area? Are there any guidebooks that are good for this area, geared towards campers, or have a good bit to do outside of the cities (i.e. canoeing in Poland)? I've done a bit of research already, but I can't seem to find advice that specifically addresses my intentions (solo camping in Eastern Europe without a car) and I would really appreciate advice from people who have been there and done it.

Where are the two-stars?

lampoil — Fri, 14 Apr 2006 08:38:22 -0800

Are there travel booking sites that have really cheap hotels that aren't hostels? I'm looking for a place to stay for a week in Barcelona next month. I'll be with one friend and we're on a tight budget.

It seems that the big name travel websites have only three-star and up, and don't designate between Barcelona proper and resort towns 35 miles away. Hostel websites have mostly true hostels--difficult to find a private room with a bathroom for the dates I need.

The STA site lists a few places that look right for me, but I can't for the life of me get the website to work. (I put in all the info, click "continue" and nothing happens. Ever).

Are there websites other than STA that actually have one- and two-star hotels? Should I suck it up and choose between a hostel and a three-star? Should I go to an in-person travel agent? Any thoughts welcome.