European Travel - The cheapest way without dying?

[swbluto]

Hello there, I was looking into travelling Europe in the cheapest way possible and I want to go just about everywhere (Probably at least 7 major cities - London, Berlin, Paris, Madrid, Marseilles, Rome and Venice). I'm thinking 2 weeks would be the most practical, though I originally idealized a month. I'll be flying in from the USA.

Now, I'm getting to the part about transportation. I'm thinking I'll probably want to camp it because hotel costs would significantly add up over a 2 week interval, so I'm going with that. With that in mind, I'm considering taking some form of public transportation or renting a car. I'm looking over the area I want to travel and I'm realizing that it would probably consume 100 gallons of petrol going 4000 miles in a car, and considering the probable price of gas in Europe of $10/gal, that's like $1000! Compared to the train which is less than $500 for 2 weeks of travel, it seems the train it would be. However, I'm having trouble imagining how one would fit a train in the picture as I'd imagine that campsites probably don't naturally abut themselves next to rail stations; I'd guess they're probably 10 miles to who knows how many miles away from public transportation. So, this is where I'm thinking a bicycle will be handy.

How friendly is bicycle travel in Europe? Do the trains and public transportation accommodate bicycles in a relatively quick and easy manner? Are the roads and drivers "bicycle friendly" or is the culture over there pretty hostile to cyclists? Are roads leading to campsites from the train stations usually low-speed / low-risk / bicycle-friendly? Is there a way to rent a bicycle out in Europe and, if so, what are typical rental costs? I'm just investigating bicycle+train practicality before opting for the far more expensive car travel route (Which, with gasoline and rental costs, seems like it'd be around $1500-2000.). Or, if there's a better way to cheaply travel Europe, please let me know.

 

[SunCoaster]

For a first trip to Europe, the easiest and most reasonable cost option is hosteling; the hostels are usually close to train stations, low price compared to hotels and a good way to meet other people:

http://www.hihostels.com/web/membership.en.htm

You can often rent bikes from the hostels and some have more complete bike packages:

http://www.hostellit.fi/hostellit-suomessa/bike-in-finland.aspx?lang=EN

 

[newb]

I 2nd the hostel idea. I've been traveling europe for the last 4+ yrs, started out mostly camping & hostelling, and mostly by car but some by train & plane. I believe the train is the easiest way to travel, you get 2 the train station 20 mins before it leaves, not 2-3 hrs, the train station is almost always close to the city center (airports almost never) and you can usually walk to your hostel from the train station or a quick bus, metro, tram or taxi ride .

Driving is a great way to see the country side but with your limited schedule not a great idea and parking is a NIGHTMARE. And like you said, gas is close to $10/gal plus most companies require you return it to the same place it was picked up from. One down side most the trains do not accommodate bikes but if you choose hostels over camping you won't need one. But like previously stated many hostels will help you find a place to rent one if they don't themselves.

Also, most the these cities have great mass transit so needing any other type of transport really isn't necessary.

A couple useful accommodation sites, not only servicing hostels.

http://www.hostelbookers.com

http://www.hostelworld.com

If you choose to fly check out ryanair.com or easyjet.com or maybe wizzair.com

I also highly recommend picking a "Lonely Planet" backpackers guide for europe.

There's way to much info to share but this is a start.

Hope this helps, Newb

 

[Kingfish]

I would agree with SunCoaster about hostels; you can hardly go wrong with that.

I went for 36 days a few years ago; drove 6,000 km through 7 countries and 22 cities. However a similar trek could be made by train. The focus at each destination is to get to the city's Centrum or Zentrum, find the TI (Tourist Information) which is typically within blocks of the Train Station, get sorted on a room, and purchase a day-pass for local trams if not renting a bike.

OT, but I found the Ibis Hotel chain to be very reasonable and similar to our Days-Inn/Motel-6. There’s a swanky one in Brussels-South just a block away from the Central Station.

Also, I had a slew of Rick Steve’s books with me; chock-full of great tips! I never booked a reservation, although Amsterdam was a bit rough to find a spot; worst sleep ever.

In truth, once I arrived at the desired city - the car was parked & I did a lot of walking during the day to see the sites. Then I studied beer most-copiously at night: Fair trade; you only live once… unless you believe in reincarnation which in that case yer just taking notes for the next time. :wink:

Third time’s a charm, KF

 

[swbluto]

Okay, so I checked out some of the links that newb offered and it seems that the average price of a hostel is something like 30 GP which is like $45-50. Over 14 days, that equates to $700 in lodging costs. Not quite as cheap as camping would be, but I suppose that seems to be a reasonable minimum bound for now considering all the costs together.

900 - 2way plane ticket
700 - lodging
500 - train
----------------------------
2100 before food and attractions.

I kind of want to get the figure under 2000 if possible.

I'm willing to do slightly crazy things. Like, maybe, consider upto 10 miles jogs to and from campsites with a small one-person tent and minimal provisions in tow - like, maybe less than 8 pounds in backpack weight. At 5 mph, that's only upto 2 hours each way... time to increase my treadmill training's difficulty. :lol:

Or maybe I'd be packing collapsible portable roller blades. Is everyone sure they don't allow some of kind of small vehicle on the trains there? It seems hard to believe they don't allow some kind of bike considering how bike-happy European culture seems to be compared to the US, and public transportation in the US mostly seems to make provision for bikes (I don't know about the trains - it seems like you have to collapse it into a box for intercity trains and buses.). Maybe a folding bike could be practical? I suppose I could see bringing a folding bike over to europe on an airplane if that'd be more convenient then rental (Though, I'm thinking renting it inside europe and then shipping it back to the originating rental agency would probably be best?).

 

[rkarraker]

I've done a lot of budget travel in Europe for 30+ years. You will have a great time.

However, I've got to suggest some changes in your plans. The first is the most important: it simply isn't realistic to try to do 7 widely-separated cities in 14 days. You won't see enough of anything to count. And most of your time will be spent in transit, not sightseeing.

So, I'd urge you to change your parameters: either fewer cities or more time (which will mean more money). Were it me, I'd plan for three weeks, and still cut the number of cities to five. Your round-trip ticket is fixed, regardless of the time you spend there. That cost doesn't change.

Here's how to stretch a two-week budget into (almost) three weeks:

1. Take a sleeping bag and small tent. Campgrounds are everywhere (even in the big cities; I've camped near Paris).

2. Get a two-week Eurail Pass, starting on the day you leave City 1 (after 2-3 days of sightseeing). End the pass on the first day you arrive in your last city before flying home.

3. Plan your inter-city train trips on slow all-night trains. Theoretically you could spend your 4-5 train travel trips at night, thereby saving the cost of hotels/hostels/campgrounds for those nights. You will need train reservations ahead of time anyway and you can find everything you need to know about schedules and passes at raileruope.com.

4. Another alternative to hotels and hostels is airbnb.com.

Successfully traveling cheap for a short time (2-3 weeks; 4-5 cities) requires lots of research ahead of time. In addition to train schedules and sightseeing, you'll want to make sure that your lodging is near train stations or public transport. You really don't want to waste much time getting from one place to another.

Have fun.

 

[Uncle Ron]

rkarraker,

All of your suggestions are right on because there's no way this trip will be fun trying to do as much in such a short time as originally imagined. In fact, I'd suggest if only two weeks is possible to pick a city or at most two and get to know them and some of the people that you run into at hostels and elsewhere. Save the money on the Eurale Pass and go back again for another city or two. Tieing yourself to a run and gun itinerary with no time for spontaneity is to me the antithesis of fun. Maybe that's just me?

I've done a lot of budget travel in Europe for 30+ years. You will have a great time.

However, I've got to suggest some changes in your plans. The first is the most important: it simply isn't realistic to try to do 7 widely-separated cities in 14 days. You won't see enough of anything to count. And most of your time will be spent in transit, not sightseeing.

So, I'd urge you to change your parameters: either fewer cities or more time (which will mean more money). Were it me, I'd plan for three weeks, and still cut the number of cities to five. Your round-trip ticket is fixed, regardless of the time you spend there. That cost doesn't change.

Here's how to stretch a two-week budget into (almost) three weeks:

1. Take a sleeping bag and small tent. Campgrounds are everywhere (even in the big cities; I've camped near Paris).

2. Get a two-week Eurail Pass, starting on the day you leave City 1 (after 2-3 days of sightseeing). End the pass on the first day you arrive in your last city before flying home.

3. Plan your inter-city train trips on slow all-night trains. Theoretically you could spend your 4-5 train travel trips at night, thereby saving the cost of hotels/hostels/campgrounds for those nights. You will need train reservations ahead of time anyway and you can find everything you need to know about schedules and passes at raileruope.com.

4. Another alternative to hotels and hostels is airbnb.com.

Successfully traveling cheap for a short time (2-3 weeks; 4-5 cities) requires lots of research ahead of time. In addition to train schedules and sightseeing, you'll want to make sure that your lodging is near train stations or public transport. You really don't want to waste much time getting from one place to another.

Have fun.

 

[newb]

Here's another CHEAP way for lodging.

http://www.couchsurfing.org

I have never done this but have met several travelers who have and they had fairly good things to say. But one can imagine the potential (HUGE) pitfalls. If you pursue this I would highly recommend doing your research beforehand. That said, the best way to experience the culture is through staying with those who live there.

As far as 7 cities in 2 wks, it is a lot and you won't get to truly experience the culture of these cities (even 2 wks in 1 is barely scratching the surface) but you should have enough time in each to see the main sites. It all comes down to your personal expectations. Also, if I can give you a bit more advise, be a smart traveler and read about the scams and troubles others have had during their travels so you limit those things that could spoil what should be a trip of a lifetime.

Best, Newb

ADDED

If you are traveling during summer especially peak season know everything takes 2x-3x as long to see & do. Also, reserve your accommodation months in advance and double check them all before you depart.

 

[MitchJi]

Hi,

I agree:

• train/eurailpass is a good idea.
  more time per city or area.

I'd consider a folding ebike with case which shouldn't be a problem on a train.

 

[jag]

I did NY - London - Paris - Rennes - Genova - Florence - Grenoble - Amsterdam - Copenhagen - NY in three weeks. Just like rkarraker suggested, I spent some time in and around London, then found a very cheap flight to Paris. I activated my 2 week Eurail pass in Paris. All my long stretches were by over night train. Worked out good, though I almost got stuck in Italy, where the station personell weren't very helpful to figure out how to get me overnight back to France/Grenoble. Luckily I saw a train labeled for Switzerland, and the conductor on the train told me one of his overnight coaches was going directly to Geneva (not far from Grenoble).

Overnight train travel in Europe is fun. A train departing in one end can have coaches going to various places. Then during the night they decompose the coaches, reassemble them to different destinations and voila you wake up at your destination.

Couchette's (the cheaper alternative to sleeping cars) are about the price of hostels. I used these and hostels. Carried just a small daypack with essentials. Going light made the trip much more fun.