Backpacking through Europe? Cost? Helpful Information? Anything?!?

Question

I'm considering backpacking through Europe, however, I really can't seem to figure out how much it will cost? Backpacking your way is supposidly the most economical way of doing this - but a month seems like it might cost me an arm and a leg.

I would like to travel to these cities:

London
Paris
Amsterdam
Berlin
Prague
innsbruck (or somewhere in the Alps)
Venice
Rome
Naples
Barcelona
Madrid

Any info on backpacking would be helpful actually! Thanks!

Answer 1

I have Been packpacking first time in 1976 and visited just about all the European countries. The cost steers very much where to travel. .

Travelling is not that expensive if you buy an eurailpass for youth. It costs currently $634.00 for one moth travel in Austria 3, Belgium 3, Denmark 3 , Finland 3, France 2, Germany, 3 Greece 2, Holland 2, Hungary 1, Italy 2, Luxembourg 3, Norway 4, Portugal 1, Republic of Ireland 3, Romania 0 , Spain 2, Sweden 3 and Switzerland 4.

Believe or not you can cover all those cities in a month.

You can also extend your trip to Czeck 1 and Slovakia 0, Estonia 1, Poland 1 you have to buy the train tickets (boat for Estonia), but prices of them are very reasonable and living cost make it up. I would recommend Prague (old city and center price level 3 all other 1). Other Cities definately worth seeing on top of your list are: Porto (take a tour in port cellar),Cologne, Delft (Holland), Annecy (France), Budapest, Copenhagen, Tampere (Finland), Tallin (Estonia)


I have number behind each giving idea of price level there this correspons the price level on regular towns not historic city centers etc...

4 - much higher than states
3 - somewhat higher than states
2 - states level
1 - below states
0 - way below

The same list for ability to get along with locals in English and find chat companion in PUBs among locals (not fellow tourists) 4 very easy 0 slight chance. Getting along with hotels and torist professionals is usually easy in all the countries.

Austria 3, Belgium 2, Denmark 3 , Finland 4, France 1, Germany3, Greece 1, Holland 4, Hungary 1, Italy 2, Luxembourg 4, Norway 3, Portugal 1, Romania 0 , Spain 2, Sweden 3 and Switzerland 3. Czeck 1 and Slovakia 0, Estonia 1.

So if you are low on budget go east if high west and north, very easy. My son has backpacked at your age with 15 dollat budget a day for accommodation, food and even travel in slovakia (where eurailpass does not cover)

Budjet tips:

1. Stay the hostels, you will find them there www.HIhostels.com, saves a bundle over hotels or have a tent even cheaper.
2. Visit and see historical centers (and Venice), but do accommodate nor drink or eat anything there, few blocks of busstops can halve the price.
3. Spend some nights on train traveling, get more covered (one night covers cross Europe East-West) an save on accommodation.
4. Buy food at supermarkets, do not eat in restaurants more than necessary, my son even used to have a cooker with him. A noodle lunch is below 1 dollar anywhere in the world if you can make hot water.
5. If you want to eat or drink in a restaurant check the prices from menu and order from there, so you know what to pay (even if you dont always exactly know what you ordered, goes mainly for 1 and 0 on the last list) Usually the cheapest eating out is pizzas and stuff.
6. Best budjet/quality months to travel are June and September, the entire Europe is still warm, but prices (and flights from USA) much cheaper than July-August.

I would not use long ferry trips they add to cost, railpass is free once you bought it, so take trains.

Have a good trip and always ask your fellow travellers for hints, they are plenty in trains. You would no imagine how easy it is to travel a month for way under 1000 dollars (exl. flight and urailpass) if you follow even some of these hints.

Flying can be an option if you use the only real low price airline in Europe at ryanair.com. Be sure to order 6 months in advance and you get unbelieveable prices like 50 dollars for 3 hour flight return. Company works fine like Southwest in the States.

Answer 2

You can do this one of two ways, you can either buy a two month Youthrail pass and then your transportation and your sleeping arrangements are taken care of for 2 months... but that second month is expensive. OR you can buy just a ONE MONTH pass and not activate it until you have already been in Europe for a week or two. The time doesn't start until you activate it, so you can just keep it in your pocket until you are ready to lose it. If you want to be comfortable and have some room to do things on the spur of the moment, you need to have about $1000 per person per MONTH... so for 2 months that would be $2000 each. Before you do anything else, go to any bookstore in any mall and pick up "EUROPE BY EURAIL" and the "THOMAS COOK EURAIL TIMETABLE"... you will learn to live by those 2 books. You may also pick up FODOR'S EUROPE, but if you only want to carry 2 books, then get the first 2. The first one is a good general guide book and the second one is a timetable for ALL of the Eurail trains... times, stations, etc and you can't backpack without it. Mainly, you will be sleeping on trains at night and sightseeing during the day. If you want to spend more than one day exploring, then you arrive in the morning... sightsee during the day... get on the train to some overnight destination (this is why you MUST have the Timetable book) then you sightsee all day... get back on the train that night and go back to the first city. Back when I was your age, I had a few clothes in a small back pack and my guitar and made some decent money playing on street corners or in subway stations, so if you or your buddy can play guitar, you may want to think about that. Have fun

Answer 3

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Backpacking through Europe? Cost? Helpful Information? Anything?!?
I'm considering backpacking through Europe, however, I really can't seem to figure out how much it will cost? Backpacking your way is supposidly the most economical way of doing this - but a month seems like it might cost me an arm and a leg.

I would like to travel to these...

Answer 4

There is a ferry from Barcelona to Rome that might be a good deal for you. Also the time of year that you go to Europe is important too..if you can go in April for example you will get a lower airfare than if you go in June, July, or August...September is a better month also and the weather's not so stinking hot. Another thing to think about is flying into, say Rome to start your trip, and flying from LondonParis/ or Amsterdam back home.sometimes that saves money also.
Money wise, realize that one Euro is 1.24 US dollars, so you will be spending a chunk to see all those places. You didn't mention if you're fluent in any particular languages...Spaniards mostly speak Spanish with very little English, I don't know about Prague or Innsburck, but most of the rest of the EU is pretty English friendly...so if train fare sounds expensive think about taking a bus...the info you've been given on hostals is right on, but hostals still run 15-30 euros a night..depending on the amenities. Do take a washcloth with you, it's almost unknown in Europe. My only comment about Naples is go see Pompeii but don't spend the night there, get back to Rome.. Naples is rough. The rest of your destinations should cause you no problems.
Backpackers must wear a belly pack for money and passport...any wallet in a pocket will disappear in an instant.
If you get to Spain, enjoy a Rioja (red wine) or Rueda (white wine) for me...

Answer 5

Well you do have some of the most expensive places on your list there. London, Venice, Rome are pretty expensive even if you stay at the hostels. When I first backpacked through Europe I did it pretty cheep but I also didn't go north. I was going to school in Germany at the time so from there I went to:

Salzburg (really fun reasonably priced town in the Alps)
Schladming (skiing in the Alps)
Vienna ( I actually really liked Vienna too)
Budapest (very cheep cool city)
Prague ( not as cheep as Budapest but a good place for backpackers)
Venice (interesting but very expensive. Besides the hostel you are looking at a daily bus pass. Check how much it is to stay in Padau because it might be cheeper)
Florance (amazing)
Rome (worth the money but try to book ahead for the hostel. All the sight seeing is what costs you here but the Forum and the Vatican musuem are worth it)
Nice (a reasonably priced relaxing beach stop)

After the initial trip I have come back and visited several other spots in Europe as I had the money. I actually live in Copenhagen now.

Some tips I can give you to save money are: Take night trains where possible, this way you aren't paying for a hostel that night. Fly to Europe using a charter flight. They are very cheep but usually have to be booked by a travel agent. One of the cheepest ways to get cheep accommadations is in the train station. People come there and try and get the to stay in their hostel, b&b, or hotel. These are always the best deals. I have stayed in lots of nice hotels that were cheeper then staying in the dodgy hostel. Don't go in Summer, go in Spring, it is cheeper and you won't have to prebook all you hostels. Try and buy food from bakeries and deli's and grocery stores. Many hostel will include breakfast but eating out in Western Europe will kill your budget. Here in Copenhagen an extra value meal at Burger King is about $15 US.

It is worth it to watch Rick Steve's show for times as well as lonely planet. From all my travels though I prefer the Let's Go book series, or "The Bible" as the Hostel reps call it.

Well I hope you have fun, as much as I have traveled since, backpacking around Europe is one of my fondest memories.

Answer 6

Check out hostelworld.com before booking any hostel for reviews. I once stayed in a hostel in Paris that was really cheap...but there were no doors or curtains on the showers. A Eurail pass would be good for train travel. You can even use overnight trains as "hotels" and sleep in them if you're pressed for cash. If you're a student, you can get discounts on pretty much anything so bring some sort of student ID. And as far as food, eating out is good to do to experience the local cuisine, but getting food at a supermarket will save you money the other times.

If you haven't decided on some place in the Alps, Interlaken is beautiful.

Answer 7

you can try to stay in the hostels. there may be a euro train pass. 11 places in 30 days. less than 3 days in each including travel too short. always bring a towel.

Answer 8

Rick Steves from Seattle does a travel show on PBS and has written books on every country in Europe. His most famous book, "Europe Through the Back Door". Check out his web site.

Answer 9

You need to check out Rick Steves's books and website.

Answer 10

I found some good info here.