Yes, it can be done! But first of all, please note that 1500€ is for train tickets between cities and also hotel/hostel accommodation only. This amount is excluding flight tickets, how you spent on food and also attraction fees. Since flight tickets prices are very different (where & when) and also different people have different styles of spending. Maybe you want to spend more on luxurious food or you want to skip all the museums, so it is not very accurate to include these into the budget count.
Me, my mother, and my boyfriend have traveled around Europe from 10th July till 7th August (so that makes it 28 days). It was summer then, so it was more like a "touristy season". I booked our train tickets and accommodations 3 months before the real trip. Therefore, saving a lot on train tickets. I've mostly booked hotels (triple room) as we are travelling in a group of 3. I find it cheaper to book hotel rather than hostels plus we have the luxury of having our own private bathroom most of the time.
In this google doc, I've added some tips and what to pack, my personal itinerary, information about public transportation in the cities, city passes, and what to eat in each cities!
I have also created a google map for each cities with all the POIs that is popular. Just click on the name of the cities, it is linked already. I will also embed them on my blog posts when I blog about my trips in the future. But for now, please access them via this google doc above.
My family flew to Frankfurt airport and we flew back from that airport as well. I made a mistake when planning since we were going to Barcelona, I didn't notice that we will pass by Paris when we are suppose to travel to Frankfurt from Barcelona. So, to be more cost-efficient, our first stop should be Brussels instead of Paris. A piece of advice, be sure to check all the train routes before buying them! You'll never know which city you have to stop by at for an interchange, so why not explore and spend your time there as well. Take note! But we didn't make it to Barcelona because of my stolen bag case so we had to skip that city.
As for our spending, I'll include all the bookings that I've made below! To proof that I really mean it when I say you can go to 11 12 cities (including Frankfurt!) for under 1500€!
Accommodation
Train between cities
Local train from Barcelona to Latour-de-Carol = 33€ for 3 person
Have to buy from the train station
2012.50€ for 3 person = 670~700€ per person for accommodation (plus city tax)
2234.30€ for 3 person = 745€~800€ per person for train tickets (plus reservation)
Therefore under 1500€!
I mostly use Booking.com to find the cheapest deal. The interface is very helpful and easy to use too when finding a suitable place. I've also used Airbnb and HostelWorld. As for train tickets, I refer to Seat61 as he describe which train you should take to travel from A to B using the cheapest method. Please always and I mean ALWAYS reserve a seat when taking long-distance trains! Reservation is compulsory if you are travelling from and to France & Italy but it is a choice if you're travelling elsewhere. It is always wise to reserve a seat even if it costs you extra because you don't want to end up standing for the whole journey! I did skimp out on buying the seats, and we experienced the worse possible situation when travelling from Berlin to Prague where there are limited seats and many people were standing so it was very crowded and uncomfortable. Some even slept on the train floor (no kidding!). Worse if it is a morning journey, I can't even describe the pain of waking up at 6am and not finding a comfortable place to sit for a 5 hours journey.
Hopefully ya'all have a better idea on how to properly utilize your Euros by booking your train tickets and accommodation earlier! Especially the train tickets as the price changes as time pass.
Have fun and bon voyage!
the train passengers arent limited? buying a ticket doesnt mean you're entitled to a seat and might have to stand throughout the whole journey?? :O
ReplyDeleteYes, there is no limit to the tickets sold (except for trains to and from France and Italy). Because there is too many types of tickets sold there, some even let you travel in a particular country for a month.
DeleteYou have to book seats for trains to Italy and France because the trains are small and you may not get seats. All in all whether you get seats or not it's all experience and it forms camaderie with strangers. Haha I remember sitting on my suitcase and a man laughing together with me when he made space for himself near the door with his bags too like a fort.
ReplyDeleteI've experienced something similar too. I was carrying 1 suitcase, 1 backpack, 1 handbag, 1 sling bag and finally 1 recyclable bag into a train without reservation. Just my luck, the train was packed and I was travelling alone! Gosh, but luckily a few friendly strangers came to my help and even offered me a seat. Anyhow, I think it's a fun experience, don't you think? hahaha
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