We traveled to Europe and visited four different countries in two weeks for less than $2,500. When I tell people that we did this without backpacking they doubt me but the numbers don’t lie. This is a detailed post on how to travel to Europe for two weeks for less than $2,500.
You are probably wondering why I would visit so many countries in two weeks. The reason is that I don’t have unlimited vacation time so I try to maximize as much as I can when I travel. If you plan to travel to Europe for two weeks then this guide is for you.
Have you ever come back home from a trip feeling like you need another vacation? This was one of those vacations. We were on the go every day with early mornings and late evenings. I packed in so much for these two weeks but it was one of the best trips of my life!
Countries we visited:
England – London
Italy – Rome, Naples, Amalfi Coast, Pisa, Florence and Venice
Spain – Barcelona
France – Paris
This trip was all self planned and we didn’t have an agency plan or book anything for us. I always prefer to book everything myself because I know exactly what I am paying for and I do my research on blogs and Tripadvisor. Travel blogs are the most resourceful tools for a traveler because you get first hand information from someone who has been where you want to go.
Travel to europe for two weeks for less than $2,500
Itinerary:
Boston to London
London to Rome
Venice to Spain
Spain to France
France to Boston
In Italy we used trains to move between cities and it was very efficient. Book your trains here.
Flights:
The first thing you have to do is book your flights. Book multi-city flights to avoid going backwards. For international travel I’ve found that if I book a flight 3 – 4 months in advance I get a great deal. This are some of the tricks I use to get cheap flights that I wrote about here.
The total cost for the flights was $942.06.
This will be one of your biggest expense. Depending on where you fly from budget airlines always have great deals but you get what you pay for. There is usually no entertainment or food service but if you fly at night you will sleep the whole way so it’s fine. Alternatively bring your own food and entertainment.
The other great thing that made this trip affordable is that flights within Europe are cheap. By cheap I mean that you can fly between countries for less than $50. This saves you a lot of time if you are short on time like we were. Also make sure you check baggage limits for budget airlines because they can get expensive.
Trains:
Italy has one of the best train systems in the world and they were a life saver. The trains are clean and they run on time. I loved how fast they are and the views are amazing as well. You can bring food and drinks on the train and make it an adventure.
The total cost for taking the fast trains between cities was $140.50.
The train itinerary was Rome > Naples and back > Rome > Pisa > Florence > Venice
Hotels:
Accomodation for all two weeks was $959.62 and this is based on double occupancy. We didn’t stay in hostels for this trip. Tripadvisor is great for booking hotels as well as Booking.com. I’ve found really nice hotels through these two search engines and I love reading reviews before I book my stay.
Always read reviews no matter how nice a place looks to avoid disappointment. Another trick I’ve found is filtering my hotel search by traveler ranking. Most nice hotels will sell out in the high-season but if you use them as a starting point for your search Tripadvisor recommends hotels that are close in ranking to them. You can find great bargains by using this little trick.
Another thing to check for is hotels that have free breakfast and parking. Why pay more if you don’t have to? Out hotel stays were as follows:
London – 2 nights
Rome Italy – 3 nights
Florence – 1 night
Venice – 2 nights
Barcelona – 3 nights
France – 2 nights
Tours:
I mentioned above that I avoid doing group tours when I travel because I prefer the independent route. For this trip though it was necessary to do tours to maximize on our time. Find tours that have great reviews on Tripadvisor and narrow down to what you want to do in each city.
Most major cities have free walking tours and you’ll meet amazing people on these tours. All you have to do is tip the guide at the end.
Total spend was $218.34
In London we did a bicycle tour with Brake Away for $30.84. On this tour you ride through London and you see and learn so much in a short time.
In Rome we did a walking tour that was rather expensive at $87.50 but trust me seeing a country with a local is a totally different experience. We used this tour.
In the Amalfi coast we did an all day tour that was awesome. The driver picked us up at the train station in Naples and then we drove through the beautiful coast. We stopped in Sorrento, Positano and Ravello. We had a short stop at Pompeo where we drank lemocello like it was water. This set us back $100.00.
Things to do:
London:
Take the train and sightsee.
St Paul’s Cathedral
Tower of London
Millennium Bridge
Tower Bridge
The Shard
Big Ben
Westminster Abbey
Trafalgar Square
Buckingham Palace
London Bridge
Italy:
Rome:
Colosseum
St Peter’s Basilica
Trevi Foundation
Roman Forum
Pantheon
Spanish Steps
Piazza Navona
Vatican City
Florence:
Santa Maria Cathedral Duomo
Uffizi Gallery
Ponte Vecchio
Galleria Academia
Venice:
St. Mark’s Square
Saint Mark’s Basilica
Grand Canal
Burano and Murano
The Bridge of Sighs
Rialto Bridge
Doge’s Palace
Barcelona Spain:
La Sagrada Familia
Park Guell
Casa Mila
La Rambla
Casa Battlo
Gothic Square
Montjuic
Mercado de la Boqueria
Picasso Museum
Placa de Catalunya
Day trip to Montserrat
France:
Eiffel Tower
The Louvre
Notre Dame
Versailles Palace
Arc de Triompe
Champs Elysees
Sacre Couer
Muse d’Orsay
When you add on entrance tickets to all these sights and food you will still be under $2,500 for travel to Europe for two weeks! We stayed at some very nice hotels in some of these cities so you could probably stay under $2,500 by a bigger margin if you chose to stay in a hostel or more budget friendly hotel.
