Ideas for Europe ideally under 4K

lbsteen · March 2013

My fiance and I are looking at Europe for a honeymoon. Our budget seems to keep shrinking, so now I feel comfortable planning around 4K. Is europe still possible? We're going in Early/Mid October and were originally thinking Paris/Italy for 7-14 days. I've been tracking flights on Kayak for a couple months to Rome, Venice, Florence and haven't seen anything for less than $1050. We're both pretty open as far as locations. Would welcome any ideas as to cheaper locations and websites to book through. We're also doing a Honeymoon registry, so are hoping for some extra cash to do some special things once we're there (obviously not using the registry to pay for the trip itself).

hoffse · March 2013

Yeah airfare is going to take up at least half that budget. I'd aim more toward 7 days that 14 if that's your budget, at least if you want to stay at hotels that are a little more American friendly (and by that I mean larger beds and bathrooms).

Italy and Paris are both really expensive. I would look more toward eastern europe. Check out Budapest or Prague. Even Istanbul that time of year would be really nice, and it's supposed to be incredible. Airfare isn't much more to those places than Paris or Italy (at least when I look at it out of Atlanta), and hotels are dramatically less. Romania is supposedly one of the most beautiful countries in Europe. Croatia is also supposed to be incredible. Or Portugal - gorgeous (do you watch the Bachelorette? They went there), and relatively inexpensive comparatively.

I would just look at a map of Europe and start looking into some countries that you might be less familiar with. Travel to those places is really easy with websites like tripadvisor, and I can almost promise you that if you didn't think of it out the gate, neither did most American tourists. That helps keep prices down.

Europeandestinations.com generally will give you some of the best bundled deals from travel websites, but you have to be careful. They quote prices flying from the least expensive transatlantic flight in the US to that destination (usually out of NYC) and they also quote you the least expensive hotel on their list. Once I've done all the "upgrades" and changed the flights to Atlanta it's usually almost twice as much and often (though not always) I can do better just booking on my own. You should price out both just in case.

Finally, I won't touch the HM registry. But I'm not a fan, even for special perks.

SamM24 · March 2013

I am planning on Ireland and we are spending less than 4k.

dazyabbey · March 2013

I agree with pretty much everything Hoffse said. I think you need to limit your places you are visiting and make sure they are very close. Like another PP said, Ireland and traveling that country would be easy on your budget. London and Paris are very expensive cities but sometimes the most touristy cities have cheaper things as well. My sister lived in Prague and for tourists although it is off the map sometimes things are more expensive because there is less competition(She is living in Berlin right now, my brother is in Frankfurt). Maybe going to Italy would be in your budget, probably the 7 days like another PP said, would be closer to your budget. But you could have a base in Rome or somewhere and travel out from there.

For Honeymoon registry most people (if not all) think they are a bad idea. Most websites will charge a fee and that is deceiptful. If you decide to do one then use a free one like HoneyFund.com and be sure to only register for things you will actually use. You have to be able to afford your honeymoon entirely on your own though and really expect nothing.

Good luck!

hoffse · March 2013

For lodgings, you might also want to consider homeaway. I've been looking at Spain recently, and there are many homeaway apartments that are less than $1K for a week. You would have a good bit left over for some side trips on the train or visiting museums, etc.

hoffse · March 2013

Read this:

http://travel.usatoday.com/deals/inside/story/2012-07-19/10-surprisingly-cheap-European-cities/56322220/1

EllenandAndy · March 2013

Ireland is great, and Scotland is fantastic. Aer Lingus sometimes has great deals, we got 6 nights hotels all over Ireland, a 7 day rental car and airfare for the price of the airfare. The other great thing about their deals is that you can change the return date if you want to jump over to the UK of a week first.

I was in Soctland last fall for school and it is stunning, there are great tours if you want to sit back and enjoy the scenerey. Isle of Skye is my favorite place, and Edinburgh is fantastic (I got engaged in the castle).

Paris and London are pretty much the most expensive places you could travel to. I would also reccomend Germany particually Bavaria for your honeymoon. There is stunning scenery and some very romantic places without the cost of France. Plus train tickets to travel Germany are reasonably priced. Also loved Prague when I was there. The only problem with it is that it is crowded,which while I was there I didnt like, but looking back that was one of my favorite places.

anssett · March 2013

Paris and Italy are expensive! Ireland is much cheaper. Eastern Eurpope is much cheaper. I've been to them all. They're all great in different ways. Do some research on prices from your home city.

freebread03 · March 2013

Definitely look off the traditional grid a bit-FI and I went to Istanbul last May (which is still considered off season since the beaches in Greece, Turkish coast, etc. aren't yet super warm), and pay less than $700 each round trip from Washington, DC. Istanbul was beautiful, and there was so much to do.

We also spent some time in Romania (Bucharest and Brasov) and absolutely loved it. The people were very kind, and Romania is beautiful. We stayed in a beautiful guest house in Brasov (La Despani) at only ~$31 per night. We took day trips to different castles (including Dracula's castle!) and enjoyed taking the train from Bucharest to Brasov and seeing the amazing countryside.

This June we're headed to Bulgaria for a wedding and are staying at RIU Pravets-Bulgaria is still very affordable, and even staying at a resort like RIU is very affordable. Our flights weren't cheap (around 1500 each) but we're going in June, which is high season. There are also beautiful resorts along Bulgaria's black sea coast that you may want to consider. If you're willing to do the longer flight, you can fly through Istanbul via Turkish Airlines, who always have great deals (we paid a little more because the layover from Istanbul to Sofia was insane).

Don't just look at hotels to stay in-check out guesthouses along the way, as it's a great way to learn and experience the local culture. If you save money by staying in guest houses most nights, you could splurge on a great hotel for a few nights on the back end (we stayed in guest houses in Kusadasi, Istanbul, and Brasov, and a hostel in Bucharest). Hostelbookers is a really easy way to book.

krizzo17 · March 2013

groupon and livingsocial both run deals on trips to europe (including airfare) and seem to have a fair number offered to Ireland that would definitely be in your budget. My husband's coworker used a groupon for his honeymoon (to st lucia) and everything worked out fine.

rachelm13 · March 2013

Ireland is really a great option. My FI is living there right now and I go back and forth a lot. There are so many cities to choose from!

I was in Prague in the fall and that too was amazing. Like PP said, Spain does do apt renting which is a great option considering that any food you get there will be amazing. I mean all I wanted was meat and cheese and wine. Budapest is amazing and also would be relatively ok budget wise. I haven't been to Croatia, but man, I wanna go!

I would stay away from London, Paris, Italy, Amsterdam. All pretty pricey.

krizzo17 · March 2013

So groupon actually put out an ireland deal today - I've seen this trip on here before, and it looks like something I'd really want to do in a few years (we already have our next *big* vacation planned)

http://www.groupon.com/deals/ga-great-value-vacations-5?p=4&utm_source=channel_getaways-deals&utm_medium=email&sid=91d53812-5aa3-4389-90e4-d4faa2219bef&user=bc76a3d8e0b92f98f80b9f775108223a258f1a777d10c204f085788a9137ddb5&date=20130319&s=body&c=button&d=Getaways_deal

annamario1013 · March 2013

I'm doing a Mediterranean cruise to Spain Italy and France... Try looking into this option

Daizy106 · March 2013

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_honeymoon_ideas-for-europe-ideally-under-4k?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:11Discussion:74657ac1-6654-4dfa-b160-a4371a6c7442Post:59414778-4f4a-4ef0-a817-1a4378e06747">Ideas for Europe ideally under 4K</a>:
[QUOTE] My fiance and I are looking at Europe for a honeymoon. Our budget seems to keep shrinking, so now I feel comfortable planning around 4K. Is europe still possible? We're going in Early/Mid October and were originally thinking Paris/Italy for 7-14 days. I've been tracking flights on Kayak for a couple months to Rome, Venice, Florence and haven't seen anything for less than $1050. We're both pretty open as far as locations. Would welcome any ideas as to cheaper locations and websites to book through. We're also doing a Honeymoon registry, so are hoping for some extra cash to do some special things once we're there (obviously not using the registry to pay for the trip itself).
Posted by lbsteen[/QUOTE]

You can definitely do Europe for $4K. However-I would suggest that you don't do Paris/Italy. I say this because there is so much to see in Italy you should save that for a trip by itself. At first we were going to do Spain & Italy and a few friends said that I should save Italy because I wouldn't be able to do everything I wanted to do in the amount of time i had. So we changed directions and are now doing Paris & Spain (all together our trip is 10 nights 11 days. To save some money we found flights to Paris for $700 pp because there is a 1 hr layover. (Bc we are on a budget we are willing to do the layover) We then booked a flight from Paris to Spain for $180 pp. Then we booked a flight home from Spain to NY for $700pp. We did everything through Expedia. We went to a travel agent and she gave us a price that was double what we spent on Expedia. Also note, we we did the prices for all three flights all together-it cost almost double. (I don't know why) We then booked the hotels separately bc the price was not that much different if we had booked it together with the flight. We are staying in hotels but you can look into apartments also! Since you are on a budget these will work well for you and can be significantly cheaper. They come with little kitchenettes if you want to stay in and cook one night, instead of going to a restaurant, or you can stay at a B&B. All together we spent $5700 (this includes flight and hotel) but the hotels we picked 4 stars. But we saw hotels that were anywhere from $60-$100/night. Just make sure you read reviews and find out about the location bc you don't want to pick something just because its cheap. Make sure its cheap, but in a good location and is a good place to stay. good luck! and congrats

futurebritton2012 · March 2013

My fiance and I are going to Dublin and the most expensive is airfare which will cost around $1500. Our hotel for a 10 night stay was under $900. I looked at London and then Italy and they were way to expensive. I think Ireland will be wonderful and such a beautiful and special destination for us since we both have Irish heritages. We even got a hotel overlooking the ocean.

lbsteen · March 2013

Thank you all so much for your ideas! We will definitely broaden our horizons a little, and get more creative with where we go and where we stay.

And, by the way, we have decided against the honeymoon registry after reading another ranting post about those

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