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Honeymoon in Europe Budget!!!

Tyraie397Tyraie397 member
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in Honeymoon Discussions
Hello,

My fiancé and I are starting our planning now, though are wedding is going to be in December 2016. This is because we want to make sure we put together a good budget for our Honeymoon, or in case of any last minute changes happen to the wedding. Our wedding is going to be a destination wedding in Asheville, NC. It will be a small one, so we decided why not continue the traveling and head to Europe for our Honeymoon. 

Even though it will be in December, we are not scared of the cold. In fact we welcome it. Snuggling up by a fire really doesn't sound too bad. This being said, we are thinking about going from Ireland to England, France, Germany, Belgium (maybe). All of this will most likely be over the span of two weeks. Is that too much? Would anyone recommend less? 

I would love to know some places people absolutely think we should visit. Also, WHAT SHOULD THE BUDGET BE?? We are going to start saving now. Let me know how much we should be saving!

Most likely we will stay in some hostels and a few smaller hotels or B&Bs. We don't want to spend a ton of money, but we love to explore and see beautiful things. Art, museums, shows, land to hike, local bars, great restaurants (WE LOVE FOOD), ANYTHING please give us your input! I would greatly appreciate it. :)

Also, would it be easier to rent a car at some point or should we just stick with train travel and walking/taxis?

~Tierney
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Re: Honeymoon in Europe Budget!!!

  • Jells2dot0Jells2dot0 mod
    First Anniversary First Answer First Comment 5 Love Its
    edited September 2014
    We did a 9 night trip to Germany, France, Belgium, and the Netherlands a few years back. We went in September and primarly stayed in 4.5-5 star hotels. With our flights from AZ and not including food or activities, we spent ~$5K. I imagine we spent at least $1K while there, but I really can't remember those specifics. I took European Delivery of my car, so that eliminated transportation costs, other than fuel. I spent $100 every time I filled up my tank, though! .............................................................................. I'd save more than you expect because A LOT can happen with the exchange rates between now and 2016. Plus, you have two different exchange rates to deal with (Euro and Pound Sterling.) You won't be able to book very much until late 2015, so that gives you a lot of time as well. ............................................................................................... As for length of time, we probably should have spanned our trip out over two weeks instead of 9 nights. It was WAY too much time on the road and for your itinerary, it would require even more travel between the countries. There is A LOT to see in each country, so narrow down what cities are most important to you. I'd personally say no less than 3 nights in any one city. edit- no paragraphs

     







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  • Tyraie397Tyraie397 member
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    Thank you for the response! At least 3 nights in each city sounds like a pretty good plan. This way we can see as mud has possible while there. I don't think we will be transporting either of our cars, but I'll look in to it just in case. From everything you are saying I am think a budget of $5000 would be ok for us. Especially if we aren't staying in 4-5 star hotels. Sounds lovely, but I think we are going more of the student/backpacking route. Also Germany, France, Belgium and the Netherlands sounds amazing. We would both love to see Ireland and England, but maybe because of the distance it would be for traveling, maybe we should stick to places closer together aka a train ride away. I will keep that in mind as well. 

    Thanks again. Sorry about the paragraphs? Its just how I am used to writing.
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  • Jells2dot0Jells2dot0 mod
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    Tyraie397 said:
    Thank you for the response! At least 3 nights in each city sounds like a pretty good plan. This way we can see as mud has possible while there. I don't think we will be transporting either of our cars, but I'll look in to it just in case. From everything you are saying I am think a budget of $5000 would be ok for us. Especially if we aren't staying in 4-5 star hotels. Sounds lovely, but I think we are going more of the student/backpacking route. Also Germany, France, Belgium and the Netherlands sounds amazing. We would both love to see Ireland and England, but maybe because of the distance it would be for traveling, maybe we should stick to places closer together aka a train ride away. I will keep that in mind as well. 

    Thanks again. Sorry about the paragraphs? Its just how I am used to writing.
    I'm pretty sure you can't transport a car. I did a program where you buy your car in the US and pick it up in Germany. It's all arranged through a car dealership and there is a TON of paperwork. It's not something that people just randomly do when traveling over there. I just mentioned it because it obviously eliminated a big factor in pricing (air, train, or car rental)

     







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  • Tyraie397Tyraie397 member
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    I am sorry I was confused by you saying "I took European Delivery of my car." I thought you meant you had your car transported over to Europe. Ha. Oh me. Well I don't think we will be doing anything at random, at least I hope not. The contacting a dealership over in Europe sounds a bit much for us, but we will definitely keep it in mind, especially if it's less expensive than other travel options. Thanks again.
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  • climbingsingleclimbingsingle member
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    Check out Airbnb for rentals. We were able to get a great price on an apartment in Florence for 10 days. 
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  • emmyg65emmyg65 member
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    I think that's way too much for that length of trip. We've found that it's much more enjoyable to stay in one place for longer so you can really immerse yourself and get a feel for the culture. Plus, you can take your time seeing sites and it's more relaxing. Remember that travel to your first stop, between destinations, and home again each takes a day. 

    For two weeks, I'd choose two, maybe three, of your top cities and maybe a handful of nearby day trips. Like just England and Ireland—Dublin, London, and other things you want to see in those countries. Or a trip through different parts of Germany. Or London, Normandy, and Paris.

    I usually find the best airline deals through Kayak or Vayama, especially if I'm flexible with dates. Airbnb is awesome for lodging in Europe if you want something nicer than hostels. Though hostels are a great budget option and I've stayed in plenty of nice ones.

    How much to budget really depends on where you want to go (countryside will generally be cheaper than city), what you want to do (museums? sites? just driving around? excursions?) and how you like to travel (nice hotels and good restaurants? or rent an apartment and buy your own groceries?). 

    We went to Rome for a week in May and spent $1800 on airfare for two people, $900 on an apartment in the historic center for one week (airbnb), maybe $120/day on food, with a few splurgy meals, $150 on museum/site admission, $100 on transportation, and then some miscellaneous shopping and such. It was probably about $4,000 for two people for one week. Personally, for two weeks in Europe, I'd want $10,000.
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  • daria24daria24 member
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    I think 3 locations (not even countries...locations) is the max for 2 weeks. You could spend two weeks just in Germany, or France, traveling to different cities. I know you aren't afraid of the cold, but something to keep in mind is that the daylight in Ireland and England is VERY SHORT that time of year. It's dark by 3pm. It's far more depressing that the cold. I personally wouldn't do Ireland that time of year, you miss out on the beauty. London you can go to anytime-there's so many museums and architecture and stuff like that to enjoy. But Ireland it's all about the green land. Budget-wise, I would plan on at least $6k. If you are staying at B&Bs you can probably plan on about 75 Euro a night, depending on the location. The last time I stayed in hostels it was at least 20 euro pp per night, for bunk beds. At least 40 euro for a private room.
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  • allispainallispain member
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    For a two week trip, I would also say you should visit at most 3 different locations. You want to have time to really explore where you're staying. Plus, what happens if one day the weather is just awful? You'll want those other 2-3 days in that city to help make up for it, trust me.

    Personally, I'm a big fan of traveling Europe by train. I think it's an interesting way to see the countryside - and both of you would actually be able to pay attention to it as opposed to dealing with traffic, looking up directions, etc. Look into getting a Eurail pass - you can get one for just one country (if you want to do something like explore multiple cities in just Germany or just France) or a regional one that allows you to travel throughout 2 or more neighboring countries.

    Most of my experience in Europe has been further south than what you are thinking (Spain, Italy, and Austria) but I've been to London, Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin, Munich, and a couple other smaller cities in Germany. I've enjoyed them all for different reasons - it's hard to go wrong with any major European city as a destination, though I admit I often like the smaller ones because it feels like you can really get to know the city in a handful of days, compared to a place like London.
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  • CMGragainCMGragain member
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    I suggest London, Paris and Edinburgh, Scotland, especially if you are interested in history.  Travel by train.  You should be aware that art museums are not free in Europe.  Food can be very expensive, too.
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  • SBminiSBmini member
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    I think we spent about $6,000 on our honeymoon- 15 nights in Spain. We did Barcelona then flew to Mallorca, from there we flew to Valencia and rented a car. Drove through Andelucia through Granada, Ronda, Cordoba, Sevilla, Tolledo and finally Madrid where we flew home. 

    It was too much. The last three days we did nothing because we were too exhausted. We're very active travelers too- we walked 8 miles a day on average and were bored out of our mind during our two beach days in Mallorca. Even with our high level of activity we didn't have enough time to see some places and thus didn't get to appreciate everything. If I were to do it again, I would cut out a few cities and focus more on others.

    We also spent quite a bit of money on transportation since we went to so many cities. There were flights, fuel, rental car, etc. If you want to keep your costs down- I would recommend you spend more time in fewer places. You'll enjoy it more too. 
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  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] member
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    Stick to the train if you can, gas prices at least in Germany are crazy expensive. You know how much of us complain about paying close to $3.50 a gallon? Well in Germany with the dollar exchange you are looking at paying about $5.00 a liter (it takes 3 liters to make a gallon). So your gas prices (at least in Germany) would be about $15.00 US a gallon. Taking the train allows you to relax & enjoy the views while traveling. I personally would recommend doing a tour if you can find one because they do all the work of booking & travel for you. If you plan to do it yourself, in Germany book way in advance because December they have their Christmas Markets going on & they are very popular.
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  • JoanE2012JoanE2012 member
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    Erikan73 said:
    Stick to the train if you can, gas prices at least in Germany are crazy expensive. You know how much of us complain about paying close to $3.50 a gallon? Well in Germany with the dollar exchange you are looking at paying about $5.00 a liter (it takes 3 liters to make a gallon). So your gas prices (at least in Germany) would be about $15.00 US a gallon. Taking the train allows you to relax & enjoy the views while traveling. I personally would recommend doing a tour if you can find one because they do all the work of booking & travel for you. If you plan to do it yourself, in Germany book way in advance because December they have their Christmas Markets going on & they are very popular.
    I think Germany comes in around $8-9 per gallon.  Still not cheap though!  I think Norway is supposed to be the most expensive just under $10/gallon.

    I went to the Christmas Markets last year and LOVED them!  I'm hoping to go back next year.
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  • dragonaviciousdragonavicious member
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    @emmyg65 You got airfare for $1800 to Rome? When in May did you leave? My wedding is May 1st but we probably weren't going to leave until the 4th or 5th. 

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  • emmyg65emmyg65 member
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    It was May 7-14, Wednesday to Wednesday, and we flew SAS out of Newark. We're pretty flexible with our jobs, so I always plan trips around when airfare is cheapest. SAS is nice because the layovers are in Scandinavia and man, do they ever have nice, clean, orderly airports. :)
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  • thisismynickname2thisismynickname2 member
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    I'm a strong advocate for public transportation in Europe for many of the aforementioned reasons.  It's easy, it's clean, and it runs frequently.  My favorite city by far is Paris, and surprisingly Brussels impressed me as well. Italy is an absolute must, and that would be good in winter because as someone else mentioned you'll have little daylight in England or Ireland.

    The food costs vary widely. I was just in Switzerland and paid $20 for a basic lunch- the prices were horrendous. Wine costs the same or less than soda in France and Italy. England's pound has a worse exchange rate for us than the euro, but also, many of London's museums are free.

    Get on TripAdvisor and get to the library and pick up a bunch of Frommer's or Fodor's.  I also think for two people, two weeks, you should budget $5-$6k.  You'll save a bit of money if you get breakfast included in your hotel rates. 
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  • majesty318majesty318 member
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    We did 2 weeks in Europe for our HM: Sicily, Venice, and then a Mediterranean cruise. We stayed at B&B's which averaged about $150 per night. We did a few pricey tours and ate wherever we wanted, but we didn't have any crazy splurge meals. We got a crazy cheap deal on the cruise so all alcohol & food was included for the 2nd week. Airfare was horrendous since it was summer.

    We spent $10K. I think it would be tough to do 2 weeks for less unless you got very cheap airfare or are willing to stay in very basic hotels.
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  • canadianheartscanadianhearts member
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    edited October 2014
    FI and I have done a couple of Eurotrips and I can tell you from experience that you will not comfortably be able to see all those places in the span of two weeks. The latest trip we took was a month long (four countries and eight cities) and we were exhausted beyond belief. It was still worth it for us and our travel personality, but we both said that for our honeymoon we would want to do something that was at a bit more relaxing pace. If you're going for two weeks, I would highly suggest seeing fewer places, but taking your time to enjoy them. Less travel between countries also allows you to use that budget somewhere else. Even if you're going the backpacking route, food, travel, etc. quickly adds up in Europe.

    I vote for two weeks in France - a week in Paris (winter in Paris sounds romantic!) and a week in the South. My friends boast about Santorini (I've never been, but a few have sailed around the Greek islands and loved it).

    ETA: I think you can have a great Europian honeymoon for $5000.00, especially in the winter. Ways to save:

    * Apartments: We've had some amazing experiences staying in rental apartments vs. hotels. It's still not cheap, but you can save money this way. We also love the option because you're living in the same building and neighbourhood as the locals. Things to make sure: 1. book through a reputable company. 2. the apartment has lots of good reviews. 3. the neighbourhood is safe, close to attractions (or at least a good metro line), somewhere you'd enjoy staying. 4. this is only useful if you're booking for five or more days, since many places don't allow short stays. 

    * No Cars: If you're staying in big cities, most have great public transportation so you wouldn't need a car. Honestly, we walked everywhere! Sometimes even 10k days. It was a fun (but tiring) way to see the city - there is something around every corner in Europe. Some cities (like Florence and maybe even Paris, I believe) have high taxes on non-resident cars, so driving there is definitely not recommended. Parking in most cities is extremely expensive. Many rental companies also make you pay extra if you want to leave your car in a different country (rent in France and leave it in Spain, etc.) so I would avoid the hassle and just train it if you're country-hopping. However, if you want to travel through one country and see a lot of smaller towns and park at roadside motels, then a car is useful. Also, various places don't have standard cars or make you pay more for a higher-end car with the option, just fyi.

    * Travel Blogs: Many have clever tips on saving time and money while traveling Europe. I found some great advice that helped with our travel, but you have to weed through an onslaught of posts to find those gems.

    Have fun! :)
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  • Tyraie397Tyraie397 member
    First Comment First Anniversary
    Thank you all so much for the information!


    I have talked to my fiancé more about our honeymoon and we agreed that since this is both of our first time in Europe, we should take it easy. I think we will be picking one Country to visit to start and maybe pick up to 2-3 cities to stay in. Public transportation is definitely what we have in mind. Since, I love museums and culture, I think we will start in Paris, then maybe move south. I want to go almost everywhere in Europe, but maybe when we have a whole summer and not just a couple weeks, we can do the actual backpacking trip I had in mind. He's definitely down to join me on that adventure as well. 

    Thanks again everyone! Also, if you have any further information on France that I shouldn't miss, please don't hesitate to post it on here. Any ideas as far as museums, restaurants I can't miss, clubs, music, art, opera, festivals, markets etc. I am open to all ideas.

    Tierney
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