Budget for European holiday

[Fantic125]

Hedge your bets and buy some currency now.

Agree with Simo.

You'll find in europe there's a lot of places that won't take OS credit cards. Even if you have an OS Debit card 9/10 they won't even try or accept it.
Buy some cash now, and check that the bank account you have can be accessed through atm's overseas. (note; in EU you may need to use specific 'international' atm's otherwise you may not be able to access your money.)

I have a 28 card and it gets used occasionally through EU. Cash is king.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Agree with Simo.

You'll find in europe there's a lot of places that won't take OS credit cards. Even if you have an OS Debit card 9/10 they won't even try or accept it.
Buy some cash now, and check that the bank account you have can be accessed through atm's overseas. (note; in EU you may need to use specific 'international' atm's otherwise you may not be able to access your money.)

I have a 28 card and it gets used occasionally through EU. Cash is king.

I guess it depends which countries you are referring to. UK, Germany, Holland, France etc all take 28 degrees without issue. Which counties did you have specific issues?

 

[Blinky]

Agree with Simo.

You'll find in europe there's a lot of places that won't take OS credit cards. Even if you have an OS Debit card 9/10 they won't even try or accept it.
Buy some cash now, and check that the bank account you have can be accessed through atm's overseas. (note; in EU you may need to use specific 'international' atm's otherwise you may not be able to access your money.)

I have a 28 card and it gets used occasionally through EU. Cash is king.

Thanks Fantic. I think I might buy some euros and pounds.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Thanks Fantic. I think I might buy some euros and pounds.

depending on where you're going. You don't need to buy pounds - 28 degrees is accepted everywhere in the UK without fail. No need to find an international ATM either. I think Fantic is going to provide some countries where they have experienced problems.

 

[Pushka]

I loved the 28 degree card until - they rang me as we were about to depart Adelaide for our month long trip to Europe (I was in the Qantas Club when they called - nothing like a bit of stress before a 24 hour plane flight) - to say they were cancelling my card! Because of a fraud they had detected 12 hours earlier. And I had pre loaded this card with cash over a period of months and had used it to guarantee all my hotel bookings! BUT - they got me a replacement card, five days later, to a small Hotel in Paris. When we arrived in Melbourne, we dashed to the currency exchange and grabbed about $2000 extra Euros in case the card didnt make it. We had other cards of course, but preferred not to use them.

Having all that cash was actually a good thing - we didnt have to keep finding an ATM. But the card proved a nightmare on our cruise as the cruise line just didnt process it properly. But that is another story.

200 euros a day is perfect.

 

[Fantic125]

depending on where you're going. You don't need to buy pounds - 28 degrees is accepted everywhere in the UK without fail. No need to find an international ATM either. I think Fantic is going to provide some countries where they have experienced problems.

l haven't been into the UK since I got the card, but the experience I've had in Germany is that a number of smaller stores don't take credit cards or overseas debit cards. They only accept a local debit card or cash. I haven't had any issues using the 28 Degrees card anywhere else. The only place I've used it to draw cash was in the USA; everywhere else l just use the credit function.

l have an IngDirect visa debit card as my main bank account and (again in Germany) l'm not able to draw cash out of 'local' atm's. I generally need to find a bank with atm's that allow international transactions. The only other place I've travelled where I have had a similar experience was China. Again, in most other countries no issues.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

l haven't been into the UK since I got the card, but the experience I've had in Germany is that a number of smaller stores don't take credit cards or overseas debit cards. They only accept a local debit card or cash. I haven't had any issues using the 28 Degrees card anywhere else. The only place I've used it to draw cash was in the USA; everywhere else l just use the credit function.

l have an IngDirect visa debit card as my main bank account and (again in Germany) l'm not able to draw cash out of 'local' atm's. I generally need to find a bank with atm's that allow international transactions. The only other place I've travelled where I have had a similar experience was China. Again, in most other countries no issues.

thanks for the data points. Having lived in China for a long time I can confirm no problems with withdrawing cash from any ATM there on 28 degrees. It seems like some of the problem is with the debit card functions. My folks were just in germany - no cash withdrawals, but used the 28 degrees without a problem.

 

[Simo]

Some of the points in this thread was about not being able to use foreign CC's in some country's/local retailers.

I was in MNL in a little liquor store in a back street and I pulled out my High Flyer Visa to purchase a bottle of scotch and they where not going to accept it first but then they wanted to ring Visa and confirm that it was a legit CC.

I could have payed cash but didn't want to open my wallet in this area and it was a little bit more than what I had in my pocket.

I was with locals and they then said I was all good and he just wanted to check the card out.

One place wanted to see other ID which I had my Aust Drivers License with me and it just got over the line.

Maybe the retailer has been ripped off over the years with foreign CC's and just being very safe.

 

[Pushka]

If you are driving in any of the rural areas of France and not on the toll roads, so going through villages then cash is king.

India really dislikes credit cards and will sometimes be refused even with passport id.

 

[Friends of None]

Check this out, minus the parts you have booked. Trip budget planner.

Notwithstanding that I don't know your budget -
France: woodfired pizza AUD$10, salad AUD$10 max, beer is super cheap. We buy spirits/beer in supermarkets to save.
Higher end places can be tres expensive - I think French cuisine, unless you know where to go, does not provide value for money (pizza aside). Can be very expensive.

This is all from a cyclists perspective, though and through lots of travel in Provence, Alps, Pyrenees. Paris should be a bit more competitive.

Breakfast will run to AUD$5-10 each max. That's 2 very bad French coffees (check out wherespresso.com and its iPhone app to find coffee in France, Germany, Italy and elsewhere) and croissants jam, etc etc.

Lunch in France can be a baguette, la vache qui rit cheese, ham, avo etc. YUM.

Sneaky Heinekens are cheap cheap cheap.

Again: French woodfired pizzas are awesome. Avoid lasagne (they do it poorly).

By the way, if you need mobike prepaid internet, check this post out (i.e. roaming is for chumps).

 

[Friends of None]

Can't agree with any comments on credit cards. Besides small little cafes etc, almost all places (restaurants, bars, shops) all take overseas credit cards - France, Italy, Spain (Catalonia, Pyrenees).
I've used Earth Plat, Virgin HF, 28Deg MC, Debit cards (MC, Visa). No issues ever.

About the only problem I've had is the peages in France randomly not taking one card at one gate then accepting at the next.

Mind you, I tend to go to places visited by cyclists and tourists (Pyrenees, Alps, Provence, Med Coast).

 

[Erin101]

Depending on where you travel in London it might be worth investing in an Oyster card - you pre-load money on to the card and you don't need to worry about having change for individual tickets.

Also, if you want to try a few different restaurants you can get a free 30 day trial for the Taste Card - it gets you 2 for 1 meals at a few different restaurants throughout the UK, just sign up and get it sent to one of the hotels you are staying at.

I think a lot of capital cities have their own card which gets you discounted/free entry to different attractions and includes a travel card. Depending on how many tourist attractions you want to visit this could save you money too.

There are free walking tours in lots of different cities throughout Europe. H

I found Switzerland expensive when I went there last but I had a friend there only a few months ago and she said prices were on par with Sydney now. Bonus!

I tried to include links to all these resources but I haven't posted enough times yet.

I agree, set a daily budget and then double it especially if you want to do a lot of shopping...

 

[vbroucek]

I have been to Europe for 5 week holiday every year since 2002. And it is cheaper and cheaper. We drive everywhere using Peugeot/Citroen leasing system that is much cheaper than any rental imaginable, but that is irrelevant for this thread. So, some of my advice for people without car (and sometimes even with car, since I found hotels in centres of big cities are overpriced and can charge up-to 40Euro for parking, so we usually stay out of cities):

1. Daily or even better multi-day tickets for public transport are a must - in places like Berlin, Paris, Vienna, Prague, daily ticket is cheaper than one longer ride here in Hobart, where I live
2. Set menus for lunch or dinner are always winners. Mrs a I had lunch and carafe of good wine opposite Basilique du Sacre-Coeur de Montmartre this June for unbelievable 30Euro!!!
3. Entrance to all museums in Paris is free on every first Sunday of the Month - but queues are much longer...
4. House wine (and it is generally good wine) is nearly always cheaper than coke or other soft drinks. Particularly in Paris, bottled water is very expensive in restaurants, but carafe of water is usually free - and tap water is safe to drink in Paris.
5. We tend to have breakfast in hotel and then either cooked lunch or diner. The remaining meal is supermarket or market. Plethora of fantastic cheeses, hams, salami, bread for few Euros still amazes me even after all those years. Particularly in France, bottle of wine costing between 7 and 10 Euro is safe bet that it will be better than most wines here in Australia costing between $20-40. If you are into bubblies as I am, Grand Cru Champagne can be purchased under 30 Euro bottle, but there are many fantastic Champagnes under 20 Euro.
6. The only CC that can cause problem is Australian issued Amex without chip, particularly in France where they are reluctant to accept anything without chip. However, Amex started issuing cards with chips recently and if you have one without chip, simple call to Amex will get you free replacement for chip one in few business days.

There would be few more tips, but sorry, I am running out of time. I don't go here too often, I am regular on Flyertalk, but I will track this thread for a while and will try to answer any questions... Places to which I have been this year, so they are freshest in memory, are Lisbon, Barcelona, Rome, Vienna, Prague, Berlin and Paris.

 

[eastwest101]

Confirms what I have heard from friends of mine whom have recently come back, France is not too bad (except for Paris). Germany, Austria, Netherlands, Czech Republic & UK all reasonable. Italy, Spain, Portugal and Greece fairly cheap obviously. Places to stay away from are Switzerland, Norway and Sweden. Finland was reported as quite reasonable.

 

[Muriel]

My wife and I will be travelling to Europe next March for about 8 weeks, with about a week in London, 3 days in Paris, a 10 day NCL Mediterranian cruise, a week in Rome before a 12 day Insight Tour of Italy and finishing with a 14 day Globus Tour through Germany, Austria and Switzerland. All accommodation is booked. Meals are included on the cruise, and on the tours all breakfasts and about a third of dinners are included.

We don't plan to just sit in our hotel at night, and like visiting pubs and starting conversations with locals, and we won't be having dinner at KFC.

So what would be a realistic weekly budget for eating out at decent cafes, visiting the usual tourist attractions, having the occasional ale and simply getting around the places we'll be going? Any assistance would be appreciated. The only other time we were in Europe was 6 years ago when the dollar was $US0.70, so that's not a guide.

Hi Blinky

We have twice done extensive 6 month European trips/ cruises and have 1 rule which we live by. "You can't see and do everything!
I suggest that you buy an Oyster Card for London. Its the cheapest way to travel and can be purchased before you leave Australia. see: the transport for london site for info on cost, where to buy in Australia and how to use the card. Try somewhere like St Martins in the Field for lunch/dinner - you might even score a great concert there.

For Paris, I suggest you look at the Paris Pass site​for options on travel passes, discounts etc. We bought a paris card before leaving australia and used it for the journey into Paris from the airport. Well worth a look. Try the street vendors for crepes - good value and yummy. Avoid restaurants with fancy tablecloths - it's the food your after. Some good well priced cafes around St Germain area, Montmartre & Montparnasse

Take time out to WALK around Rome. We set out on foot at 4pm and arrived back at our hotel near the railway station at 1am: felt perfectly safe walking the crowded piazzas at that time in the morning. A great way to take it all in.

Hope this is of some help. Have a fantastic holiday

 

[vbroucek]

Confirms what I have heard from friends of mine whom have recently come back, France is not too bad (except for Paris). Germany, Austria, Netherlands, Czech Republic & UK all reasonable. Italy, Spain, Portugal and Greece fairly cheap obviously. Places to stay away from are Switzerland, Norway and Sweden. Finland was reported as quite reasonable.

All Scandinavian countries are expensive. Czech Republic can surprisingly be more expensive than Germany or France... Careful with cost of taxi in Spain, on the other hand taxis are ridiculously cheap in Portugal.

 

[Friends of None]

These are all awesome tips!

Except one thing: French wine! It's nowhere near as good as Aus wine, on a like for like basis. E.g. you can get a reasonable Aussie red for $7 but try getting a good French wine at a low level. Cr#pshoot.

Good tips re: softdrink and going with the menu du jour is a good idea too!

+1 tips on cured meats and cheese from supermarkets. Image below from supermarket/France09. LOADS OF CHEESE!



If you go to supermarket, make sure you bag and tag your fruit/vegies!

 

[vbroucek]

Take time out to WALK around Rome. We set out on foot at 4pm and arrived back at our hotel near the railway station at 1am: felt perfectly safe walking the crowded piazzas at that time in the morning. A great way to take it all in.

We stayed at Radison Blu next to Rome's main railway station and definitely did not feel safe walking around after sunset...

 

[vbroucek]

Except one thing: French wine! It's nowhere near as good as Aus wine, on a like for like basis. E.g. you can get a reasonable Aussie red for $7 but try getting a good French wine at a low level.

That's where I do not agree. I have not had good Australian wine under A$15 yet and I have been living in Australia since 1992, but I have had many excellent French red wines for around 7 Euro bottle. But yes, I do know what to look for. However, my French colleagues are telling me that anything over 7 Euros is drinkable. You cannot say that about all Australian wines over A$10. The only problem with French wines is that they are really vintage dependent. Same wine can be brilliant one year, and mediocre the next one (here is advantage of Australian climate - when you find your favourite drop, you can stick with it). But if you remember last year's price, you will see that is is appropriately cheaper if this year's offer is from worse vintage.

 

[gvix]

We have just come back (10 days ago) from a European trip with my wife and two little kids. We went to UK, Spain, France and Italy. All in all, the trip lasted just over 7 weeks.

Our experience was that prices are very similar to Australia with fast food being cheaper than Australia (I know fast food is not your preferred option - but with two little kids it was a good option for us).

Italy was touristy, and dare I say it, full of scams. One restaurant we went to near the Vatican city charged us 5 euros for a bowl of parmesan cheese that we didn't order. Similarly, haggling over taxi fares was a nightmare. And of course, the normal warnings about Rome and Italy apply. Really do watch out for pickpockets.

Other than that, Paris, Venice, Madrid, London, Barcelona etc. are all very much Sydney prices based, if slightly cheaper. So whatever you might want to budget for a stay in Sydney or Melbourne budget for that, and add 20-30% extra for contingency.

Have a fun trip!