How to plan a trip to Europe on a Budget

Here are some of the handy trips to plan a trip to Europe on a budget

• It’s ideal to book your tickets at least a couple of months in advance or so. Take time to compare fares before you book.
• For accommodation, you can try alternative accommodation like a b&b or apartment instead of a hotel. You can try Airbnb – I’ve personally used it and my experience was quite good.  Ideally, pick a hotel that is near to a metro station. That’s something that I always do as it minimizes your taxi costs.
• The smartest way is to make a note of the places that you will be visiting. Then look at hotels that are close to those locations. If 4 out of 6 locations that you look for, are located within walking distance of each other, then it make sense to look for a hotel or accommodation close to these landmarks.  In a way, Europe is blessed in the way that most tourist attractions are within walking distances of each other especially Prague, Budapest, Berlin and such other places.

• Within Europe, I would recommend travelling by train unless the journey is more than 6 hours. All of Europe is very well connected by train. To save money on trains, book in advance (40-50 days) you get excellent discounts in a lot of countries like Italy, Germany and France Don’t buy a Eurail pass. It is expensive and in many countries (Spain, Italy, France) you need to pay a surcharge on many trains. Use the official train sites of the countries where possible. If you have to take a flight you can try a low cost airline like Ryanair. But remember, They do not operate from the main airports, and you might have to take a taxi. That costs. Ryan Air charges money for a checkin baggage. Say, you have a swissknife in your backpack, you have no option but to checkin. There are hidden costs that way.
• Almost all museums in Eastern Europe has one free day. Try to utilize that. Also remember, The best and beautiful parts of Europe are free to see. The second best costs :- Its a personal experience. If you aren’t an ardent art lover, or a historian, limit your museum visits. Saves time and money.
• Travel on night trains, it amounts to a little discomfort, but you save on a night’s accommodation.
• Don’t waste time in queues in Rome/Vatican/Florence/Paris. Book online. Although it costs some money, it saves a lot of time.

• Buy a city card, like Paris Viste, Roma Pass, Salzburg Card etc. Its worth in some places, and not worth in other. Most city card gives free public transport in the city. Many European cities offer passes to the main attractions for a reasonable price. There are usually a few options to choose from, depending on what you want to do. Museum passes are especially useful, as they help you skip the line to buy tickets.
• Goto the countryside Europe. The best part of Europe lies there. Yeah don’t miss the old town parts of a city. Its quite an experience walking in the narrow alleys.