europe trip from india budget

A Step-by-Step Guide On How To Plan A Europe Trip From India

Europe is considered as one of the most loving travel destinations for Indians.

UNWTO reports stated that Europe sees 20% of the travellers from India’s outbound traffic. France, Italy, Germany, and Switzerland are considered favourite countries in Europe.

But still, no matter who you are from India, one basic question comes to your mind before planning a trip to Europe, i.e., how to plan a Europe trip from India – without overreached the earned leaves or budget?

Before deep-diving into this matter let’s find out one thing. Why do we Indians love Europe so much as our dream travel destination?

Needless to say, one of the major influences comes from our Bollywood movies – It’s a romantic gateway for heroes and heroine to cherish their love, where we can witness some stunning landscapes across different parts of the continent, ease of travel throughout the continent, variety of culture, etc. Sometimes the influence becomes so strong that some of us planned their proposal in the ‘City of Love’ – Paris or go on to choose Switzerland as their honeymoon destination to witness the magic of Europe in reality.

I am quite sure, there are some issues with many travellers who are mostly on budget and try to do all sorts of calculations to cut off the expenses related to the trip such as flight charges, accommodation, food, and most importantly visa problem, which hold them back.

Relax! In this article, I will provide you some pro tips and a step-by-step outline on how you can go ahead carefully planning your dream Euro Trip a reality without any stress or any kind of brainstorming and most importantly on a budget.

Let’s go then!

Jump ahead to:

How to Plan A Budget Europe Trip From India

Planning an organized trip can really take as long as you want. However, if you planning to visit at least the big cities/capitals, you should have to spend a minimum of 2 full days in each city you visit and smaller cities might need only 1 full day. Write-off your arrival day to Europe for sure. It’s very natural to get a jet-lag.

Before starting your dream Europe trip plan, here are a few tips for your trip around Europe on a budget:

Choose your destinations wisely — If you have a clear idea about what you want to see like Colosseum or Vatican City in Rome and the Eiffel Tower or Louvre in Paris, you already know where you will go. Found out the main attractions you want to see and do in each city you’d like to visit. Make a list for your reference, so that you won’t miss out on anything.

Plan Your Travel Path — You might have your heart set on Prague, Rome, Amsterdam, Paris, and Athens, but if you only have two weeks or less, you’ll have to rethink. These cities are spread out and you need to spend a lot of time traveling than enjoying Europe. Plan out a travel path that is closely connected, and leave the remaining destinations for your next visit. It’s next to impossible to travel even only the big cities in Europe in a month’s time!

Figure out your budget — Apart from planning a travel path that won’t take up your entire trip, you should also plan out how much you need to spend for traveling place to place, food, stay, etc. If it’s starting to hit you hard, try to skip a destination that would be fun, but not worthy for this trip.

Plan Day Trips — Sometimes you may discover after checking your travel route that some places you want to visit are pretty close to bigger cities where you want to stay in. So, planning a day trip to the countryside instead of spending a night in a small town could be exciting and trust me, the European countryside will always surprise you with its beauty and it’s better to have a break from the bustling city.

Look for cheap and convenient travel options – One of the major portions of our budget usually goes into booking the main flights to and from India. I will suggest you use some of the flight app trackers like Skyscanner, Google Flights, or can visit the direct sites to compare the fares to keep a watch on the flight rates well ahead of your tentative travel date to get the best lowest rates or connection. Always look for a cheaper connection from major cities like Delhi or Mumbai. When you are traveling within European cities, you can also plan to take buses, trains, or budget airlines (through low-cost European carrier Ryanair or Wizz Air) on your trip but the prices will depend on how close cities are and which European budget airline you fly with.

Depending on the number of countries you choose, it is often economical to buy a Eurail Pass , an all-in-one train ticket giving you unlimited access to most trains across various destinations. Let me tell you one important thing if you manage your carry-on luggage strictly under 10 kgs, then you can fly as cheap as 30 Euro or less than that to different destinations within Europe to save time. Although, if not then, going by the bus (Flixbus) is the next best but definitely the cheapest option while travelling within Europe. My total intra-Europe travel cost including commuting to five countries through 4 flights, and 1 train travel came up to a total of ₹ 6780.

Find out budget Accommodation – Finding cheap accommodation is another aspect when you have a few days to stay in a city. Some of the best options for affordable accommodations include Airbnb, Youth hostels—or luxury hostels, hotels, and the cheapest of all couch surfing. Each of them will vary in price and location, but according to your budget, you should try to stay near to the city centre as it saves some travel time while visiting the tourist destinations.

When and Where To Visit In Europe

I planned my Euro-trip when I was doing my M.Sc. in Business Administration in Rome.  It took me two months to decide on which places to visit and finally came up with a fully packed 10-day itinerary covering 5 cities (only capital cities) with a complete estimate of what the middle-class me as a student was most worried about – Budget!

Here’s a brief outline for those who are planning a European vacation for the first time.

Now, the answer to this when and where to visit in Europe lies in the time you have available as well as your budget.

So, if you are clueless about what would be the ideal time to travel to your favourite European holiday destinations then the answer will be any time between the high season and low season (Known as Shoulder season) is often considered as the ideal time to visit Europe as major cities don’t seem to be as crowdy as in high season.

Ideally Spring (between March-May) and Autumn (between September-November) are the best time to travel but most of the cities are happen to be crowdy and sightseeing could be a bit expensive as well.

If you are travelling Europe for the first time, try to do a sampling of all the exotic locations that Europe has to offer. Keep the rest for your next visit, which may be a long stay in a destination that really close to your heart, and skip over a place you may not have enjoyed.

No need to worry about that!

Here’s a simple breakdown of the minimum duration of your stay in each country (only for 11 Schengen countries). In this chart below, we are assuming that you are going to visit at least 2 major cities and 2 minor cities in each country for your Europe trip.

Europe Trip Itinerary From India

To make your life easier I am going to suggest a 14-Day Europe trip itinerary from India, which is something like this:

Delhi (India) —> Budapest (Hungary) *

• Budapest is one of those European cities that has a little bit of everything. The main attractions are the Parliament Building, Buda Castle, Szechenyi Chain Bridge, Fisherman’s Bastion, the ruin bars etc and is perfect for the budget travellers and backpackers as many of its tourist sights are FREE! In addition, you can also visit few other major urban cities like Eger , Szeged , Pecs .

Budapest (Hungary) —> Vienna (Austria)

• Guess what! Your next destination has been ranked the most livable city in the world! You should definitely visit Schönbrunn Palace, Hofburg Palace, Belvedere Palace, The Museum of Fine Art, and last but not the least, the classical Vienna Coffee with Sacher cake. Include Innsbruck and Salzburg in your list as well (Bollywood has a special inclination towards these three locations – 85 movies were partly shot in Austria in the last few years)

Vienna (Austria) —> Prague (Czech Republic)

• Capital of Czech Republic – Prague or Praha is also known as the “City of Thousand Spires”, situated at the centre of Europe. The most significant landmarks include Charles Bridge, Prague Castle Complex, The Old Town, Prague’s Astronomical Clock, and of course, the Czech beer!  Don’t miss out Brno , second biggest city and considered as one of the  top places to visit in Czech Republic. From Brno you can visit Adršpach Rock City, famous for formations made out sandstone that are pretty unusual in appearance. This one is perfect city for those who’re looking forward to an offbeat adventure. Your last stop could be Liberec, city with perfect balance of art and adventure. Adventure lovers can hike and ski at Jizera Mountains. Also, visit Jested peak that offers jaw-dropping views.

Prague (Czech Republic) —> Paris (France)

• Most people prefer to visit the ‘City of Love” – Paris during their first trip to Europe. Paris is a plethora of fashion, food, art and culture. The most popular attraction in Paris is none other than the Eiffel Tower, an engineering marvel in itself. Other popular attraction includes – Louvre Museum, Arc De Triomphe, Palace of Versailles. Finally, how you can miss the Champs-Elysées evening stroll and Ladurée’s macarons which are the perfect balance of flavours that simply melts in your mouth! A walk in Montmartre is perfect to end your day of exploration. If you are a lover of good food and wine, then Bordeaux, the capital of French wine is the place for you. Nice and Marseille are among the other best cities to visit in France.

Paris (France) —> Rome (Italy)

• There are so many incredible cities to visit in Italy alone, you could easily spend your whole 14-days’ vacation in this wonderful country with a stunning natural beauty and rich historical, architectural brilliance. The cities that you shouldn’t miss apart from Rome is Florence, which require at least 2-3 days each, while smaller cities like Naples and Venice can be seen in a day or two.

Rome (Italy) —>Delhi

*Write-off your arrival day to Europe

For internal travel between cities check options through  rome2rio , which shows the best and cheapest options for buses, flights, or trains.

Moreover, if you don’t want to plan your Europe trip by yourself, then you can travel through some Indian Tour agencies who provide some best Europe tour packages from India, like Thomas Cook, SOTC, etc, but I personally don’t recommend that as they have some pre-planned trips with time-bound.

Finally, if you are looking for a guided and expert planned vacation and travel packages and want to plan your own custom Europe trip, your best place could be ‘TravelStride’. They will match you with a local travel expert and plan, a custom itinerary for you as per your budget!

How cool is that!!

Things To Take On Europe Trip From India

Before heading out to the booking your flight, there are few very important things that you’ll need to take on a Europe trip from India.

Before you pack your bags and be ready to go, check all your travel documents and other necessary things prepared. This includes your passport (valid at least 6 months from your arrival), Europe travel insurance, travel itinerary, Europe trip package information, hotel reservations, visas (if necessary), copies of your passport, Europe travel map, and an international driver’s license if you intend to drive in countries that require one.

Visa for Europe Trip From India

For Europe, there are 26 countries that are covered under the Schengen Visa scheme. Firstly, be very clear about your plan and the number of countries you intend to visit, check whether they are covered under the Schengen scheme or not?

For traveling to Europe, you need to apply for a short-term Schengen visa under the “tourist” specification from India. Schengen Visa Fees for Indian Passport holders is around ₹ 7000.

You can easily apply through the VFS centres in your respective city. Still having doubts, don’t!

You can apply your Schengen Visa on your own through VFS Global .

It is highly recommended to apply for a visa at least two months prior to your probable travel date to avoid last minute tension.

SIM Card For Europe Travel From India

Are you planning to buy a SIM card for Europe travel from India?

If possible, try to avoid that. It’s always better to buy a local SIM card in the respective country as roaming charges do apply and network availability might vary. For example, in Italy Wind mobile is economical and easily accessible across all cities with attractive plans.

Europe Travel Insurance

When you are travelling to Europe, it is compulsory to have well-covered travel insurance for visa purposes as well as for our own medical assurance. It is recommended to always purchase insurance which covers not only the actual number of days but extra days as well. There are various approved Indian travel insurance companies (Apollo Munich Health Insurance Company, Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Company, etc), where you can purchase travel medical insurance for the Schengen visa process. I purchased my insurance through Bajaj Allianz at the time of my travel. It will cost you around ₹ 2000 to ₹ 3000.

How Much Does It Cost For Europe Trip From India?

Many people ask this question, but honestly speaking that is quite difficult to answer.

Firstly, Europe is not a country, it’s a continent that comprises many countries. Some of them are more expensive to travel like, Switzerland and some are relatively cheaper like, Greece, while a few of them are pretty cheap e.g., Budapest.

Please keep in mind that your cost will entirely depend on which places you visit at what season, the kind of accommodation you stay at, the modes you choose for intra-city transportation (flights, taxis, train, buses, etc.).

How much would a solo Europe trip from India cost?

Europe trip budget from India for a normal 14-day trip that covers 4-5 countries usually costs people up to 1 to 1.5 Lakhs per person. On the other hand, if you are doing the entire Europe trip backpacking (hitchhiking, staying in hostels, choosing cheap transportations wisely etc.), the costs will be substantially different from a regular trip.

You can get an idea of the costs from the posts on Eastern Europe tours from India .

I hope this gives you a clear idea about the cost of Europe trip from India.

I am quite sure that this article will help you plan a budget Europe trip with ease and serves as a complete Europe trip guide from India. If you find it useful, have any questions, or suggestions for improving the blog please write feedback in a comment.

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• 8 Cheapest European Countries To Visit From India

23 Mar 2023

A stunning continent adorned with captivating castles, museums, spectacular beaches, pristine Island and rich history. Europe is definitely one of the top-most destinations in most of our bucket lists. And if you are a backpacker or someone who just likes to travel on a budget, you already know the struggle of planning a trip to Europe without burning a hole in your wallet. Also, with many affordable options available around like Thailand, Bali, Srilanka, Singapore etc. we Indians end up planning a trip to these destinations and the trip to Europe still sits on hold. So, we have prepared a list of some of the cheapest European countries to visit from India for you to finally tick off Europe from your bucket list and complete the trip on budget.

From the stunning beaches of Santorini to historical sites of Slovakia, we have covered everything in this list. Let’s dive straight in and check all the cheapest European countries to visit from India that you can visit on your next trip.

Located on the Baltic Sea between Lithuania and Estonia, Latvia is the first country on our list of cheapest European countries to visit from India . Boasting wide dense forests, stunning beaches and bewitching museums showcasing the local art and culture of the country. Latvia is home to notable wooden and art nouveau architecture. The place is not popular like other European countries, so you can find amazing deals here on accommodations and budget food options.

Best time to visit: April to September Places to visit: Riga old town, Gauja National Park, Sigulda Castle Average daily budget: €91

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2. The Czech Republic

Also known as Czechia, a country located in Central Europe, the Czech Republic was formerly known as Bohemia. It shares borders with Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the east. It is known as one amongst Europe’s most fascinating cities, and is quite famous for its Gothic architecture. It is one of the cheapest countries of Europe, which is why this needs to be on your list of affordable European countries to visit from India.

Best time to visit: March to mid May, September to mid November Places to visit: Prague, Český Krumlov, Karlovy Vary, Kutna Hora, Brno Average daily budget: €80.50

Home to architectural wonders, peaceful monasteries and stone-churches, Romania is definitely one of the best places to visit in Europe. This southeastern European country, located on the western shores of Black Seais known for the forested region of Transylvania. Surrounded by the magnificent Carpathian mountains, Romania is the 12th largest country in Europe. The place is rich in natural beauty, history and culture. Visitors here get to enjoy the scenic beauty of surrounding mountains and untouched countryside.

Best time to visit: August and September Places to visit: Painted Monasteries, Peles Castle, Cluj-Napoca, Palace of Culture Average daily budget: €62

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A country with mostly ethnic Hungarians and a significant Romani minority, Hungary is quite famous amongst tourists for its rich culture, heritage and magnificent architecture. It is famous for its architectural landmarks from Buda’s medieval Castle Hill and grand neo classical buildings. Home to many culinary spreads and wine tasting places, this place is ideal for backpackers and couples, offering all the great sightseeing points as per the needs of both the groups. Its capital city, Budapest also called the ‘Paris of East’ is worth a visit with its stunning architecture, vibrant nightlife and rich history.

Best time to visit: June to August Places to visit: Orava Castle, Vlkolinec, Bardejov, Slovak Paradise National Park Average daily budget: €66

5. Slovakia

Sharing its border with Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the southwest, Slovakia is a country in central Europe, and despite being small in area this country has everything a tourist looks for in a destination. From natural beauty to historical monuments and rich folk culture the place has its own charm. You can explore the regional food and traditional cuisines and can witness the picturesque towns and magnificent monuments, having world significance.

Best time to visit: September, October and May Places to visit: Orava Castle, Vlkolinec, Bardejov, Slovak Paradise National Park Average budget: €101

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Situated on Southeastern Europe’s Balkan Peninsula, Albania is famous for its castles and archeological sites. Sharing its border with Greece, North Macedonia, Kosovo, and Montenegro, this is one of the cheapest countries to visit in Europe from India . Its untouched beaches, stunning landscapes, regional cuisines and archeological sites are definitely worth exploring. It was earlier a part of Ancient Greece, the Roman Empire and the Ottoman Empire, the place is rich in history and is ideal for anyone who loves exploring historical sites and learning about the history and culture of a place.

Best time to visit: April to June and September to October Places to visit: Acropolis Museum, Parthenon, National Archaeological Museum, Plaka Average daily budget: €42

7. Bulgaria

Famous worldwide for its folklore, opera singers and musicians, it is a country on the western side of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is one of the most affordable European countries to visit from India , because of affordable food and accommodation options available here. It shares its border with Serbia, North Macedonia, Greece and Turkey and is one of the exotic destinations to visit in Europe. Home to sublime beaches, winter sports activities, historical and archaeological sites and churches, this place has a lot to offer.

Best time to visit: April to May and September to October Places to visit: Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna, Bansko Average daily budget: €51.07

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A country located in Southeastern Europe, also known as the ‘cradle of Western civilization’ because of the origin of Western literature, historiography and political science here. Greece is home to many astounding islands and places, it shares its borders with Albania, North Macedonia, Bulgaria and Turkey. It is one of the most visited countries in Europe and is famous for its beaches, magnificent islands, UNESCO sites, and delicious food. The breathtaking beauty of Santorini and lip-smacking Greek food is something you cannot miss out on your trip to this incredible country.

Best time to visit: April to early June Places to visit: Athens, Santorini, Mykonos, Corfu Average daily budget: €43.28

From exotic places to rich historical sites, our list covers it all. And now that you know that you don’t need to spend a fortune to visit Europe and have a great time, what are you waiting for? Plan a trip to Europe and include one of the above mentioned places to enjoy your much awaited international holiday on a budget.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Cheapest European Countries to Visit from India

Which is the cheapest country to visit in Europe from India?

Slovakia, Albani, Hungary, Latvia, Greece and Bulgaria are some of the cheapest countries to visit in Europe from India. The average daily cost to visit these countries is between €91 to €43 euros.

Which is the cheapest country to visit in Europe?

Slovenia, Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic, and Ukraine are some of the cheapest countries to visit in Europe.

Is it safe to visit Europe given the covid situation?

Yes, it is safe to visit Europe, but make sure to get yourself fully vaccinated before travelling. Once after reaching the destination make sure to follow all the guidelines and take necessary precautions like wearing masks at all times, maintaining social distance at all public places and sanitizing yourself regularly.

Is Italy cheaper than India?

No, Italy is not cheaper than India. Infact, India is 67% cheaper than Italy, the accommodation and food options are much more affordable in India.

Which city in Europe is cheapest to fly from India?

Dublin in Ireland, is the cheapest city to fly in from India. The average airfare for Dublin is $620.

Which is the cheapest month to travel to Europe?

Mid to late October to mid March is the cheapest month to travel to Europe. Also make sure to book your flights for Tuesdays and Wednesdays to get better rates.

Which is the easiest country to migrate to?

Spain, Paraguay, Germany, Montenegro, Czechia, Thailand are some of the easiest countries to immigrate to.

Which place is called Italy of India?

Lavasa, a hill station located close to Pune if called the ‘Italy of India’ It is located at a distance of 60 km from Pune.

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Best Ways to Plan a Budget-Friendly Trip to Europe from India

Traveling to European countries can be exciting for many, but the process of preparing for the entire trip is quite intimidating, especially for first-time travelers. From visas to flight tickets, accommodation to the itinerary- a lot of planning goes behind a successful foreign trip. Things can become slightly challenging when you’re planning a budget-friendly trip to one of the supposedly expensive tourist destinations.

If you don’t want to break your bank, but at the same time, don’t want to compromise with your upcoming Europe trip, we have some great travel tips for you. When it comes to planning for budget-friendly vacation packages in Europe from India, it is best to narrow down the places you must visit. Check out cheap European countries to visit from India to know more. After you have decided the places you must visit, follow more tips mentioned below, you’ll be able to enjoy a worthwhile trip to a beautiful European country well within your budget. So let’s head straight to the tips.  

Also read: Five Reasons to Invest in a Student  Travel Insurance Right Now

• 1 Choose European Cities that are Affordable for Indian Tourists
• 2 Consider the Travel Season
• 3 Do Some Research & Work on Your Budget
• 4 Start Saving Early for a Worthwhile Trip to Europe from India
• 5 Commute Within Budget
• 6 Look for Value Entry Passes to Touristic Locations
• 7 Make Airfare & Accommodation Bookings Wisely
• 8 Eat at Local Small Eateries, Instead of Luxury Restaurants
• 9 Search for Activities on a Budget
• 10 Try Your Luck with Hitchhiking
• 11.1 Get Travel Insurance
• 11.2 Be Aware of Scammers
• 11.3 Stay Away from Phishing Travel Websites

Choose European Cities that are Affordable for Indian Tourists

There is no denying that Europe is expensive. But luckily, there are some European countries that offer a stellar travel experience for a small to moderate budget. Though Western Europe is very expensive compared to the Eastern Europe side, you might want to shortlist countries based on your travel preference.

Bulgaria, Croatia, Georgia, Romania, Hungary, and Slovakia are some of the cheap European countries to visit from India, but you can look for more affordable options based on your interest. Depending on whether you’re an art person, adventure lover, history buff, nightlife explorer, foodie, or something else- choose a European city that will satisfy the travel lust in you. 

Consider the Travel Season

One most often neglected aspect by budget travelers is the travel season. It is a known fact that hotels and flights charge a lot on the higher side during the travel season. If you truly want to enjoy the best of everything, try to schedule your trip to Europe from India during the offseason.

Besides lower prices on accommodation, flights, and even activities, you will also get to enjoy lesser crowds around. Not all European cities will have the same travel season, so conduct your research based on the European country you’re planning your travel to. 

Do Some Research & Work on Your Budget

Europe is a place where you can easily spend a little over $20 for just one burger or add in a few more dollars to have a hearty full meal. It all depends on the type of locations you choose within your selected European country. Let’s understand this with an example. If you’re heading to Eastern Europe, you might need around 40-80 EUR per day, including the food, sightseeing, commute, and a few other expenses for cheap travel.

However, the same estimate might double if you travel to Western Europe. Hence, always do the research with regards to the place you plan to visit. Note down the approximate expenses on a piece of paper as it’s more effective than just thinking about the budget or expenses figuratively. Once you’ve done the research and allocated your budget to each activity, you’re sorted for most of the Europe trip from India.

Start Saving Early for a Worthwhile Trip to Europe from India

It might sound cliché, but saving does help a lot. Traveling abroad does require a lot of time for planning. The best time to start saving for your dream Europe trip is usually a few months before the scheduled travel date. Cut down on any unwanted or unnecessary expenses and keep them aside exclusively for your trip. When you club these savings with some money-saving tips shared below, you’re sure to have the best travel experience of your lifetime.

Commute Within Budget

Irrespective of the European country you choose to visit, you’ll find abundant commute options. While taxis are mostly expensive, buses and metro are relatively affordable. If you have the itinerary ready, use online maps to understand the travel routes from your booked accommodation to the places you’ve planned to visit. Check what metro or bus route would be near and how much would it cost.

Thanks to the internet, travelers can get all this information online. The only con is this step will take much of your time. But ensure your entire commute activity is planned as per your budget. Besides buses and metro, also check if you can reach some places on foot, exploring the local scene in a better way.

Look for Value Entry Passes to Touristic Locations

If you plan to visit multiple landmarks and tourist destinations, you should look for a travel pass that includes entry to all those locations. The best part of getting such passes is you don’t have to stand in line to get tickets for each landmark, and you also get to enjoy discounts–which wouldn’t be possible otherwise.

There are various reliable and popular travel websites that offer value travel passes for different European cities at great discounts. So make sure you get them for a convenient and budget-friendly travel experience.

Make Airfare & Accommodation Bookings Wisely

Airfare and accommodation expenses make up for the biggest expenses in the entire travel budget. If you can save here, you’ll end up having a pretty decent travel budget. You can save on your airfare and accommodation by making the booking months in advance of your travel date as prices are affordable in the early months.

Another way to save is by planning your travel, and hence, booking the flight and hotel during the off-season. If you’re traveling during the main season, look for some discounts or deals available online to claim instant discounts at checkout. 

Eat at Local Small Eateries, Instead of Luxury Restaurants

A great way to explore the local flavors without burning a hole in the pocket is by eating at local, small eateries. Fine dining in any European city will cost you a lot, so always look for small shops, cafes, bakeries, or even roadside stalls that serve the local cuisine. If you’re still willing to try a plush restaurant at least once during your trip, look for dining passes online as you might get some discount with it.

Search for Activities on a Budget

The best part of traveling to Europe is finding activities in all price ranges. If you’re spot on with your research, you can even find some activities that are free or cost a negligible amount. You can search for such activities by asking for information from fellow travelers who have been to the place you’re planning to visit.

You can easily find and connect with them on online travel forums, communities, and social media platforms. Those who have hard luck finding suggestions on forums can refer to the resources put up by seasoned travel vloggers and bloggers.

Try Your Luck with Hitchhiking

Want to blend adventure and excitement in your Europe trip? If yes, you should try hitchhiking your way to certain places. Hitchhiking is prevalent in Europe, so don’t worry about resorting to this option.

You can easily find friendly people giving you a lift without asking you for any money in return. This can turn out to be a real fun adventure and the most memorable part of your trip. However, be careful and avoid taking a lift from any person that looks suspicious. Also, avoid doing this at odd hours of the day.

Tips for a Safer Travel

Besides keeping the above crucial points in mind, you should also be mindful of the following tips for a pleasant travel experience.

Get Travel Insurance

Though not mandatory, having international travel insurance ensures you have peace of mind during your travel. This insurance will cover you against financial losses in events of baggage theft, lost passports, change in travel dates, flight delays, etc. It will also cover you under a COVID emergency in the tourist destination.

Be Aware of Scammers

Although all European countries are safe, you should not take the risk of leaving your bag and other valuables casually on the park bench or any other place. Always be mindful of your belongings while traveling.

Stay Away from Phishing Travel Websites

If you’re making all the travel bookings yourself and not taking the help of travel agents, make sure you make the bookings from reliable and popular travel websites. Avoid any travel website that looks suspicious or is offering deals that are too good to be true.

When you take into account the above tips, you can expect to have a memorable and budget-friendly trip to Europe from India with your loved ones. You can also add more pointers to the list if you want and keep them handy while preparing for the trip to avoid missing anything important.

4 thoughts on “Best Ways to Plan a Budget-Friendly Trip to Europe from India”

Nice post. The ‘View of split Croatia’ looks awesome.

Thanks Abhisek

Many great ideas, thank you for sharing and happy traveling through the Europe 🙂

Glad to be of help

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How to plan a Europe trip on a budget!

Taking up a low-travel desk job and not settling abroad was a conscious decision that my husband and I took so that we could live close to our parents. However, I’d be lying if I say that I never envied the friends working abroad posting #wanderlust photos of Grand Canyon and  Niagara falls every other week while we couldn’t even make time for Goa. We travel a lot on weekends but the Europe trip was our first real vacation together, outside India. It was also the first 2-week-long paid leave we both took not to visit our parents in Kolkata but to go and see the world.

We planned our Euro-trip for almost a year and finally came up with a fully packed 15-day itinerary covering 6 cities with a complete estimate of what the middle-class me was most worried about – Budget! Here’s an account of our planning a European vacation for the first time. 

A Quick Outline

Step1 – WHEN AND WHERE TO GO IN EUROPE

When to visit europe.

Winters in Europe is cheaper and less crowded, but you need to be prepared for the sub-zero temperatures. As first-timers, we thought to play it safe and visit in spring.

The post contains affiliate links for tours, hotels etc. This means if you make any purchase through the links in the post, I may get a commission without any additional cost to you.

Where to visit in Europe? Draft a 15-day itinerary of Western Europe

Always book air tickets well in advance and make sure you compare several sites on Aviasales

The second question is “where else?”. The answer to this question depends on the first question we answered – When? It also depends on your budget, your travel intent (slow travel, backpacking, tourist-ing, or a mix of both) and the number of places you want to visit.

Covering like 10 cities in 15 days can be a tempting idea, but it’s silly. It just makes the tour more expensive and gives you no time to explore anything properly. Now when you have just 15 days there are two ways to go about planning- get your bucket list and tick the top places you always wanted to see, or just choose the one indispensable place and then find the places that can be covered in succession from there. Going by the second method this is what we planned :

Amsterdam –> Antwerp –> De Haan  –> Paris –> Barcelona –> Madrid

Other awesome Europe itinerary ideas

Well, that was my dream trip so I would call it the best plan in the world😉, but here are some other ideas for Europe itinerary planner for you .

If you want (or dare) to visit in the colder months of October to March, you would not want to miss the sighting of Northern lights, in which case you should include Norway or Iceland in your plan although they are quite expensive.  If you go by the cost of living, the cities we selected are just below the creamy layer of Nordic countries and Switzerland (which is another itinerary if you are willing to splurge – an all Scandinavian trip, or just insert Switzerland somewhere in your itinerary). 

If you are on a slightly tighter budget than ours (Rs.3 lakhs for two), I’d suggest replacing some of the cities above with  Vienna ( Austria ), Prague or Salzburg ( Czech Republic ), Warsaw ( Poland ), Budapest ( Hungary ) .

Quick fact- Budapest also hosts a beautiful Tulip festival in Spring, a cheaper alternative to Keukenhof.

STEP 2-  HOW LONG IN EACH CITY IN EUROPE?

The choice of 1 day each at Antwerp and De Haan may surprise many. Most of you may have heard of the world’s diamond capital Antwerp but may have never heard of this place called De Haan in Belgium. We decided to stay 1 night at Antwerp because it would be on our way to Bruges and the arrival time at the stop would be ideal. Hence the slightly off-beat stopover at Antwerp, a historically significant city where we did a self-guided walking tour. The next stop was supposed to be Bruges – Europe’s cultural capital as it is known to be; but how we ended up spending a night at the countryside of De Haan instead, is a story better saved for another day.

STEP 3 – ACCOMMODATION IN EUROPE

Hotels versus hostels versus airbnb.

• lack of privacy and peaceful sleep, with people going out or coming into the room throughout the day (and night);
• accessibility of common restrooms

Browse hostels around the world on Hostelworld.com . For friends traveling in groups Airbnb is a great option to explore apart from the hostels, but for couples or family, budget hotels come at the same price with more convenience. 

Few important tips about booking accommodation in Europe

• Do your due diligence while booking hotels. Compare prices on Booking.com  and also check on individual hotel websites for better information. We have tried several aggregator sites like Trivago but have always found the best prices on Booking.com followed by MakeMyTrip.com. For Indian hotels or hotels in Asia, Agoda is a great website to check prices.
• Hotels near the airport are cheap but avoid them since these are mostly far away from the city center and the transport to and from the hotel is often not covered under the travel cards

STEP 4   –  GETTING VISA TO EUROPE

I found the visa process for Europe fairly simple and hassle-free. You can get your visas from any embassy of any country in Europe, provided the country is included in your itinerary. We got our visa from the French Embassy in Bangalore with no assistance at all. Just go to the website , fill in the form carefully, book an appointment, have your documents ready and appear at the office on time for verification! If you make any mistake in the form, you will not be able to edit it once confirmed and will have to fill in a new form all over again. No money is deducted for refilling, but just a small hiccup in the process.

On weekdays if you don’t book a priority slot with extra money, you’d need to take a leave, because, from the crowd that I saw, it would easily take 4-5 hours. We booked a slot on Saturday morning (after we returned from the weekday slot) and the entire process took 30-40 minutes. We got the visa within five days.

Travel insurance is a must for getting Schenzen Visa. We got ours using the Policybazaar website.

 STEP 5 – TRAVEL & SIGHTSEEING

Travel cards as tools for saving in europe trip, commuting within european cities.

Take comfortable shoes and be ready to walk an average of 10 km a day!

If you love cycling Europe is the place to be. All the cities we visited had special lanes for cyclists, including the small coastal town of DeHaan. You can rent bikes (that’s what they call bicycles) at low cost and explore the cities and countryside of Europe. I am not sure if the same is true for Eastern Europe, so if you have visited any of those countries, please educate me in the comments section. I just wish, we had such cycle lanes in Indian cities, and we could see more of those “bikes” than the motorbikes here.

How to plan transport between European cities

• Eurorail train
• Economy flights

We booked the Flix bus from Amsterdam to Antwerp, and from Bruges station to Paris. This private bus transport network is amazing in terms of comfortable seating, large leg space, timeliness, and speed. We flew from Paris to Barcelona on economy flight Air France. You can call it the French Indigo 😜 except that they offered one complimentary soft drink. If you have time and love to see the countryside you can take the Euro rail pass, but using flight we saved at least six hours. We got our first class Euro rail experience when we traveled from Barcelona to Madrid.

Plan and book intercity transport in advance, online. It will save you your precious time and the stress of booking last minute tickets at the kiosk. If lucky, it can save you a lot of money as well. We got our first-class ticket at a price lower than the normal second class 😁

FINAL STAGE – PACKING FOR YOUR EUROPE TRIP

Packing checklist for europe trip – the must-haves.

Well, you have bought all the tickets online, booked hotels and created a rough itinerary now. The only thing left now in planning your Europe trip is packing! Don’t forget to pin this list and check it all off before you leave. You can find all of these in any European city, but it would cost more.

• Europe universal travel adapter  which must be compatible with EU (read product description) for charging. This is a MUST!
•  Make sure you have at least a 64 GB Memory card to bring back all the pictures your family demands to see 😀
• Raincoat/umbrella/hooded windcheater 
• Light woolens, thermals, stockings , and scarf for the cold
• A good Moisturizer or cold cream to combat the dry weather
• Comfortable walking shoes. This one is non-negotiable as the best way to explore European cities is on foot. Our top recommendation is Nike Air Zoom range – Pegasus 33,34 or 35 . You can check our simple guide on how to select the best travel shoes in India . Some of these tips are universal.
• A sim-card with sufficient internet for GPS on the go. All hotels and hostels, even major stations and city centers have free wifi. However, when traveling on your own, using public transport in foreign countries, it is imprudent to depend entirely on WiFi.
• Melinda listed some great apps that can be your best friend during Euro-trip. But you definitely need that sim-card with internet for accessing all that.

The weather in April-May is very erratic with alternating sunny and overcast days, with the wind being a constant companion. While the sunshine is most welcome you must be prepared with a sunscreen lotion to not return home charred. Europeans have a great dressing sense, so even the fashion unconscious girl like me wanted to look a tad-bit fashionable. 

Check out the best European destinations to visit in April and May .

ALMOST THERE – CASH vs CARD

We exchanged €600 for cash before we left for the vacation. Do get sufficient cash through online booking, instead of waiting till the airport. The cash card usually has a lower exchange rate but we were afraid of its acceptance. We rarely used credit cards on our trip, but when we did, the interchange fee was higher than the cash exchange rate.

The all-inclusive cost of this 15-day western Europe trip was little over  Rs.3 lakhs for two , which is Rs.1.5 lakhs (€1850) per person. Apart from all basic stuff like flights hotels and sightseeing it also includes special experiences. These are the Tulip festival in Netherlands, Barcelona Football Club stadium and a Flamenco show. The ticket Barcelona Football Club stadium was the most expensive of all special experiences. You can do this trip at a cheaper cost if you follow the tips in this article. Read what we did on our Europe trip for a more detailed cost-benefit analysis so you can make an informed decision on what you want to do and where you want to cut your expenses.

So here’s my Europe travel planning story – was it any helpful? Anything I missed or could have done better? What was your travel story? If you have any questions, or suggestions for improving the blog please write in the comment section. I hope that this helps you plan a budget European tour with ease and serves as a solid Euro-trip guide. In the next part, we discuss free tips on how to make the best use of your travel card. You will also find a detailed review of the hotel’s transport options and a food guide. Bookmark it for your Europe Trip.

• Our Euro Trip

Sinjana Ghosh is a full-time business professional with a penchant for writing and travel planning. Backpack & Explore is a journal of her travel stories and tips she collected from her experience. She is the author of the travel book “Postcards from India” which is available on Amazon, Flipkart and Notionpress.com

78 Comments

Great tips! Warm layers are always important in Europe! In some places, it gets chilly quick once the sun goes down!

So awesome that you made it and experienced the best out of Europe. I would do a trip sometime in future I just dunno when. I will certainly take tips from your blog.

Inspiring post, this would definitely be a one stop destinstion for people planning to Europe. Informative one.

I've never been to the cities you went to on your trip – but I love your advice and appreciate you explaining why you chose to stay in Antwerp for just a day.

I'm returning to India after two years in the US for pretty much the same reasons except that I've to find a job once I'm home. Thanks for the guide! We'll possibly plan a Eurotrip in the near future and I'll bookmark this post. What was your budget for the trip?

Those are amazing tips to plan a trip to Europe. There is so much to see and all the tips you have shared about being budget friendly will definitely help us. Thanks.

That's amazing. These are great tips I can use this for my trip next year!

Your story seems to be relatable. We are also longing to explore Europe. Your post will help us in our exploration for sure. Thanks for sharing your story.

Great budget tips for Europe trip. Hope we get to enjoy like you, within the budget.

You have such amazing tips! And since I anyway want to visit Budapest and Austria, hopefully it should be a tad cheaper for me.

You will surely enjoy your trip.Glad to be of help

True. Both the places are fascinating and cheaper than the ones I visited this time

I love these budgeting tips. I know its something I wanted to get better at. Thank you for sharing!!

Thanks Monidipa! Hope it helps everyone

I must say you have really had it well planned. Everything step by step. A great guide for indian traveller planning to explore europe.

This is such a detailed post. I have been to Europe twice and can concur with all the advice given. Very helpful for first time travelers.

Planning a trip have got to be the hardest part of a trip.

It takes so much mental effort to get everything done.

You have a wonderful outline here for those planning on a trip to Europe.

I remember my first Interail trip around Europe, which was on a very tight budget but on a very ambitious itinerary. I have visited Norway and Sweden. Because of the Interail, the transport was almost free, but because I was on a budget the supermarket was my friend. I used to cook pasta in the hostel kitchen almost every night in the Nordic countries.

Great trips and tips as well, it was well planned. thanks for sharing.

European girl here! These are all useful and important tips.

I have never been to Europe, but I'd love to visit someday. Thank you for sharing these wonderful, budget-friendly tips!

Thanks for sharing your experience. First trips are always so memorable

Thank you so much for your kind words

Thanks. Hope this helps. Check our part 2 also and feel free to reach out to me for any questions

Amazing tips! My husband and I want to make a trip to Europe before we start to have kids but have been worried about being able to afford it! 🙂

Great tips for those who are not only beginning to travel in Europe but also the world. Sadly, I don't have any plans to travel to Europe in the future (Just have no desire to travel right now). But if I would, I would plan lightly as I let my feet lead the exploration of a place.

But congrats on achieving your goals and being able to fulfill your dreams of visiting big places in Europe.

This is a great guide for first timers to Europe. I can see that you spend lots of time doing research. Personally, I would never carry that much cash. I've traveled in Asia and Europe solo for the past 20 years, and my bank card and the airport ATM is my best friend. I've also used bank ATMs throughout Asia and Europe without any issues. My choice for accommodation is Airbnb. I spend a lot of time checking out the listings before I make a booking.

Thanks Nancie for your insights. Well, we did use credit card to avoid queues in Amsterdam and the interchange came out to be a bomb. Maybe it varies from one country to another, and given the nosedive of Indian Rupee I feel lucky that I carried that much cash :D.. I am going to try Airbnb some time just for the experience

Hi Ashley. Thanks for your comments. You are the people I wrote this blog for in the first place. You see even in the peak season, we managed to do it in budget while staying in standard hotels. It is doable :). Use the travel cards wisely and you can save a lot.

Great tips! I always follow the budget during my trips especially the short ones, the trips we use to become refreshed in a flash. Your tips are very nice to follow

Thanks Lyosha!

I never really thought about going to Europe before, it looks beautiful though. May need to save money anp plan a trip on a budget 🙂

I have never been in Europe but I know how beautiful and how expensive to plan a trip in this place. You gave us a great tips that we can use not only in our future Europe trip but also in any possible trips that we can do.

Your photos are fabulous. your tips for the trip in budget are really helpful for everyone. Thanks for sharing here.

Booking in advance is very important. Also, I love Air B'n'Bs instead of hotels. They are awesome.

This was such an enjoyable and comprehensive post. I think you have just about thought of everything that someone would need to know when they are planning a European trip. I found this information very timely as my fiance's family live in Europe and they have arranged a family reunion to happen in Norway. So I am starting to do my own planning now as I have heard that Norway is quite expensive as a holiday destination – but at the same time offers some of the world's most beautiful nature. Thank you for the fabulous tips here to help start me on my way!

This is a great post Sinjana and definitely a very inspiring one for first-time travelers to Europe. I have almost always traveled to Europe on budget and it does makes sense to plan right as you has said. And ofcourse pack right. Europe can get really cold for us East Coast Indians. 😀

I can imagine how hard it is to see those photos from far flung friends who are settled around the world but I think you will never regret making your family a priority, and being close enough to spend quality time with them as often as you can. But I can also see how much you must have anticipated this first big trip. Great job on tips to adhere to a tight budget!

You have such amazing tips! This is a great and inspiring post for first-time travelers to Europe. I think you have just about thought of everything that someone would need to know when they are planning a European trip. Thank you for sharing

Great tips on budgeting and planning a Europe trip and condensing it in one spot. I was a little scared when I read “backpacking” trip near the beginning (I’m just not a fan) but I was glad to see that you had wheeled bags and just meant you weren’t renting a car. I always debate buying the city cards but you’ve used them really well on this trip. And I’m one of those that tries to see too many cities at once so this was a great reminder to enjoy the trip rather than move too quickly. Great tips!

I am yet to plan a trip to Europe.And, it has always been an issue with the budget and leave factor. I prefer slow travel hence will actually check with you when planning a trip..and this post is wonderful and helpful for first-timers to Europe and is being bookmarked 🙂

Wow what a great post and a must read for anyone looking to travel and doing it without spending a fortune. I personally travel within Europe a lot but do find it pocket pinching . The tips are very useful and the air tickets in advance is one of the greatest tips you can get for travelling. Travelling by train within Europe I find is very convenient and can save you a fortune. Thanks for this post

Hey thanks for this post we are planning to travel in New Year and chirstmas weeks to the Paris-Italy-greece-croatia-swiss & maybe Prague. I have a question where did you keep your baggaes while travelling intercity? Do buses or train allow or they have restriction of some sort?

Those are some great tips for planning a Europe trip on a budget. Thanks for also sharing some itinerary ideas. Think this covers all aspects well as ticket booking, accommodation, visa and packing too! Would be a great reference guide for anyone planning a Euro trip.

Very exhaustive and helpful blog. You have done a detailed planning and touched all important points. Thank you for writing this.

Thank you so much for your kind words. I am glad to be of help

Amazing tips! And beautiful Images. Last year My Wife and I booked my visa for Germany and explore the amazing places. This year we’ll surely visit other places.

Wow, this post really shows how with careful planning and research, you can do a Europe trip on a strict budget. I love all the tips you included; this was really a comprehensive article. I agree that taking a fair amount of cash with you is a smart idea. Those foreign transaction fees can really add up on some credit cards, and ATMs can have hefty fees. I noticed that some smaller shops don’t take credit cards, and even if they do, using a card is often discouraged for smaller purchases.

Amsterdam was the first ever place we also visited in Europe! And a great choice it was. I completely agree with, the best hotel prices I find are on booking.com for Europe/ Americas and Agoda in Asia. Also, completely agree with you that it is silly to cover too many cities in a short span of time as it doesn’t give you enough time in any of the cities ultimately.

Great tips especially for first time travellers. I love travelling through Europe, the architecture, the history, the food and the culture. Just getting lost and wandering down side streets is a fun way to really see a city. Your itinerary was perfect in timing, it would certainly be an itinerary that I would do.

Thanks a lot Jane. Good to know we did well as firt-timers

This is the most complete and detailed post I have read about a Europe Trip. Super appreciate you sharing all these valuable information. It is really helpful and timely for our upcoming family vacation. Thank you for this. Also your photos are beautiful. Love it.

Thanks a lot Clarice! Hope you have an amazing family trip.

Your blog is surely helpful for many Indians who have been planning to go for the Eurotrip since long… You have nice summarized all what one needs to do before making their Eurotrip plan.

Being European, it’s always interesting for me to read these kinds of posts. It looks like you planned well, and others from your country will be prepared. You have a good checklist too.

Thank you so much.I try to provide a perspective from an outsider

I can totally relate to this! Getting a God damn visa is such a pain. Getting all the documents right for the visa is a huge thing… 38k is really a very good deal. I’ve never seen one below 42k on a normal day! Ibis budget is definitely a blessing for us. The price looks decent when you convert euro to inr!

Covering 6 cities in 15-days???? That would have been a lot of running around. I would usually spend all 15 days in max two cities. However, I do agree with your carrying cash tip. Especially, if you go into interiors of Europe. BTW Rs.3 lakhs for two is a damn good budget.

Thanks. I would also love to spend more time in each of the cities, but its not every day that you manage to get a 15-day vacation for travel.

All really great tips for traveling Europe on a budget! Being able to travel during the off season definitely helps, but like you said, if you’re not used to the cold, that might not be an option for you. Luckily being from Chicago, there aren’t many places in the world that feel too cold for me, so I’ve had the pleasure of visiting Iceland a couple of times in the winter! Flights from the US to Iceland in the winter months can be as low as $100 roundtrip. I love Ibis hotels too for budget + privacy. Great tips for a first timer to Europe!

This is a really informative post for visitors to Europe. I think the getting around part is especially useful, as many people think they have to fly. I took trains across Europe for 8 months last year and saved TONS.

I needed to thank you for this fantastic read!! I definitely enjoyed every bit of it. I have you saved as a favorite to look at new stuff you post…

I like the helpful info you provide in your articles. I’ll bookmark your weblog and check again here regularly. I am quite certain I will learn many new stuff right here! Good luck for the next!

I am genuinely thankful to the owner of this site who has shared this impressive piece of writing at at this place.|

such a nice blog your blog definitely helpful for travellers of India who wanted to travel in Europe….. In India there are also many beautiful places to see like lakshdweep and The Great Himalayan…

Thanks Amitava.

Wow! Thanks for all the great tips. Having spent a week in France and a week in Germany, I want to plan a year for my next trip to Europe. 🙂 Wouldn’t that be amazing? I pinned this post to refer back later. Thanks!

Interested in more information. How can I contact you?

Hi Asley, feel free to comment here with your question or mail me at [email protected]

Hiya very nice blog!! Man .. Beautiful ..

Amazing .. I will bookmark your site and take the feeds additionally? I’m satisfied to find a lot of useful info right here in the put up, we want develop extra strategies in this regard, thanks for sharing. . . . . .

I live in Europe and avoid traveling to west Europe as much as I can! I find it expensive. Walking is actually the best way to see European cities in the right season, and I agree with you that taking guided walking tour sometimes is the right way to go. It’s cool to hang out with locals!

Amazing blog thanks!

Great tips, planning a trip to Europe is always hard because there are so many cities that people may want to visit, but you are right not to try to do too many!

Hi Sinjana! This is the most complete and detailed post I have ever read about a Europe Trip. I’d like to appreciate you sharing all these valuable information. It’s going to be very helpful for those who are planning their first trip to Europe. Are you going to write anything about Italy?

Thanks Arunabha.glad u found it useful. I haven’t visited Italy but my sister recently took a short 5 day trip -the classic Venice, Rome, Florence itinerary. Will try to get a detailed post from her on the same.

Wow that’s a very informative post and will be helpful in planning a Europe trip.thanks for sharing

These are some amazing tips for budget travelling in Europe! I visited Europe for the first time in November and definitely could have used some of these tips before going haha. Thanks for sharing!

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Planning A EuroTrip From India in 2024 (Tips, Apps and websites to Use, Budget etc)

Everyone wants to go on an ideal Eurotrip but are usually confused. Here, I write a guide on planning a Europe trip from India all on your own.

Written by: Soumya Nambiar

Last Updated on: February 10, 2024

Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links we may make a commission from.

Many of us have that dream. To spend one summer, backpacking across Europe.

Even though it was not my first time in Europe , I finally got some time off to do a trip across Europe this summer. I am not sure why. But suddenly, I am getting queries from many of my readers to help them plan their trips to Europe and they see me as some kind of a Europe vacation planner.

Even though many of my readers consider me as a Europe trip planner from India, I really cannot spare the time to plan someone else’s vacation. Planning Europe trip from India is not a cakewalk but I give you pointers in this post. I had written a similar one for USA and hopefully, this guide will be as helpful as that one. Here I give you tips on planning a Europe trip from India.

I have gone more than 20 times to Europe in the past 10 years and you can find more about my favourite European destinations . This Europe travel blog by an Indian hopes to be the foremost expert on this subject.

Planning your Europe trip at the last minute?

I know everyone is busy and don’t have time to plan their itinerary to Europe. Here are some quick links to make you the best Europe trip planner.

• Booking is my go to for booking boutique hotels in Europe.
• I always use Skyscanner for all my flights to Europe.
• Getyourguide is my favourite tour aggregator in Europe.
• I use Hostelworld to book all my hostels in Europe.
• I use DiscoverCars to compare car rental prices.
• FlixBuses for all my bus transportation in Europe.
• RailEurope for all my train bookings in Europe.

Don’t want to plan your Europe trip on your own? I found many preplanned Europe tours for you to choose from:

• Europe for 12 days
• Jewel of Europe for 14 days
• Balkans for 12 days

Table Of Contents

• 0.1 Find out my recommendations for Europe
• 1.2 Read a lot of travel blogs/ travel articles online while planning Euro trip from India:
• 1.3 Booking Your Flight tickets while planning a Euro trip from India:
• 1.4 Preparing a 5-6 week Europe trip itinerary from India
• 1.5 Applying for a Schengen Visa for Indians:
• 1.6 Internal Travel within Europe during your Euro trip:
• 1.7 Accommodation while Eurotrip planning from India:
• 1.8 How to book other Activities to plan a trip to Europe from India:
• 1.9 Public Transportation in Europe:
• 1.10 What to Pack for Women for a trip to Europe?
• 1.11 Foreign Currency in Europe:
• 1.12 Europe trip cost from India / How much does it cost for Europe trip from India?
• 1.13 Which Mobile SIM to use in Europe:
• 1.14 Using Google Maps in Europe:
• 1.15 Inform all your banks and mobile phone operators while planning a Europe trip from India:
• 1.16 How do I plan a 15 day trip to Europe?
• 2 Conclusion:

Find out my recommendations for Europe

Before we go any further, find out some of my recommendations for day trips for your trip to Europe.

Hvar, Croatia

The 5 island tour from Split is a favorite

Colmar, France

Colmar is definitely one of the prettiest towns in Europe.

Algarve, Portugal

My favorite beaches in Europe are here

Tips on planning a Europe Trip From India / How to plan Europe trip from India

Find below some sample itineraries if it is your first time in Europe. You can find more details in my detailed Europe itinerary post.

Read a lot of travel blogs/ travel articles online while planning Euro trip from India:

A year ago, if you had asked me where Algarve was , I would have probably stared at you like you were from outer space. But now that is a thing of the past and Algarve has been added to my list of favourite places from around the world. I read a lot of travel blogs, national geographic/ lonely planet / Conde Nast travel articles every day.

I read voraciously any travel related content that I can get my hands on. I now have a better sense of the places that I really want to visit. So why do I ask you to read them? Because if you don’t, then you end up visiting only the famous cities like Paris , Amsterdam etc and you tend to ignore all the other gorgeous lesser-known cities/towns/villages. If you want to be your own Eurotrip planner, then no one can judge your tastes better than yourself.

As travel bloggers, we can only give you our version of how a place is and give you tips based on our experiences on how to plan Euro trip. This post gives you some ideas on how to plan a Europe trip from India.

Booking Your Flight tickets while planning a Euro trip from India:

This comprises a huge chunk of your travelling expense. So you need to find the best possible deal for this. In my case, I had made my mind to fly into Lisbon and then fly back to Bangalore via Dubai (I stayed with my sister for a few days on my way back) from one of the cities in Western/Central Europe.

With this intention in mind, I logged into Skyscanner and Kayak  to give me the best possible rates and dates for this combination. After many iterations, I finally got a good deal and picked Emirates which was my best option. Both these sites are extremely good when it comes to finding the best flight deals.

I flew into Lisbon and flew out of Frankfurt via Dubai to Bangalore . Even though my cheapest option was Oman Air, I did not want to spend a lot of time in transit and preferred a straightforward route rather than taking multiple flights.

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Preparing a 5-6 week Europe trip itinerary from India

I know that there are many people who would love to take traveling as it comes. Go without any pre-set plan and make plans on the go. I am not such a person. I always love to know beforehand where I will be staying, for how long I will be there in any particular place.

Even though it sometimes does not go according to plan , my mind is still at peace if I knew beforehand.So what did I first do? While planning my Europe travel itinerary , I made an initial list of places I wanted to visit. I did take a lot of inspiration from this post by BlondeAbroad . So my initial draft of places for my Europe tour plan from India looked like this:

• Lisbon • Porto • Madrid • Costa Del Sol • Seville • Barcelona • Andorra • Paris • Strasbourg • Luxembourg • Bruges • Ghent • Amsterdam • Frankfurt But then I decided to consult a map and realised that my geography was all over the place. I knew that I had to make some changes. A friend helped too. He was like why are you not going to Central Europe or Mallorca in Spain ?

Since I had been to Paris, Amsterdam and Frankfurt, I decided to cut short my days there and decided to add Vienna and Prague to the list. I had to remove Andorra also since I realised that I needed a multiple entry Schengen Visa and I had applied for a single entry.

After multiple iterations, my itinerary finally looked doable. My final Europe tour itinerary looked like this:

• Lisbon • Algarve • Madrid • Seville (This got canceled) • Barcelona • Mallorca • Paris • Amsterdam • Brussels (Took day trips from here to Luxembourg, Bruges and Ghent) • Luxembourg • Bruges • Ghent • Strasbourg (Day Trip to Colmar) • Colmar • Vienna • Prague • Frankfurt (Only went to catch a flight to Dubai since changing the port of exit to Prague meant paying a huge deal of money.) Whew, that is too many places to see. Don’t get disillusioned by the number of places. It is definitely doable. I wish I can follow the concept of ‘slow travel’ but currently, that is not an option for me. Once the places were decided, I had to decide how many days I was going to spend in each of these locations.

I had an excel sheet where I tracked all these changes and I have no clue what I would have done without that excel sheet.

Recommended Read – Where to go in Europe

Applying for a Schengen Visa for Indians:

I have already written about this in detail here . Once I figured that I was going to spend 9 days in Spain, I realised that I had to apply for a Schengen Visa through Spain consulate.

There is one thing I would like to tell my readers here. I cannot give you any guarantee that you will be granted a visa. But what I have seen is that if you have all the required documentation, then they have no grounds to reject the visa.

Internal Travel within Europe during your Euro trip:

I know the temptation of buying those Europe travel packages from India. But you need not do this and can entirely plan your travel within Europe on your own at half the price.

If you do not use Rome2rio yet, please start using it at once. It is one of the most helpful websites that I have come across. So what does it do? It gives you a list of options of how you can go from one place to another. It even tells you which mode of transportation is the shortest and the cheapest.

Many people asked me if it is required to get a Eurorail pass . There are contradictory views to this. But when I evaluated it in my case, it was coming out to be too expensive. The only advantage that an Eurorail pass gives is flexibility and it may work out to be cheaper if you are less than 26 years old. Also in some of the countries I visited, buses were cheaper and more convenient. Since my dates were already fixed, it was easier for me to pre-book all my tickets. But if you want flexibility, then a Eurail pass may be better.

Another great resource for train travel in Europe is Man in Seat 61 . This dude knows everything about train travel and you can check him out. He gives you multiple options on which trains to take from Point A to Point B. He also tells us which website is better to book trains in each country.

From Rome2Rio , I figured out if it was better to take a bus or a train. It also redirects to the websites of the various bus operators in the continent. Flixbus is a good and cheap bus service if you want to book buses within Europe. I took only one flight within Europe, that was from Barcelona to Mallorca and back. I booked through Ryan Air and they are one of the cheapest options. But there are several things to keep in mind if you are flying with Ryan Air. I will detail them out in a later post.

Accommodation while Eurotrip planning from India:

So do you want to book hostels, budget hotels or luxury hotels ? It really depends on what kind of a traveller you are. Since I was given sponsored stay in some locations, I did not have to worry about them. But for the rest of the locations, I still needed a place to stay. I went with a combination of all three.

I researched like crazy on Tripadvisor , Booking and narrowed my choices for the hotels.

In cases where I was staying in hostels, Hostelworld and Hostelbookers were my go-to guide. If you are staying in a 4-bed female dorm in a hostel, it will cost you a minimum of 25 Euros and this depends on how expensive the city is. Even in hostels, a private room can cause you around 80-100 Euros easily. In some cases, the hotels were cheaper than the hostels. All my accommodations in Europe cost me between 20 Euros – 110 euros per night during my Euro trip plan.

Need more budgeting tips. See how Amy managed to go around Europe in 45 days on a 3500$ budget .

Many people are apprehensive when it comes to booking hostels. But I really enjoyed my time in hostels this time around and I would definitely be using them more next time.

Most hostels now cater to the luxury traveller who wishes to have some privacy but at the same time want to meet new people. Hostels host a variety of fun events like bar crawls, free walking tours, traveller nights etc.

I did not opt for an Airbnb this time since I was travelling alone. Else Airbnb is an excellent choice in Europe. I was very happy with all my choices and the only one I would have changed is the one in Amsterdam .

But you cannot have everything in life and there will be few cases when all the above sites fail you. But through all the three sites, you can research which is the best locality for you and which hotel/hostel suits your tastes. All these sites also offer deals and they can be a steal if you do your research right.

How to book other Activities to plan a trip to Europe from India:

You can always book for other activities online through Viator and GetyourGuide . But for most of it, I left the day’s activities idle. This gave me the flexibility for me to go there and decide what I wanted to do and what I did not want to do.

However, for things like the Opera in Vienna , you may have to make your booking in advance if you want a good seat.

Public Transportation in Europe:

I love the public transportation system in Europe and you can always use Google maps to help you figure out how to go from one point to another. Else you can always walk, which I feel is the best way to discover a city in Europe.

I did not have much success with Uber though in Europe. They were always 15 minutes late. This has definitely become much better over the years.

What to Pack for Women for a trip to Europe ?

Carry an umbrella. You never know when it is going to rain. Since I was there during Spring/early Summer , I had carried with me a combination of clothes that would suit both weather conditions. I was able to wear shorts only in sunny Algarve . Most of the other places I had to stick to wearing jeans and tops coupled with a light sweater. I wore a lot of dresses but I had to wear tights along with it. A jacket is also ideal for colder locations like Paris. You are going to be doing a lot of walking. So it is ideal that you carry a good walking shoe and a pair of flip flops. I managed to considerably reduce the amount of baggage I was carrying this time. The thing to remember is that you can do your laundry there and most hostels will have a washing machine which you can hire for less than 5 euros. Europe uses round pins for all their electronic devices. So make sure to carry multi plugs if your devices have a square pin. Try to keep all your toiletries to the maximum allowed limit. Most of the hotels and hostels provide them.

Foreign Currency in Europe:

Do not carry too much cash. That is always my motto. Even though I lost all my cards this time , I will still stick to carrying the minimum amount of cash. In case you want to withdraw, you can always go to an ATM  and withdraw cash.

Only thing to note is that you have to pay around 3% on every card transaction. So it makes better sense to withdraw in bulk.

Also get yourself a cash passport. They are the most helpful cards that I have used till date.

Europe trip cost from India / How much does it cost for Europe trip from India?

Most people ask me how much it cost for my European vacation. In most places, I was able to manage with 50-100 Euros per day.

It also depends on the location you are travelling to. Places in Eastern Europe like Montenegro and Sarajevo are some of the cheapest destinations I have travelled to in Europe.

Which Mobile SIM to use in Europe:

I preferred Orange in Europe . You can use your Orange sim in all the countries in Europe. The only issue is that you cannot recharge them in another country. For instance, if you bought a SIM in Spain, you can use the SIM card in France too. However, you cannot recharge the card if it is out of balance. Initially, in Portugal, I went for a lesser-known company. But that SIM stopped working the minute I was out of Portugal. Hence it is better to stick to the known operators. But public free Wifi is the best thing in Europe. I will definitely write on that later.

Using Google Maps in Europe:

Always remember to download an offline Google map of the next city in your itinerary. You will not realise how useful this is for you. I forgot to do this for Madrid and you know how that turned out.

Inform all your banks and mobile phone operators while planning a Europe trip from India:

You are going for a long trip. So it is better that you inform all your concerned banks and mobile phone operators.

Airtel has pathetic customer care service and be prepared to scream at them for their incompetence. In spite of informing them, I still had to pay an exorbitant amount once I got back.

How do I plan a 15 day trip to Europe?

I have written extensively about planning your Europe itineraries . Use a combination of any of them to pick out the best one suited for you.

Conclusion:

These are some of my tips on how to plan a Europe trip on your own from India? Do you have any other queries regarding your trip to Europe ? You can always shoot me an email and I will get back to you at the earliest. Hopefully, I have covered most of the queries first-timers have about their Eurotrip .

Don’t forget to take a printout of every booking and leave a copy of it at home. Liked it, then pin it.

Find some recommendations for Europe guidebooks

Guidebooks for Europe

Traveling to Europe and need more guidance on which books to read? These are our recommendations for you to read before you go.

• Rick Steve’s Guide to Europe
• Lonely Planet’s Guide to Europe
• DK Eyewitness Guide to Europe

Recommended : Best DAy Trips in Europe

BOOKING RESOURCES

Looking to book your trip now? Find some of my favorite resources I use while booking my trip. You can also find my travel gear here .

Book Your Flight

I am a  Skyscanner  fan when it comes to booking international flights. I use  Makemytrip  and  Yatra  for domestic flights.

Book Accommodation

Booking  is my go to resource for booking hotel accommodation and I use  Airbnb  for booking my homestays. I also compare prices on  Tripadvisor  always. Another one I always use is Expedia .

Travel Insurance

As an Indian, I prefer  ICICILombard  and I am always insured when I am traveling outside India. In addition, I have used  World Nomads  and SafetyWing for some of my trips.

I do go on a lot of day tours especially when I am traveling solo and love going on road trips with my husband.. Depending on convenience, my choices are  Viator  or  Getyourguide .

About Soumya Nambiar

Soumya Nambiar here. I am an avid traveler, travel blogger, vegetarian foodie and entrepreneur from Bangalore, India who grew up in Tanzania, Africa. I have been to more than 60 countries and in this blog, I write about my personal experiences as an Indian traveller around the world as well as my struggles as a vegetarian. I can be reached at [email protected] .

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I'd imagine that for most travellers from India, six weeks in Europe would really tax the budget. Exchange rates would be pretty tough when you're converting Rupees to Euro. That's possibly why you're getting lots of enquiries about budget travel. What are the most popular destinations in Europe for travellers from India?

Great all-inclusive post about travel to Europe. I must admit, I had to google Algarve. Now that I've seen photos of it though, I am dying to go! Great tip about the visa, too.

Great tips about planning the trip! I must say I would have really hard time choosing just some places to visit during a trip like that. Europe offers so much, I really do not know how would I choose. What was your criteria, besides geography? 🙂

I plan my trips pretty similarly, with a lot of research and inspiration from fellow travelers and magazines. I love Rome2Rio also and I use it nearly every time I travel near or far. Hopefully I'll be touring Europe soon and I'll probably borrow some of your itinerary!

It sounds like you are super organised in planning your trip, especially using an excel spreadsheet – sounds just like me! I am a planner too and love to read up on places to go and also keep an eye out using sites like Skyscanner. Your trips are fantastic and really helpful to plan a trip to Europe, especially for first time visitors.

There was so much useful information crammed into one post! I have done both kinds of long term trips : planned from start to finish, and completely unplanned. I honestly enjoy both but I agree that sometimes it's better to have an itinerary planned, especially if traveling to areas like Europe that tend to cost more than say, SE Asia. It's definitely no fun to get to city and realize the only available accommodation is either out of your budget or already booked. I've been in those situations and sometimes you just have to bite the bullet, which ends up costing more. Plus, pre-planning your trip allows for more time to actually enjoy the place you're in instead of surfing the web. I'll definitely have to check out Rome2Rio. Thanks for sharing!

I know some friends who have done the backpacking trip and I so wish I had the energy to do it! There are a ton of amazing tips in here. I was surprised to read that you were able to find some good deals with Emirates. I thought they were the nicer airline companies that are on the pricier side 🙂

Great article abput how to plan a trip to Europe. It has all the important information one could need about visa, currancy etc. Thanks a lot! I love planning holidays. Probably my favourite past time activity.

Great itinerary for a Eurotrip, I've been to several of those cities already, a great choice of places! Also very useful info about those who travel to Europe for the first time. Thanks for sharing this!

There is definitely a lot to consider when planning a long trip especially in Europe. Hope it works out. Great list of things to research and places to visit.

Currently the most popular destinations are Paris and Amsterdam. Hopefully this will change in the coming years.

You should definitely go. It is a gorgeous place.

Well I wanted to go to Western Europe this time. So that was my criteria this time. 🙂

Hope you have a fun time in Europe when you go.

Yes I love planning most of my trip. I leave only some parts of the trip unplanned.

Yes Europe can turn out to be costly if we do not prebook in advance.

I am a frequent traveler on Emirates. So I usually have points. However this time I booked well in advance so the price difference was not much. Not as cheap as Oman Air. But the travel time for Oman Air was like 50 hours which meant I had to sleep in two different airports each way. Definitely not worth it.

Yes It is definitely a fun activity.

You are welcome

Yes I definitely did have a great trip except for a few bumps here and there.

Looks you have planned out your trip in detail very efficiently and its good to plan before visiting the place so you can utilize your time maximumly and can explore and enjoy the place.

Yes I love the planning part the best. So the trip was carefully planned.

Your article is a life saver. I can’t tell you how relieved I feel after getting all the inputs from your side. Coincidentally I started the planning thing on excel as I was bored at work :D. You’ve wonderfully attempted to explain every important aspect of travelling. Kudos !!

Thank You so much Abhishek. I am glad that you found it helpful.

You have mentioned about the Excel file with the planning here in the article. Could you share that with me please.

Even as a Swede I would probably try to mix it up a bit and put it into groups. This because some countries are easier to explore than others. Countries like France, Germany and Italy are groups one by one due to their size. Then you have the Benelux countries which is easy to travel between. You have the Iberian peninsula. You have Eastern Central Europe, with Austria, Czechia, Hungary and Slovakia. You have the Nordics (Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland), Balkans and Balticum. There are of course a few more. By sorting it out in groups like this, then for a 6 week trip you have the possibility to choose three groups and really have the time to explore and enjoy each place. 🙂

I think you managed to pick a lot of lovely places, mostly very characteristic of their countries. I have realized that there is no such thing as a perfect itinerary. We need to enjoy each destination for what it is.

You definitely have some great tips here. Picking a geographical area is definitely key. Also, I’m heading to Belgium this summer, and saw you did a day trip from Brussels to Luxembourg. Now googling that for my trip 🙂

Europe is an expensive destination but if planned well and in advance definitely could be done. We have recently moved To Ireland and are planning to cover as much Europe possible by scoring some deals on flights. Downloading offline maps is a great way.

You have done a fab job listing these tips for someone looking to plan a Europe tour. Though everyone has their own set of plans but these basic tips would surely be handy. Agree public transport in Europe is awesome and they make it lot easy to travel across Europe. You have covered some of the best destination we missed looks like we need another trip planned 😉

It’s a dream for most Indians to go a Europe trip. But, money isn’t the only problem, the biggest challenge is to plan and execute the trip. You have just given the most amazing way to fulfill this Indian dream. We consider ourselves privileged to have been able to visit the lovely continent on a couple of occasions.

Totally loved your article. My Europe trip is planned in a month, and most of the planning part is done, still I am going to bookmark it for further reference w.r.t forex, google maps etc. It will help if you can add some info on some apps that might have come handy during this trip. We are also people in job, and we didn’t have time to go on a long backpacking trip. So, we are going on a two weeks holiday. Some things like booking your flight in advance, booking your hotel options in advance and making the right choice totally makes sense no matter for how many days you travel.

Great tips for travelling Europe from India. I really like the itineraries that you made. Those are some great cities with tons of stuff to see.

Great tips of planning Euro trips from India! I’ve never been to Europe but hope to visit soon. I also liked your visa tips!

I’ve lived in Europe for 4 years and travelled so much but this was still informative. I did look at your first itinerary and was like hmm that seems pretty erratic but then your second one made so much more sense haha. I agree with you on the wifi thing. I never had a functioning sim card outside of Denmark and I never needed it because wifi was everywhere!

It is a well written post with all little details. An Indian really need to plan well a budgeted trip to Europe otherwise the expenses will go beyond anything. Apart geography what else you considered for selecting the location for one week. Skyscanner is a real good option for flights and Rome2rio is new for me. Will bookmark this for my future reference.

Great post. Thanks a lot for taking so much effort to explain the things. Indians planning their first foreign trps always go through a lot of uncertanties and hesitations. As for myself, I am yet to even start planning but this should help!

Such a comprehensive guide this is. Thank you for sharing the tips. It will definitely help everyone who is planning a Europe Trip in coming days. I wish to go on a long trip like this someday

This is a very good guide not only for Indians who want to travel to Europe but for everybody. We should all spend time to careful plan our vacations in order to get the best deals and see as much as possible while also having fun. For me personally, when I backpacked Europe, the Interrail was very useful because I chose to travel a lot by train in Scandinavia. Just 2 train tickets in Norway would have made up the entire cost of the Interrail so for me it was a no brainer to buy the pass instead.

Such a long trip requires massive planning and you have good pointers to that. I usually do in smaller installments that is little easy on the pocket too and can balance with office and school schedules. But then your pointers are helpful for shorter vacations too.

Thanks for sharing this information.Europe is a dream destination of so many people to spend their Vacations. While visiting Europe we have to be careful about choosing best deals.

Wow! Amazing post for someone from india to plan a Euro trip from India. Bookmarked this post for my future travel plans.

Hope you get to visit Europe one day.

Thank you for making our knowledge more because it is most important to know about place we would like to visit once and we will see all location with is describe by you your blogs are very nice

Hi Soumya, Is Dec a good time to venture western European counties for an Indian couple?

Christmas markets and other winter activities are definitely a must in December. If you don’t mind the cold.

Many of us have a dream of travelling to euro countries from India. Thanks for this awesome post. This will definitely help many of our people and guide them.

Great tips you got there! Do Africans fit into the visa ideas?

Your blog is very informative thank you. It’s really helped me. Thank you

I have read your blog post and i found it is quite absolutely interesting. Keep up the good work!

Fantastic article, but you’re missing Europe’s most beautiful and inexpensive destination, Albania! No Schengen. easy visa

Hi A well written article How about a bus trip across europe, like landong in budapest and return from some other destinations?

Good luck 🙂

Thanks for sharing your detailed info. I love traveling very much. and I want to know which website is sharing cheap flight tickets.

Such a informative content! I hope everyone loves to travel for mental freshness. With the help of travel, we can improve health and immunity.

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Budget Europe Trip from India: A Guide for Cost-Effective Travel

Embark on an enriching adventure through Europe without straining your budget with our comprehensive guide, [Budget Europe Trip from India: A Guide for Cost-Effective Travel]. Discover insider tips, tricks, and strategies to plan an unforgettable European sojourn while keeping your expenses in check. Learn how to navigate transportation systems, uncover hidden gems, and relish authentic local experiences without breaking the bank.

Key Takeaways:

• Choose Affordable European Cities:
• Consider budget-friendly destinations such as Prague, Budapest, Lisbon, and Athens.
• Travel During the Off-Season:
• Avoid peak tourist seasons and opt for shoulder seasons for lower costs and fewer crowds.
• Research and Budget:
• Research costs for accommodation, food, transportation, and attractions.
• Set a daily budget to manage expenses effectively.
• Save in Advance:
• Start saving early to accumulate funds for your trip.
• Commute Wisely:
• Utilize public transportation, walk, or rent affordable bicycles for local travel.
• Explore Value Entry Passes:
• Look for tourist passes that offer discounted access to multiple attractions.
• Book Accommodation and Airfare Smartly:
• Compare prices and book in advance for the best deals.
• Consider budget airlines and hostels for affordable options.
• Dine at Local Eateries:
• Choose local small eateries and street food to save on dining costs.

Additional Tips:

• Pack light to avoid baggage fees.
• Learn basic local phrases for smoother communication.
• Travel during weekdays to avoid crowds and higher prices.

Table of Contents

Budget Europe Trip from India:

Planning a budget Europe trip from India can be exhilarating, offering enriching cultural experiences without straining your pocket. Follow these steps to craft a remarkable and cost-conscious European adventure:

1. Destination Selection:

• Choose budget-friendly cities like Prague, Budapest, Lisbon, and Athens, renowned for their affordable charm and rich heritage.
• Consider lesser-known gems like Ljubljana, Bratislava, and Seville for an even more budget-friendly experience.

2. Time Your Trip Strategically:

• Travel during shoulder seasons (May-June, September-October) to avoid peak tourist crowds and inflated prices.
• Weekdays are typically cheaper for flights, accommodation, and attractions compared to weekends.

3. Budgeting and Saving:

• Research typical costs for accommodation, food, transportation, and attractions in your chosen destinations.
• Set a realistic daily budget that aligns with your financial goals.
• Start saving well in advance to accumulate funds for your trip.

4. Flight and Accommodation Hacks:

• Book flights and accommodation in advance to secure the best deals.
• Explore platforms like Skyscanner and Booking.com for competitive pricing.

5. Transportation:

• Utilize public transportation, including buses, trams, and metros, for budget-friendly local travel.
• Walking is a fantastic way to explore cities and discover hidden gems.
• Consider renting a bicycle for a more active and eco-friendly mode of transportation.

6. Dining on a Budget:

• Indulge in local eateries, street food, and markets for authentic and budget-friendly culinary experiences.
• Pack snacks and drinks to save on dining costs.
• Look for restaurants offering lunch specials or set menus.

7. Attract Savings:

• Research and purchase city passes that offer discounted access to multiple attractions.
• Take advantage of free walking tours and cultural events.
• Consider visiting attractions during off-peak hours for discounted rates.

8. Packing Smartly:

• Pack light to avoid checked baggage fees.
• Bring a reusable water bottle to save on purchasing bottled water.
• Carry essential toiletries and medications to avoid expensive purchases abroad.

9. Communication and Connectivity:

• Purchase a local SIM card for affordable data and calling.
• Download offline maps and utilize free Wi-Fi hotspots to navigate and stay connected.

10. Open to New Experiences:

• Embrace the local culture by trying new cuisines, visiting local markets, and engaging with the locals.
• Be flexible with your plans and allow room for spontaneity.
• Remember, the most memorable travel experiences often come from unexpected encounters.
• Who says budget Europe trips are just a dream for Indians? This budget Europe trip from india guide will help you plan your budget-friendly escapade across Europe.

Budget Europe Trip From India 2023

Embarking on a budget-friendly tour of Europe from India can be an exhilarating adventure. With careful planning and smart choices, you can optimize your travel experience without compromising on enjoyment.

• Meticulously plan your itinerary, focusing on affordable destinations and off-season travel.
• Secure budget-friendly flights and accommodations in advance.
• Utilize public transportation and explore the culinary delights of local eateries.
• Pack light and learn a few basic local phrases for a smoother journey.
• Consider purchasing a tourist pass for discounted attraction access.

Planning Your Budget Europe Trip From India 2023:

1. Choose Your Destinations Wisely:

• Prioritize affordable cities like Prague, Budapest, Lisbon, and Athens.
• Research and compare destinations based on your interests and budget.

2. Travel During the Off-Season:

• Avoid peak tourist seasons and aim for shoulder seasons (May-June, September-October).
• Enjoy fewer crowds and potentially lower prices.

3. Create a Comprehensive Budget:

• Set a daily budget to manage your spending.

4. Book Budget-Friendly Flights and Accommodations:

• Use flight comparison websites to find the best deals on airfare.
• Book your flights and accommodations well in advance.

5. Explore Local Transportation Options:

• Utilize public transport systems, which are often efficient and inexpensive.
• Walk or rent bicycles for shorter distances, saving on transportation costs.

6. Dine at Local Eateries:

• Venture beyond tourist traps and try local small eateries and street food.
• Enjoy authentic cuisine at a fraction of the cost of tourist restaurants.

7. Take Advantage of Tourist Passes:

• Research tourist passes that offer discounted access to multiple attractions.
• Consider purchasing a pass if you plan to visit several popular attractions.

8. Pack Smart and Learn Basic Local Phrases:

• Learn basic local phrases for smooth communication and interaction with locals.

9. Consider Weekday Travel:

• Traveling during weekdays can help you avoid crowds and potentially secure better deals.
• Travel with a friend or group to share expenses and experiences.
• Take advantage of free walking tours and city guides to explore destinations like a local.

URL Sources:

• Budget-Friendly Trip to Europe from India

Q1: What are the most cost-effective European cities for Indian travelers?

A1: Budget-friendly cities in Europe for Indian travelers include Prague, Budapest, Lisbon, and Athens. These destinations offer affordable accommodation, food, and attractions, making them ideal for budget-conscious travelers.

Q2: How can I save money on transportation during my trip to Europe?

A2: To save on transportation costs, consider using public transportation, walking, or renting affordable bicycles for local travel. Additionally, look into city passes or transportation cards that offer discounted rates for multiple journeys.

Q3: What are some tips for finding affordable accommodation in Europe?

A3: For budget-friendly accommodation, consider hostels, guesthouses, or budget hotels. Hostels, in particular, are a great option for solo travelers or those looking to meet other travelers while saving money. Additionally, consider booking your accommodation in advance, especially during peak tourist seasons, to secure the best rates.

Q4: Where can I find information on affordable attractions and experiences in Europe?

A4: To find information on affordable attractions and experiences in Europe, research online travel guides, blogs, and forums. Look for recommendations on free or low-cost activities, such as visiting local markets, parks, and museums that offer free admission. Additionally, consider exploring local neighborhoods and hidden gems that are often less crowded and offer unique cultural experiences.

Q5: How can I manage my budget effectively during my trip to Europe?

A5: To effectively manage your budget during your trip to Europe, set a daily budget for expenses and stick to it as closely as possible. Keep track of your spending and adjust your budget as needed. Additionally, look for ways to save money on food by opting for local eateries, street food, or cooking your meals. Packing light to avoid baggage fees and traveling during weekdays to avoid crowds and higher prices can also help you save money.

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– BTS World Tour 2022 Country List: Unveiling the Locations for the K-Pop Sensation’s Electrifying Performances

Can i deduct travel expenses for work a seasoned accountant’s insights.

FootLoose Dev

Travel blog by an Indian travel blogger.

How To Plan A Europe Trip From India

The very process of how to plan a Europe trip from India can feel daunting.

From applying visas to shortlisting destinations to following a strict budget, there is a lot to plan.

When I was thinking of my first ever backpacking trip to Europe, I was quite doubtful too. I had limited money and was travelling alone. To make it even worse, I was travelling Europe for 2-month, straight, covering 8 countries in total. But then, it helped me learn how to plan a Europe trip from India.

And now that I’ve been to Europe about a dozen times since my first trip in 2017, I think it’s time that I share some useful tips and a step-by-step guide and help others in planning a Europe trip from India, the way I did. So here we go…

Before I start, let’s see a quick Youtube video I have posted on my Youtube Channel. This is an overview of my 2 months Europe backpacking trip :

Now let’s start with TIP number 1 in our list of how to plan a Europe trip from India…

Know Your Budget

There is no denying the fact that Europe is an expensive destination for Indians. Even a basic meal in Mc Donalds, somewhere in Zurich, can cost over 1000 Rupees. Knowing how much you can spend always helps.

I suggest you take a pen and paper write down the approximate costs because thinking of budget figurately is a lot different than putting it on paper. Writing down your budget is the first step to plan a trip from India to Europe.

To give an idea, the day-to-day costs including accommodation, food, sightseeing, public transportation, and a few extra incidental costs come to somewhere between 60-100 EUR per day in Western Europe and 40-80 EUR per day in Eastern Europe, for a budget traveller. This is when you are not living lavishly but not making too many sacrifices either. If you’re doing activities like sky diving or visiting an adventure park, add those expenses on top.

If you are a little more careful, you can save about 20%-30% more. This includes cooking your own food than eating out, travelling on a bus than on a train, and so on and so forth.

Here’s a related article you may want to read: Top Budget Travel Tips for Europe .

Once you know your budget, the next things to do in this travel blog on how to plan a Europe trip from India is creating an itinerary.

Create An Itinerary

Once you are done with the budget part, the next thing is shortlisting destinations, creating a route-map and finalizing your itinerary.

If you’re planning a one week trip in Europe, for example, I suggest you start with deciding a base city for you, and travel around it, doing a loop. This allows you to not redo the same journey and travel only new places.

For example, during my Europe trip, I chose Zurich as my base city (or my starting and finishing point) and did a big circle around it. Here’s what I did:

The reason I chose Zurich was that flights from India to Zurich were the cheapest India. Zurich, Frankfurt, Paris, Berlin, Rome are a few popular destinations with cheapest flights from India. Consider starting your trip from one of these cities.

Additionally, ask yourself whether you are into history or art or culture? Or perhaps adventure. And choose destinations accordingly. Also, if you want to travel on a low budget, focus on Eastern Europe. Scandinavia and Western Europe are the two most expensive regions in Europe.

Once you’re done with a rough the itinerary, consider yourself halfway to their entire dilemma of how to plan a Europe trip from India.

Search A Flight

While there is no standard time to book a flight, doing it about 6 weeks prior to your trip is a good idea. Remember, it can also take up to 4 weeks to get your Schengen visa.

A round-trip flight is always cheaper than a one-way flight. But if you want to start from one destination and finish at the other, a multi-destination flight works the best.

If you have some time before you travel to Europe, it’s best to keep checking the flights from time to time. Signup for a reminder when the price for the flight you’re looking for becomes the cheapest. You can do that on flight booking sites like Skyscanner, Goibibo and others. For best flight deals, check the offers here as well.

And here’s a more detailed article to help you with more tips: Top Tips For Booking Flight Tickets .

Buy Travel Insurance

For Indians travelling to Europe, travel insurance is mandatory. There are several domestic companies like Aditya Birla, Bajaj Allianz and Bharti AXA, among others, I never bought my travel insurance from them.

Because they don’t cover every aspect of my trip.

When buying travel insurance you should know what kind of coverage your insurance policy entitles you to. Travel insurance is not just medical insurance. There are different types of coverage available based on your needs.

Since I carry a lot of expensive photography/computer gear I need something that also covers me in case I get robbed. Eg, I got robbed in Bratislava a few years ago, but my insurance plan covered my damages.

So if you are someone who travels alone, carry a lot of digital equipment, book too many hotels/flights in advance, and want to stay covered no matter what, I suggest you buy your insurance from this company called ‘SafetyWings’. I’ve been using them for a couple of years for all my international travels. It covers me for medical problems, accidents, travel delays, lost checked luggage, and even natural disasters.

Think of travel insurance as an investment and not an expense. It covers you if something goes wrong. A wrong (or a cheap) travel insurance is just as good as having no insurance as all.

You can check Safetywing’s website by clicking here . Check different plans, and buy the one that best suits your needs.

Apply For Schengen Visa

Of course, you cannot plan a trip to Europe from India without getting a valid Schengen visa. Apply for a single-entry tourist visa, and you can use it to cross borders across the Schengen territory.

It is advised to apply for a Schengen Tourist Visa at least 4 weeks prior to the planned trip. In most cases, however, The Embassy Consulate takes only around 10 days to process the application. A tourist Schengen visa is commonly valid for stays no more than 90 days.

Though the process of applying for a Schengen visa looks complicated, it’s rather very simple. I suggest you apply for a Schengen visa on your own and save the agent fee. Here’s a detailed article on How To Apply for Schengen Visa As Indians .

Nex tip in this blog on how to plan a Europe trip from India is learning how to travel inside the continent.

How To Travel Inside Europe

Now that you are ready for the journey, let’s figure out how to best travel inside Europe. From booking hotels to buses, in Europe, everything feels so organised and orderly done — contrary to how we are accustomed to in India — making travelling in Europe fairly easy.

One thing you want to do as soon as you end up in a new town in Europe is visiting the local Tourist Information centre and collecting the free city-map and other reading material. This allows you to know the latest tourist attractions as well as get some local information not covered in guidebooks and online travel blogs.

If you’re going to be using public transport and visiting a lot of museums, invest in a City Card. Most towns across Europe have a City Card that allows unlimited free public transport and free entry to museums. For tourists who enjoy doing too much in too little time, a City Card saves them time as well as money. It is possible to buy a City Card online as well as from the local tourist information centre.

Between your arrival and departure in Europe, you won’t find any immigration checkpoints. Just catch a bus or a train and cross borders inside the Schengen zone, just like you enter from one state to the other in India.

Here’s more information on different transportation modes inside Europe:

Flights : It is possible to find a cheaper flight ticket in Europe than a train/bus ticket, so keep an eye. And it mostly happens for prominent long-distance journeys like Rome-Paris or Paris-Barcelona or Barcelona-Amsterdam. For example, I once travelled from Rome to Paris, with Ryanair, for 25 EUR. The same journey in train and bus would have cost me 80 EUR and 60 EUR, respectively. My three favorite low-cost budget airlines in Europe are Transavia, EasyJet, and Ryanair.

Buses : Buses in Europe are a lot cheaper than trains, and most budget backpackers rely on them to keep their travel costs low. Speaking of my personal experience, during my 2-month backpacking trip to Europe in 2017, I did 18 bus rides and 2 train rides in total. By doing so (and roughly speaking) I saved around 200 EUR. Where a train ride would have cost 50 EUR, the bus took 35, sometimes even lesser. Though of course buses take comparatively more travel-time, for me time was never a problem, and speaking of comfort, I personally found buses just as comfortable as trains. Megabus, Flixbus , Eurolines, Regiojet are a few international bus operators in Europe.

Trains : Trains in Europe are faster than buses, and take a more scenic route, passing through beautiful countryside. Almost every country has its own national train service that is cheaper than EuRail. But if you’re visiting a few countries and you want to travel by train, it’s best to buy a weekly pass for EuRail.

Various bus operators also have a weekly/monthly travel pass. Compare different bus/train operators and find what suits you the best.

Car-Hire : I once did a one-week road trip across Germany and totally loved the experience. It may take a couple of days to get used to, but driving in Europe has its own charm. And if you’re a group of more than 3 people, hiring a car moreover saves you a great deal of money. Read this article for more tips: Tips For Renting A Car In Europe .

I recommend you to check deals at Discover Cars for car rental options.

How To Book Accommodation In Europe

From budget hostels to luxury hotels to b&bs, Europe has something for everyone. And the best thing is, no matter what you choose, you’re going to find it neat and clean. There will be no smelly bedsheets waiting for you in Europe.

For me, backpacker hostels are the preferred accommodation type. And this is for two reasons… 1) I travel solo and hostels allow me to meet other travellers. 2) hostels are cheap.

If you want luxury and high-standard, and you are travelling in a pair, choose to stay in a hotel. If you want luxury and high-standard, and you’re three or more people, consider renting an apartment (apartments come with a kitchen too, allowing you to cook your own food). Airbnbs are good if you want a more local experience.

Either way, your place to stay with cozycozy , the accommodation search engine, where you’ll find hotels, hostels, Airbnbs and more.

If you’re a long-term backpacker, or local experiences attract you, I suggest you try Couchsurfing as well. I have personally tried Couchsurfing in Europe and loved the experience. It is also possible to volunteer in Europe as an Indian. Use websites like WorldNomds and workaway.info to find volunteering options. Read my horse riding experience In Germany . If you’re planning to volunteer and travel, you only need to apply for a tourist visa.

Best Months For To Plan A Europe Trip From India

Honestly speaking, any time is a good time for Europe.

If you want more backpackers around and want to enjoy open/street cafes, summer is the best time. But remember that summer is the peak season for most countries in Europe, so expect more crowd and high prices wherever you go.

If you want to experience Christmas markets in Europe and cosy indoor cafes, visit during winter. Daylight remains fairly limited during winter, but that doesn’t stop locals and tourists to enjoy the charms of Europe. Winter makes for a romantic time to travel in Europe.

If you want to visit Europe in the off-season (though there’s nothing like an off-season for Europe, but only fewer tourists around) visit during monsoon. Unlike in India, it only drizzles in Europe. The rain never stops any movement in Europe.

What To Carry From India For A Europe Trip

Wondering what to carry for your Europe trip? My advice: Not too many things.

Taxis are expensive in Europe. You may have to walk. Chances are, you are moreover going to shop in Europe, so don’t carry too much.

For a trip lasting one week or more, this is what I suggest you carry:

• 3-6 pairs of T-shirts
• 2-3 Paris of party wear shirts
• 4 bottoms or pants
• Ankle boots
• 1 sweater/fleece (for all seasons)
• Thermals and a heavy jacket (for winter)
• Sunglasses (for summer and spring)
• Waterproof jacket (for monsoon)
• 5-6 pairs of socks
• Medications and first-aid kit
• Basic Toiletry

9 Tips For How To Plan A Europe Trip From India

• Use websites like Musement, GetYourGuide, Klool and Viator to book group tours in Europe.
• Don’t try to explore too many destinations in a short frame of time. You will end up missing the essence of the place.
• Learn some local phrases. Eg. people in France will behave much nicely if you start the conversation in French and then gradually switch to English. Same with Germans or Italians or Czech.
• The standard voltage in Europe is 230V and the frequency is 50HZ which is the same in India but the socket type varies. I advise you to buy an international converter to be able to use it worldwide. You can buy a converter in most airports around the world.
• Your Indian sim card is either not going to work or charge you hefty amounts for international roaming. Solution? Buy a local sim-card, or get an international sim-card. Matrix, UniConnect and WorldSIM are some of the top international sim-card providers.
• Almost all tourist towns in Europe organise a free-walking tour. Ask the local tourist information center about the timing and the starting point. Walking tours are great to get to know about a city and even make some friends if you’re travelling solo.
• I understand that the first Euro trip is always about seeing the maximum number of countries, so be it. The only advice is don’t just stick to visiting big towns, rather, explore a bit of countryside too. It is the countryside in Europe that makes it more romantic and beautiful.
• Though most people say the contrary, I find tipping in Europe isn’t mandatory — especially in Western Europe. If you do not have the money or don’t like the service, it’s okay to not tip at a restaurant or at a bar. The waiters are not going to frown upon you, as they otherwise do in India.
• Euro is the standard currency across all Schengen countries. Rather than carrying cash, I suggest you carry a travel card. An International travel card works similar to your Bank Debit Card in India — just transfer funds from your bank account to your travel card, and voila. Refill when the funds are exhausted. Countries that have their own currency like Hungary and the Czech Republic happily accept Euros everywhere.

I understand the process of how to plan a Europe trip from India can feel daunting, especially for the first-timers. But after a few trips, you automatically start understanding the continent better. Which bus service is the cheapest? How to find a free walking tour? How to survive in Europe as a vegan. All these learning come to you naturally. But whether you travel Europe as a rookie or as a savvy traveller, any time spent in Europe makes for a beautiful memory.

Also read: How To Travel World Without Money

That’s all in this blog on how to plan a Europe trip from India. If you have more questions, ask me in the comments below.

Great work! Me and my husband are planning our first Europe trip and were just looking out for this kinda content 🙂

It would be great if you can share the locations to book an accommodation in Paris, Amsterdam and Rome.. thanks!

Great blog MR Dev and i am travelling europe may be with in 2-3year acc to this pandamic and full support from me brother love u love from UP And also great explanation of blog

Hi Dev, Very nice and helpful blog I must say. I am planning to visit Europe maybe next year.. depending upon the pandemic situation. Thanks for this post. I will surely consider the points you have listed before planning the trip.

Stay safe and thank you

Thanks Shweta. Stay safe \/

Very nice and detailed blog. I am planning to visit Europe from Delhi India in 2021. Useful suggestions.

Hi dev, u did a fabulous job bro.. I needed ur help to plan my Europe trip as I am traveling along with my wife, as I am holding a budget of bout 3..4 lacs frm, “India” for about 3-4 weeks of trip. I just wanted to know from where to begin & where to end.. Like serial wise..

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Travel Hippies

The Travel Tales of a Travel Addict

Solo Backpacking Europe From India on a Budget, A Complete Plan

It is quite common to be confused while planning your first Europe Trip Itinerary especially when you are doing Europe on a Budget. Many people take the help of the travel agencies which suggest only the overrated and highly touristic areas. Backpacking to Europe solo from India can be a task as you need to prepare for a lot many things for the Visa process. However, this blog which is a result of my own planning for my 83 days long solo backpacking trip to Europe from India , would be your step by step guide for your long-awaited Europe Trip on a Budget.

Following is the self-followed ways to begin with ’The Great Europe Trip Plan’.

Table of Contents

First of all you must know the following points before moving ahead

• Schengen Visa for the tourists is available for a short-term of only 3 months at a time. Not sure how to score a visa? Well, here is a complete visa guide for you .
• The visa approves your unrestricted movement to only 26 countries in Europe.
• Geographically, if you observe the map of Europe, it can be divided into western, eastern and central Europe. You must choose the countries based on their vicinity in order to make your commute easier.
• Before planning and booking your flight, do research a bit about the best time to visit each country + offseason too, so that you can check for less expensive flights.
• The selection of time also depends on what do you exactly wish to see. For an instance, European cities face extreme cold, snowfall from November- March but it is also the best time to get cheap flights and hotels. You can even enjoy the Christmas extravaganza during December and January.
• The continent is in full bloom and in its best beauty from April to July. However, each country has its own time of celebrations which must not be missed.

The Big Fat Europe Budget

Considering the low value of INR or any other Asian currency, you may definitely feel Europe (Especially western and Northern) but there are ways to reduce the cost while having the best local experience. Read the detailed guide for the same.

On average, if you don’t spend much on any luxury and follow my budget travel guide to Europe , the following can be your budget for western/Central and Northern European Countries.

• 15-20 Days – 70,000- 80,000 INR per person (Food + Transport + Stay + sightseeing)
• 30-40 Days – 1,20,000 – 1,50,000 INR (Food + Transport + Stay + sightseeing)
• 60-80 Days – 1,20,000 – 1,50,000 INR (Food + Transport + Stay + sightseeing)

(Note: Slower the travel, lesser the expenditure)

My 83 days backpacking trip to 8 countries could be done in 1,10,000 INR including flight, visa, stay, food, internal commute and some gifts and chocolates for irritating friends and relatives 😐 Actually gifts and chocolates cost more than anything else, so my personal advice is, better don’t share any of your plans with anyone and save on useless gifts hahaha 😉 . I could do with spending 56K for 83 days , and you can definitely do for an even lesser amount. There were many couch surfers who were running at a lower budget than mine and doing it better.

Wanna Know How to do it in Budget? Check my budget travel tips

Note : Don’t mail or comment for any travel package, I am not any travel company. However, I would always be happy to help you with the itineraries and can suggest the places to stay and explore. For regular updates, You can subscribe to my blog (Fill in your mail-id at the end of the page). This way you will get regular useful updates of my travel. 

Where to Stay in Europe?

If you are traveling with friends, then hostels are the best options in Europe. A hostel in Western and Central European Countries may cost you around 20-25 Euros including breakfast.

Most of the hostels in Europe have family rooms and private rooms for couples. And if you wish to go for a culture exchange (Read the Last two words again), you can use Couch Surfing in Europe. You can read all my personal tips on Couchsurfing while in Europe here . Couchsurfing didn’t only help me in traveling on a budget but it also helped me in experiencing the unusual places and of course, the company of a local helps you the most. Read how I ended up traveling to unexplored places with my Couchsurfing hosts .

However, the hostels are not advisable for honeymooners, they can opt for apartments or budget hotels.

How to Plan a Backpacking Trip to Europe from India (Or anywhere else)

While most of us would be confused while choosing the countries and cities to travel in Europe, it is as easy as making a list while traveling anywhere in your own country.

Step 1: Find out the best countries in Europes/ Countries for the Budget Travellers in Europe Step 2: Google the must-visit places in each chosen countries. Step 3: Put the cities of your choice one by one in google maps and it will show you the route to travel. You can drag the places up or down seeing the convenient route.

Just for your info, the Eastern European countries are way cheaper than Western and Central.

Europe Itinerary for backpacking solo: Here is an Itinerary that I followed & you can follow too

I had simply ticked the countries in a downloaded map of Europe. Also, check if the country falls into the Schengen Area.

Spain – (add Portugal if you wish) –>   France –>  Luxembourg –>  Belgium –>  Netherlands –>  Denmark à Germany –>  Czech Republic –>  Austria –>  Germany –>  Switzerland /(You can also continue to) –>  Austria to Slovakia –>  Hungary –>  Slovenia –>  Italy

The above list makes you cover most of the Western and Central Europe..

You can choose a small group of countries from the above list.

Now comes the biggest question of where to go within these countries and when? So, here is a crisp guide for you.

Enlist the Must Visit Places In Each European Country

Once you have enlisted the places of your choice in each country, put it in the google map in the following manner, this would show you where to start and where to exactly end in order to reach the next destination.

Adviced route to be followed: Barcelona (Catalan Capital City) –>Valencia (For its Sea Coast) –> Granada (For the love of Flamenco & Zambra, & the Gypsy Caves) –>  Malaga(For the Sea Lovers again) –> Ronda (For its giant bridge and natural vistas) –> Seville (Andalucian capital and a quiet beautiful city)  –> Cordoba (For the Flowery Streets and an ancient Mosque-Cathedral)–> Madrid (Another Spanish city) –>then either move towards Pamplona if you are interested in the La Tomatina or Bull Race or move towards France (Paris).

The best time to visit Spain : Mid or After May when the spring sets and the Spanish streets are adorned with colourful flowers.

Best Mode of Transport : AlSA Buses or just check the Go Euro App.

Adviced route to be followed: Paris –> Either you can move southwards towards the Provence region in the south or can head to Strasbourg –> Colmar (For the beautiful Alsace villages like Ribeauville, Riquewihr and Eguisheim & the Petite Venise or Little Venice) –> You can move either towards Switzerland from Colmar or can take a bus to Luxembourg (Country) via Metz from Strasbourg.

The best time to visit France : Mid or After May when the spring sets and the French streets are adorned by colourful flowers. If you wish to see the vineyards in full bloom before its harvest then August-September are the best months to visit.

Best Mode of Transport : OUI Buses (The Cheapest one)  or just check the Go Euro App.

Being a small country, Luxembourg provides the feel of a little city embellished with the fresh spring flowers. Luxembourg city must be visited if you are planning to take this route.

The best time to visit Luxembourg : Mid or After May when the spring sets and the city of Luxembourg has pleasant weather.

Best Mode of Transport : OUI Buses (The Cheapest one)  or just check the Go Euro App.

Adviced route to be followed: Brussels (The European Capital City) However, the city doesn’t have much to see and I can honestly advise not to spend more than a half day here –> Ghent (For its historic buildings) –> Brugge (For the Flowery Streets and fairytale-like streets) –> Antwerp (for its famous diamond market – it can surely be skipped if you are not much interested in museums) –> Dinant (For its giant bridge and natural vistas) à Move to Amsterdam

The best time to visit Belgium : Mid or After May when the spring sets and the cities of Belgium have pleasant weather.

Netherlands

Adviced route to be followed: Amsterdam –> Explore the city of Amsterdam on cycle or the nearby fairytale villages of Edam, Marken, Volendam, and Giethoorn . Also, take a cycle tour for some offbeat exploration and cheese tasting or cycle to the colorful Tulip flower fields . Trust me, it would be an experience to cherish forever. –> Move to Aarhus (Denmark)

The best time to visit the Netherlands :  May end or After when the spring sets and the Netherlands weather isn’t too harsh. However, please note that the weather in Netherland is very unpredictable and it can rain at any time.

The adviced route to be followed: Aarhus (The happiest Danish District)–> Copenhagen (the Danish Capital City with a colorful harbor) –> Take some day trips to the nearby hamlets like Hillerod, Dragor –> Move to Berlin

The best time to visit Denmark : June and after when the spring sets and Denmark has pleasant weather.

Adviced route to be followed: Berlin (However, I feel that Dresden is a good alternative to visit) –> Cologne –> Frankfurt  –> Munich (Take day trips to Rothenburg, Bamberg, and Zugspitze) –> Move down to Salzburg (Austria)

The best time to visit France : Mid or After May

Best Mode of Transport : Bla Bla Car, Flix Bus or just check the Go Euro App.

Czech Republic

The city of Prague itself has a lot to offer but one unique place that you must not miss is the chapel in Kuntahora that is decorated with the skulls and bones of more than 2000 people.

The best time to visit Czech Republic : Mid or After May when the spring sets and the city of Prague has pleasant weather.

Best Mode of Transport : Bla Bla Car or just check the Go Euro App.

Adviced route to be followed: Salzburg (Visit Hallstatt) –> Vienna

The best time to visit Austria : After May/June when the vineyards are all set to bloom.

Best Mode of Transport : Bla Bla Car. (Trains and buses do not have direct routes to most of the places)

The other guide blogs that you might need for backpacking How to Score a Schengen Visa on an Indian Passport; An Ultimate Visa Guide Europe Trip on a Budget!! How to Make it Possible Europe Food Guide for (Non/) Vegetarians and Budget Travelers Couchsurfing in Europe – Tips, Request Samples and More How Couchsurfing helped me Explore Europe Better – My Experiences

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4 thoughts on “ Solo Backpacking Europe From India on a Budget, A Complete Plan ”

Helpful guide! If one could do a 20 day trip in Europe for 70,000 it isn’t bad!

Definitely not bad Renuka. It just depends on personal choices, I personally feel that budget should not be a matter of competition. However, I have learnt that slower the travel, lesser the money you spend.

thank u for sharing your experience, and it also inspires others too. i also want to plan so can u help me?

Sure Arpit, let me know what help you need besides whatever I have put up on Travel hippies. Would definitely guide you.

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How to Plan a Europe trip from India? – Complete Guide With Packing Tips, Hacks and more!

Planning a Europe trip from India?

Here is the only guide you will need.

Dazzling, artistic, phenomenal, romantic, gorgeous, historic, splendid, and inspiring, Europe means to travel. We’ll stop with that considering the fact that there aren’t enough words in the dictionary to describe the beauty of Europe. But if you are a newbie to the world of international travel, you might be a little lost when it comes to planning a Europe trip.

Time to rejoice now. We have put in all our efforts to create a Europe trip planner that will help you plan a Europe trip right from scratch and experience the continent to the fullest.

Read it, bookmark it, share it, and pack your bags. Here’s how to plan a Europe trip from India .

Plan your budget

One of the first things to do before you start narrowing on a destination is establishing a proper budget. Thinking of a budget figuratively is different and putting it on paper is different. Write your budget on a whiteboard and then plan your trip around it. So, every time you plan on doing something related to your trip, you will actually find it easier to arrive at a conclusion given you already know your budget.

Interesting read:   Top 10 affordable destinations in Europe for the budget traveller

Going on a Europe vacation or any vacation for that matter is greatly dependent on the number of days you can take off. With stringent holiday policies at workplaces, we Indians find it difficult to go on a long vacation, Euro trip included. Bring out that calendar and try to plan around long weekends and holidays that you may have. We have a solution right here for you.

Europe has four different seasons. Generally spread out like this: March to May – Spring, June to August – Summer, September to October – Autumn, and November to February – Winter. While the peak season in Europe is during the summer, the prices and the crowd will be on the higher side as well. The ideal time to visit Europe is during the shoulder season (Spring and the Autumn season) when the crowds are fewer with good day-light. Thereby giving you a chance to enjoy the perks of both peak-season and off-season.

Europe Tour Package @ ₹ 48,268

Art Galleries. Marvellous Bridges. Delectable Cuisine. Customizable Itineraries.

Alternatively, you can plan your Euro trip during the Winter which is also the off-season. The prices are at an all-time low but be wary, as most of the attractions might be closed.

Choose a destination and work on an itinerary

Now that you know your budget and the season you will be traveling, start looking for destinations that will best suit your interest. While you are at it, also ask yourself these questions. Are you a person who loves history or art or culture? Or perhaps adventure?

Moving on, look for the list of popular festivals celebrated in Europe and see if you really want to be a part of one of those. Next comes planning the itinerary. While you are planning your itinerary, make sure you give ample time to explore each destination. You will never be able to travel at breakneck speeds all the time. Especially, when you are in a major destination like Paris, London or Barcelona, you will have to stay a minimum of 4 days to experience the city. Also, never underestimate the time that it takes to travel between destinations.

With so many things to do in each destination, it is very easy to get lost and wonder what you should actually be doing. If all this seems like a tedious task, then try Pickyourtrail. You can create your itinerary to wherever you want to go, customize it according to your interest, get the split pricing for each activity. All this is done within 5 minute tops!

Look for flights and finalize the best route possible

Ready with a rough itinerary and destinations to visit? Start looking for flights. While there is no standard time to book flights, booking it 10 to 12 weeks prior is the ideal time to do it. Look for standard round-trip flights that work perfectly if your itinerary is a proper loop with the start and the end being the same destination. Standard round-trip flights are generally cheaper than one-way flights. On the other hand, if you want to add more flexibility to your plan then one-way flights are the best bet.

If you are looking to strike a deal while booking flight tickets, then the best way to do it is by constantly checking the flight prices from time to time. Also, red-eye flights are cheaper than ordinary flights. A frequent flyer who has earned decent Airline Miles? Then you can save a lot using reward points.

Also, you have to work on several permutations and combinations before you arrive at the best possible flight prices. This may also mean that you have to make adjustments to your route. At the end of the day if saving is what you are looking forward to, then be ready to put in the effort and the time.

Get your documents ready

So you are planning your Europe trip and wondering what all visas you have to apply for. The answer is this, you just have to apply for a Schengen visa. We have written an entire article that will enlighten you on the visa front. Further, if you are planning to travel to multiple countries within Europe, then you have to apply for a multiple-entry Schengen visa. And remember to apply the visa to the country where you will be staying for the longest. In case, you stay at two different countries for the same duration, then address your visa to the country you will be entering first. VFS Global has also announced a helpline number which you can use to gain assistance on your Schengen visa. So, a Schengen visa from India is just a call away!

Travelling between destinations

Now that you have sorted out how to travel from India to Europe , start figuring out how to get between destinations in Europe. If you are travelling to only a single destination in Europe, then your task becomes even simpler. You just have to figure out the local transportation within the city. Metros are a very good option to use to get around the city and are highly preferred by the locals.

The first thing for you to do is to get a transit map of the city that you are in, either from the tourist office or from the subway ticketing office or from your hotel. There are also city specific transport apps which will help you with all the information that you will need. Based on the frequency of your travel, you can get metro passes that come with unlimited travel options, reloadable cards, or multi-ticket deals, which multiple people can use at the same time. Then again the best place to learn about the different options is either at the tourist office or at the subway ticketing office.

For a more cultural experience of the city, ride a bus. It’s a great way to see the city. Seek the help of the locals to understand more about the bus timings.

Most of the European countries are also bike-friendly. You can rent a bicycle for minimal cost and experience the city like never before. Some of the bike-friendly destinations include Amsterdam, Strasbourg, Copenhagen, Bordeaux, Seville, Barcelona, Berlin, Paris, and Vienna.

Other options to get around the cities in Europe include trams, taxis, and rental cars.

What if you are travelling to multiple European destinations and not one? Then there is a list of options that will come in handy.

If time is a huge constraint in your Euro trip and not money, then flight is the best way to get around destinations in Europe. Some of the budget-friendly airlines like Ryanair, EasyJet, Norweigan, Wizz Air, Air Berlin, and Eurowings have deals running all the time and it is not that difficult to strike a bargain. Remember that the ticket prices increase with your baggage.

Thanks to the effective Eurail system, train travel is one of the most popular ways to get around Europe. Not to forget the wonderful landscapes that you get to see as you travel along. Western Europe is so well connected that you can get through even small towns on a train. In Central Europe, you can visit all the major cities on the train. On the other hand, travelling within Eastern Europe on Eurorail is let alone a problem. It isn’t as well connected as Western or Central Europe. If you have plenty of time on your itinerary, try taking the overnight train. They are cheaper. And if you are planning to travel extensively on Eurail? Get a Eurail Pass.

Looking to cut down on your expenses? Travelling on the bus is the best way to do it. The luxury, the extra legroom, the fascinating views, WIFI options, and the cheaper updates are few of the perks of travelling on a bus. Just make sure, the destinations you are looking for is covered on your bus journey. There might be frequent hopping in and hopping off. If you can bear it and have the time? Then, you can save huge by opting for a bus. There are also package bus excursions which you can opt for.

Some of the major long-overhaul bus companies include Eurolines, FlixBus, Polskibus, Alsa, Avansa, and Hello.

Driving a car to get around Europe might come in as one of the toughest things to do. But if you are in Europe as a group and are interested in exploring Europe on your own time, then renting a car will best suit you. While the expenses of renting a car vary depending on the country, they are generally on the higher side.

If you are ready to manage the expenses then go ahead and rent a car, make sure you get rental car insurance along with renting the car. And do not rent the car right away from the airport, you will end up paying extra money in the name of airport taxes.

Choosing the right car company is a combination of things – best rates, the range of cars, service option, pick up and drop off locations. Automatic cars always cost more than a manual car and European cars differ greatly from cars in other countries in the fact that they have lower legroom space and bigger trunk space. Also, European cars are rented out for a 24 hour period. So, in case you rent the car at 11 am and return it back the next day after 24 hours then it will be counted as one day extra. Driving in Europe is on the right-hand side of the road.

Some car companies offer the flexibility to rent the car at one location and the drop off at a totally different location. And when you are renting out a car, always pay upfront to get discounts.

There is also the option of ride sharing.

To drive a car in Europe, you must carry a valid Indian driver’s license, along with an International Driving Permit (IDP) – which is essentially the English translation of your driving license. On that topic, here’s a list of countries that don’t need an international driving license for driving.

Plan your accommodation

From luxury hotels to mid-range accommodations to bed & breakfasts, the range of accommodation in Europe will amaze you. While hotels always cost a little extra, our Europe trip planner also suggests you with some of the cheaper accommodation options.

Think budget, think hostels. A popular choice among the backpackers and the youth, hostels are highly budget-friendly and provide you with the option to interact with travelers from all around the world. And there is often a common misconception when it comes to hostels that they will be shabby and are suited only for young people. On the contrary, modern-day hostels are clean and carry rooms that are suited for solo travelers, couples, and family-travelers as well.

Stay with locals

Wondering if staying with locals is actually possible? The answer is yes, totally. Sites like Couchsurfing are a great place to connect with locals and finding accommodation during your travel. What’s more interesting is you get to understand the culture and experience the local part of the destination. Just make sure, the profile checks out on Couchsurfing and you are good to go.

House Swapping

While the concept of house exchange has been there for a long time now, not many people are actually aware of it, until recently. This is how it works – you offer your house to someone visiting your hometown and in exchange they offer theirs. House Exchange might not work for you all the time but if you find like-minded people, then house swapping is a great option to consider.

Monasteries

Staying in a monastery may come in as one of the offbeat things to do but it is a real money saver. While some monasteries demand rent or a donation, some offer free accommodation.

Short rentals

Priced somewhere between the hotels and the hostels, short rentals offer the comforts of home while in a new destination. Plus, most of the short rentals come with a kitchen so you can prepare your favourite even when you are in Europe.

Interesting read:   Five unusual hotels in Europe

At the end of the day, the type of accommodation that you want to stay depends on the budget and the type of people you will be traveling with.

Europe trip planner – Few essentials

European language.

One of the major issues, most of us Indians face when we are traveling to Europe is language. While Europeans can speak & understand multiple languages, English isn’t actually their cup of tea. So be prepared to be surprised. If you still want to get away with speaking English, then consider speaking slow and be sure to use internationally popular words.

Further, start with learning the basic phrases that you will be using during your travel. Duolingo is one of the many apps you can use to do this. Further, you can listen to podcasts and watch movies as well to cultivate the habit better. The locals appreciate you trying to learn the local language and will generally be more than willing to help you out.

European Food

Europe has a wide range of cuisines to choose from and you will be literally spoilt for choice. Eating out is generally costlier than eating out in India. Looking to save money on food? Always eat like the locals do, at cheap eateries and other local hot spots. While Europe has a decent chunk of Indian restaurants to eat from, the food is a bit expensive than what we normally pay in India. Alternatively, you can shop for local produce at the markets and prepare it by yourself to save money.

Interesting read:   15 must eat foods in Paris that will grow your obsession

Drinking is not a taboo in Europe, except for a few countries. The legal drinking age is somewhere between 16-18 and the Europeans love to wine and dine.

Adventurous Switzerland getaway

Exciting 11-day itinerary to Lucerne, Zurich, Interlaken, & Zermatt

What to pack for your Europe trip? A major question on any traveller’s mind. With each destination having its own style and culture, it is hard to come up with a default set of things to pack. But based on the season, we have tried our best to compile some of the essentials that you should be packing on your Europe trip. And remember, always try to pack light.

• 2 pair of casual comfy tops
• 4 bottoms (pants/skirts)
• 5-6 pairs of innerwear
• 5-6 pairs of socks
• Light scarf
• Ankle boots
• Waterproof jacket
• Light shaded trench coat
• 4 shorts/skirts
• 1 pair of sandals
• 1 pair of casual walking/running shoes
• 2 pair of tank tops/casual tops
• Thermals/long johns
• 1 sweater/fleece
• Layered tops
• Rain-friendly boots
• Thicker scarfs
• 1 pair of thermals/long john
• More layers
• Warm sleepwear
• Winter boots
• Thicker Scarf
• Woollen Socks

European Currency

There is a common tendency to feel insecure and rush straight to the ATM to withdraw cash the minute you land at the airport. It’s a reflux reaction. It can happen to anyone but don’t ever drop by the currency exchange booths at the airport in Europe (any destination for that matter). The currency exchange booths at the airport have the worst exchange rates. Avoid them at all costs. For best exchange rates, either head on to an ATM or use your credit card. Also, make sure to inform your bank that you will be travelling outside India and that you will be using your credit card. This will prevent your card from getting blocked if the bank detects any fraudulent activities.

How much to tip?

While tipping is not a norm in India, tipping is a part of the culture abroad. When it comes to tipping in Europe, there is no particular standard and you don’t have to tip a hefty amount as you do in the U.S. The waiters in Europe are paid well and it is up to you if you want to tip the waiter. If the service charge is already included in the bill, then you can refrain from tipping at all. But, if you still insist, tip 5-10 percent of the total bill which is more than enough. Hand over the tip right when you are paying the bill, then leaving it on the table. If you are just ordering food from the counter, don’t tip. In addition to tipping at the restaurants, you are free to tip for the extra services that you are offered. Even that is not mandatory.

Voltage requirements

The standard voltage in Europe is 230V and the frequency is 50HZ which is the same in India. But the socket type varies from country to country in Europe. In France, the socket type is C & E. In Germany, it is C & F and so on. While you don’t require a voltage converter, you will definitely require power adapters to help you use your electrical appliances.

Tips for traveling in Europe

• Don’t try to explore too many destinations in a short frame of time. You will end up missing the essence of the place.
• Look for offbeat/local things to do in each destination rather than the same touristy stuff.
• Put in an effort to blend in with the locals. This will help you get the best of the destination, not to forget the money-saving tips and the authentic experience.
• Avoid taking too many photos and rather try to be there at the moment.
• Keep your passport and other valuables safe.
• Do not skip travel insurance.

Planning an Europe trip from India all by yourself can be a little stressful. But, we are sure this Europe trip planner would have addressed all your issues. If you are still not sure about planning, then go Pickyourtrail for a hassle-free customized Europe honeymoon package .

188 Posts Published.

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Europe Travel Guide

Last Updated: January 8, 2024

From beautiful Paris to smoke-filled coffeeshops in Amsterdam, Oktoberfest to La Tomatina, Europe is a massive, diverse continent with an unlimited assortment of things to see and do. You won’t have any problem filling your time, whether you’re backpacking Europe for a few months on a budget or just spending a few weeks there on a well-earned vacation.

The continent boasts wonderful beaches, historical architecture, amazing wine, and tons of world-class festivals. Every country is incredibly different from the next too, providing limitless variety in what you do during your trip.

I first backpacked Europe in 2006 and was hooked immediately. I’ve been visiting every year since, have run tours around the continent, and even wrote a book on traveling in Europe . It’s a destination I love and never get tired of exploring.

This guide will give you an overview of Europe and the tips and tricks you need to start planning your trip. I’ve also written extensive travel guides to each country on the continent (linked below in this post) so you can get more in-depth information for your specific itinerary too!

Table of Contents

• Things to See and Do
• Typical Costs
• Suggested Budget
• Money-Saving Tips
• Where to Stay
• How to Get Around
• How to Stay Safe
• Best Places to Book Your Trip
• Related Blogs on Europe

Click Here for Country Guides

Top 5 things to see and do in europe.

1. Tour the Greek Islands

These islands are the mecca of summer beach fun and each is unique in its own great way. There’s Ios (beach party central with archeological ruins and awesome boat tours); Kos (ancient ruins and nature); Crete (Bronze Age ruins of Knossos, hiking, beaches, and wine), Santorini (iconic blue water, white buildings, and local wineries); Mykonos , (the upscale party island with beautiful beaches, villages, and sunsets), Naxos (best island in the Cyclades). Plus, Milos, Corfu, Lemnos, Zakynthos, and so many more! With hundreds of islands in the country, you can always find what you are looking for!

2. Ride the rails

Europe is famous for its international rail system. Rail passes like the Eurail Pass have been around forever and still make it very easy to get from country to country on a relatively small budget (and with lots of flexibility). Europe has some of the fastest trains in the world that travel up to an incredible 217 mph (350 kph). The whole continent is connected by trains and there’s a growing push for even more connections and long-distance, high-speed trains in order to reduce flying and help combat climate change. There’s nothing more quintessential than riding the trains in Europe and I encourage you to take as many trains as possible. It’s one of the best ways to see the continent.

3. Get lost in Paris

The “City of Lights” is everything people say it is. I fell in love with it the first time I stepped foot in Paris . The city is just magical. You have a ton of museums, cafes, jazz clubs, famous art, and beautiful architecture. I love just strolling around the streets of the Quartier Latin (Latin Quarter) or Montmartre neighborhood as it makes for a breathtaking day. Another one of my favorite things to do here is just sit in the Jardin des Champs-Élysées park and picnic like the Parisians. For something a bit different, check out the famous Catacombs and Paris Sewer Museum. With so much to offer in the way of culture, history, and gastronomy, it would take years to see everything here but you can still get a good feel of the city in a few days.

4. Go city hopping

There are so many amazing cities in Europe that we’d need a top 100 to list them all. Here are some of my personal favorites and must-see cities: London is rich in history, culture, and the famous Big Ben clock; Edinburgh is a vibrant medieval city with cozy pubs and a famous castle with a huge New Year’s Eve Party; Amsterdam has cozy coffee shops and canopied tree-covered canals; Berlin has a wild party scene, street art, and the Berlin Wall; Barcelona has tapas, beach, and unique Gaudi architecture; coastal Lisbon has colorful tiles, old tramcars, cobblestone streets and plenty of fresh seafood; Prague has a beautiful intact Old Town, incredible architecture and eclectic bars; Tallinn Estonia has beautiful medieval buildings with colorful roofs. Florence  is a mecca for Italian Renaissance architecture, art history, and gelato; Stockholm mixes medieval architecture and modern art and design. Crisscross the continent, take in the culture, and enjoy all the historic cities!

5. Hit the Alps

Whether you go skiing in the winter or hiking in the summer, the Alps hold some of the most breathtaking views in all the world. You don’t even need to be an expert hiker because there are mountain trails for all levels and crystal-clear Alpine lakes. Check out the spectacular Eibsee trail loop in Bavaria at the foot of Die Zugspitze, Germany’s tallest mountain, for the clearest, multi-colored, sparkling lake you’ve ever seen. Or the Männlichen Kleine Scheidegg Panorama trail in Switzerland’s stunning green and snow-capped Alps. Or visit Italy’s Dolomites in South Tyrol for the scenic Seceda trail. The Alps have trails for every fitness level and in every season.

Other Things to See and Do in Europe

1. tour amsterdam.

I love Amsterdam so much that I lived here for a short period of time in 2006. Here cobblestone and brick streets weave around lovely canals as people ride their bikes to and fro. My favorite things to enjoy here are Amsterdam’s vibrant art and music scene and there are also a ton of interesting museums here like the Anne Frank House, FOAM, the history museum, and the hemp museum. Be sure you get out of the center into Jordaan and Oost with their wonderful outdoor cafes and fewer tourists. Also, a visit to Amsterdam wouldn’t be complete without a canal cruise to visit the many islands and there are many to choose from that include snacks and drinks, sunset cruises, live guided tours, and more.

2. Hang out in Barcelona

Barcelona is a city that goes 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It truly could give NYC a run for the “city that never sleeps” title. Be prepared for late-night dinners and parties until dawn. Besides a great food and nightlife scene, there is a wonderful beach, tons of Gaudi architecture (including the fairytale-like Parc Güell, as well as the iconic Sagrada Familia , which has been under construction for over 100 years!), incredible food tours, one of the best history museums in the country, and lots of outdoor spaces. What I love about Barcelona is that when you’re ready to chill, you can wander around Parc de la Ciutadella and marvel at the majestic fountains, plant life, and buildings created from an ornate military fortress.

3. Visit Berlin

Hip and trendy Berlin is an energetic destination. It is one of Europe’s most affordable capital cities, with a vibrant music and art scene and a growing foodie movement. Be sure to spend some time learning about the city’s darker history via the many excellent museums, memorials, and landmarks. The East Side Gallery, a section of the Berlin Wall that’s now painted with murals, and the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe are two especially powerful reminders of Germany’s past. For all periods of German history, don’t miss the Deutsches Historisches Museum (German Historical Museum) – it’s one of the best history museums in the world. Once you’ve had your fill of history, relax in Berlin’s many green spaces, from Tempelhof Field, the site of a former airfield and popular local hangout spot, to Tiergarten, a tree-covered former hunting ground for 17th-century aristocrats.

4. Drink beer at Oktoberfest

Oktoberfest is a must for anyone going to Germany at the end of September. While not a budget option since beers now cost 15 € a maß, I love the energy and friendly camaraderie this event inspires. For two weeks, millions of people from all over the world gather for lots of beer, excitement, music, and wild fun. Watching thousands of people sing together, raising quart-sized beer mugs for endless toasts, and enjoying the general party atmosphere makes you feel good about the world. (Or maybe that’s just the beer?) Just be sure to book your accommodation well in advance and be prepared to pay top prices for them. If you don’t have an outfit, don’t worry, there are plenty of shops even at the main train station where you can buy a Bavarian dirndl dress and men’s lederhosen.

5. Experience London

Get a taste of English culture in diverse London . The museums here are some of the best in the world (most are free) and include the Tate, the British Museum, the City Museum, the National Gallery, the Historical Museum. There’s no shortage of iconic sights here as well, with Big Ben, the House of Parliament, the London Eye, the Tower of London, Tower Bridge, and of course, Buckingham Palace. I love London’s diversity because of the countless international eateries with great food and wonderful pub culture, perfect for after a long day seeing the sights. Head to Brick Lane on the weekends for some amazing food and craft markets. I prefer Paris to London, but there is something sophisticated and fun about London. Just watch those pints — London is not a cheap destination!

6. Get outdoors in Scandinavia

My favorite region in Europe is Scandinavia. The quality of life here is high, the people are beautiful and friendly, and the cities are clean and historic. Cycling the cities, taking canal tours, hiking the vast forested areas, archipelago hopping, enjoying fika (a Swedish coffee break), and warming up in saunas are just a few of the popular activities that await you here. True, this area of Europe is not cheap, but there are plenty of ways to reduce your expenses. Don’t let the high prices scare you away. Highlights for me include Copenhagen , Stockholm , Gotland, Norway’s fjords, and Lapland in Finland .

7. Get enchanted in Prague

Prague has an amazing history and is one of the most beautiful and picturesque cities I’ve ever seen. Highlights include the 9th-century Prague Castle, the magnificent Charles Bridge (built in the 14th century and one of the oldest standing bridges in the world), the 10th-century old square with its iconic astronomical clock, and the winding Jewish Quarter. Even if you only have a few days there don’t miss the free walking tour which is one of my favorites in Europe and the best way to learn about the Old Town and the tragic history of the city that went from thriving Bohemian capital of art, music, and literature to part of the Iron Curtain after WWII. Some of my favorite gems here include the fantastic black light theater shows in 4D and the one-of-a-kind medieval dinner show in an old tavern complete with musicians and jugglers not to mention hearty food and drinks. During the weekends it heaves with people enjoying the bars, cheap beer, and delicious food so try to visit during the week (and in the spring or fall) to beat the crowds.

8. Relax on the French Riviera

Here, you can pretend to live the high life for a little bit. Have fun in the sun, relax on the beach, swim in azure blue water, hobnob with the rich and famous, and sail on (or gaze at) gigantic yachts. As for cities, Nice is nice with its palm-tree-lined promenade, old town, and many art museums. If you want to go see how the rich and famous live, spend an afternoon checking out Cannes to soak up some glamorous vibes on La Croisette where they hold the famous Cannes Film Festival. The kingdom of Monaco with its tiny streets, beautiful buildings, and world-famous casino is just a skip away too.

9. Enjoy the great outdoors in Interlaken

Located in the beautiful mountains of Switzerland, Interlaken is a gorgeous place to unwind with fantastic hiking, delicious hot chocolate, and plenty of outdoor sports. The area is full of natural attractions to explore, including the St. Beatus Caves (complete with a legendary dragon), the cascading 500-meter-high (1,640 feet) Giessbach Waterfalls, the Jungfraujoch mountain railway (which leads to the highest train station on the continent), and a plethora of lakes (hence the town’s name). It’s a good alternative to all the cities and museums. Interlaken is also a popular party destination for backpackers and other young travelers. By far, my favorite scenic and visually stunning trail was the Oberberghorn panoramic hike, where you can wander the green mountain ridge ogling the amazing views and the turquoise-blue Brienzersee.

10. Experience history in Rome

In this thriving historical city, you can’t walk two feet without stumbling over a ruin, making Rome a history buff’s dream. Its tiny streets are perfect for wandering as you explore the Colosseum, see the Forum and Palatine Hill, visit the Pantheon, spend time in Vatican City, admire the Spanish Steps, and toss coins into the famous Trevi Fountain. The skip-the-line tickets can definitely be worth it so you don’t waste time waiting outside attractions. Rome also has amazing food (it’s Italy, after all) and nightlife. Visit the Trastevere area for a taste of “local” Rome and chill bars. It’s my favorite area in the city because you feel like you’re in a small village in the middle of a big city.

11. Hike around the Cinque Terre

Cinque Terre is my favorite part of Italy. These five beautiful cliffside towns are perched near warm waters and beautiful olive and grape groves. There are wondrous and strenuous hikes in these hills; for a real challenge, take trail #8. Or just walk the coastline for something less difficult. Many activities here revolve around the coastline: kayaking, swimming, having a beach picnic or visiting the Technical Naval Museum. If you happen to be here in December or January, don’t miss the Nativity Manarola, the world’s biggest lighted nativity scene.

12. Tour Krakow

Krakow looks like it stepped out of a medieval postcard. It’s a hip, trendy, and youthful city that’s the center of education in Poland, meaning there are a lot of university students here. Most travelers come to party here (the vodka is cheap) but try to enjoy the city’s history and food besides just the bars. Walk the Royal Road through the Old Town to the 13th-century Wawel Castle, tour Schindler’s Factory (where Schindler saved over 1,200 Jews during World War II), and visit the sobering Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. You can also take a fascinating day trip to the UNESCO World Heritage Wieliczka Salt Mine, a 13th-century mine with cavernous chambers, statues, chapels, chandeliers, and cathedrals all carved out of salt.

13. Visit the ruin bars in Budapest

The coolest nightlife in all of Europe is found in Budapest . Built in abandoned buildings, ruin bars feature funky art installations, repurposed furniture, and quirky decor. They are amazing, fun, and great places to meet locals, as people of all ages flock here. Open since 2001, Szimpla Kert is the original ruin bar and one of my favorites, along with Instant-Fogas Complex, which takes up an entire building and is actually many different bars in one. Don’t skip the ruin bars — they’re one of the most unique things about the city!

14. Explore Cornwall

The best part of England is outside London, yet unfortunately, not a lot of travelers leave London. Head west to the area of Cornwall for cheaper prices, welcoming locals, natural beauty, great hiking, rolling hills, plenty of medieval castles, and picturesque small towns. If you like biking, the Camel Trail from Bodmin to Padstow is worth the trip and you even pass by a local vineyard. It’s an easy way to spend a day (and it’s pretty flat so it’s not too hard to do.) Plus, I had the best fish and chips in Cornwall! Overall, it’s what you think of as “traditional England.”

15. Walk the Camino

El Camino de Santiago (The Way of Saint James) is an ancient pilgrimage route that stretches from France all the way across northern Spain. It is a 500 mile (800 km) trail that winds through incredible terrain, ending in Santiago de Compostela at the cathedral where St. James is supposedly buried. As a pilgrim, you get a “pilgrim’s passport” which allows you to stay in affordable pilgrim-only hostels, making this a surprisingly budget-friendly adventure. While it usually takes over a month to complete, you can just walk a section if you don’t have the time. To receive a “Compostela” (certificate of completion), you just need to walk the last 62 miles (100 km), which generally takes 4-5 days.

16. Throw tomatoes during La Tomatina

By far my favorite festival, the largest food fight in the world happens during the last Wednesday of August in Bunol, Spain. What started in 1945 as a local brawl has turned into a massive event drawing tens of thousands of people from all over the world. For about an hour, everyone throws tomatoes at each other, leaving streets ankle-deep in tomato juice. Afterward, everyone walks down to the river, cleans off, and then heads to the town square for sangria and music.

17. Find Dracula in Romania

Not a lot of people visit Romania but this underrated country in Eastern Europe has undiscovered yet picturesque medieval towns like Brasov (home to “Dracula’s castle”), Sighisoara, and Sibiu; gorgeous beaches on the Black Sea; and incredible hiking in the Fagaras Mountains — all at dirt-cheap prices. Other major sights include frescoed Byzantine monasteries, the steepled wooden churches of Transylvania, the hip university town Cluj-Napoca, the post-communist capital of Bucharest, and the Danube Delta, a huge nature reserve.

18. Drink whisky in Islay

Whisky has a long history on Islay , an island off Scotland’s west coast. It’s been made there since the 16th-century — first in backyards and then, starting in the 19th-century, in large distilleries. Over the years, whisky from the island came to be considered a specialty and was used to flavor a lot of other blends on the mainland. There are currently nine working distilleries on the island, all located along the island’s shores, with Laphroaig, Ardbeg, and Lagavulin being the most famous. Most distilleries here make single-malt Scotch, meaning that only one type of grain (barley) is used. My visit here was amazing and, even if you don’t like whisky, there are tons of good hikes and walks throughout this magnificent island.

19. Explore Iceland

Iceland is a magical country with majestic waterfalls, hidden hot springs around every corner, and sweeping vistas unlike anywhere else in the world. After my first visit, the country quickly became one of my favorite countries. With whale watching in the summer, the northern lights in the winter, and geothermal baths for soaking in year-round, there really is no bad time to visit! While Iceland’s main draw is the epic natural landscapes, it’s worth spending a couple of days in Reykjavik with its café culture, artsy feel, and brightly colored wooden row houses.

20. Sail the Croatian coast

With calm winds, short distances, a coastline littered with over 1,000 islands, and countless historical sites, Croatia is one of the world’s best sailing destinations. If you can, go during the shoulder season when you can find some great deals. Plan to stay at least a couple of days on one of the islands, with the most popular being Brac, Hvar, Krk, Cres, and Lošinj. However, don’t be afraid to get off the beaten path and explore some of the lesser-known islands such as Silba, Vis, and Lastovo. If you want to splash out and spend a week partying on a yacht, check out The Yacht Week, which hosts week-long parties, complete with DJs, from May-September. You can book a full boat to share with friends or just a cabin if you’re traveling solo. Prices start at 5,250 HRK per person and go up to 9,300 HRK.

21. Explore the Balkans

While the Balkans have become more popular with backpackers in recent years, it’s still largely overlooked by most budget travelers, despite being an extremely budget-friendly region. The Balkan peninsula is home to great (and again, overlooked) wine, beautiful medieval towns like Kotor and Mostar, stunning mountainous landscapes, beautiful pebble beaches, coffee culture, fresh, hearty yet inexpensive food, and museums covering the area’s history, including the most recent turbulent events of the early 1990s. I especially loved my time in Albania . Don’t miss the beautiful beaches in Ksamil, nicknamed the “Maldives of Europe’ as well as the mountain village of Gjirokastër, which was occupied by Romans, Byzantines, and Ottomans. The Balkans have so much to offer for every budget and every country has its unique cultural flavor.

22. Take a wine tour in the Loire Valley

Located in central France, the picturesque Loire Valley is a UNESCO World Heritage site and stretches 280 kilometers (174 miles) along the Loire River. One of the major wine-producing regions of France, the area is home to some of the best wines in the world, with over 1,000 vineyards open to the public. Even those who don’t drink wine will enjoy the beautiful small towns, great food, and the region’s over 300 impressive chateaux. I loved the medieval Chenonceau Castle and Chateau Villandry and the small villages like Saint-Florent-le-Vieil. Spring and Autumn are my favorite times to visit because you can go biking and do outdoor activities when it’s not too hot and there are fewer people. It’s an area not to be missed.

23. See Fado in Portugal

Fado is an important musical tradition in Portugal , originating in Lisbon and stretching back some 200 years. The word “fado” likely stems from the Latin word for fate, and it’s very haunting, poetic, and emotional music. Most of the songs follow themes of loss and mourning, and the music was popular with the working class (especially sailors). Performances normally take place in restaurants during dinner. In Lisbon, head to Clube de Fado, Tasca do Chico, Parreirinha de Alfama, or Senhor Vinho.

24. Tour green Slovenia

Slovenia is one of Europe’s least-visited destinations, which is mind-blowing to me because it’s an amazing place to visit. Slovenia offers all the beauty of Western Europe but at a fraction of the cost and with a fraction of the crowds. Perfect for outdoor adventure lovers, Slovenia offers rugged mountains, untouched landscapes, fantastic ski resorts, plentiful wine, sprawling cave systems, incredible food, and postcard-perfect lakes, such as the famous Lake Bled with its castle on an island. I loved Piran, Slovenia’s often overlooked coastal Venetian-style harbor town that was actually founded 3000 years ago. Stroll around its beautiful windy cobble-stoned streets, beautiful plazas, and take advantage of the many affordable restaurants right on the water. Make sure to also spend a few days in the country’s capital, Ljubljana, known as one of the continent’s greenest and most livable cities. Take a river cruise to see the city and enjoy the friendliness of the locals.

  For more information on specific countries in Europe, check out the guides below:

• Albania Travel Guide
• Austria Travel Guide
• Belgium Travel Guide
• Belarus Travel Guide
• Bosnia & Herzegovina Travel Guide
• Bulgaria Travel Guide
• Czechia Travel Guide
• Croatia Travel Guide
• Denmark Travel Guide
• England Travel Guide
• Estonia Travel Guide
• Finland Travel Guide
• France Travel Guide
• Germany Travel Guide
• Greece Travel Guide
• Hungary Travel Guide
• Iceland Travel Guide
• Ireland Travel Guide
• Italy Travel Guide
• Latvia Travel Guide
• Lithuania Travel Guide
• Malta Travel Guide
• Moldova Travel Guide
• Montenegro Travel Guide
• Netherlands Travel Guide
• Norway Travel Guide
• Portugal Travel Guide
• Poland Travel Guide
• Romania Travel Guide
• Scotland Travel Guide
• Slovakia Travel Guide
• Slovenia Travel Guide
• Spain Travel Guide
• Sweden Travel Guide
• Switzerland Travel Guide
• Ukraine Travel Guide

Europe Travel Costs

Accommodation – Accommodation prices vary greatly by region. In Western Europe, hostel dorm rooms cost between 25-45 EUR per night, depending on the room’s size and the popularity of the hostel. I stayed in a 6-bed dorm in Berlin for 20 EUR, while the same one would have cost me around 45 EUR in Paris. A room in Paris costs on the higher end and a room in cheaper Athens costs on the lower end.

In Eastern Europe, hostel dorm rooms cost between 10-15 EUR per night depending on the size of the dorm room and the popularity of the hostel. The further east you go, the cheaper it gets. Expect to pay around 30-60 EUR per night for a private room that sleeps two.

In Scandinavia, hostel dorm beds cost around 25-45 EUR, while private rooms are 65-80 EUR. Budget hotels start around 85 EUR.

Most accommodations offer free linens, free Wi-Fi, and a lot offer free breakfast, but it’s important to check specific websites for exact amenities.

Campsites cost between 10-15 EUR per night for a basic plot for two without electricity.

Food – Food traditions in Europe run deep, stretching back centuries to become integral parts of each country’s culture. From baguettes in France to tapas in Spain, from hearty Eastern European stews and goulash to the fresh vegetables and olive oils of the Mediterranean, European cuisine varies as much as the countries themselves. Food prices differ greatly across the continent, so check individual country guides for specifics.

But no matter where you are, even in the more expensive countries, finding places to eat within your budget is easier than you might think. Throughout Western Europe, you can find small shops, street food stalls, or food trucks where you can get sandwiches, gyros, kebabs, slices of pizza, or sausages for between 3-7 EUR. These shops are most often found in train stations, bus stations, and main pedestrian areas, and offer cheap food alternatives that can have you eating on 12-17 EUR per day. Fast food (think McDonald’s) costs around 7-10 EUR for a combo meal.

Turkish, Middle Eastern, and Vietnamese eateries abound in Germany, while Indian food is incredible and everywhere in the United Kingdom. Meals at these restaurants usually cost between 8-12 EUR.

Restaurant meals in casual, traditional eateries generally cost around 13-25 EUR for a main dish and drink. Food is much cheaper in the east than in the west, and in the west, northern regions like Scandinavia and the UK are more expensive than southern countries like Spain, Portugal, and Italy.

In Eastern Europe, even if you are eating out for all your meals, you can still get by on a food budget of as little as 15 EUR per day.

For drinks, a pint of beer is 2-5 EUR, a glass of wine is 2-7 EUR, a cappuccino is 2-5 EUR, and cocktails range from 6-14 EUR.

If you eat out, do so at lunch and get the prix-fixe menu (two-course or three-course set menu). Restaurants offer this set menu during lunch, and with prices between 10-20 EUR, it’s a way better deal than the regular dinner menu. You can also get affordable lunches at outdoor markets. So many European cities have huge fresh food markets throughout town.

You can cook your own food for around 45-65 EUR per week. This gets you basic staples like rice, pasta, seasonal produce, bread, and some meat. You can save money by shopping at discount supermarkets like Profi, Lidl, Aldi, and Penny Market.

If you want to save big money on meals, head to one of the markets, pick up some cheese, wine, bread, meats, or anything else, and go to the park for a picnic. (Or grab a sandwich for later!) You’ll find the locals doing the same thing, and it’s one of the cheaper ways to get a true taste of local food.

Backpacking Europe Suggested Budgets

Prices for travel in Europe vary greatly depending on how far north, east, south, or west you travel. If you stick to the budget accommodations, food, and tours listed here and use all my tips on saving money, you need about 65-110 EUR per day in Western Europe, 40-50 EUR in Eastern Europe, and about 85-130 EUR in Scandinavia.

Those numbers reflect a traveler who stays in hostels, cooks some meals and eats out cheaply, enjoys a few drinks, and sticks to free and cheap activities like hiking, walking tours, and enjoying nature. This is your typical backpacker budget. You aren’t going to have a fancy time, but you aren’t going to want for anything either.

However, by getting tourist cards and rail passes, avoiding flights, occasionally Couchsurfing or camping, cooking all your meals, and not drinking, you can travel a lot cheaper. On this budget, you could do Western Europe on 35-45 EUR per day, Eastern Europe on 20-25 EUR, and Scandinavia on 50-65 EUR. That would require you to take a train or a bus or hitchhike everywhere, skip most museums, and limit how often you go out.

Generally, the suggested daily budget for Europe is 80-120 EUR. You can use the chart below to get an idea of how much you need to budget daily. Keep in mind these are daily averages – some days you’ll spend more, some days you’ll spend less (you might spend less every day). We just want to give you a general idea of how to make your budget. Prices are in EUR.

Europe Travel Guide: Money-Saving Tips

Individual country guides have more specific information on how to save money in them but here are some general tips on cutting your costs while you explore Europe:

• Picnic – This continent has a lot of little shops where you can buy pre-made sandwiches or ingredients to make your own. Many supermarkets have delis as well where you can get food to go. Buy some food, eat outside, and watch the city and its people go by. It’s a much more enjoyable and cheaper way to eat.
• Eat local and cheap – Not into picnicking? Eat at local sandwich shops, pizza parlors, Maoz, Wok to Walks, and outdoor street vendors. Avoiding restaurants and eating at a lot of the local “grab n’ go” places gives you a taste of the local cuisine at a much cheaper price. If you’re really on a budget, use your creative cooking skills to prepare meals at the hostel as well.
• Stay with a local – Hostels can add up really quickly. If you don’t have any friends with whom you can stay, consider using Couchsurfing , which connects you with locals who let you stay with them for free. Plus, they tend to also have meetups to meet other locals and travelers. It’s a great way to save on accommodation and meet a local who can share their insider tips and advice.
• Camp in a garden – A very good camping service specific to Europe is Campspace , which allows you to pitch a tent in someone’s backyard for free or for a small fee (around 10-20 EUR). All of the garden owners have profiles that tell you what services and facilities they offer. Also, many countries allow wild camping (like Sweden), which can save you a fortune if you have a tent.
• Take the bus – Budget bus companies like Flixbus can take you across the continent for cheap. I personally feel it’s best for day travel as sitting up for an overnight bus isn’t really ideal for sleeping. It isn’t glamorous, but with tickets starting at 5 EUR, you really can’t complain!
• Get a Rail Pass – Eurail Passes have saved me hundreds of dollars. If you are traveling far distances and through many countries, they are a great deal.
• Take the free city tours – One of the great things about Europe is that you can find free walking tours in all the major cities. They can be a great way to see the city attractions, take in some history, and learn your bearings without spending any money. Just make sure to tip your guide at the end!
• Plan accordingly – Plan your trip around Europe so you avoid doubling back. Transportation is a big expense so proper planning can save you a lot of money (and time). Go in a straight line or a loop. Booking your accommodation ahead helps you save as well since cheap, good places unsurprisingly get reserved first. One thing I’ve learned is that waiting until the last minute means you get stuck with expensive places or cheap places no one wants.
• Fly cheap – If you know where you are going and a train won’t do, try to book flights early. You can often get round trip fares for as little as 5 EUR from many of the European discount airlines like Ryanair or Wizz. Many capital cities have smaller airports farther from the city with ‘inconvenient’ times but cheaper fares. Keep in mind you might need to factor in an early morning Uber or taxi if the busses aren’t running and you have an early flight!
• Drink less – Those 5 EUR beers add up. Hit happy hours or pick and choose when you party. Hostel bars are a good place to get cheap drinks or buy your alcohol at the supermarket. Plus, in Europe, it’s legal to drink outside in parks, plazas, by the lakes or rivers. You’ll find you can save a lot of money by not going to bars and clubs. Partying your way across the continent will destroy your bank balance in no time.
• Get a city tourist card – Many local tourism offices sell a tourism card for all their attractions, tours, and restaurants. This card gives you free entry and substantial discounts on all the attractions and tours in a city, free local public transportation (a huge plus), and discounts at a few restaurants and shopping malls. They save a ton of money. If you plan on doing a lot of sightseeing, get one of these cards.
• Rideshare – If you’re flexible in your schedule, use the ridesharing service BlaBlaCar to catch rides with locals between cities (or countries) by paying a small fee. It’s like Airbnb but for rides. I used this service in Switzerland and, not only did I save a lot of money, but I got to meet interesting people and learn about local culture and life. Drivers are verified and it’s perfectly safe, though sometimes rides cancel at the last minute (which is why you need to be flexible). Check their ratings first and try to use rides where the person has done many trips.
• Bring a water bottle – The tap water is safe to drink in most of Europe, so bring a reusable water bottle to save money and reduce your plastic use. LifeStraw is my go-to brand as their bottles have built-in filters to ensure your water is always clean and safe.
• Get a HostelPass – HostelPass is a discount membership for hostels in Europe. Members get 10-20% off select hostels around Europe, as well as perks like free breakfast or free drinks. There are discounts on tours and activities too. It’s a great way to save money if you’re bouncing around Europe as they have hostels in 18 countries around the continent.

Where to Stay in Europe

Europe has a ton of budget accommodation options. The individual country and city guides have tons of recommendations but here’s a short list of some of my favorite budget hostels and hotels around Europe:

• The Flying Pig (Amsterdam, The Netherlands)
• Hotel 54 (Barcelona, Spain)
• Generator Hostel (Copenhagen, Denmark)
• Harcourt Hotel (Dublin, Ireland)
• Castle Rock (Edinburgh, Scotland)
• Ios Palm Pansion (Ios, Greece)
• Greg and Tom’s Party Hostel (Krakow, Poland)
• Largo da Sé Guest House (Lisbon, Portugal)
• Sophie’s Hostel (Prague, Czech Republic)
• The Yellow (Rome, Italy)
• City Backpackers (Stockholm, Sweden)

How to Get Around Europe

Public transportation – Transportation around most European cities is by tram, subway, or bus. Prices are typically around 2 EUR for a one-way ticket in Western Europe and closer to 1 EUR in Eastern Europe. Most large cities also have day passes available that offer unlimited public transportation. These passes are usually 5-12 EUR per day.

In large cities with international airports, there is usually a bus or train available that ferries travelers from the downtown core to the airport. Expect to pay around 5-15 EUR to get to/from the airport.

Bus – Buses are not quite as comfortable as Europe’s trains, although certain lines do have great amenities (like roomy seats and Wi-Fi). While buses are not the most efficient way to travel around the continent, they’re certainly dependable, reliable, and cheap. You can find last-minute rides for as little as 5 EUR. A route from Berlin to Munich is about 25 EUR, while Paris to Bordeaux can be as low as 10 EUR. Longer routes, like Amsterdam to Copenhagen, start at around 47 EUR.

Each country has its own national bus service, but some lines also take you long distances internationally. Megabus and Flixbus (which now owns Eurolines) are the most popular companies.

Train – Train travel is a great way to see Europe. Intercity train prices vary wildly from country to country, depending on whether you take the slow train or a high-speed train and how far in advance you book. For example, a high-speed train from Berlin to Munich costs around 38-60 EUR, Bordeaux to Paris is about 50-85 EUR, and Madrid to Barcelona ranges from 45-85 EUR. Non-high-speed trains and other intercity lines are a lot cheaper, generally costing about 40-50% of the price of high-speed trains. Eastern Europe inter-country trains usually cost between 45-100 EUR when the ticket is booked last minute. Short train rides of 2-3 hours within countries cost about 27 EUR.

You may also want to consider getting a Eurail Pass , which allows travelers to explore Europe by providing a set number of stops in a specific time period. These passes are continent-wide, country-specific, or regional. It can potentially save you hundreds of dollars.

Ridesharing/Car sharing – If your schedule is flexible, use a ridesharing service and catch rides with locals between cities (or countries). Drivers are verified and it’s perfectly safe. BlaBlaCar is the most popular.

If you’d rather rent a car yourself and find passengers to share a ride with, use Discover Cars to find the best car rental prices.

Flying – Budget airlines are so prolific that competition helps keep fares low. You can often find tickets where the fare is just 5 EUR round-trip! Companies like EasyJet, Ryanair, Wizz, and Vueling offer mind-blowingly cheap flights throughout Europe. Book at least a month early to scoop up great deals.

Make sure that the airport they fly into isn’t too far out of your way (transportation from the secondary airport sometimes negates the savings from using the budget airline itself).

Keep in mind that you’ll have to pay to check your baggage on these cheap flights. It costs about 25-39 EUR for one checked bag. If you wait to pay for your luggage at the gate, you end up paying almost double. Travel carry-on only to avoid this added cost.

Hitchhiking – Hitchhiking in Europe is very safe, but it’s not for everyone. Hitching is quite common around the continent and I’ve met a number of travelers who have done it (I, myself, traveled this way in Bulgaria and Iceland). Some countries are very supportive (Romania, Iceland, Germany) while others may be a bit more time-consuming (Italy, Spain). HitchWiki is the best website for hitchhiking info.

Here are my suggested articles for how to get around Europe:

• 7 Cheap Ways to Travel Across Europe
• Are Eurail Passes a Giant Scam or Do They Save You Money?
• The Ultimate Guide to Finding Cheap Flights

When to Go to Europe

There’s no wrong time to visit Europe. Peak season is summer, when Europe gets crowded and August is the time most European families are at the beach so everything becomes more crowded and expensive. But the overall atmosphere and weather are great during this time, so it’s still worth visiting during peak season (just book your accommodation in advance — especially in August). Keep in mind it’s much hotter in summer so if you like AC, be sure to check that your hostel or hotel has it before you book. You can expect the most crowds in Western Europe. For this reason, I feel summer is a great time to visit the Balkans and the Baltics because many people head to the beaches in Spain, France, Italy, Croatia, and Greece.

Shoulder season is spring and fall (April-May and September-October). It’s still warm during this time but there aren’t as many crowds and prices are cheaper. This is my favorite time to visit hotspot places like Spain, Croatia and Greece, where it’s still hot enough to swim in the sea but you have way more room on the beach. It’s also a good time to go hiking in the Alps in Germany, northern Italy, Slovenia and Switzerland because it’s cooler during the day so you’re much less sweaty on the mountain without shade. The weather is good, the crowds are smaller, and the prices lower.

Winter is from November to February but in much of Central Europe, it’s wet and cold until March or April. It gets cold, even as far south as it gets (like Greece). On the other hand, the Christmas season has Christmas markets and festivals galore! Even if it’s cold, this is a cultural tradition you can’t miss and why I love Europe in December. There is hot mulled wine, sweets, and plenty of hot snacks, which vary by country. One of my favorites is Prague because the Old Town Square is lit up with a gigantic tree with aromas of crispy cinnamon pastries and mulled wine. Berlin takes their Christmas markets very seriously, so there are around 80 different markets with special themes.

Winter is fantastic in Europe for skiing and snowboarding but it doesn’t have to break the bank if you plan carefully. While Switzerland and France are probably the most famous, they are also expensive, but there are plenty of budget winter options.

How to Stay Safe in Europe

Europe is very safe for backpacking and solo traveling, even if you’re traveling solo, and even as a solo female traveler. Violent crimes against tourists are very rare. In fact, some of the safest countries in the world are in Europe. (I wrote a whole article about how Europe is safe to visit right now .)

That said, there are scams and petty crimes you should watch out for, especially around popular tourist landmarks. The most important thing to be aware of is pickpockets in crowds and on public transportation. Zip your bags and don’t put your mobile phone in a jacket pocket where someone could quickly take it. This should be obvious but don’t flash your money to let everyone know you have a huge wad of cash.

When choosing a hostel, look for ones with lockers. It’s always a good idea to carry around a padlock or combination lock. Most hostels are safe and travelers respect each other and I’ve rarely seen things happen to people’s valuables. Nevertheless, I always think that prevention is better.

As anywhere, the standard precautions apply (never leave your drink unattended at the bar, never walk home alone intoxicated, etc.). When at the bar, always keep an eye on your drink. Avoid walking home alone at night if you’re intoxicated.

For female travelers in particular, it’s always a good idea to have a bit of extra money on you just in case you need to take an Uber or taxi back by yourself so you don’t take unnecessary risks to save money. If you’re using apps to date people while traveling, please use common sense and meet in public places. Since I’m not a female traveler, please check out the numerous female bloggers who have first hand knowledge of this.

If you’re worried about scams, you can read about common travel scams to avoid here.

If you rent a vehicle, don’t leave any valuables in it overnight. Break-ins are rare, but it’s always better to be safe than sorry. Be aware that the UK drives on the left and that most rental cars in Europe will have manual transmissions unless you request otherwise.

When hiking, always bring water, sunscreen, and bandaids or foot plasters. There is nothing worse than being halfway up the mountain with a blister and nothing you can do about it!

Likewise, when at the coast, don’t forget not only to wear sunscreen! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen people get burnt to a crisp the first day. Be sure to check the weather before you depart and dress accordingly.

If you do experience an emergency, dial 112 for assistance.

Always trust your gut instinct. Make copies of your personal documents, including your passport and ID. Forward your itinerary to loved ones so they know where you are.

The most important piece of advice I can offer is to purchase good travel insurance. Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s comprehensive protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it as I’ve had to use it many times in the past. You can use the widget below to find the policy right for you:

Europe Travel Guide: The Best Booking Resources

These are my favorite companies to use when I travel. They consistently have the best deals, offer world-class customer service and great value, and overall, are better than their competitors. They are the companies I use the most and are always the starting point in my search for travel deals.

• Skyscanner – Skyscanner is my favorite flight search engine. They search small websites and budget airlines that larger search sites tend to miss. They are hands down the number one place to start.
• Hostelworld – This is the best hostel accommodation site out there with the largest inventory, best search interface, and widest availability.
• Booking.com – The best all around booking site that constantly provides the cheapest and lowest rates. They have the widest selection of budget accommodation. In all my tests, they’ve always had the cheapest rates out of all the booking websites.
• HostelPass – This new card gives you up to 20% off hostels throughout Europe. It’s a great way to save money. They’re constantly adding new hostels too. I’ve always wanted something like this and glad it finallt exists.
• Get Your Guide – Get Your Guide is a huge online marketplace for tours and excursions. They have tons of tour options available in cities all around the world, including everything from cooking classes, walking tours, street art lessons, and more!
• The Man in Seat 61 – This website is the ultimate guide to train travel anywhere in the world. They have the most comprehensive information on routes, times, prices, and train conditions. If you are planning a long train journey or some epic train trip, consult this site.
• Rome2Rio – This website allows you to see how to get from point A to point B the best and cheapest way possible. It will give you all the bus, train, plane, or boat routes that can get you there as well as how much they cost.
• FlixBus – Flixbus has routes between 20 European countries with prices starting as low 5 EUR! Their buses include WiFi, electrical outlets, a free checked bag.
• SafetyWing – Safety Wing offers convenient and affordable plans tailored to digital nomads and long-term travelers. They have cheap monthly plans, great customer service, and an easy-to-use claims process that makes it perfect for those on the road.
• LifeStraw – My go-to company for reusable water bottles with built-in filters so you can ensure your drinking water is always clean and safe.
• Unbound Merino – They make lightweight, durable, easy-to-clean travel clothing.
• Top Travel Credit Cards – Points are the best way to cut down travel expenses. Here’s my favorite point earning credit cards so you can get free travel!

GO DEEPER: Nomadic Matt’s In-Depth Budget Guide to Europe!

While I have a lot of free tips on Europe, I also wrote an entire book that goes into great detail on everything you need to plan a trip here on a budget! You’ll get suggested itineraries, budgets, even more ways to save money, my favorite restaurants, prices, practical information (i.e. phone numbers, websites, prices, safety advice, etc etc), and cultural tips.

I’ll give the insider view of Europe that I got from years of traveling and living here! The downloadable guide can be used on your Kindle, iPad, phone, or computer so you can have it with you when you go. Click here to learn more about my book on Europe!

Europe Travel Guide: Related Articles

Want more tips for your trip? Check out all the articles I’ve written on Europe travel and continue planning your trip:

The 7 Best Hotels in Madrid

The 6 Best Hotels in Vienna

The Best Walking Tours in Barcelona

How to Be a Digital Nomad in Europe

The Best eSIM for Traveling Europe

The 6 Best Hotels in Athens

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If a trip to Europe has been on you travel bucket list for a while but you’ve been put off by how expensive you’ve heard it is, it’s time to take it off your ‘places to go if I ever won the lottery’ list.

Now here’s how you’re going to visit them all for under Rs. 1 lakh.

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So for your 1 month, 7 countries trip, a pass will cost you ₹31,200 (age 27 and under) and ₹38,800 (age 28 and over).

The next best option is by bike. Lots of people ride bikes in Europe and renting a bike is easy and relatively low-cost. It’s also really fun! If you only do it once, make sure it’s in Amsterdam!

Travel hacks to save you money during your trip

• Always try to book things in advance or online where possible to get the cheapest prices and best deals.
• Try not to eat in a restaurants every meal. Europe has some great restaurants, but they can be pricey. Find some local cafes or small eateries or buy food from a local supermarket as a cheaper alternative.
• Take night trains where you can to save money on accommodation. Compared to train rides in India, journeys are much shorter in Europe, even across countries, but you can still find train rides that will save you cash on a nights accommodation.
• There are water fountains everywhere with clean drinking water. Bring a re-fillable bottle instead of buying a new one each time.
• A lot of tourist attractions across Europe offer student discounts. If you’re a student, bring your pass and take advantage of that.
• Try to book your flights to Europe yourself rather that through an agency. Play around on SkyScanner to hunt for the best deals and check a few different routes. You’ll often find big price differences between cities in the same country.
• Most cities have free walking tours offered by guides through local companies. Join them! They are a great way of seeing the city, learning about it’s history and they’re also a great opportunity to meet new people.

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How to plan a Europe trip for 7 days in less than INR 1 lakh!

Madhvi Prabhakar Madhvi Prabhakar / Times Travel Editor / TRAVEL TRENDS , EUROPE / Updated : Apr 23, 2018, 10:13 IST

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Travelling to Europe has been a dream of many, with a majority putting off their plans owing to the sheer cost! If you have been trying to plan a budget trip to Europe, we have tips. Because we have been there and done that, that … Read more

Travelling to Europe has been a dream of many, with a majority putting off their plans owing to the sheer cost! If you have been trying to plan a budget trip to Europe, we have tips. Because we have been there and done that, that being a Europe trip under INR 1 lakh! Read less

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Travelling to Europe has been a dream of many, with a majority putting off their plans owing to the sheer cost! If you have been trying to plan a budget trip to Europe, we have tips. Because we have b...

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Europe package from india.

A vast continent, Europe is filled with diverse attractions for travellers. You can customise Europe tour packages to explore several destinations. Balkan nations like Romania, Serbia and Albania are popular for their natural wonders and cosmopolitan towns while the United Kingdom attracts history and culture buffs. France, Italy and Denmark are loved for their vibrant cities while Estonia is known for its medieval attractions.

Europe packages for Germany, Austria and Hungary are also preferred by those looking for a dose of quaint charm and picture-perfect countryside trails. And when it comes to a Europe package for couples, what can be better than Switzerland, Greece or Spain? A Europe trip package can personalised as per ones tastes and preferences. 

From the Eiffel Tower and  Buckingham Palace to the Colosseum, Van Gogh Museum and Acropolis of Athens, a Europe package for family can include many landmarks. 

Best Time to Visit Europe

You can book Europe tour packages throughout the year. Some book a Europe package for summers (June to September) to enjoy exploring the beaches and indulging in road trips and other adventure activities. Many travellers book a Europe trip package in the winter season to enjoy snowfall, skiing and even viewing the Northern Lights. This period is also popular for bright and vivacious Christmas celebrations across Europe. The spring (March to May) is also a good time to book a Europe package with airfare, since most carriers offer reasonable rates in this period. Some also book Europe packages in the autumn (September to November) which is good for sightseeing too. 

How to Reach Europe 

You can fly to several destinations in Europe as a part of your Europe tour package. Most leading Indian cities have flight connections to London , Rome, Paris , Amsterdam and many other European cities. If you are booking a Europe package for summers or winters, you can expect a journey time of approximately 9.40-10 hours to London from New Delhi. Alternatively, Paris takes 9.20-10 hours while Amsterdam takes around 9.35 hours with direct flights from Delhi.  

Best Places to Visit in Europe

Here are some of the top destinations that you can include in your Europe tour package. 

1.   Azores Islands, Portugal -  Worth adding to any Europe package for 7 days, these islands are nestled on the Atlantic and offer tranquil waters and rugged terrains. They house two UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including the Pico vineyards and ancient Angra do Heroismo city. 

2.   Santorini, Greece -  A must-inclusion in the itinerary for a Europe package for couples , Santorini offers a breathtaking landscape for visitors. Explore the white painted houses with blue domes along with the Akrotiri ruins and Lighthouse. 

3.   Utrecht, Netherlands - If you wish to add an offbeat destination to your Europe package from New Delhi or other places, Utrecht is worth considering for sure. It is more than 2,000 years old and houses quaint canals, Gothic buildings and fabulous cafes and restaurants. 

4.  Seville, Spain -  This medieval city will be an interesting inclusion in any Europe package from India. It has plenty to keep travellers engaged, including tapas, architecture, winding pathways, gardens and cathedrals. 

5.   Leipzig, Germany -  Leipzig can be added to any Europe package with airfare for its vibrant atmosphere. It is known for its bars, clubs and studios along with multiple cultural landmarks like the Mendebrunnen Fountain and Opera House. The city also hosts the Bachfest every summer while the Panorama Tower offers stunning views of the surrounding forests from the top. 

6.   Amalfi Coast, Italy-   Consider including this iconic 31-mile coastline destination in your Europe package from Bangalore, Delhi or other Indian cities. It is ideal for a spring or autumn vacation with its stunning views, sunsets, fishing village, local food and beverages and hiking trails. 

7.   Paris, France- From the Louvre and Eiffel Tower to other monuments and the fabulous fusion of fashion, food, music, art and lush vistas, Paris has something to offer to everyone. 

8.   London, UK -  Adding  London to a Europe tour package is a no-brainer. This mega city is home to several attractions including the Tower of London, Kensington Palace, Buckingham Palace, Tate Modern and more. Explore the galleries, gardens, parks, museums and shopping hubs to your heart’s content here. 

Festivals in Europe

If you are booking a Europe tour package anytime soon, then you can plan your trip during any one of the continent’s biggest festivals. Here are some of them: 

•   La Tomatina, Spain- A festival characterised by the locals throwing tomatoes at each other, La Tomatina is held near Bunol in Spain. It also includes a spectacular display of fireworks along with parades and joyous musical performances. 

•   Oktoberfest, Germany- The world’s biggest beer festival, it takes place in Munich over 16 days. Millions of travellers descend on the city to savour innumerable varieties of beer with lip-smacking Bavarian food and music for company. 

•   Carnival of Venice, Italy- One of the world’s oldest and most iconic carnivals, this one goes back to the 11th century. It is held for 10 days in Venice just before the beginning of Lent. Everyone wanders around in costumes and masks while there are musical and dance performances on offer. Parades also take place in St. Mark’s Square. 

•  St. Patrick’s Festival, Ireland- It is held to pay tribute to the patron saint of Ireland, St. Patrick. Some of the festival’s key attractions include concerts, parades, theatre, dancing, delicious food, costumes and more. 

•   Festival of Lights, France- Tourists will enjoy this beautiful festival in Lyon that is held every year in December. The city comes alive with magical light installations for four days while also hosting several art exhibitions and concerts. Taking part in the Virgin Mary procession is one of the highlights of the festival. 

A truly vibrant continent, Europe has something for every traveller. Book your Europe tour package and get ready to have an experience of a lifetime!

Embark on a journey through Europe with our tour packages, where the Euro reigns supreme. Symbolizing unity and prosperity across the continent, it facilitates seamless transactions and embodies the diversity of Europe's economy and culture. Join us as we explore the vibrant tapestry of Europe, united by the iconic Euro - EUR currency.

Plan your Europe getaway with MakeMyTrip! Easily convert EUR to INR for our holiday packages. Explore Europe hassle-free with our convenient currency conversion feature. Book now and embark on your dream trip!

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Frequently asked questions about Europe

Switzerland is a key highlight in several Europe tour packages. It is one of the costliest destinations to visit across Europe. Here are some of the approximate costs for visiting Switzerland: Accommodation- €25-230 per night Food- €50-150 per day Transportation- €15-50 per day Entertainment- €5-75 per day Activities- €15-75 per day Note that these are average figures and may vary, depending on several factors.

Ans. Things to carry with you on a Europe trip: A Forex card, since most expenses in Europe can be paid for by card and ATM’s are available in plenty. Carry only a limited amount of cash. A universal adapter Apps for local information on traffic, weather, and offline maps etc. Copies of your passport and travel documents Clothing as per the weather.

Ans. Most people prefer booking Europe tour packages in the months between June and September. These months are characterised by glorious sunshine and warm and comfortable weather. You will find it to be the best time to take part in outdoor excursions and activities. The off-season for most European destinations is between November and March in most cases, mostly due to the extreme cold weather.

Ans. Paris is a mainstay of numerous Europe tour packages and if yours is no different, then you should list down some must-buy souvenirs to take back home. Some of the best options include the following: Designer handbags, which are acclaimed in Paris Mariage Frères Tea Moulin Rouge hand fans Custom Parisian fragrances/perfumes Maison Souquet candles Montmartre portraits Les Bouquinistes books Hot chocolate from Angelina Paris.

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Europe Budget Travel Guide From India- 18 Days in 1 Lakh INR / 1400 USD – POSSIBLE!!

So, you heard me right ! 18 days trip to Europe with all expenses, I did it all under INR 100,000 .

Whenever someone even talks about Europe Trip or even to think about it. I am sure, there is a little hesitation with many travellers who are mostly on budget. Mind does all sorts of calculation as to the mounting expenses related to the trip such as airfares, stay/ food and most importantly visa glitch. Out in this article, I would like to give a brief outline on how I went about carefully planning my entire trip which I undertook as a SOLO traveler.

Ever since I started travelling, one of my ardent wish was to see this pretty continent on a budget. But how?

So, this year I decided to finally tick off this place off my bucket list, right after I came back from my Thailand Backpacking trip in May. 

Let me outline some of the points which I chalked down before I started planning my Europe Trip :

Selecting Countries

Table of Contents

Pick and choose countries you want to visit, and mostly keeping in mind that if required you can travel internally by road easily, not having to waste many hours commuting within cities out of your limited time. Hence, I chose the countries in Central Europe and thereafter, went up to Eastern Europe.

My route was Delhi —> Vienna (Austria) —>Budapest (Hungary) —>Prague (Czech Republic) —>Krakow (Poland)—>Warsaw (Poland) —>Vilnius (Lithuania) —>Return via Istanbul(Turkey) —>Delhi

Flight tickets

One of the major concerns or the major chunk of our budget, goes into booking the main sector flights to and fro from India . I use some of the flight app tracker like Skyscanner, Google flights, Kayak, Momondo and sometimes I go into the direct sites to compare the fares to keep a watch on the flight rates well ahead of three months to get the best lowest rates/ connection. Please note that sometimes it is easy to find a cheaper connection from major cities like Delhi or Mumbai than other cities as all the major international flights touch down there. So, incase if you are like me staying in any other cities other than these two .

I would suggest to put the source as Delhi, Mumbai or sometimes Chennai to get a much better and cheaper connection to your desired destination. And later on, you may buy the domestic connection separately. It works out much cheaper, trust me! For e.g. I chose a multi city airfare deal through Turkish Airlines ex Delhi and later bought my domestic travel from Kolkata which saved me at-least 8-9 thousand rupees. And lastly, never choose a direct flight but instead go for one stop flights connection (works out cheaper). So, here was my connection Del-Vienna and return Vilnius-Del with a stopover and a free day in Istanbul ,Turkey.   Kol-Del-Kol costed me about INR 5k . So a total of INR 45k I spent on the flights.

Internal travel within Europe

Depending on the number of countries you choose, it is often economical to buy EuroRail Pass , again depending on the number of days you travel and places you want to go. You can check the passes rates here   . This is however, often feasible when you are travelling mostly in Central and Western part of Europe. But for me, I was mostly travelling in Eastern part of Europe . Hence, much CHEAPER way was to check options through www.goeuro.com  or  www.rome2rio.com , which shows the best and cheapest options for buses, flights or trains. So, depending on the choice and feasibility of choosing the best connection, you can choose any mode of transport.

View this post on Instagram The summer palace of #vienna is surely one of the best place that I visited while touring the artsy city of #vienna. Although the time was so short that I could hardly see the quarter part that too the exterior view of it .. But, it surely was enough to amaze me with the elegance portrayed in each side of this grand place. . . #viennadiaries from my #eurotrip2018 . . Stay tuned with #travelwithvagabong for more travel updates . . . =================================== #Europe #viennatouristboard #visitvienna #austria #eurotrip #travelblogger #bloggerstyle #budgetplanner #exploringtheglobe #dametraveler #girlswhotravel #trippyowl #cntgiveitashot #cntraveler #vsco #tripotocommunity #condenast #ig_austria #igers #potd #vienna_austria #ig_vienna #passionpassport #beingmusafir #touringtheworld #solotravel A post shared by Debjani Lahiri | Blogger (@the_vagabong) on Oct 11, 2018 at 8:44am PDT

My internal travels were mostly by flights (through low cost European carrier Ryanair or Wizz Air ) and sometimes through bus and trains as well. Let me tell you, if you   can manage your carry on luggage strictly under 10 kgs , then you can fly as cheap as 20 USD to different countries to save time. Although, if not then, going for bus ( Flixbus or Rejioget ) is the next best but definitely the cheapest option while travelling within Europe. My total internal travel cost including commuting to five countries through 3 flights, 1 bus and 1 train travel came   upto a total of INR 5780 .

For Europe, some of 26 countries are covered under Schengen Visa scheme. First, please be very clear about your plan and the number of countries you intend to visit , if they are covered under schengen scheme or not? It is now easily possible to apply through the VFS centres in your respective city. Still having doubts, don’t!

Here is a detailed guide on how you can apply for Schengen Visa on your own .

It is generally advisable to apply for a visa about two to three months earlier to avoid last minute tension. My Schengen Visa costed me I NR 6659/- without any agent and Turkey E-Visa was for INR 3300/-.

Travel Insurance

When travelling to Europe , it is mandatory to get a well covered travel insurance firstly as a visa mandate and secondly for our own medical assurance. It is recommended to always buy an insurance which covers extra days than the actual number of days . I purchased my insurance carefully through Reliance for about INR 1100 which covered 21 days in Europe including Turkey.

Accommodation

Ok, now thats one part which can either shoot up your expenses or cut down by half . I would assume here, that we are talking about how to do a budget travel may be super budget.

Hostels /Airbnbs

So, if travelling alone or on a budget, the best way is to stay in hostels which can be booked through sites booking.com , hostelworld.com or Agoda. Mostly, the hostel dorm bed in this part of Europe costs anywhere from 800 INR upto 1800 INR . You can also check out Air Bnb’s if you are in a group or even two people.

Couchsurfing

Another way to avail free stay is through a travel community called Couchsurfing . It allows you to request the host to let you stay for free. And depending on your request, you can stay for free at the host’s place. Of course, it is recommended to return the favour by lending your helping hand in any way possible or a nice way of gifting is also appreciated.It is actually an excellent platform for a immersive cultural exchange and to get to see any place through an eyes of a local.

Since, I have been an active host on Couchsurfing for some time now. Hence, based on my good references, I got to stay for free at most of the places while in Europe which also saved quite a few bucks. So honestly, except for one city where I stayed in a hostel , rest all was through either thr ough Couchsurfing or with friends. Overall , I might have spent INR 2000 on my stay .

Again like I said , its possible for you guys too. Just, built up a network of friends globally!!

I will definitely write a detailed post on my experience of Couchsurfing  later.

No! No need to stuff your bags with maggi packets, or ready made soups or may be Indian snacks just because you want to keep your budget low in Europe. Here’s what it is, I guess all European big cities have supermarkets , grocery shops to buy your staples from. So, as soon you to hit a city, easiest is to hop in to that next big supermarket and stock up your supplies with local munchies, snacks and groceries. Most of the hostels and bnbs have also got the facility to cook by yourself. Oh, and if you have a lucky deal ,you can always stuff yourself with that free breakfast, so that you are full for a long time (tips for bhukkads like me :D) . When you are on your own in any new city of Europe, it also gives you an opportunity to taste the local cuisine. I would definitely suggest , to do the research and find out whats best to eat and try out in that particular city. In my 18 days , not a single time I went for fast food chains like Mc Donald or KFC for that matter .

Food in western Europe may foot you a bill upto 20-25 Euro’s when eating from street food joint or supermarket but excluding drinks of course. I parked a budget of 15-20 euros a day for my food. So, I spent roughly about INR 1000-1100 on an average for three meals excluding alcohol which was a mix of cooking at times at my host place or eating from a restaurant or of course at times I splurge my self by eating in a fancy restaurant once out of recommendation. They say to eat like a LOCAL!! Hence, always ask the locals for the must try food, as Europe is so much more than just Cheesy fries, Potato Bakes or Steaks. Infact, I got to know so much history and cultural revolution while I tasted some of the famous dishes like  Schnitzel in Austria  , Goulash in Hungary  or Pierogis in Poland.

I went to one of the highest consumption of beer places in the world. Oh, did you know Prague happens to be the highest beer gulping nation in the world? So, if you are in places like Budapest or Prague or Poland . You ought to try their famous crafted beer. Hungary is also famous for its home grown wine (Tokaj wine) and many other local drinks such as Palinka or Unicum. 

When in Poland, they say do as Polish does. Drink VODKA !!   So, I did all that too.. Thanks to some amazing local host I stayed with , who invited me to experience some of the finest and unique alcohol experience (super lethal to super amazing stuff) . Beer is super cheap when bought from super market which can cost you as less as 1 Euro (INR 85) and can go upto 3-5 Euros ( INR 400 APPROX) . Oh, yes good news for wine lovers . A bottle of cheapest wine can cost you as low as 8-9 Euros (we don’t expect that in India , right!) .

If you are a teetotaller, boom! you can save up on this part . But, if you are not , you can STILL save up, by simply buying your stock from any supermarket. Easy! This part I really leave it up to you to decide how much you wanna park your budget for it. I was mostly treated by my host and friends on this .

Internal Transport Options within Cities

For all the cities I visited , I bought a City Transport Pass depending on my duration of stay and frequency of commute. The transport passes are available in most of the cities of Europe in variation of 24/48/72 hrs or sometimes even for month. It is priced anywhere from 10 Euros to 21 Euros . I paid about 14 Euros for two days in each city which allowed me to travel in any city local buses/ trams / trains and sometimes it is even valid for water-rides. For most travellers like me who have a trouble understanding the local language, which is very eminent in Eastern European countries, it becomes quite difficult to understand the routes/ station names or direction and you end up making mistakes going into wrong direction instead. For such situation and to avoid unnecessary spending on Ubers or Taxi’s, it is better to commute through public mass transit system by using city transport card.

I visited 6 cities in 5 countries and spent roughly about INR 700-1200 for a 24-48 hours pass in each city. Also, hiring a bike is also a next best and cheap option to see the beautiful city and its architectural wonder. But, do you know , what’s even better? WALKING! yeah, all cities are pretty small as compared to our Indian cities. Hence, as per me walking is definitely the best way to soak into the life of that particular place. Oh, that way you can burn those extra calories too . 😛

Sightseeing

Each European cities,   all the famous ones do have a free city walking tours . Where they give you an idea about the culture and history about the place. Who are they? Many students from the local university volunteers to provide free walking tours to the International travellers who wants to immerse in the culture and history of that particular country. After all Europe is rich in history. While we can avail this 2.5 hours city tours for free. But, as a goodwill gesture, it is recommended to pay a nominal tip to your tour guide in the end. 

View this post on Instagram For the view so gorgeous , what would you do if you have few moments to spare ? Can't get enough of sunsets .. will never do, for it shows us so many shades of life , isn't it? . . I was although gasping for breath for having to walk uphill to catch the sunset views for one last time before I headed for #prague ..My eyes were taken aback for having to witness the gorgeous panoramic views of #budapest from #citadella view point. . . For my #eurotrip2018 highlights , keep tuned with #travelwithvagabong ==================================== #Europe #passionpassport #budapest🇭🇺 #hungary_gram #hungarytourism #travelblogger #exploringtheglobe #backpackingeurope #europe_pics #eurotrip #budgettraveller #bloggerstyle #cntgiveitashot #lonelyplanet #meinbanjaran #budapestofficial #doyoutravel #gltlove #dametraveler #solotravel #ig_hungary #shotonredminotepro5 #natgeoyourshot @tripotocommunity @hungary_around @topbudapestphoto @budapest101 @welovebudapest A post shared by Debjani Lahiri | Blogger (@the_vagabong) on Nov 23, 2018 at 5:15am PST

Apart from these free tours, if you have more time then you may sign up for other tours they offer on charge basis . Generally varies from 20-50 Euros per tours. But, each are definitely worth it!! I had parked about 10 Euros per day on an average for sightseeing.

Tips on using card or cash

I went at a time when the Euro prices went soaring upto INR 85 per euros and became quite expensive per say. And, I realised that the countries I was to visit, except for two cities (Vienna and Vilnius) all other countries had different currencies. Therefore, every time I shunted from one country to another , I had to change currency. In order to save on the conversion charges every time, I stuck to cash only. Although one can always carry Forex travel card if you are carrying big amount of currency. In Eastern Europe, it is generally recommended to carry cash as they mostly accept that. However, Euros can always be exchanged at airports (please don’t do that unless you are penniless)   or better to do it from any banks.

  SIM card to stay connected 

I would highly recommend to keep a SIM card or a mobile connectivity handy because we often need to refer to the Google Maps for directions at odd places while being on our own or for simple tickets booking etc. One of the best ways is to buy a SIM card which offers an unlimited packages at affordable prices for data/calls on region basis. Here is a link below for one’s ready reference.

Stay Connected

It is definitely recommended to buy a SIM card which can be used all over Europe to stay connected. Wifi is seldom available in cafe’s or outside, hence, in order to stay connected and   most importantly to keep your information on the directions handy, you need to keep your internet running always. I bought a sim card with 4 gb usage with a 30 day validity for 10 Euros (850 INR) from Vienna.

Total cost wise break up

-Airfare- INR 40700 + 4848 = INR 45548/-

-Visa Cost   – 6659 + 3300   = INR 9959/-

-Travel Insurance = INR 1100/-

-Internal tickets within cities = INR 5780 /- (three flights , bus tickets and train tickets).

-Misc expenses which included food/ drinks/transport/ sightseeing /shopping = Euro     390~INR 33000 all for 18 days in six countries .

So, My total cost for this trip came upto Rs. 95, 387 /- inclusive of everything.

Hence, if I can do it , then so can you . If you have any questions regarding planning or chalking out details. I will be super happy to help. Just drop in your queries in the comments section or email me and I shall jump back to respond in no time.

I will be coming up with the details about top things to do in all the cities I have visited in Europe in my next blog.

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Comments 41.

Oh my god, such a beautiful post with so much of useful information. The narrative, style of writing and the way you put it with pictures is totally awesome.

Thanks Yogesh, I get inspired everytime I read your blogs too.

Yaiyeee Loved reading this, it kinda refuelled my Europe wanderlust, while sitting here in Bali ? If only other travelers are also able to maximize their savings by following your tips, then a Euro trip under INR 1 Lakh is a reality ?

Hoping to explore on the same lines next year with you !

Wow! That’s super cheap, Debs 🙂 Europe in less than one lakh sounds incredible. That too when the Euro prices were all time high!!!

Your detailed budget guide is sure to help many travelers who dream of visiting Europe but hold themselves back because of money it involves.

Keep traveling. Keep writing.

Thanks fr your lovely words and comments . I am truly inspired by your style of blogging as well.

Excellent piece

Such a short handy guide to make it easy for the first timers like me. Every section of the article was filled with love you recieved from the locals and how it heloed you save some penny. This shows opening up to the world can get ine going without spending a fortune.

Hope it would help you all to plan a trip soon

Wonderful read, Debjani! It surely made me think about travelling to Europe. This detailed guide will help all those who want to travel to Europe on a lower budget. Looking forward to your other posts now.

You should you should . Infact,for the sake of your love towards the architecture and history, you will be amazed by the richness that Europe has

No Words, simply superb gal. You have covered all essential details everyone can ask for. Just loved reading this and this time I read each and every word thoroughly… Going to save it in my bucket list 🙂

please do .. thanks for giving it a read ..

A very detailed post on how to travel Europe on a budget. Must say you planned this really well and got the list out of it. Keep travelling

Thank you , i will do destination blogs too , would like to link back with couple of your articles I read and liked

That’s such a wonderful article Deb and best till date, I guess. So , to the point and short guide which is filled with all basic info. Good work. Kudos!

Thanks Stuti, glad you like it

Wow! That is an awesome budget for such extensive travel! I have flown WizzAir and it was sooooooo cheap. It even included a limo pick up on the other end to take us to our hotel. I don’t think the cost of the flight would have even covered the limo transfer! We walk around a lot too but not so much to save money but the cities you have mentioned really are so easy to get from A to B on foot. I’m not much of a couch surfer but I can imagine how much $ you could save. Awesome work!

Ya true ..infact couchsurfing is not only about free stay but also gives us so much of opportunities to connect with people

This was a very inspiring post! It’s so neat that you were able to spend 18 days in Europe for such a low cost! You have several great tips. I have heard great things about Couchsurfing, and it sounds like a great way to experience the culture (and save money!). I travel with my husband and baby so it wouldn’t work for us, but I think it would be awesome for solo traveler!

Yes true that .. thank you for liking the post

This a great post for anyone from India who wants to save money and travel Europe. There was some great places you visited during your trip, many that I still hope to visit. I liked all the tips you gave to travel for less.

Well yes Western Europe is super due too

Omg I can’t believe if this is actually doable. 1 lac is really a budget price for so many cities you covered in Europe. However, I agree if you are trusting on public transport and city passes and cheap foods, then this might be possible. However, great tips there. I would surely keep in mind.

yes with little planning and research , one can save so much and Europe will no longer be a costly destination. Afterall, its all about smart travel.

You have really inspired me to plan a Europe trip on Budget. The EuroRail and the city pass Pass also sound convenient for accessing transport there.You have so effectively covered the accommodation costs as well. I have heard of couchsurfing a lot, but was not sure of using it. Anyways we also need to make friends and build connections for that globally. Thanks for the great cost breakdown. Will keep this information handy when I plan a Euro trip.

Glad ..My idea was to actually give a hands on budget that I put down on an excel sheet. And when calculated i was myself surprised.. Its all about smart travel

You have covered all the essential details everyone can ask for. This article is proof that one can indeed travel Europe on a budget. Kudos for covering so many cities with that budget.

18 days in Europe within one lakh budget is not a bad deal considering almost half you spent on flights only. I am not much into Couchsurfing and hostels, so usually, I end up spending a bit more on them. But rest I do the same.

true that. Its all about smart travel

wow..you have given such useful tips. I am yet to plan my Europe Trip (Budget) and this is quite handy for that. I agree that flight tickets are the costly investment when it comes to travel. If one can watch out for better deals, one can save a lot of money. Hostels are the better options when it comes to saving money on accomodation. Loved this post.

I always thought Europe wasnt my cup of tea . But hell yeah .. It now is .. with little smart planning

Hi Debjani,

I came across your post when I was doing a random search in google about budget trips to Europe. I too am from Kolkata and have my tickets booked for Europe in July 2019. Your post was indeed intriguing and I would like to speak to you further about your trip, if you don’t mind. Could you please share your email ID with me?

Thanks, Prasansha.

Sure that would be my pleasure .. please ping [email protected]

Hi Debjani, it was a pleasure treading your blog, I am so motivated to travel alone after reading this blog gave me so much of confidence to travel Solo and the itinerary and the cost is also so cheap and affordable will surely give it a thought when planning my next trip and will also share with my lovely ladies for their reference as well.

Nice and well written!!!

I travelled to Greece last year and did entire trip in 1 lakh INR from India.

Summary of Expenses

1. Flights- 49111 2. Hotels -37028 3. Food -10k 4. Transport & Tickets-4679 Total=1,00836 INR Date of Travel 11th November 2019 Check my complete blog post here

http://travelchecklistt.com/how-to-do-greece-under-1-lakh/

awesome i will definitely check it out n have t bookmarked

A very exciting blog that benefits travelers exploring budget travel trips.

Hey thank you so much for appreciating the blog .

Pingback: 27 Best Day Trips Across Europe | THE VAGABONG

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Europe in a Budget from India

THE PROLOGUE:

This blog is written from the point of expenditure made during the Europe tour . After extensive research and planning for almost a year with my wife, Archana, and two college friends, Rajarshi and Vishal, itinerary for Europe was finalized. Vishal suggested to keep one countryside location in the itinerary. So, Cesky Krumlov in the Czech Republic was included in the trip. We decided to stay in hostels, as it was really economical and gave us chance to interact with fellow travellers. The trip was for eighteen days starting from 10th November 2017 to 28th November 2017.

Countries included:

2. Netherlands

3. Czech Republic

6. Vatican City

Cities included:

2. Amsterdam

4. Cesky Krumlov

9. Vatican City

For flight ticket from Mumbai to Paris, I had booked through Jet airways as there was some discount going on. The cost of ticket per head was Rs 17,569. The ticket was for an economy class and refundable.

For flight ticket from Rome to Mumbai, I had booked through HDFC diners club website, since this was the only website where I was getting the ticket on a refundable basis. The cost of ticket per head was Rs 20,861. The ticket was for an economy class and refundable.

The Route taken:

PARIS (France):

We landed in Paris at 0830 Hrs (local time) on 11th Nov (Saturday). The queue at immigration counter of Charles de Gaulle airport was really long and unexpected as only two counters were operational. Finally, after 80 min waiting in queue, we got through immigration, collected our luggage and started looking for the most economical way to get to our hostel- Plug-Inn Hostel. After inquiring at tourist information Centre, French Cab windows, metro help desk and Uber App, we decided to take a local cab from exit gate as it suited our budget. The cab took 50 Euros (Approx. Rs 3800). The cost of metro tickets from airport to hostel was approx. 12 Euro per head. Keeping in mind that the distance between Charles de Gaulle airport and Plug-in Hostel was 27 km and it will be more comfortable to throw luggage in trunk of the cab than to carry it in metros, we decided to go for the local taxi cab. It took 35 min to reach Plug-Inn hostel. We reached the hostel by 1300 Hrs.

Details of Hostel in Paris:

Stay- Two nights (11th Nov and 12th Nov.)

Name- Plug Inn hostel located at 7 Rue Aristide Bruant, 75018 Paris, France.

Landmark- Near Moulin Rouge Theater/ Near Blanche Metro Station.

Cost per head- Rs 3368 for two nights. This includes 1.66 Euro per head per night tourist city tax which has to be paid at the time of check-in in cash only.

Complimentary breakfast was provided in this hostel. Stayed here in six bedroom dorm. Shared room with an American dude and a solo traveller girl. Booked this hostel through its website- http://plug-inn.fr/

The best way to see a country is on foot. Mostly, we walked to see places. For longer distances, Paris has excellent network of public transportation system- Buses and Metros. Cost of both public transports was same, 1.9 Euro for one way irrespective of the distance travelled. It’s your choice what you want to choose for conveyance. We chose to travel by bus as you can also see the beautiful city while travelling. We almost spent three days in Paris- Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Bus to Amsterdam was on Monday Night.

Places visited in Paris:

1. The Louvre Museum/ Glass Pyramid - Famous for Mona Lisa Painting. Cost of entry to museum was 15 Euro (Approx. Rs 1150). If you are a serious art lover, its a must to visit this museum.

2. Eiffel Tower- Obviously, a must visit in Paris. Eiffel Tower gives a magnificent sight during day as well as night. After sunset, Eiffel tower lights up/ glitters every hour for five minutes till 1 am. You can also go to top for 25 Euro (Approx. Rs 1900). You get a panoramic view of Paris from top. It’s amazing.

3. Notre-Dame de Paris- It’s a must visit church built in 1163. The best way to reach Notre-Dame from Eiffel Tower was by boat, so we bought hop-on-hop-off boat pass valid for 24hrs.

The pass was for 17 Euros (Approx. Rs 1295). With this pass, you can also visit Louvre, pont des arts bridge and Champs-Élysées.

4. Pont des arts bridge- It’s a pedestrian bridge built across Seine river. It’s that famous bridge where people attach locks to the railing of bridge, with their first names written or engraved on locks, then throwing the key into the Seine river below, as a romantic gesture. But recently Paris administration has banned this activity and all the old locks have been removed from the bridge. #lovewithoutlocks

5. Arc de Triomphe- Built in 1836; this monument is like India Gate for Parisians. Basically it is Tomb of unknown soldiers. It stands at one end of the Champs-Élysées. The top of this monument is open to visitors at the cost of 12 Euros (Approx. Rs 915) and you have to climb a lot of stairs to reach the top. From the top, one can enjoy a panoramic view of Paris.

6. Champs-Élysées- It is one of the famous streets of the world known for shopping. Arc de Triomphe and Champs-Élysées are like India Gate and Raj path for Parisians. Champs-Élysées is 1.9 km long and 70m wide with shopping centers on both sides.

7. Pantheon- It’s a museum containing the remains of distinguished French citizens. Built in 1758. Pantheon of Paris- There's one more Pantheon in Rome.

8. Montmartre- It is the largest hill in Paris, primarily known for its artistic history. The white-domed Basilica of the Sacré-Cœur is situated on its summit.

The White-domed Basilica of the Sacré-Cœur.

View from top of Montmartre.

We had pre-booked our late night bus tickets for Amsterdam through Flixbus app approx two months back. You can book the tickets on the spot too, as they aren't based on dynamic pricing. Cost of ticket per head was Rs 1534/-. Traveling by buses in Europe is really economical. The bus was semi-sleeper and it was really comfortable. Paris to Amsterdam was overnight journey with travel time of 7 hours and 35 minutes. Bus started at 2355 hrs and reached Amsterdam at 0730 Hrs.

AMSTERDAM (Netherlands):

In our three day stay at Amsterdam, we were mostly munching on these cakes. It costs around 6 Euro a piece. It is strong enough for two person.

De Gooyer wooden windmill

Bus dropped us at Amsterdam Sloterdick railway station at 0730 Hrs on tuesday morning. Our Stay in Amsterdam was for three days (Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday). In Sloterdick railway station, we enquired about tourist passes. Different types of tourist passes were available. We bought a weekly tourist pass which was valid in metros, buses, trams and also covered airport metro (Pass was valid in Amsterdam and Volendam Region). Since, we had booked a flight from Amsterdam to Prague , we preferred to buy this pass. Cost of pass was 33.5 Euros ( Approx. Rs 2555). Our hostel in Amsterdam was near Amsterdam Centraal Station. By train it took 10 minutes to reach Amsterdam Centraal station from Sloterdick station. Hostel Flying Pig Downtown was 10 min walking from Amsterdam Centraal station.

Details of Hostel in Amsterdam:

Stay- Two nights (14th Nov and 15th Nov.)

Name- Flying Pig Downtown Hostel located at Nieuwendijk 100, 1012 MR Amsterdam.

Landmark- Near Amsterdam Centraal Station.

Cost per head- 64.5 Euro (Approx. Rs 4920) for two nights. This includes 0.90 Euro per head tourist city tax which had to be paid at the time of check-in in cash only.

Complimentary breakfast was provided in this hostel. Stayed here in 8 bedroom dorm.

Booked this hostel on its website- https://www.flyingpig.nl/

Best part about Amsterdam- Weed is legal here !! Marijuana could be bought at any coffee shop. Such coffee shops were ubiquitous in almost every street near Amsterdam centraal station. Identity proof is required for entering coffee shop. Any ID proof will do, even Aadhar card is valid. They just check your date of birth.

Amsterdam Centraal Station

Places visited in Amsterdam: Mostly travelled by trams.

1. Dam Square- Many restaurants and pubs are located here.

2. Anne Frank House- The Anne Frank House is a writer's house and biographical museum, dedicated to Jewish wartime diarist Anne Frank. Entry Ticket Costs 9.5 Euro (Approx Rs 720). Book tickets online in order to avoid queue.

3. Heineken Experience- It is an interactive journey through the world of Heineken beer. The tour consists of familiarizing us with brewing process which is quite exciting. Also, we get to drink two mugs of beer per person in tasting room. Entry ticket costs 14.5 Euro ( Approx. Rs.1110).

4. I Amsterdam Sign-

5. Red light Districts- Visit is free unless you are upto something.

6. De Gooyer wooden windmill- "Free".

7. Volendam- It is a small coastal town located 20km from Amsterdam. It’s known for its colorful wooden houses and the old fishing boats in its harbor. Reached Volendam by bus from Amsterdam Central Station. Bus travel was included in our tourist pass.

Flight to Prague was on thursday (16/11/2017) evening. Flight duration 90 minutes. Flight ticket was booked five months in advance. Per head flight ticket cost was Rs 3731. Airline was Easyjet. Ticket booked through Easyjet Airlines website. If you are carrying extra baggage you may have to pay extra for baggage charges.

PRAGUE (Czech Republic):

View from Prague Castle.

Its St. Vitus Cahedral- Near Prague Castle.

In the background is the main church of the city- Gothic Church of Our Lady Before Tyn.

Charles bridge in the background.

Landed in Prague at 2030 Hrs. Booked an Uber to hostel. It took 15.45 Euros (Approx. Rs1180). Reached hostel by 2200 hrs. No tourist pass was required in Prague as all attractions were within walking distance. Stayed in Prague for Two nights. Our bus to next destination Cesky Krumlov was at 1900 hrs on 18/11/2017.

In Prague, the centre point of all attractions was the Old Town Square. So we booked our hostel which was 5 minutes walking from Old Town Square. Czech Republic has its own currency- Czech Koruna. People here accept both Euro and Czech Koruna.

Details of Hostel in Prague:

Stay- Two nights (16th Nov and 17th Nov.)

Name- Old Prague Hostel located at Benediktská 685/2, 110 00 Staré Město, Czechia.

Landmark- Near Old Town Square.

Cost per head- 33.75 Euro (Approx. Rs 2580) for two nights. It was really budget friendly. This includes 01 Euro per head tourist city tax which had to be paid at the time of check-in in cash only. Complimentary breakfast was included in hostel package.

Stayed here in 4 bedroom dorm. Booked hostel on this website- www.hostelworld.com

Places visited in Prague: Traversed Most of Prague on foot.

1. Old Town Square- It is the heart of Prague city. Most beautiful square in Prague.

2. Astronomical Clock- It is located within the old town square.

The clock is the third oldest astronomical clock in world, installed in 1410 AD and the oldest one still operational.

3. Charles Bridge- It is approx. 15 mins walking from Old Town Sqaure. It's a historic bridge that crosses the Vltava river in Prague. It was built in 15th Century. Many scenes in bollywood movies were shot on this bridge Eg. Rockstar.

4. Dancing House- A simple building which some how managed to get lot of tourist attraction. Its 10 mins walking from Charles Bridge.

5. Prague Castle- It is a castle complex in Prague, dating from the 9th century. It is the official office of the President of Czech Republic. Entry fees into the palace is 140 CZK. (Approx. Rs 450). As castle is located on a small hill, you have to climb some stairs. It takes about 30 min to reach the castle.

Many excellent restaurants and pubs are located throughout the streets of Prague. My suggestion would be to try local beer of Prague. And if you are craving for Indian food, visit Dhaba Tynska, located near Old Town Sqaure.

Prague has some of the best strip-clubs in the world. My suggestion- Goldfingers Prague.

Bus to next destination- Cesky Krumlov was at 1900 hrs on 18/11/2017. Cost of bus ticket was Rs 460. Ticket booked through Flixbus App. Distance from Prague to Cesky Krumlov was 180km, covered in 2hr 30mins.

Český Krumlov

CESKY KRUMLOV (Czech Republic):

She was the host of the hostel- Amazing Lady.

Beautiful Cesky Krumlov

Reached Cesky Krumlov at 2130 Hrs. Cesky Krumlov is a small countryside town famous for its castle. This town is so small that you can cover entire town on foot. Bus dropped us a little outside the town. So, we had to walk for 20mins to reach our hostel- Hostel Postel.

Details of Hostel in Cesky Krumlov:

Stay- One night (18th Nov.)

Name- Hostel Postel located at Rybářská 35, Plešivec, 381 01 Český Krumlov, Czechia

Landmark- No landmark needed.

Cost per head- 11.4 Euro (Approx. Rs 870) for one night. Again, its really budget friendly. Complimentary breakfast was not provided in this hostel. Hostel had its own kitchen where we cooked Maagi and "MTR Ready to eat" which we had brought from India. Stayed here in 6 bedroom dorm. Shared Room with Amazing Chinese guys. Booked hostel on this website- www.hostelworld.com

In Cesky Krumlov, luckily we found very good Indian Restaurant for dinner- Nirvana Indian Restaurant. Run by a Delhi Guy. It was located in an underground bunker. Excellent food.

Places visited in Cesky Krumlov: Covered town on foot.

The hostess of hostel provided us with all tours and activities scheduled for next day in the town. Luckily we found a free walking tour with English speaking guide, which covered important places in town. Its almost 2 hours walking tour. Tour finished at Cesky Krumlov Castle. At the end of tour, we tipped the guide 11 Euros (Approx. Rs. 850). The tour was amazing, the guide gives every minute detail of the town, its architecture and culture. You can get more details about the tour on this site.

http://www.wisemanfreetour.com/

With the tour guide in castle. Carrying a red umbrella was their identity.

The Cesky Krumlov castle is located on a small hill, so you have to climb sloped pavements. It is 20mins to the castle top. Luckily, we experienced little snowfall on top.

We had booked train to our next destination- Vienna. Train was at 1700 hrs on 19.11.2017 (Sunday). We had to change train at two stations. First Cesky Krumlov to Cesky Budejovice, then Cesky Budejovice to Cesky Velenice and finally Cesky Velenice to Wien Franz-Josefs-Bahnhof (a station in Vienna). Cost of train ticket was Rs 1153. Ticket booked directly on railways website. ( http://www.oebb.at/en/ ). Duration of train journey was 4 hrs and 30 mins.

VIENNA (Austria):

That's how you stay in a hostel

Finally we arrived in Vienna at 2130 Hrs on 19.11.2017. We booked an Uber to our Hostel- Wombats City Hostel -The Naschmarkt. Distance to hostel from station was approx. 6km and the cab took 8.32 Euro. (Approx. Rs 640).

Details of Hostel in Vienna:

Stay- Two nights (19th Nov and 20th Nov.)

Name- Wombats City Hostel -The Naschmarkt located at Rechte Wienzeile 35, 1040 Wien, Austria

Landmark- Near Kettenbrückengasse metro station.

Cost per head- 35.41 Euro (Approx. Rs 2710) for two night.

Complimentary breakfast was provided in this hostel. Breakfast was amazing.

Stayed here in 5 bedroom dorm. Shared Room with an awkward Iranian Guy for a day and some unknown dude for next day.

This hostel in Vienna was one of the best hostel in Europe. It had its own full fledged bar with pool table. Everyday it organizes various events and tour activities. It also had free walking tour of Vienna city. You can find more details about this hostel below.

https://www.wombats-hostels.com/vienna/the-naschmarkt/

Places visited in Vienna: Covered places in Vienna mostly on metros. Did not take any tourist pass here as we had decided to cover only few places for which metro tickets was bought when required.

1. Naschmarkt - It was food market located just outside hostel. Its not very famous. We visited here as it was just outside hostel. Naschmarkt is Vienna's oldest and biggest food market.

2. Belvedere Palace- This palace complex was built in 18th-century which houses art from Middle Ages to today. TO see art collection, entry fees was there. But otherwise no entry fess for palace.

3. Schönbrunn Palace- Schönbrunn Palace is a former imperial summer residence located in Vienna, Austria. The 1,441-room Baroque palace is one of the most important architectural, cultural, and historical monuments in the country. It also had entry fees but we didn't go inside.

4. Hofburg Palace - Vienna's Imperial Palace in Hofburg is one of the biggest palace complexes in the world. The oldest parts date to the 13th century.

5. St. Stephen's Cathedral - One of the biggest church of Vienna , built in 1173 AD. No entry fees. It is to be noted that there is no entry fees in any churches.

Vienna was very beautiful city. It had amazing building architectures. Oprah house of Vienna is amazing. But we found Vienna little boring as by the time we had reached Vienna we had already seen many castles and palaces and Vienna had lots of palaces.

For our next destination "Venice", we had booked night sleeper train known as Nightjet. We had booked tickets in 6 bed coach with breakfast. It was Indian equivalent of 3rd AC but with a cabin. Per head train ticket was Rs 3789. Train started from Vienna at 2130 hrs and reached Venice at 0830 hrs next day (22nd Nov). Travel duration of 11 hrs. Booked train tickets on railways website.

http://www.oebb.at/en/

Reached Venice at 0830 Hrs on 22nd Nov. Venice is situated across a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by bridges, of which there are 400. We had booked an Airbnb Apartment here. Make sure you book your accommodation on island part of Venice i.e around Venzia Santa Lucia Station. There is a bridge separating mainland of Venice and island part. It is better to stay on island part of city around Grand Canal. Vehicles are not allowed on part of Venice which is around Grand Canal. Either you have to walk or take a boat (known as ACTV here). So, we decided to take a ACTV pass valid for 24hrs. Cost of each pass was 20 Euros. (Approx. Rs 1530) Our checkin at Airbnb was at 1300 hrs, so we kept our luggage at locker room (5 Euro per bag- little costly) just outside the Venzia Santa Lucia Station and started exploring the city.

Details of Airbnb Apartment in Venice:

Stay- One night (22nd Nov.)

Name- Airbnb Apartment located at Cannaregio District, Venice

Landmark- Near Guglie Bridge.

Cost per head- Rs 2,200 for one night. (Rs 8,800 for whole apartment). No city tax was paid here.

Complimentary breakfast was not provided in this airbnb apartment. Apartment had kitchen where we cooked Maagi and "MTR Ready to eat". Also, we did our laundry here.

Most important thing about airbnb apartment is its host. Luckily our hostess was very kind and cooperative. She even came half way to take us to the apartment when we lost our way (Venice is very confusing). More details about the apartment in this screenshot.

Things done in Venice: Covered places in Venice by boats and on foot.

1. Rialto Bridge- Venice has almost 400 small and large bridges. Out of them, Rialto bridge is the famous.

2. Streets of Venice-

3. Gondola Ride- A must try in Venice. For Gondola ride, you have to reserve it completely. Each Gondola can accommodate maximum of 6 persons. We reserved a Gondola for four of us. The cost of Gondola was 80 Euro. (Approx. Rs 6120). Throughout the ride, the Gondolier tells about the history, culture and stories related to Venice city.

4. Must try- Italian dessert - Tiramisu- There is a restaurant by the name of "Trattoria Alla Palazzina Venice" just by the side of Guglie bridge which serves amazing Tiramisu.

Website of the restaurant- http://www.ristoranteallapalazzina.it/en/

5. Venice at Night- We had got a free entry pass to casino with the ACTV pass. Tried our luck at casino also.

We had booked train tickets to Pisa for the next day morning at 0900 Hrs on 23rd Nov. It was 4 hr 30 mins journey to Pisa with one stoppage at Florence. First, train from Venice to Florence, then from Florence to Pisa. Cost of train ticket per head was Rs.1604. Ticket booked on trainline website. https://www.trainline.eu/

A day in Pisa-

Reached Pisa at 1330 Hrs on 23rd Nov. We had booked our train to Rome on the same day. Train to Rome was at 1900 hrs on 23rd Nov. So, we had approximately four good hours with us to explore Pisa city. We took lunch at an Indian restaurant - "Gandhi Ristorante Indiano Pisa". Run by a Punjabi Guy. For the first time in Europe, we had "chai". Tea was not on the menu but he offered us tea after hearing that we couldn't find Indian tea anywhere in Europe. He didn't charge for the tea.

Leaning Tower of Pisa is about 20mins walking from Pisa Centrale station. You can take the bus also but we chose to walk. We kept our luggage in a locker room at the Pisa Centrale station. (Per baggage- 6 Euro).

There are three things to see in Pisa:-

1. Leaning tower of Pisa.

2. Cattedrale di Pisa

3. Pisa Baptistery

All these three monuments are located in the same complex.

Leaning Tower of Pisa- The freestanding bell tower leans at about 3.99 degrees from the vertical. The height of the tower is 55.86 meters from the ground on the low side and 56.67 meters on the high side. The width of the walls at the base is 2.44 m. The ticket to the top of Pisa tower was 18 Euros. (Approx. Rs 1370).

Fallen Angel of Pisa was part of a temporary exhibit by Polish artist Igor Mitoraj

Our train to Rome was at 1900 Hrs from Pisa Centrale Station. Journey duration was 3 hrs and per head ticket was Rs 980. Ticket booked on trainline website. https://www.trainline.eu/

ROME (Italy):

Reached Rome at 2200 hrs on 23rd Nov at Roma Termini Station. Our hotel- The Yellow Hostel was 10 minutes walking from Roma Termini station.

Details of Hostel in Rome:

Stay- Five nights (23rd, 24th, 25th, 26th and 27th Nov.)

Name- The Yellow Hostel located at Via Palestro, 51, 00185 Roma RM, Italy

Landmark- Near Roma Termini.

Cost per head- Rs 7550 for five night. (Rs 1510 per night). It includes city tax of 3.5 Euro per head per night.

Complimentary breakfast was not provided in this hostel. But hostel had a restaurant which served really good and economical breakfast (approx. 6 Euro per head). The Yellow Hostel in Rome is one of best hostels in Europe. It is better to book this hostel through their website as they offer many discounts (like on alcoholic beverages and food) and free entry to their pub which has daily live performances. Website of the hostel- https://www.the-yellow.com/

This hostel organizes daily activities like city tours and pub crawls.

Day 1 in Rome (24th Nov) -

We decided to take city tour provided by the Yellow Hostel. It is a 4-hour walking tour covering almost all important monuments of Rome. Per head ticket was 22.4 Euros.

More details available on this link- http://theyellowguides.com/romeing-all-over/

Following were the places included in the walking tour- (Entry ticket to any of the monuments was not included in tour.)

Circo Massimo, The Palantine hill, The Aventine hill, The Garden of Oranges, The Mouth of Truth, Forum Boarium, The Theater of Marcellus, The Jewish Ghetto, Largo di Torre Argentina, The Pantheon, Piazza Venezia, Trajans Column, The Roman Forum, The Colosseum.

The Palatine Hill is the centremost of the Seven Hills of Rome and is one of the most ancient parts of the city.

The garden of Oranges is located on the Aventine Hill. The park offers an excellent view of the city.

The Theater of Marcellus- It resembles The Colosseum

Largo di Torre Argentina - It is said that Julius Caesar was killed here.

Pantheon- It is a Roman temple- built during the reign of a Augustus (27 BC – 14 AD)

Piazza Venezia- It is the central hub of Rome in which several important roads intersect.

The guy with curly hair (in the middle) was our guide. He excellently described each and every monument visited in the Rome.

Day 2 in Naples (25th Nov)-

Naples is a city located approx. 225km from Rome. We went to Naples to see the crater of Mount Vesuvius, the still-active volcano that destroyed nearby Roman town Pompeii.

We had booked train tickets to Naples from Rome at 0900 hrs. Duration of the journey was 2 hours. Cost of train tickets was 25.26 Euro (Approx. Rs 1935) for to and fro journey. Reached Napoli Centrale Station at 1100 hrs. From Napoli Centrale Station, its three-stage journey to the top of Mount Vesuvius.

1. Train from Napoli Centrale Station to Ercolano Scavi station- Journey duration was 35min and ticket cost was 4.4 Euro. (Approx. Rs 335) for both to and fro journey. Name of the train was Circumvesuviana railways.

2. Bus from Ercolano Scavi station to the point from where trekking has to be done to reach the mouth of the crater. The cost of bus ticket was 20 Euro per head. ( This included entry to trekking also)

3. Finally, 35 minutes trek to the mouth of the crater.

Ruined City of Pompeii.

Unfortunately, due to clouds we couldn't see the crater. But it was fun doing all the trek. So my suggestion, if you are going to Mount Vesuvius, check out for sunny weather.

We returned back to Rome on the same day by 2130 Hrs.

Day 3 in Rome (26th Nov)-

The Colosseum and The Roman Forum Tour- Both these are must take tour in Rome. It is to be noted that on Day 1 of Rome, we didn't go inside the Colosseum and the Roman Forum. Combined entry ticket to both these places was 17.5 Euro per head. (Approx. Rs 1340). We bought the tickets online through this website.

http://rome.ticketbar.eu/en/home/

The Colosseum - It is also known as Flavian Amphitheater. It is an oval amphitheater in the center of the city of Rome and could hold approx. 50,000 spectators. It was built in 80 AD and used for gladiatorial contests.

The Roman Forum- It is a rectangular forum (plaza) surrounded by the ruins of several important ancient government buildings located at the center of the city of Rome. For centuries the Forum was center of day-to-day life in Rome.

Day 4 in Rome (27th Nov)-

A guided tour to Vatican City is a must when in Italy. You will need a complete day for guided Vatican City tour. Nearest metro station to Vatican city is Ottaviano. You can get a direct metro to Ottaviano from Roma Termini. Outside Ottaviano metro station you can ask any guide for a tour of Vatican City. Bargaining can be done for tickets. We got our tickets at 35 Euro (Approx. Rs. 2700) per head from a Pakistani guide.

The guided tour includes a visit to Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica.

Sistine Chapel- It is a famous chapel in the Vatican City, best known for Michelangelo's 16th-century painted ceiling. No photography is allowed in Sistine Chapel. The painted ceiling of Sistine Chapel was really mind-blowing. All hard work of painting the ceiling was done by a single person, famous painter and artist, Michelangelo.

Day 5 in Rome (28th Nov)-

28th Nov was our last day in Europe. Our flight to Mumbai was at 1400 Hrs. Best and economical way to reach Fiumicino Airport of Rome was to take a bus from Roma Termini Station. Cost of the bus was 6 Euro per head.

THE CONCLUSION:

So, this was a brief description of my Europe trip with a major emphasis on budget, places to visit, lodging and platform for booking tickets for different avenues and destinations. These 18 days will be one of the most memorable days for me and my companions.

I believe everyone should travel at least once to this beautiful continent which encompasses exquisite culture, history and geography of mankind.

And if someone asks me in which city we should have stayed more, its definitely Amsterdam. We should have skipped two days of Vienna and added these days to Amsterdam.

Little Tips:

1. Don't buy matrix sim from India. It is heavily priced and not worthy of it. All airports, hostels, restaurants and pubs have free WiFi, so you can do Whatsapp call from that. If you really want a sim, buy it from any local telecom shop in Europe. It's much cheaper.

2. Book your flight tickets at least three to four months in advance as prices are low and always go for a refundable ticket. Always keep an eye on upcoming offers.

3. Take 70 percent of Euros from India in traveller's card and rest 30 percent in cash. Traveller's card is convenient and safe.

5. Beware of pickpockets especially in Paris.

6. For currency exchange and traveller's card in India, use www.bookmyforex.com. Rates are reasonable compared to others.

7. Hostels can be booked on this. www.hostelworld.com.

Frequent searches leading to this page:-

Europe tour packages from Delhi with airfare from Delhi , Europe tour packages from Delhi with airfare 7 days, Europe tour packages 15 days from India, Europe tour packages cost, Europe vacation packages cheap, Places to visit in Europe for honeymoon

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If you’re thinking it's time you ticked off a Europe Trip from your bucket list, then look no further than Thomas Cook India’s Europe Holiday Packages. You can choose from over 230 plus Europe tour packages on our Thomas Cook India website. We have created travel itineraries that suit every budget and duration. From 3 nights 4 days to 19 nights 20 days, there’s the perfect Europe Tour for every kind of traveller on the Thomas Cook India website. What’s more, you probably wouldn’t have thought that you could go on a Europe Holiday for less than a lakh. The tours range as low as from INR 41 665 to INR 5 29 214  which can be said to be the epitome of luxury and a chosen few experiences which are just tailored for you.Thomas Cook also provides the best offers for your Europe trip to discover more than anyone else such as the " Get Upto INR 60,000 off Early Bird Discount per family *"! Don’t forget to add excursions to your selected Europe packages.

Thomas Cook India has a team of travel experts who work together to meticulously plan and curate your Europe Tour so that it’s perfect and memorable. After all, vacations are for making the best memories of our lives. The icing on the cake is that you get a lot of value when you book with Thomas Cook India - from comfortable accommodations to expert guides and delicious meals, you can be assured that you will have the best possible vacation.

For a better idea about what to expect when travelling to Europe, visit our Europe tourism  section where we give you detailed pointers on everything about Europe, such as Places to visit, Things to do In Europe, Best Time to Visit and much more. The best part is that our Europe holiday packages are available from all major cities such as Mumbai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Ahmedabad, and Cochin.To satisfy various travel needs, you can find Europe trip packages on our website starting from 3 Nights/ 4 Days to a maximum of 19 Nights/ 20 Days .So what are you waiting for? Getting to Europe is no longer a faraway dream, thanks to Thomas Cook India.

Table of Content

• Popular Europe Tour Packages
• Best time to visit Europe
• How to reach Europe

Best Places to Visit in Europe

• Popular cities to visit in Europe
• Famous Food in Europe
• Things to do in Europe
• Europe Visa for Indians

People also ask about Europe Tour Packages

Most popular europe tour packages.

While looking for Europe tour packages from India, make sure to learn about the place to get a clearer idea for your vacation. For decades, Europe has remained an unattainable dream for many, seen and admired only on the silver screen. Whether it is the gorgeous snow-covered Swiss mountains, the chic vibe of Paris , the cosmopolitan flair of London, the stunning art in Florence, or the culturally evocative streets of Spain , Europe is versatile and simply stunning. It’s no wonder that Europe Holiday Packages are so popular and are much sought after. The number of countries that you can cover in a single Europe Trip is quite mind-boggling but traveling expands your mental canvas in a way that nothing else can. And for travellers from India, Europe Tour Packages are a great option to consider. Europe is rightly the centre of culture and quite possibly the heart of modern civilization. Lastly, food is one of the more popular reasons people love to go on a Europe Trip because it packs in a magnificent amount of diversity when it comes to food and drink.

For many people, Europe is the ultimate honeymoon destination. Or it’s just the sort of holiday you need to take if you want to take a break from the tedium of your everyday work and life. Whatever the reason, a Europe trip is certainly going to bring a smile on your face. With so many different facets on offer, you can decide whether you want to let your hair down and party in the glorious cities of Paris or Berlin, or become a culture vulture for a change and visit the awe-inspiring museums, you won’t find yourself short of things to do. You can look for your ideal honeymoon special Europe tour packages from India on our website. Adventure lovers will be thrilled with some of the fantastic things that you can do in Europe such as mountain climbing, bungee jumping or even skiing to name just a few and well, gourmands have nothing to complain about, what with the availability of delicious food and wine no matter where you go. With Thomas Cook, you can arrange for a bespoke Europe holiday package that focuses on just the things you want to do. Naturally, this makes your Europe Trip even more perfect. If you’ve always thought ‘now or never’ is too dramatic, wait till you decide to go on your Europe Trip. If you are worrying about budget, note that the exciting range of Europe trip packages by Thomas Cook starts from as low as INR 34,093. As for the most expensive, you can find Europe trip packages up to INR 5,19,141. 

Best Time to Visit Europe:

Choosing the right time for your trip beforehand will assist you in selecting the most suitable option out of the available Europe tour packages from India.  Best Time to Visit Europe  is during the summer and it lasts from June to August . The weather during this time is just perfect for sightseeing and all the different activities that you want to undertake. Since the weather is sunny and warm, there are a number of cultural festivals and galas that are slotted for this time and many people go on a Europe tour specifically for these events. However, do remember that Europe has several countries and they won’t have the same weather at the same time. Summer in Europe might be the best time to visit but it’s also one of the most crowded times as well. There will often be throngs of tourists in popular cities like Amsterdam, Berlin and of course Paris during this time. Apart from the crowds, the other drawback is that you won’t be able to get tickets for events and tourist attractions unless you book in advance. Everything – from travel to stay – will cost more, so it’s a good idea to book your tickets, hotel and even car rentals ahead of time. You can find multiple Europe tour packages on our website for the summer months. However, Europe during the off-season has its own charms as well. Apart from the obvious advantages of cheaper flights and accommodation, there are fewer crowds too. This season is usually from April to June and September to November. However, the downside could be that there might be inclement weather and you have to be ready for it. Also, if you don’t mind cold weather, then you can even travel to Europe during the winter. After all, who doesn’t enjoy the snow and skiing among other things? However, several attractions are closed during winter, so you have to check carefully before making plans. Make sure to look for Europe tour packages for winter if you intend to go on a Europe vacation on a budget. 

How to Reach Europe

The best way to reach Europe is by flight , especially if you’re travelling from India. There are direct flights from several major Indian cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad to popular destinations in Europe such as Rome, Paris, London, Berlin and Amsterdam to name a few. However, do note that there are no direct flights to countries like Denmark or Sweden. But there are numerous connecting flights that you can take which have a small stopover in Middle Eastern countries. Since summer is peak season in Europe, it’s a good idea to book your flight tickets well in advance.Once you’re in Europe, you can choose to fly to different countries on local carriers like Ryan Air or Easy Jet, but these offer the basic minimum which might not be the best when it comes to travelling in comfort or with luggage. Thanks to our exciting range of Europe tour packages, you don’t have to worry about booking flights as many of our planned trips come with the inclusion of flights as a standard feature. Besides, there are also Europe tour packages that feature optional flights, which gives you more room to make the correct pick. Another excellent option is to travel around by car, and you can visit multiple countries even in a rental car. However, you must have a license to drive in Europe. One of the best ways to get around the different countries in Europe however is by train. The Eurail connects 28 countries and offers scenic routes which are quite unforgettable. Another option is to travel by bus which is also cheaper than train travel. Bus travel is quite comfy too and most bus companies offer Wi-Fi services which make travel easier.

With forty-four countries in Europe, each having something fantastic to offer visitors, it can get quite difficult to choose where you want to go. Nevertheless, here are some of the best  places in Europe , that you look for in the Europe tour packages from India to get the most out of your tour experience;

Italy 

Spain , switzerland, netherlands.

One of the most popular countries to visit in Europe is undoubtedly France. Located in Western Europe, France has both cosmopolitan and medieval elements, which irrefutably make it one of the best places to visit. Paris is a delight for those who revel in fashion or even culture, thanks to museums like the Louvre and the Pompidou Centre and of course, the inimitable Eiffel Tower. Apart from Paris, other must-see places here include Normandy, Versailles and the glamorous Riviera. France is the hub for all things beautiful and should certainly be on your list of places to see in Europe. You can browse through our selection of Europe tour packages designed for a memorable vacation in France.

Located in Western Europe, Germany is simply par excellence when it comes to lush landscapes, forests, mountains, rivers and whatnot. At the same time, cities like Berlin bring an air of cultivation and culture with its art and vibrant nightlife. If beer is your thing, then you should definitely visit Munich for the famed Oktoberfest while Frankfurt with its awe-inspiring skyscrapers has its own charms. If you want to do some hiking or skiing, then the Alps are spectacular and perfect, making this an obvious reason why you should visit the country. Our professionally planned Europe tour packages for Germany ensure that you get to enjoy your dream vacation without the need to worry about all the nitty-gritty of planning a trip.

Italy is yet another unmissable country in Europe, filled with beauty and delight. With some landmark spots to see here such as the Colosseum and the Leaning Tower of Pisa, Italy is a must-visit spot for tourists. Apart from these famous sightseeing places, there’s also Florence, Venice and of course Milan. Those who visit Italy are unable to resist the pizza in Naples and of course historic cities like Pompeii and Sicily which have much to offer in terms of ruins and a sense of civilization. Whether you want to explore the beautiful tourist landmarks in Florence or learn about the thousands of years old history of Rome, our Europe tour packages for Italy are here to fulfil all your travel needs.

Spain is yet another renowned country that you can add to the itinerary of your Europe tour. It's loud, boisterous, vibrant and filled with visual delights such as the Royal Palace in Madrid and gorgeous structures in Barcelona. But what strikes one here the most is the intense love for food and the deep culinary culture that is a part of the country. There’s more to Spanish food than paella but it perfectly encapsulates the richness of the cuisine and well, since it’s also the home of sangria, there’s much to celebrate here. Also, famous here is the passion-filled flamenco and the exuberant bullfighting. Find great deals on professionally planned and curated Spain trips from our wide range of Europe tour packages. You can also look for Europe tour packages that include both Spain and Portugal if you wish for a multi-country foreign trip.

Yet another historic country, Greece today is perfect for those who love beaches and tasty Mediterranean food. Stark whitewashed houses framed around the brilliant blue seas is a typical Grecian scene that you might have come across on a postcard. But a visit to Crete, Mykonos and of course Santorini will have you believe the picturesque views you’ve seen so far. Athens, the capital, is famous for its ancient ruins like the Parthenon and the Acropolis. Greece is also famed for its delicious food – feta cheese, olives, lamb and fish to name a few favorites. For the best Europe tour packages that include Greece, you can also check out the Thomas Cook website..

Quiet and stunningly picturesque describes Switzerland best. With its many lakes, quaint villages and of course, the snow-covered Alps, a trip to Switzerland is a feast for the eyes. Some of the well-known places to visit here are the capital city of Bern, the global financial centre of Zurich, Interlaken, Grindelwald and of course Geneva. Switzerland can feel like it’s an overload of sensation but it’s the best kind of feeling. To be surrounded by all that beauty is surreal in a way but that’s what a trip to Switzerland feels like, a wonderland that continues to be breathtakingly beautiful. If you are looking for Europe tour packages that will make your dream Switzerland vacation come true, click here.

Among the places to see in Europe, Netherlands also occupies a prime position. The sight of the windmills or the tulip fields stretching far into the horizon is heartening while the Van Gogh Museum or the Rijksmuseum offer more serene and arty delights. There are also several medieval castles and canals and the humongous Hoge Veluwe National Park which is 13,800 acres and one of the most popular destinations for tourists and even locals. The towns and villages themselves are extremely pretty and colourful and in a way epitomize Europe in the best possible way. Don't forget to explore the Netherlands with Thomas Cook while on a European holidays. 

Popular cities to visit in Europe 

Following is a list of some of the most iconic European cities that you should check out during your Europe tours and travels;

Paris is both the most populous and the capital city of France. It is also one of the most sought-after holiday destinations in Europe. Often dubbed the “City of Love” , Paris is a thriving hub of modern development, art, fashion, culture, cuisine, as well as history. The city attracts millions of visitors every year for tourism and other purposes. During your Europe tours and travels, consider spending a few days in Paris, France, as it is the home of numerous world-renowned tourist attractions, such as the Eiffel Tower, The Louvre, Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame, Les Catacomb de Paris, etc. If you want to explore Paris and other French cities during your foreign tour, consider going for the Europe trip packages offered by Thomas Cook.

Rome, the capital city of Italy, is among the top European tourist destinations. The city has a rich history which is more than 2,500 years old, and is still home to numerous intriguing historical landmarks. It acts as the perfect starting point for an Italy trip and is a remarkable site that you should check out if you are a history buff. Some of the most noteworthy tourist attractions in Rome are the Colosseum, Roman Forum, Vatican Museum, St. Peter’s Basilica, The Pantheon, etc. Get to learn about the distinct history of Rome and other Italian cities by opting for the Europe trip packages available on our website.

Barcelona is another remarkable city you just can’t miss visiting during your Europe tours and travels. Situated in North-Eastern Spain along the Mediterranean Coast, the city is home to some of the finest beaches in the country and has a perfect natural backdrop created by Serra de Collserola. Barcelona, a common inclusion in many Europe trip packages, is a place full of history, culture, traditions, and passion for sports. The city is also known for its remarkable cuisine and nightlife. Some of the best tourist attractions in Barcelona are the Gothic Quarter, Barcelona Cathedral, Sagrada Familia, Park Guell, Casa Mila, Camp Nou stadium, Barceloneta Beach, etc. Find Europe trip packages that cover Barcelona and other renowned Spanish cities on our website.

Prague, the capital city of the Czech Republic, is a wonderful holiday destination in Europe. The city is known for its innate beauty and is an important centre filled with outstanding architecture, cobblestoned streets, vintage cafes, distinct culture and rich history. Some of the most noteworthy tourist attractions in this European city are the Prague Castle, the Clementinum and the National Library, Charles Bridge, the Old Town Square and Astronomical Clock, etc.

London is both the capital and the largest city of the United Kingdom (UK). Nestled on the banks of the River Thames, London is a common inclusion in most Europe tours and travels. It is often defined as the melting pot of various cultures, traditions, languages and cuisines. The city is mainly known for its rich cultural and historical heritage. Some of the most significant tourist attractions in London include the British Museum, the London Eye, Tower Bridge, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben and Parliament, the Tower of London, and so on.

Next on the list of the best cities to visit in Europe is Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands.  It is a beautiful city in the western part of the country and is known for its impressive network of canals, artistic heritage, amusing history, unique culture and so on. People love to explore this beautiful European city on their bikes and check out everything it has to offer to sightseers. Some of the most iconic tourist attractions in Amsterdam include the Rijksmuseum, Vondelpark, Van Gogh Museum, Bloemenmarkt, Upside Down Museum, etc. You can browse through our selection of Europe trip packages for the Netherlands that feature a visit to Amsterdam.

Famous Foods in Europe

Food is the common unifier that brings people together and with its diversity of cultures and countries, Europe indeed has the best to offer. There’s something here for every taste and some of it is even quite iconic. It would be quite difficult to list the ones that would symbolise European food because of the sheer variety that’s available throughout the continent. Here are some of the popular dishes that you can expect to taste while travelling in Europe.

Waffles and Strudels

The unmistakeable delight of biting into a warm strudel, flaky and buttery, filled with raisins and topped with whipped cream is something that has to be experienced at least once in a lifetime. And although waffles are now popular all over the world, try the ones in Belgium and you’ll know the delicious difference.

It’s impossible to visit Europe and not indulge in cheese especially as so much of it is made here. Whether it is the halloumi cheese from Cyprus or the famed skyr from Iceland or fondue from Switzerland, cheese lovers will have much to rejoice in Europe.

Croissants from France, rye bread from Estonia, bread dumplings from the Czech Republic, pretzels from Germany and juicy gyros from Greece are just some of the few ways in which you can enjoy this staple in Europe. Of course, let’s not forget pizza from Naples or cinnamon rolls from Sweden.

Things to Do in Europe

Europe is filled with several things to do and you may feel short changed if you miss out on some of these iconic activities. Even though several tour packages include most of these activities, there are some which you must try to make time for, because they will make your experience unforgettable.

Visit the Ars Electronica Centre in Austria

Check out the santa claus village in finland, enjoy bathing in the krka national park, go on a cruise on the thames , soar across the sky in a hot air balloon, don’t miss out on the northern lights.

Popularly known as the Museum of the Future, this is one of the places that’s perfect for tech lovers or even those who have a scientific bent of mind . The CAVE (Cave Automatic Visual Environment) is the kind of virtual reality that will have your senses spinning and make you feel like you’ve stepped out of the world into another one altogether. It is a must-try activity that many people add to the itinerary of their Europe tours and travels.

While it seems straight out of a storybook, it’s completely true. There’s a Santa Claus village in Finland which actually receives all the letters from children all over the world. Rovaniemi, or the Santa Claus Village is actually just ten minutes away from the Arctic Circle and you can even visit his reindeer and go on a sleigh ride in the snow! With our Europe tour packages from India, you can focus on enjoying your trip instead of worrying about meals, accommodations, sightseeing and other trip essentials.

The water in the lakes in the Krka National Park in Croatia is crystal clear and a brilliant shade of turquoise. It’s perfect for a cool and refreshing dip during the day and you will see plenty of families here, enjoying the deliciously cold water and having fun. Individuals on their Europe tours and travels love to engage in this activity.

It can’t get more English than this. A cruise on the Thames that takes you past global landmarks while you sip tea in the elegant cruise ship is just perfect and an activity that you must not miss if possible. It is a common inclusion in many Europe tours and travels featuring the UK.

France’s Dordogne Valley is stunningly beautiful but what makes it even better is if you can get to fly on a hot air balloon over the valley. The sights as you float across the sky and look down below are simply out of this world. Enjoy similar thrilling activities on your tour with the Europe tour packages from India offered by Thomas Cook.

While on your Europe tours and travels, make sure to not miss out on the Northern Lights in Reykjavik, Iceland. From September to April, it’s possible to see these beautiful landscapes in the sky and you will feel every single moment of wonder keenly.

Europe Visa for Indians 

Indian nationals planning a European trip are required to apply for and obtain valid visas to enter the countries they want to explore for tourism purposes. For their Europe trip, Indian tourists will need to apply for a Schengen visa, which covers the majority of European countries, such as Finland, Estonia, Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary, Belgium, Germany, France, Iceland, Italy, Malta, Greece, Latvia, Denmark, Portugal, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Norway, Netherlands, Slovakia, Switzerland, etc. You can apply for a Schengen visa offline (via the embassy or consulate of the Schengen State) or online, and it has a processing time of around 15 day s. The Schengen Visa is a type of short-stay visa that allows a maximum stay of up to 90 days within a 180-day period. The documents required to apply for a Schengen visa from India for your Europe tours and travels include a valid passport, recently taken passport-sized photographs, duly filled and signed visa application form, a travel itinerary, proof of accommodation, proof of sufficient financial means, a valid travel health insurance, etc. However, individuals should know that the Schengen visa doesn’t cover some European countries. For instance, in order to enter the UK, Bulgaria, the Republic of Ireland, Turkey, Albania, Azerbaijan, Montenegro, Belarus, etc., individuals will need to follow and meet the conditions of their specific visa and apply for it.

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How many countries are there in Europe?

There are 44 countries (Russia, Germany, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Spain, Ukraine, Poland, Romania, Netherlands, Belgium, Czech Republic, Greece, Portugal, Sweden, Hungary, Belarus, Austria, Serbia, Switzerland, Bulgaria, Denmark, Finland, Slovakia, Norway, Ireland, Croatia, Moldova, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Slovenia, Latvia, Estonia, Montenegro, Luxembourg, Malta, Iceland, Andorra, Monaco, Liechtenstein, San Marino, Holy See ) in Europe today. You can easily find Europe tour packages from India that cover these countries on our page.

What is a Schengen visa?

The Schengen visa is a short-stay visa which allows you to travel to any of the Schengen areas for as long as 90 days. If you have a Schengen visa, you can travel freely within any of the Schengen member countries. Some Europe tour packages from India may handle the aspect of a visa as required for your trip.

What is the biggest city in Europe?

The biggest city in Europe is Istanbul although population wise it’s not counted as the most populated city in Europe because it straddles the border between Europe and Asia.  You can easily find Europe packages for Turkey if you want to spend a few days in Istanbul.

Are Euros acceptable currency all over Europe?

It’s possible to use Euro in 20 of the EU countries . These include countries such as Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Croatia, Slovenia and Spain.

Can I drive across Europe?

Yes, it’s possible to drive across Europe, and you get to cross multiple country borders. However, do make sure that you have the appropriate driving license and that your rental company allows you to take the car across borders.

What is the best time to visit Europe?

The best time to visit Europe is during the summer . The weather is perfect and there are a host of festivals and events which are planned around this time specifically. You can find the best deals on Europe packages for summer on our website.

Which is the best European country to visit?

France . It has a little of everything – culture, chic people, beautiful natural landscapes, delicious food, the Alps and cheese! Look for Europe travel packages that include France from our wide range of planned trip choices.

Where should I start my European trip?

The best way to go about your European trip would be to begin in London. It is also a common starting point in most Europe travel packages. From there, you can travel to Paris via the English Channel which you can cross by ferry. 

What is a suitable itinerary for a first-time traveler to Europe?

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LIST: Affordable cities to visit in Europe, for as low as 45 euros a day

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This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.

PARLIAMENT. Check out Budapest’s main attractions like the Parliament Building.

Joshua Berida/Rappler

Many of Europe’s cities are expensive destinations compared to traveling around Asia. The high cost of living and the flights to reach a European city is often outside the budget range of Filipino travelers. You pay more for accommodation, food, transportation, and activities. However, there are cities in Europe that can still fit your budget if you’re interested in visiting them.

What are some affordable cities you can visit in Europe?

• Prague – This city is one of the most beautiful I’ve been to in Europe. Its gorgeous cityscape consists of spires, towers, and eye-catching buildings. There’s plenty of historic attractions for those that want to catch a glimpse of Czechia’s past. The old town and Charles Bridge might be touristy, but still worth a look and a few hours of wandering around. Accommodation, food, and drinks are good value for money.

• Brno – If you plan to see Czechia beyond Prague, make your way to affordable Brno. The latter is a historic city that’s centuries old. It has a laid-back ambiance and doesn’t get as crowded (in terms of tourists) as the country’s capital. You can use Brno as a jump-off point to see quaint towns such as Telc and Trebic. Tidbit: Jose Rizal stayed in Brno while he was in Czechia.
• Krakow – Krakow is a popular and affordable destination in Poland. The city’s old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and has a storied past that dates to several centuries ago. Rynek Glowny or Market Square is its most famous spot. The city is also a jump-off point to Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum and the Wieliczka Salt Mine. Don’t forget to visit the Wawel Royal Castle and St. Mary’s Basilica.
• Warsaw – The Polish capital doesn’t get the same tourist interest as Krakow. However, it’s still a noteworthy (as well as affordable) destination while you’re traveling around Poland. Explore Castle Square, the old town, follow the Royal Route, and go up the Palace of Culture and Science. Make sure to drop by the Wilanow Palace and the Royal Castle while you’re here. Take a leisurely stroll in Lazienki Park after exploring the city.

• Riga – This city in the Baltics is an affordable addition to your itinerary. Riga is easy enough to explore in one or a few days and on foot. Its old town is on UNESCO’s World Heritage list and is a noteworthy destination. Here you’ll find vestiges of the city’s past. The House of the Blackheads dates to the 1330s but the current structure you see now is a recent reconstruction. If you’re interested in architecture, walk along Albert Street to see some fine Art Nouveau buildings. Drop by the Riga Central Market to get something to eat.
• Vilnius – Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, is a favorite of mine. Its charming old town has withstood the test of time with its preserved buildings and structures. You’ll find different architectural styles such as Renaissance, Gothic, and Baroque blending in the city. Some notable places to include in your itinerary are the Hill of Three Crosses, St. Anne’s Church, Church of St. Peter and Paul, Vilnius Cathedral, and the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania.
• Tallinn – The capital of Estonia is a fine and affordable city to visit. Its old town has well-preserved centuries-old buildings and structures that make you feel like you have entered a time warp. Explore its narrow alleys, enter its beautiful churches, or go to viewpoints to get fetching overlooking views of the city. Check out Toompea Castle, Town Hall Square, and St. Olaf’s Church.
• Budapest – The Hungarian capital of Budapest is an affordable city you can visit while exploring Europe. You can dine out at nice cafés and restaurants for a reasonable price. The Hungarian Parliament Building, Matthias Church, St. Stephen’s Basilica, Fisherman’s Bastion, and Buda Castle are the city’s most recognizable attractions. You can buy day passes to get around the city, which also allows you to save more money. Check out the ruin bars for drinks and nights out.
• Bratislava – If you’re looking for an affordable destination in Europe, Bratislava is the place to be. Visitors often do just a day trip from Vienna. However, you can spend a few days here to see all that the city has to offer. Notable attractions include the Bratislava Castle looming over the city, Primate’s Palace and Hall of Mirrors, Hviezdoslav Square, and the Blue Church.
• Belgrade – The Serbian capital isn’t exactly atop your list when you visit Europe. However, this city will surprise you when you give it a chance. Visit one of the most recognizable structures in the city, the Church of St. Sava. Buy souvenirs and gifts or just go window-shopping at Knez Mihailova. Get a glimpse of the city’s history while exploring the Kalemegdan Fortress. 
• Novi Sad – While in Serbia, head on over to Novi Sad. This city has affordable accommodation and dining options. It’s relatively small and easy to explore on foot. Attractions you can add to your itinerary include the Petrovaradin Fortress, Dunavska Street, Trg Slobode (square), the Name of Mary Church, and Vladicanski Dvor.

• Bucharest – Bucharest is the capital of Romania and should be on your list if you’re looking for affordable destinations in Europe. Spend a few days to see the Parliament Building, Romanian Athenaeum, Stavropoleos Church, old town, Revolution Square, Arcul de Triumf, Carturesti Carusel, and other attractions.
• Sibiu – If you’re in Transylvania, include Sibiu in your itinerary. This quaint destination oozes old-world charm. Explore the large and small square to get a glimpse of Sibiu’s history. Check out the historic churches during your visit. 

• Brasov – Brasov is another charming place to visit in Transylvania. The bustling Council Square is surrounded by several historic buildings and houses. You can find restaurants and cafés here if you just want to hang out. Brasov is also a jump-off point to Bran Castle.
• Porto – Portugal is a generally affordable country to visit. One city to add to your list is Porto. It has a scenic and charming waterfront lined with restaurants. If you’re not dining, you can simply take a stroll or just hang out. The city also has a number of historic attractions such as the Torre dos Clerigos, Palacio da Bolsa, Igreja de Sao Francisco, Igreja do Carmo, and the Se Cathedral.

• Lisbon – The capital of Portugal is not only affordable but is a noteworthy destination with plenty of things to do and see. Like many European cities, it’s also easy to get around on foot. Explore the different alleys and neighborhoods to get fetching overlooking views of the city. See the Torre de Belem. Make your way to the Mosteiro dos Jeronimos and check out the Santa Maria Church to see Vasco da Gama’s tomb. Not too far from the church is the Monument to the Discoveries. Some other noteworthy places of interest include the Arco da Rua Augusta, Igreja do Carmo, Se Cathedral, and the Elevador de Santa Justa.
• Braga – If you’re looking for a place away from the bustling city (that’s also affordable), head on over to Braga. You can take it slow and spend the day strolling or hanging out in the historic center. You can also go on a half-day trip to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Bom Jesus do Monte.
• Sarajevo – The capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina is at the center of one of the world’s historical events, the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The city also has some interesting sites that can fill your days such as the Bascarsija, Sarajevo City Hall, Latin Bridge, and the Gazi Husrev-beg Mosque. Go on a walking tour to learn more about the city.

• Mostar – This destination in Bosnia and Herzegovina is a popular day trip. However, I’d recommend spending at least a night here to soak in the atmosphere. Cross the historic bridge and weave in and out of the atmospheric markets and narrow streets.
• Zagreb – Croatia’s capital doesn’t get the same hype as some of the country’s known locales. However, it’s an affordable destination you can use as a base for a few days before heading out. Visit St. Mark’s Church, Bogoviceva Street, Ban Jelacic Square, and the Cathedral of Zagreb. 
• Split – If you’re looking for an affordable alternative to Dubrovnik, Split is it. This charming destination will make you want to stay a few days just to experience its old world vibe. Get lost in the old town, visit Diocletian’s Palace, and see the Cathedral of St. Domnius. 

These are just some of the affordable cities and towns you can visit in Europe. You can get by with a budget as low as €45 up to €60 a day in these spots. With the mentioned budget you’ll be staying in a dorm bed in a hostel, taking public transportation, eating budget or supermarket meals and sandwiches, seeing one or two paid attractions a day, and maybe having a dessert or a drink. Consider traveling during shoulder and low season to reduce your costs. – Rappler.com

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