I apologize if this is a repeat post, but after just returning from Norway, I want to remind travelers to avoid Dynamic Currency Conversion. Always choose the local currency to avoid unnecessary fees.

Hello everyone!

I know this sort of questions can get tiring for you all, I’m sure, but please bear with me!

I’m doing a 40 day travel this coming September

I’m Mexican, and I bought a round trip ticket to Madrid from San Diego, seized the chance because my best friend is currently living in Madrid

Anyways, from what I can reasonable estimate, I’ll be able to save up enough to allow myself a budget of around 100 to 110 euros per day

I have tried researching around this but in truth the info is all over the place!

I plan on doing Madrid for around 2 weeks, with a day or 2 day trip to Malaga in between those days

Then I plan to fly into London for 4 days, then fly into Paris, 4 days too

After that I’ll do the big three in Italy, for around 4 days each city, and perhaps I’ll try to head into other cities like Verona, perhaps Pompeii if possible

And then 2-4 days in Greece (Athens and another destination I have yet to decide)

If I somehow have days and money left (highly doubt) maybe I can do a day or 2 in Vienna or Berlin (I know I know, fat chance most likely)

Then travel back to Madrid for my flight home

Here’s the kicker, I won’t have to pay for accommodation in Madrid and Paris because of friends living there, food also won’t be much of an issue in Madrid, so that widens the budget by a little for the rest of the destinations

I have seen people telling that less than 150€ is impossible, while others say that you can get by on less than a 100€ if you know what you are doing

I of course plan to do hostels only, and this trip is, well, backpacking focused more than anything precisely because of the tighter budget

If there is a point where it looks like I’m about to run out of money, I have the option of fleeing back to Madrid and bunker down there at my friend’s until my flight date, which is a great failsafe I think, in case things don’t go my way

But yes, I am planning and prepared for cheaper eating, hostels, walking as much as possible and the whole works, and also willing to cut out destinations for better optimization

Please tell me, what do you think?

Hi all. I'm about to embark on my 4 1/2 month trip, mostly in Europe.

Countries I'm definitely going to:

UK, Iceland, France, Luxembourg, Belgium, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Finland, the Baltics, Poland, Austria, most of Eastern Europe, Turkey, the Balkans, Greece, Italy, Spain,

then also

Egypt, Jordan, Dubai (of course, depending on if things have settled down by September), China, Malaysia, Australia.

Some of these I'm there for awhile, eg Iceland, Norway, Turkey, Moldova, Romania, Italy, Greece, Egypt, Croatia and some I'm just passing through in a day or two.

For example the most extreme day I'm arriving in Luxembourg at 2.30am, walking the city in the early morn and having breakfast, then to Brussels for lunch and on to Ghent for dinner and a night's accommodation.

So as the title states, my question is regarding cash.

I have a Wise card with many of the currencies loaded on. It doesn't have some (like Icelandic krona) but can be used there anyway.

I also have a backup/emergency credit card. So I do plan on using card as much as possible.

However, my question is which countries/regions am I likely to need cash? Google gives me wildly different advice.

I do have some emergency cash on me (USD310, EURO210, GBP50). But that's really just-in-case cash.

Do any places I'm going stand out to you for needing physical cash, and if so what sort of (very) rough estimate per day would you withdraw?

Oh, and on that note, are there any specific bank ATMs to avoid? I'm aware that some of them really sting you.

Thanks in advance for your advice.

American here. I traveled to Europe for the first time in 2008/09, during winter break. Bought a Euro pass and all of that. Did what 21-year-olds typically do, I guess, the first time they travel there, hop from country to country. Had a bunch of Euros on me to buy food and pay for hostels, ect.

Well, today I was watching one of my favorite movies, "Before Sunrise," which takes place in one of my favorite cities, Vienna (I've been there four times). For those who don't know, the movie is about Jesse (Ethan Hawke) who is traveling tthrough Europe when he meets the French Celine (Julie Delpy) on the train and they spend the night together in Vienna, talking and going various cafes. In the movie you see them spending money on drinks, and giving to "street people", handing cash over from their wallets or pocketbooks. Which made me think, with all the different currencies, how was this done back in the day?

My parents are travelling to Europe for 9 days, starting from France and ending in Italy. The tour is organised by a company, including food, so no major expenses are to be done by us.

Only for using washrooms (which usually take 1€), some shopping (chocolates, souvenirs etc), Euros will be required.

Hence we decided to get Cash only (400€), instead of Forex card. We ordered the cash from a reliable forex service provider, and they gave four notes of 100€ (didn't have the option of selecting particular denominations).

(Later I realised I should have ordered 399€ so that at least we could have got 99€ in smaller denominations but now it's already done)

How do we get smaller denominations? Or will all stores accept 100€ notes and give back balance in smaller denominations?

Hi, I'm going on interrail in june-july and was wondering what kind of payment methods do most countries use.

I will be going in Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, France and England and would like to hear people's experience paying in basic supermarkets and some food places. Do most places use card/tap-to-pay or cash?

I will be bringing both card and cash just in case but was wondering should I bring more cash to some countries..

Also if you have any tips on hiding and securing my money during the trip it would help.

Hello guys I planned a trip for 27 day and here they are the cities that I’ll be visiting;

Barcelona Paris Zagreb Ljubljana Venice Warsaw Riga Tallinn Helsinki Vilnius Brussels Ghent Brugge Strasbourg Colmar Luxembourg Basel Sofia

I already bought the accommodations,flights and bus tickets,public transportations,the tickets for museums and other attractions and I have exactly 50 euros per day for 27 days and the question is, is it enough? I already found the cheapest places to eat everywhere,grocery stores and planning to use TooGoodToGo app for have cheap meals.I’m not gonna have any type of alcohol and get my own cigarettes from my home country so literally I’m gonna spend the 50 eur to only food.

I know the title seems Ludacris, 8k is a lot of money but I have been planning this trip for a while now and would just like to know any last tips/stuff I might be overlooking as a non-European. The spots i wanna go are all "hot spots" and during peak tourism -- July --

The trip will go as so

Iceland --> Faroe Islands --> Scotland --> UK --> Netherlands --> Switzerland --> Italy --> Greece

For context, we are a group of 3 friends travelling Paris around new year - 31st Dec to 2nd Jan. We have booked an AirBnb for 800 USD for 3 days, and is 15 mins to Effiel tower by metro, but it seems very expensive as I feel other experiences will add more to our cost. We plan to do a day trip to Normandy while on our stay there. Any tips to minimise cost ?

Traveling to France, the Netherlands and England this summer. I anticipate using my Canadian Bank Debit Card to withdraw funds from a Bank ATM. When I was last in Europe (2012), Europe ATM's would not allow you to use a card with a pin number > 4 digits. Is that still the case?

Is AU$130-AU$150 (Australian dollars) aka $90 euros per day per person enough for Europe? This does not include accommodation or flights. This mainly includes food, activities and public transport. We're planning to go to Germany, Austria, Budapest, Croatia, Greece.

I am doing:

Four nights in Munich

Five nights in Vienna

Two nights in Salzburg

Five nights in Budapest

Four nights in split

Five nights at Athens

Five nights at Crete

No fine dining planning maybe clubbing once or twice but not too much. Not planning to do too many tour groups just sightseeing ourselves but will definitely be spending money on just casual dining public transportation and affordable activities.

• I don’t have to worry about accommodation (staying with friends/family), and i won’t be eating out every day
• the route is based on the places i can stay for free

my plan is: portugal (lisbon, lagos) -> southern spain (maybe morocco too, not sure yet) -> barcelona -> cologne -> back to lisbon

also, my goal is to visit historical places and do walking tours, nothing too fancy

is €2,000 enough for this kind of trip?

also would love any tips, places to go, things to do, or anything I should know

I rather do cash to avoid the fees but I know the world is going mostly cashless.

Can I do 6 weeks in europe at 50 euros a day considering(not visiting scandinavia, germany,switzerland)(paris only 2 days and italy only 3 days). Most time will be in eastern europe with 1 week in barcelona and 1 week in poland and I week in baltiks and I will be cooking in the hostel, only 1 meal outside in a day and I will have a eurail pass so transportation will not be that expensive and Im getting hostels in range of 15 to 28 euros per day.

If not 50, what should be the daily budget ideally?

Hi everyone,

I’ve been busily fussing over our European itinerary for August/September next year, and now my partner has decided to panic about how much it’s all costing (cue eye roll). So, I’m turning to you lovely Redditors for advice!

Here’s where we’re at:

• Our return international flights are locked in – no changes happening there.

• Internal flights are costed but not yet booked.

• All accommodation is reserved with free cancellation (some part payments made). We have tried to balance niceties and location but with an emphasis on locations for ease of getting around.

• We’re two early-to-mid 30s gay guys who love food, shopping, and relaxing – no wild partying here!

• We’ll be catching up with friends in London, so that’s non-negotiable.

• Spending money… we’re estimating $10k – is this reasonable? Too much? Too little?

Key Questions:

1. Does this structure make sense, or are we biting off more than we can chew?
2. Is $10k for spending money realistic for 29 days in Europe + 2 nights in Singapore, for two people (given our food/shopping (NOT high end) /relaxing vibe)?
3. Are we overspending on accommodation in any locations? If so, any alternative suggestions?
4. Do you have any must-dos or must-avoids for any of these destinations?
5. Any advice for internal flights/train bookings to save money or time?

Our Itinerary + Budget Overview (AUD, 2 people):

Flights (all flights incl. internal):
$5,346

Accommodation (31 nights):
$12,285

Spending Money:
$10,000 (approx.)

Itinerary Breakdown:

Aug 10, 2025:

• MEL → SIN (Singapore Airlines, $1317 – extra legroom economy)

Aug 10-12 (2 nights): Singapore

• Hotel: $478

Aug 12:

• SIN → HEL → LHR (London Heathrow) (Finnair, $240 + points – business class)

Aug 13-20 (7 nights): London

• Accommodation: AirBnb in Soho, $3063

Aug 20:

• LGW → PMI (Mallorca): British Airways, $665 (incl. luggage)

• Car Hire (7 days): $900

Aug 20-23 (3 nights): Ses Salines, Mallorca

• Accommodation: $1535

Aug 23-27 (4 nights): Palma, Mallorca

• Accommodation: $1607

Aug 27:

• PMI → BCN (Barcelona): Vueling, $335 (incl. luggage)

Aug 27-31 (4 nights): Barcelona

• Accommodation: $1342

Aug 31:

• BCN → NAP (Naples): Vueling, $615 (incl. luggage)

Aug 31 – Sept 6 (6 nights): Praiano, Amalfi Coast

• Accommodation: Airbnb, $3015

• Vespa Hire (3 days): $300

Sept 6-9 (3 nights): Naples, Italy

• Accommodation: $615

Sept 9:

• NAP → CPH (Copenhagen): Lufthansa direct, $687 (incl. luggage)

Sept 9-11 (2 nights): Copenhagen

• Accommodation: $629

Sept 11:

• CPH → HEL → SIN (Singapore): Finnair, $170 + points – business class

Sept 12:

• SIN → MEL: Singapore Airlines, $1317 (extra legroom economy)

Sept 13:

• Arrive home in Melbourne, sell everything, and live on the streets.

Did someone you know got mislead by that snd bring the old currency accidentally and got not approved a cash payment,because the currency is euro €.

I send the map of the eurozone

Blue countries (including Bulgaria) are in the eurozone and EU.

Yellow countries are non-eurozone countries ,but EU ones

Purple is Denmark,because they are in ERM II

Red are countries that adopted the euro without being in EU

The gray countries are not EU or eurozone ones.

I was reading in another post that a lot of publicly accessible toilets in Europe require payment via change. Our itinierary will be taking us through Paris, Strasbourg, Basel, Rome, Venice, Milan, Heraklion, and Athens, What should I be expecting the charge to be in those locations and what coin denominations do the machines typically accept? I would hate to be stuck with the wrong coinage in an emergency.

Hi everyone,

This is my first time traveling within Europe. I'm looking for cheapest options for travel from Amsterdam (or a city within an hour driven from Amsterdam) to Rome or Milan Italy and back for two adults.

What are you recommendations? Airplanes seem to be the fastest and cheapest options (luggage aren't a big concern) but I want to hear from you about your experiences and ideas.

Thank you in advance.

Hi everyone, this is my first time posting here!

Nearing the end of next July when I am free from university I would like to travel to friends I have in southern Italy for 2 weeks! We have all been super excited for this but I looked at the price of travelling with just a few bags for like clothing and it immediately goes to like 400/450 euros for the cheapest flights to there and back?

It was also said that there would be European sleeper trains for just 80 euros from Amsterdam to Milan starting june 18th but those have been delayed and delayed to 2027, ugh...

There also are busses I could take but that would take 3 days and that is truly too long for me, I am only staying there for 2 weeks

SO, I would like to know how I could find good deals to get from the (northern) Netherlands to Naples for lower prices? Or are all ways to go there relatively quickly this expensive :(

Hello,

I was going through some old travel stuff and found a handful of mixed European coins from different countries. Some I recognize, others I have no clue where they’re from.

For those who travel Europe often — what do you usually do with foreign coins you don’t recognize?. Keep them? Ask locals? Ignore them?.

Just curious how other travelers handle this.

Thanks!

Hi everyone, I’ll be spending 3 days each in Prague, Vienna, and Budapest this November. Flights, hotels, intercity trains, and local transit passes are all booked and prepaid.

Friend and I will be exploring the cities, visiting attractions (will purchase in advance if I can), eating out, and definitely spending time at the Christmas markets for food, drinks, and souvenirs.

My travel credit card has no foreign transaction fees, so I plan to use it whenever possible. That said, I know some smaller places (cafes, market stalls, tips, etc.) may prefer cash.

Do most places in these cities (including Christmas markets) take cards, or is cash still a regular necessity?

How much cash would you recommend having on hand per city for 3 days of exploring?

Any tips for withdrawing local currency (trusted ATMs, avoiding leftover coins)?

Currencies needed: Prague: Czech crowns (Kč)

Vienna: Euro (€)

Budapest: Hungarian forint (Ft)

I’m mainly trying to balance not carrying too much cash while also avoiding situations where I can’t pay. Any advice from recent travelers would be really appreciated!

I would be travelling to central Europe mainly covering Munich, Vienna, Budapest and Prague.

I wanted to know how much can I fully rely on using international credit cards or forex debit cards.

My Munich part is pretty sorted and I am looking to majorly check for Vienna, Budapest and Prague. I would be in these 3 cities for about 10-11 days.

I am planning to carry some hundred euros + credit card and a backup forex debit card. Since Budapest and Prague have their own currencies - what's the best strategy to withdraw small amounts/or one decent amount to go through whole iternary?

Like should I swipe my cards to get the cash or should I go to exchange offices? Also how reliably and easily I can use the card throughout for example -

- for hotel and restaurants

- for lunch at markets and other souvenir shops

- for travelling in public transports - busses/trams/subways etc.

Someone who has recently travelled to these places can pour in some insights. What your strategies were and how can I smoothly manage this across these countries?

Hi there, I was just wondering what a realistic budget is for someone to backpack around Europe would be from June to October? I will have around 10k euros with flights home booked, and am totally prepared to spend it all - but was wondering whether this should be enough?

We will be spending a couple of months in Italy, Greece and France, and then go up to the Netherlands for a festival and then come back down towards Albania, Montenegro and Turkey before heading home.

I am going to be travelling with my partner and we are both prepared to be on a budget of around 500 euros a week all inclusive - we have some parts of our trip booked plus some free accommodation around but was just wondering if anyone can provide any advice as to how realistic that budget will be.

Thanks very much

I will make a trip to Balkans and I want to know is there any difference with this euros?

Hello,

I am planning to visit Vienna, Budapest and Prag by starting from Cologne (plane to Vienna) and finisihing in Berlin. I live in Essen, after Berlin I will come back Essen. Because I want to see Berlin and maybe Leipzig if I have energy.

Beside the first plane, between the cities I am planning to use trains travel between cities. And spend 2-3 nights in one city. I am planning to start on 20th july and finish around finish around 27th july.

I will travel with my family and cousins, so it is not a young people trip with clubs or bar jumping or lots of travelling to see just a spot. It will be mainly historical places, museums and parks. I am planning to rent AirBnB to have comfort and save money.

I was wondering what should be the budget overall, I calculated travel for one person might be around 150 euro just for transportation between the main cities. Haven't check AirBnB and other cost.

What would be your estimated overall cost and do you have any recomendation in those cities such as museums, restaurants and other close cities/districts to travel.

Best regards.