Best bang for your buck in Europe

Rob,
Have you looked into Eastern European countries, as well as the Balkans? They're an even better bang for the buck (if that's your sole criterion) but obviously you won't find the transport system and standard of living at par with that of (former western) Germany. Poland, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, Moldova, Albania (and Turkey) are quite affordable and every one of them has many sites/attractions worth seeing. There's a wide variance even within the Central/Eastern European countries..some are more developed and have higher standards of living than others, depending on investments from the EU and other factors. In addition to Central/Eastern Europe, you can also find affordable places in Sicily and Portugal.

It can be like this in Italy too IF you are away from the main tourist towns. This summer we stayed in a very non touristy hill town and ate most of our late evening meals at a variety of restaurants in our town in the 10 days we were there for <50€ for 2 people for a 2-3 course meal plus a bottle of wine. We didn't pay anything for lodging but I did notice some b&bs in the town center whose rates were about 50€ per night for a double. We were happy to stay on the outskirts of giftshop laden tourist towns and make these our daytripping adventures.

Germany is relatively cheap, but for the real bargains one should indeed go further east. The Czech Republic would fit your bill. A lot to see at short distances and a dense railway network, which makes day-tripping a good option. Poland is cheaper, but attractions are more spread out, and trains are punctual, but slow.

Hi,

For serious budget traveling I would focus on Poland, the Czech Rep. and Hungary if my days trips to the CR this past June are any indication. I'm allowing more days for those places on the next trip in June 2017.

Poland is cheaper, but attractions are more spread out, and trains are punctual, but slow.

It depends which trains (intercity vs. regional/local). The major cities (Krakow, Warsaw, Gdansk, etc.) have been connected by high speed trains for several years now. Those trains are not slow. There is also a dirt cheap bus network called Polski Bus that traverses Poland as well as key cities in neighboring countries (Berlin, Budapest, Prague, etc). As far as attractions being "more spread out", I don't know what to make of this comment (relative to where?). Germany and Poland are both very large countries with multiple large (and small) cities in each direction, so how can this be applied just to Poland?

I found Bavaria to be pretty inexpensive and full of great towns and cities, along with the Alps, which are stunning. Poland is extremely inexpensive with an excellent train system. Krakow and Gdansk are fantastic cities, and there are other interesting cities and towns. I have not been to Hungary.

According to reports, Turkey is quite affordable these days.

Of course that is because their tourism has been driven off by terrorism and a dictatorship quashing civil rights and democratic institutions following an attempted coup. But if you are willing to take the risks involved with these circumstances, then you'll find many bargains.

I've found a lot of 40-50 euro a night pension or private rooms
available [in Grermany] on the different town websites

That seems a little high to me. On my last trip traveling single, in Bavaria, Czechia, and Saxony, almost always in small towns, I averaged 31,50€/per night (only one night not including breakfast). That included two nights in Berchtesgaden and two nights in Prague out of 14 nights total.

And, by the way, unless you are traveling alone, or never spend more than a few nights in any on place, Ferienwohnungen (vacation apartments or FeWo) can be a great deal. My last trip was with a partner, and we found a nice little efficiency FeWo in the Bavarian Alps for 299€ for the week (21€/nt/P). Of course, we had to buy supplies on top of that to make our own breakfast. They delivered fresh rolls to our door every morning for 35 cent each.

Private rooms might be less expensive in Germany, but I implicitly trust the least expensive room to be clean and well maintained. The Germans have such high standard. I've never had a bad room, no matter how inexpensive.

On that same trip, I averaged 17,70€ for meals (breakfast was included with my room) with drinks and tips.

... so how can this be applied just to Poland?
I love Poland, but the country has large parts which haven't very much to attract the foreign visitor. East of Kraków it thins out rather quickly. And not all places of interest are on the intercity network. I don't mind and maybe I should have looked for a faster bus connection, but the train from Tarnów to Lublin takes four hours.

GREECE.. so cheap.. what a breath of fresh air..

Had a hotel about 50 feet from a gorgeous beach.. and 5 minute walk from main town.. air conditioned room.. small balcony with view, and a delicious homemade breakfast every morning.. 45 euros.. could have found something cheaper too.. but so glad we found this place.

We arrived in Greece ( flew Easyjet from London to Mykonos).. and what a budget relief.. but Mykonos is not a "cheap" island.. its very touristy.. we still had a beautiful room there with amazing views.. swimming pool and huge breakfast.. but it cost us 90 Euros!!!! So.. taking a ferry to NAXOS.. we found our nirvana... Food was cheap, people were nice, this place was great.

Last month I was in Glasgow, Manchester, and Liverpool. While the lodging wasn't as cheap as some of the other places mentioned in this thread, central accommodations weren't high-priced, either (I paid £50-80 per night). Almost all of the attractions in these three places are free, and high quality. Transit between the cities is cheap if you buy in advance (but expensive at the last minute). Transit within the cities is inexpensive, and for me in Manchester, it was free, since I didn't need any at all during my two days there. I remember some sticker shock from London; these places are significantly cheaper, but highly worthwhile. And there's a range of food prices, including ubiquitous supermarkets for the budget-minded.

And while it was a good deal last month, the pound was US$1.32 then; it's now US$1.22, so these places are even less expensive for those using US dollars.

Here's my trip report with all the details: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/uk-trip-report-glasgow-manchester-liverpool-in-september-2016

Certain regions in Italy are still bargains: Sicilia, Calabria, Basilicata, Puglia, Abruzzo, Le Marche in particular.

I have found singles with breakfast in the cathedral area of Palermo for €35.

My favorite place to visit is Hungary--trip #3 next April--and since they still use the forint it's quite affordable. Same with Poland and the zloty, even more affordable and to me quite beautiful and one of my favorite trips so far, visited Krakow, Warsaw and a day trip to Gdansk.

Bulgaria! Europe's undiscovered gem -- many levels of history, pre-Greek through Greek, Roman, Ottoman, Soviet sphere, new democracy; beautiful mountains and countryside; very friendly people; eminently affordable; and generally few tourists, except for the Black Sea beach locations.

I would echo the recommendation for the Czech Republic. We spent a month there a couple of summers ago.
It is extremely inexpensive (if you pay more than $2 for a beer, you're paying too much!), there is LOADS to see, and the country has an excellent infrastructure for getting around. Even though we were there for quite a long time I really want to go back and explore further...it's a pleasant place to travel!