Budget Help

Most of the big-name sights have web pages where you can get entry fee info, or at least a Google search will get you the info eventually. As tedious as that is, it makes more sense that asking others when we don't know precisely what you want to see. Some people only do one big site a day, other people can pack in 4-5. As for food; again, people are too different to pin down a number. You can usually find a quick meal from sandwich shops or street vendors for $6-$10. Casual restaurants, maybe $15-20. Nicer restaurants, much more. A big breakfast included with your lodging can sometimes get a person through 'till dinner. Small corner groceries are great for picnic supplies & there are fruit stands everywhere. There is simply too much variation in the way people can eat to pin down a number. It really goes from about $15 to $300 depending on your taste expectations. Pay attention to drinks, however, as they can sometimes cost as much as the meal. Feel free to ask for tap water. For what it's worth, we feed a family of five with three kids for about $55 a day total, but then again, we rarely eat out. We shop and make our own about 80% of the time. In Italy, you can usually find a $10 pizza for 1 person. In Poland you might expect restaurant food for about 30% less than Italy/Germany. Sounds like a great trip.

It is nearly impossible to plan someones budget without a lot of additional info. For food, admissions, and local transportation we plan 100 to 150 Euro/day/person. This is in addition to lodging and major transportation. Also, you need to get in the habit of thinking in Euro. It will depend on where you are at. Big cities more expensive than country side.

We have a draft of an itinerary: Pompeii 2 days, Rome 2 days, Florence 2 days, Venice 2 days, Munich 4 days, Hohenschwangau 1 day, Colmberg 1 day, Rothenburg 1 day, Baden-Baden 2 days, Krakow 5 days, Warsaw 3 days. For Italy excluding Pompeii we are going with Globus on an escorted tour. We plan on seeing Pompeii, Vesuvius, and National Archeological Museum on our own. For Germany: In Munich plan on doing Oktoberfest for 2 days, sightseeing around the city one day, and a side trip to Zugspitze another day. For Hohenschwangau plan on visiting King Ludwig's castles then driving the romantic road to Colmberg to stay in a castle. Then to Rothenburg for the medieval walled city plan on doing the crime and punishment museum, nightwatch tour and church. In Baden-Baden just the spas. For Poland: Krakow: Wawel, Auschwitz, Salt Mine, Schindlar's Factory, Jewish District, Main Market, and some churches and stuff. Warsaw: Some museums, uprising monument, old centre, and the park with the chopin statue (can't remember name at the moment). The $75 dollars was just for food (probably a bit high) The trouble is not knowing what to allocate for entrance fees and the fares to get to them. I don't need to add the cost of lodging or airfare into this since I have already got a good handle on those costs. Just the daily budget for spending on the sites and local transport

Joseph, for the sites you mention in Naples and the surrounding area you should check into the discount card (Napoli Artecard). As a total budget per day, I'd round up to 100 euro plus what you want to spend on hotels; trains are cheap in Italy, don't bother with a railpass there. And big cities may have more variety in prices for food, while some smaller towns that rely on tourists can have higher meal prices (in general).

Reviewing costs from a 2010 15 day trip in which I obsessively tracked cost, $180/day for 2 was what we spent on food, entertainment, culture. That included 5 "big" dinners in the 70 to 100 Euro/2 range. Lots of breakfasts were included with the hotels, we picnicked a few times, saw lots of museums, Oktoberfest (10 Eu/beer, but they're big). Oh yes, $75 of ATM fees from my friendly local bank for allowing me to get my money in Euros. Then I set up an account at a credit union with no foreign Atm transaction fees, so now I can have 1 extra beer/day (but not at Oktoberfest).

That's one expansive trip ... southern Italy to Poland. You're covering quite a few km there... Are you factoring in drop charges on the car, parking, and tolls? Are you factoring in transportation to any airports, internal flights, or train journeys? Taxis or whatever from any new destinations to your hotel /B&B / hostel / ... etc. As suggested above fire up the googler to find the admissions for the attractions and museums you are wanting to visit... Happy planning, and enjoy your month when it rolls around.

Thanks all for you help. I have been reluctantly going through all the places we might visit and taking their price and doing the math the long and hard way lol. It seems like my food maybe to high but I always plan high end so it has a built in emergency amount to my vacation. Thanks again for everything

Well, nobody "has" to drink wine and beer on vacation (some people don't drink) but if you do it's an enjoyable and in most places, relatively affordable beverage, particularly compared to the cost of soft drinks or water. But every country is different. Beer and wine are much cheaper in Germany than in the U.S. (3.50 - 4 for a half-liter of beer, 3.50 - 5.50 for .2-.25 oz of wine in all but the fanciest places) but mixed drinks tend to be expensive (unless it's happy hour it will be 6-12) and not particularly good. Wine is well-priced in Italy, but beer is a bit more than in Germany. You can ask for tap water in Germany but you'll be shot down most of the time, so if you don't want to pay as much for water as you are for your beer you might want to carry water bottles. Food prices vary even from city to city (and depending on where you are in that city). Poland is famously a good deal. Germany can be hit and miss - eating in Berlin is wonderfully inexpensive and full of variety. Munich's restaurants in the tourist center tend to be much higher (entrees at even casual sit down restaurants start around 9 and go way up from there) but cheap wurst and kebap stands where you can get full for less than 6 are everywhere. Hope this info helps you plan a bit. I think in general $75/day (60 euro right now) should be more than enough for food.