Cost of trip

In over 100 nights in Europe (Germany/Austria) I've averaged about €32 per night for accommodations (single occupancy) and about €20 per day for food (mostly in restaurants). That's less than $70/day. However, I spend 85% of my time outside of major cities. In cities, I spend more, but not $150.

Cynthia, my travel budget is fairly tight, about 100 euro per day (travel solo, can't share room expense but eat in restaurants once or twice daily), more in cities like Rome or Venice because I like certain neighborhoods. $100-$150 per day sounds reasonable. It would be nice to eat at restaurants at least once in each city, just to have that experience as well - and there are good restaurants in all price ranges.

I think $100-$150 per day per person for lodging, food, and sightseeing is reasonable if you're as frugal as you sound. You might spend closer to $150 in Paris but you will be able to do less in many places in Germany and Austria.

I thiink your budget is doable,, even in places like Switzerland and Paris( which aren't cheap) by using the buying food in bakeries and grocers..with occaisonal meal at a sit down place. With three people sometimes you can find a hotel room just as cheap as paying for three in a hostel.. so research that carefully. August is not a bad time for hotel rates in Paris, I have a double in a great area booked for 78 euros a night in Paris for this august ,, do start booking and looking now, as stuff fills up rates go up! Willingness to stay out of city centers can make accomadation costs alot cheaper, same with eating.

I think your budget is very doable espec since there are three to share lodging. Remember in B&B's breakfast usually hearty is included. If you are students/Teachers or seniors you can sometimes get museum discounts. But only if you ask and have id to prove it. It is rarely posted. Switzerland may be a bit more challenging so I suggest you ck a hostel that has a private room, bathroom may be down the hall. however most a really run welll and squeaky clean.
Fromyears 2005-2010 I was successful at less than $100 per day all over europe and rarely a hostel except Switzerland. 2011 I was in Bali and couldn't meet the $100 per day target.

I did not mention that we three adults are family, so basically everything comes from one income source, :)
(but did not think it mattered). But our travel skills and values are the same. But yes, we can share B&B /Hostel rooms. One is a student and two are educators so maybe some discounts there? Most of our plan is countryside rather than city travel..

Cynthia ,,well it would matter to me if I was paying for the whole trip instead of just one third of it. So in my example then staying in a cheap hotel may make more sense since you may not save much by hostelling it,, that only saves if everyone is paying their own way!
Depends though, are you looking to stay in a 12 bed coed dorm, or looking for a private room( some hostels have those) . Some hotels even have a small kitchenette for you to use,, look at the Hotel Marignan in Paris, you can get your own room, with breakfast included for 95 euros in August for a triple, thats less then 32 euros a night each,, look at hostel prices and you can see the advantage, plus this hotel is very central, noted to be clean but basic.. Book yesterday, its likely full but you may luck out!

Yes, I always go for the least expensive way.. the only way we have ever stayed in a hostel is if I booked a whole room, and the total was cheaper.( back when we had a larger family of 5 traveling I often found a hostel room for 5 or 6 was less than some B &Bs). I am not opposed to staying in budget hotels either. I have not researched them for a couple years and am not currently familiar with "brands"

If you were to stay in Frankfurt today you'd pay €65 per room and night for the 4* Clarion Collection hotel (through JustBook, a last-minute hotel booking App or Website), a Baguette, some cheese, butter, cold cuts (bologna) and two bottles of water cost you €5 at REWE, a public transport day ticket is €6.20 per head... a beer in a pub is around €3.50... and Frankfurt is more on the expensive side.... the exchange rate today is €1 = $1.32.

You can definitely make it on $300-$450 per day average. And you can eat well. Consider renting an apartment. We've often rented one for less than $150 per night. Allows you to have some meals "at home". Sometimes they don't want to rent for less than 3 to 5 nights, but worth a try. VRBO.com is reliable.

We are thrifty. We travel as a family of 5 with three children, so TOTAL costs might be comparable to three adults (since children sometimes get freebies). We take month-long trips about equally divided between urban and rural. So we might compare well.... Typically, without airfare, everything else costs us an average of $300/day for all of us together. That includes ground transportation from place to place. So if your 3 can travel as cheaply as our 5, you can do it for $100 per person. We suffer no hardships, but we don't eat at service restaurants much at all, tend to prefer lodgings with kitchens (but not exclusively), and like to focus on the pleasures of just "being there" vs making it a non-stop, pay-for-everything thrill ride.

Absolutely doable if you're splitting the cost of accommodations between the three of you. I did 6 weeks from late August to early October, 2009( England, Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Czech Republic ) and my total expenses ( and I'm a budget traveller as well) excluding airfare and rail pass, was $4500 Canadian...