What cities are the best for cheap travel for a first trip for a history lover?

Airfare could potentially cost more than $1000, so he's going to need to choose from among the places that are the cheapest destinations from his origin airport. What airport is that?

Sorry, but even with the most stringent measures, in the cheapest cities, you aren't getting a week in Europe for $1,000. Flight and hotels are a large part. But he still needs to eat, get around inside the city, and presumably pay for at least some entrance fees.

Instead of hotels, he should probably be looking at hostels. And the cheapest cities to stay in may not be the cheapest to fly to, depending on where he lives.

Another thing to consider- what is the point of identifying the cheapest cities if they hold no real interest for your grandson? Wouldn't the trip be more valuable if he identified the cities that he really wants to explore and then figure out how much it would realistically cost to visit there?

My short answer would be that he needs to save up some more $$ before planning a trip to Europe, even for just 1 week. I'm not sure he could get airfare and 6/7 nights in a hostel for that, and as others said he has to eat, use public transportation (the days of hitchhiking across Europe are in the past), and if he wants to see inside any castles there will probably be entrance fees.

Dreaming of a trip to Europe is a wonderful thing, but reality has to enter into the equation too.

I also think it would be difficult to travel with that budget, and I tend to be a more budget traveler. In terms of the airfare, a lot depends on where he would be traveling from. From where I live, I feel pretty good if I can get airfare for $800. Also, the originating city plays into where he could go with a low budget. For example, in general, I can get to London, Paris and Amsterdam cheaper than what I can get for other cities.

There are ways to travel more in inexpensively. We only eat out one meal a day and do picnics for the other two. He will be able to get student tickets for museums where available. If he is on or has access to Facebook, I follow "Thrifty Traveler". They have great ideas and they often will post good deals they find. I know a couple people in Portugal right now and their airfares were about $400.

Of all the places I've been to, Spain (except for Barcelona) has been the least expensive in terms of meals and hotels. Surprisingly, France has been quite reasonable for us, as well.

He could wait a bit and really research and plan his trip while saving a bit more money.

Tom, do family members have airline miles they would be willing to transfer to him ? Or anyone willing to open a new credit card for the signup bonus ? Currently there are several cards that would provide enough miles for an economy round-trip to Europe after the required initial spending on the card. (Take a look at The Points Guy for guidance.) For airfare, Scott's Cheap Flights spotlights current lower-cost fares to many destinations.

If checked at the border he is likely to be denied entry in to Schengen as he has insufficient funds. More savings are needed for a start.

How old is your grandson? Is he a minor? Will he be traveling with a friend to split hotel costs? Time of year will make a difference cost wise.

You didn’t say where he’s traveling from. For example: Flying from Phoenix, $1000 usually won’t buy a RT ticket to anywhere in Europe.

A good guidebook and internet searches will help him set his budget and destination(s). There are a couple threads running concurrently about budget and traveling with minors. Use the search feature at the top of the page.

Once you manage to solve the flights. Don't look at Edinburgh is my suggestion, look further east. Berlin is a lot cheaper than many other parts of Germany and has more history than you can see in a month. Plenty of palaces as well. Or he can look even further east. Lviv is a great destination. Or maybe eastern Estonia and the border fortresses of Narva and Ivangorod.

Is he by himself? If he went with a friend, splitting rooms is possible. That would cut costs.

Yes, it's more than possible to do $1000 for the trip of 7 days. Hostels can be very inexpensive.

My wife and I did 30 days in 2019 for $5500. That is $2700/person for 30 days or under $100/day. We did the plane fare with CC points. We stay in cheap places. We don't spend a lot on food, but do 1 fancy meal a day.

If you want to see castles in the UK go to Wales, they are all over the place.

We did a four week drive tour of S. Wales and England in 2017, staying largely in B&Bs or small hotels averaging less than 100 GBP per day on lodging and about 70 GBP per day on food. Our B&Bs gave us a free breakfast and we usually skipped lunch or just had a snack, so we only had to pay for one meal a day. We had great food, used TripAdvisor to find restaurants.

I don't see how you can do a week in the UK for $1000 that includes the airfare.

Check out these tours
https://www.rabbies.com/en/scotland-tours#seetours

Sorry, but even if he finds a really cheap airfare in the $600 range(unlikely), no way he can't even eat, pay local transport and admissions cost for $400, let alone have a place to stay even in a hostel.

Paul of the frozen North-this guy doesn't have a free air ticket with credit card points unless someone gifts him such a ticket. I agree that $160/day is doable if he had a free flight-but even free flights have substantial taxes, especially flights to the UK.

Poland is probably the least expensive country we have visited. Lots of history. Cheapest flight we ever had was to London

I have seen NY-Vienna in September in coach for $300. Yesterday.

But Grandma/pa, you can make it possible. Give him an early xmas gift.

Many people here are confused - he is NOT fixed on the UK. He wants to see castles. They are all over. The UK is on the high end of expenses in Europe.

Everyone is saying that $1000 isn’t enough, and while that will be a TIGHT budget for a week... it isn’t impossible. It’s very very dependent on where you will be flying from. I live on the east coast and flights to anywhere in Europe never cost me more than $700 and I can usually find flights between $300 & $450 if I’m flexible with my dates. If he really wants to go now, it’s more likely he will have to shave off a couple days to be comfortable.

My suggestion would be to travel East as it’s much cheaper. His budget won’t take him far in places like Edinburgh. Czechia is a beautiful country and extremely affordable, especially if you venture outside of Prague. Poland is even cheaper, rich in history, and covered in castles. But since it is so Far East, it’s a little more expensive to fly to. He might look into flying to a country cheap to fly to from the US (Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal are usually on the lower end) and then buying a budget flight, train, or bus from that destination to his final country.

As others have said, hotels are out with that kind of budget. But I have never booked a hotel for any of my travels so I don’t think he’s missing much. Hostels or Airbnb’s where he rents out a single room instead of the entire place are his best bet. In places like Poland, a nice hostel bed could be found for $15/nt (not so nice for $5) and a private room on Airbnb ~$30/nt. A kitchen would be necessary as he would have to cook at least one of his meals daily.

I’ve done two 2 week trips to Europe solo and each one cost me around $2200 all in and I moved around A LOT making it much more expensive. While it’s possible that a transatlantic flight could eat up his entire budget, if he’s savvy, patient, and does a ton of research, I think he could pull it off. At the very least he could do a 4 or 5 night trip with that budget.

With that budget he could have a fine time in Quebec City, as close to Europe as he could come without crossing the Atlantic.
It's a walled city with a towering hotel that looks like a castle, and an easy ferry boat ride to the south shore of the St. Lawrence to appreciate the vistas. The fortress above the Plains of Abraham, still a functioning army post, provides extensive military insights and, during the summer, a colourful flag-raising ceremony by the venerable Royal 22nd Regiment, 'les vingt-doos" in local slang, complete with the regiment's billy-goat mascot. One historian argues that the British (including American colonists) victory over the French on the Plains changed the whole course of history in North America.
And it is a party town for young people.
But he should be doing the research into this near-but-foreign land himself, the better to appreciate all he will see and learn.

I'll agree the it doesn't make any difference how cheap the destination is if it doesn't have what interests him. And depending on his age, car rental may not be a possibly and so he'll need to land somewhere with good public transit. If this is his first time out of the country and he's traveling solo, his comfort level with foreign languages (or, say, how much of that he might have to be able to work with) might also be a consideration.

But if he's old enough to go Europe by himself, he's also old enough to do the research around where, when (high versus low seasonl rates?) and how to get around, and how much that will cost. What he does NOT want to do is to budget ONLY to get from A to B and not for what he wants to see and do when he gets there!

So there are lots of considerations here. Setting the "cheap" part aside, I would have him explore what it might take for a week in London. It usually isn't near the top of "cheap" places but I just plugged a random week into Hostel World's site, and beds in some shared dorms popped up for under $30 a night. Hostelbookers is another resource he could use. Additional benefits are a large number of FREE, very good museums (British Museum, Museum of London, V&A, British Library's Sir John Ritblat: Treasures Gallery, Maritime Museum, etc.), English as the primary language, TONS of history, a good city transport system, and two very important castles within easy reach: the Tower of London (in London itself) and Windsor, less than an hour away by train.

While ticket fees for both castles plus some other attractions I'd highly recommend, such as Westminster Abbey, are on the high side, they are must-do's (IMHO) for history buffs, and their prices offset by those museums he can do for free. If he's traveling alone, hostels can be good places for some social time with other travelers, a fair number of which are likely to be in his age group.

Can he do it for $1000? That's where the homework comes in. :O)

Another vote for Poland. Warsaw and Krakow are full of history and Krakow has a very youthful population I noticed when I was there. Lodging and food are sinfully inexpensive.

@Southam- one teeny, tiny problem with visiting Quebec City at present - the border. If the OPs grandson isn't a Canadian, he shall not pass.

Nowhere does the OP state the grandson's age, when he would be taking this trip, is he traveling alone, or where he would be flying from. All of which would help with answers and without which we're all pretty much in the dark.

For me, one week is too short to justify the cost of flying to Europe. Pro-rating the flight cost across the length of stay, each day of the trip seems very expensive. You’re barely over jet lag before having to leave again. Saving up more money for this trip can allow more sightseeing and experiences, while still sleeping in hostels or other budget lodgings that vary by country.

Some people only have a week to take a vacation to Europe. That said, what interests him about history? Going to Poland for history and going to England for history are two very different things. The Web is a fabulous place as there are numerous websites geared toward young travelers that would be better than a RS group that skewers older.

Given his budget, I see Laura's point. With a larger budget, we took a trip to London with my husband's parents one year during my spring break from teaching high school. It was great and we also spent one day on a tour to Canterbury Cathedral and Dover Castle. If you only have a week and can afford London's costs, it makes a great one week trip.

From Canada, $1000 US for a week is impossible.

I wonder if OP Tom is coming back to answer our questions and tell us more about his Grandson….

Many people here are confused - he is NOT fixed on the UK. He wants to see castles. They are all over. The UK is on the high end of expenses in Europe.

Castles may exist all over Europe but the UK has so many, particularly Wales, that the proximity and subsequent reduction in travel makes for a more flexible and cheaper experience. As for the UK being expensive, it's not in comparison with most Western European countries. It's incredibly easy to find cheap food anywhere as well as accommodation and with a Young Person's Railcard, train travel can be very cost effective. Also, a flight to London is likely to be easier to find and cheaper than a flight to more budget friendly cities such as Tallinn, Krakow or Budapest.

Right. I understand that he's not fixated on the UK. Yes, London/UK can be expensive but also doesn't HAVE to be. I doubt many of us have bunked in a dorm bed/shared bath recently, and he just might find a bargain flight depending on where he's coming from. Might he have to save up a bit more? Sure, but it's worth at least a look-see if he's interested in the city.

A week also isn't necessarily too short a time depending on his location. We've done exactly that for London from the upper midwest, a Saturday (flying overnight Friday) to Sunday: 8 nights on the ground. He could shorten it by a night or so if budget demanded.

He would have to carefully work his on-the-ground expenses according to the current exchange rate (1 U.S. dollar = .72 Pound sterling.)

But yes, it would help to have more info about this lad.

Thank you all for comments and information on places you know.
Yesterday, we talked and here is more info.

He will be 18 and traveling with other family members. They are searching sites, such as Expedia. I’ve warned them to read the rules and fine print.

Yes, one week is too short. I recommended a minimum of 2 weeks or include two weekends in the travel period.

What airport is that? My grandson lives in Florida near Tampa. Early low price airfare searches are pointing to LaGuardia in New York.

Another thing to consider- what is the point of identifying the cheapest cities if they hold no real interest for your grandson? Wouldn't the trip be more valuable if he identified the cities that he really wants to explore and then figure out how much it would realistically cost to visit there?

Yes, he does need to focus on what interests him and what is important for visiting and lodging. And What is the minimum he and others needs for comfort and privacy in lodging.

I’ve recommended that he watch the Rick Steves show for every place that interests him. Rick has concise, factual information for travelers on a budget and trying to decide where to go. Watch with a map and measure distances.

Yes, there are ways to stay expensive cities like some of you mentioned.

Thank you again. I leave this open for any any additional comments and then it’s back to my grandson and family going with him.

Tom, if he's traveling with other family members, which parts of the expenses will he be responsible for? Which parts, if any, could be shared? Who are the other family members, how many of them are there, and approx. how old are they? Have any of them traveled outside of the U.S. before? How big a voice will the other family members have in deciding where to go?

It wasn't clear that your grandson wasn't looking at going on this adventure by himself. The addition of other people puts it in a completely perspective, especially if they've a strong hand in the plan! :O)

which parts of the expenses will he be responsible for? Which parts, if any, could be shared? Who are the other family members, how many of them are there, and approx. how old are they? Have any of them traveled outside of the U.S. before? How big a voice will the other family members have in deciding where to go?
It wasn't clear that your grandson wasn't looking at going on this adventure by himself. The addition of other people puts it in a completely perspective, especially if they've a strong hand in the plan! :O)

For his high school graduation gift, he is going to Europe with his Mom, Dad, and brother. Mom and Dad are paying. Dad went to Europe in college. Mom and brother have not been there.
Because of his love of history, they let him choose.

He likes castles. Thanks for the info that there are castles all over Europe.

Yes, he has to pick a place that he really wants yo go.

The budget will probably go up.

Before I saw that Mm and Dad would be accompanying him, my first thought was that, once he determined a location with lots of castles, and Scotland certainly has its share, going by bicycle be considered. Could be cheap to rent a bike, pedal from castle to castle, and stay in hostels or at campgrounds. Route could be affected by how much time and energy he had, assuming a bike was even being considered.

Maybe a future trip … solo or otherwise?

It sounds like all the family members need to do substantial research on traveling to Europe. They will have a steep learning curve, no matter how long or short the trip.

Please encourage them to get a copy of the Rick Steves guidebook, Europe Through the Back Door. The link is to the shop to buy it here, but it can be purchased in hardcopy or electronic form from Amazon and other online and brick and mortar stores.

In the meantime they each can learn from the Travel Tips section of this website. It has excellent information on the following topics: Trip Planning, Transportation, Packing Light, Money, Phones & Technology, Theft & Scams, Sleeping & Eating, Health & Hygiene, and Sightseeing & Activities.

About the castles and history, browsing the countries and what to see and do in them can be done in the Explore Europe section. Incidentally, until I started planning a trip to Wales next summer, I didn't know that Wales has more castles per square mile than anywhere in the world.

Googling will produce more info on that, but this Castle Country link can get them started.

Thanks, Cyn. Bicycle travel is a great idea and well supported in Europe.

Thanks, Lo. Your travel planning information helps a lot. Right down to Castles / square mile.

I'm also a big castle/medieval history buff! I think your grandson will find this website very helpful: https://castletourist.com/best-castles-by-country/

For me Poland is one of the best countries for castles in Europe, home to the largest castle in the world, Malbork (aka Marienburg), the 13th century HQ of the notorious Teutonic Knights.

My home country of Spain also has many castles (I think around 10,000) due to periods of constant conflict known as the Reconquista, there are so many that 90% rarely have more than 1 tourist on site at a time lol! Many Spanish castles were even used as locations in the HBO series Game of Thrones - https://theculturetrip.com/europe/spain/articles/12-real-life-game-of-thrones-locations-to-see-in-spain/

After some research - sounds like they should have a great time.
We, too, live near Tampa. When I research flights - I also check Orlando, Miami and Ft Lauderdale. Most of the time FLL and Mia have the best rates - depends on the destinations. We rent a car one way - about a 4+ hour drive. Since many flights are late afternoon or mid-evening - works well. Since there will be 4 traveling - can mean a significant savings - and there is usually a choice of connecting airports.

Cheap and full of castles .. Slovakia.

I was not impressed by the website Carlos linked to, I think Wikipedia will give a better overview. And it might be helpful if we knew what kind of castles he is looking for.

But I do agree with Carlos that when it comes castles, Spain is an underrated country. There are some great castles there that do not suffer from overtourism.

I immediately thought of Rick's son's travel "tours", Andy Steves Travel. I put tours in quotes because most appear to be unguided tours. I admit I have not really digested the entire website, but the experiences are geared to what may be your grandson's age range. Pricing looks favorable. Accommodations can be hostels. There is an Edinburgh option. Also, if that is his destination of choice, there appear to be lots of short day trips from the city, Hairy Coo, and others.

I think it sounds exciting. Hope it works out.

Thanks, Debbie. Andy Steves Travel is a good budget resource.

Thanks to all who have increased my knowledge and curiosity about castles.

I come from a place with a lot of bungalows.

Another vote for Poland for numerous reasons. Depending on the topic of historical interest, I would include Paris, (with Versailles and Fontainebleau), obviously, as another option.

Castles were the topic of last night's Monday Night Travels on this website. The link is always posted a day or so later for viewing. Check here tomorrow or the next day: https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/travel-classes/monday-night-travel

Yes, Rick said a castle is a fortified residence.

OP:
You mentioned Expedia.
Please encourage them to book their flights directly with the airline, not with Expedia or any other ticket seller.
Nowadays, it's even more prudent to do so with the cancellations and changes in flights taking place every second minute.