What do you think would be the most affordable country in the fall of2011?

In Ireland the B&B's are about the only gd value expense as a tourist. I think France and Germany are a can be a gd value w/ plenty to see and do as well. I cannot comment on the other countries you mention as they are not on my must see list.
If it helps I average no more than $100 per day usually less in FR & Ger. for 2 traveling car rental included and we see almost everything along our route. Hope this helps a little.

We were just in Poland in September and we found it extremely affordable, especially Warsaw. It's a wonderful country to visit too.

Croatia is very affordable (and beautiful). The small, less touristed islands of Greece are also very inexpensive. Both of these countries welcome tourists, speak English, have amazingly beautiful scenery, and would give you a memorable vacation.

I second the vote for Croatia. It's very up and coming, so still cheaper than western Europe. The cruise ships pull into Dubrovnik and sometimes Split, but they're still charming towns. The resorts and various islands provide great holiday comfort plus there's historical sights in a limited distance.

Liked Poland a lot (Krakow). Warsaw we just spent one night in and it was interesting but Krakow was our favorite. Another idea is Portugal. Our all time favorite hotel was Albergaria do Calvario in Evora. Exploring the Alejento region was really neat. Loved Lisbon. Cheap and interesting country.

I've heard that Iceland is expensive - someone I knew said she was there for 3 days and spent $1,000. I don't know what she spent her money on but it seems like that country is up there with the rest of Scandinavia in terms of prices.

I have also heard that Iceland is expensive. I have spent part of my work day looking at info on the Czech Republic and Croatia with some peeks at Poland. So many places and so little money....

In my experience, Czech Republic and Hungary were the least expensive countries (I also visited Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands). Actually, Berlin was surprisingly cheap as well. I also heard from a friend that Iceland was expensive. I was complaining about how expensive Amsterdam was (it was the last stop on my trip), and he replied that Reykjavik was even more expensive!

We spent a week in Berlin this past December and found it to be the cheapest European city we've visited so far. There are endless things to do and see and we were able to enjoy much nicer meals than we normally do because the prices were so low. And the beer...cheap and wonderful!

I agree on Hungary if you can get good airfare. While it was back when I stayed in hostels it was one of my cheapest trips, and on a plus side Hungarian food is fantastic (I'm a chef and almost went back to train in a restaurant,) they tend to give you a lot, and it's dirt cheap. Budapest is kinda on the beat up side still (at least when I was there) but is still beautiful and loads of fun.

Years ago Iceland had a reputation for being expensive, but following their banking crisis it became more affordable for tourists. I've went twice last year and loved it.

Another vote for Poland as the best tourism value vs. quality and ease of tourism services. A good open jaw route would be from Warsaw south, through Krakow, to Budapest, and possibly continuing south to Dubrovnik. A more adventuresome route would be Krakow, north through Warsaw, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and fly home from Helsinki (or even dip a toe into St. Petersburg while you're there) Not all of those places are bargains, but both routes offer very interesting collections of cultures within a reasonable distance, and it is unlikely you will encounter many dismissive "oh, I was there years ago" comments from friends when you get home.

If you mean just those 4 countries you named then it would be Poland, Czech Republic, Ireland, Iceland with Poland the most affordable and Iceland the least affordable. If you mean all Europe then I completely agree with James. Albania is leading the pack. Turkey is also very cheap but only small part of it is in Europe.

I am trying to stick with countries that I feel my husband will be most comfortable with. He has traveled a lot for work but is somewhat nervous going to the Eastern European countries. I'm not. I am ready to go pretty much anywhere. I guess I was thinking that Ireland would be a lot more expensive than Poland, Czech Republic and the others. Is my thinking flawed and based on old data?

Ireland will be considerably more expensive than Poland. The most important consideration, though, is whether you will enjoy your trip fully. I've only traveled in Poland oncefor about two and a half weeksand I found it very easy to travel there, at least in the more touristed areas. Lots of English-speaking folks to assist in hotels and restaurants that cater to tourists, and easy to use the "point at what he's having" system in hole in the wall eateries. Krakow, Wroclaw, and Warsaw have lovely old town areas. We found small, boutique-type hotels in each place for reasonable prices. One thing to look into is the state of the train system if you plan to travel by train. Over the last couple of years they have been working on upgrades, which will mean that the slow, slow trains of Poland are gradually being replaced by faster service. But if a particular line is in the transition process, you may find traveling a maddening process with long delays. So definitely check out your proposed routes in advance. The Czech Republic is about similarly priced to Poland, outside of Prague. (Though Prague is so stunning that it cannot be missed.) Likewise, there are small hotels in all of the typically touristed towns. No question that Ireland is the easiest, most user friendly of the three places (and that Iceland is the priciest, despite the drop in prices since their financial meltdown). But your money will go a lot further in Eastern Europe, and it is truly not difficult traveling there for the English-speaking.

USA today had a story about where to find the best travel bargains in 2011, it's on their website. http://www.usatoday.com/travel/destinations/10great/2011-01-06-travel-bargains-2011_N.htm Right now Poland seems to be by far the most reasonable travel option in Europe. Czech once was a great deal but those days are gone. Austria was great before the Euro came in. There may be other countries I haven't visited yet that are better than Poland but none that I know of.