Europe: The cost and decisions to be made soon

I wish I could edit this post! Now realised at the end there with Ireland it becomes very confusing.

The place I found in Ireland is not Trastevere, but Galaway.

I haven't read much on Ireland so have no idea how far from Dublin, but the price was right ($700-800 US). Not the best reason to pick a place, but haven't committed so I can still change my mind.

Sorry for being so frantic, but I want to make our arrangements for flights in Europe and accommodations soon.

Eli

Sorry? Are you asking if Italy is more expensive than Ireland? In my opinion, the Euro is the Euro - it's much stronger than the dollar right now, and prices for certain goods or services in Europe can run much higher than in the U.S.

I'm also confused by your second post - are you saying you found a place to stay in Galway, Ireland? As for how far that is from Dublin - it is across the country (3 hours by train). Galway is on the west coast of Ireland, Dublin on the East. Shannon is the closest international airport to Galway, not Dublin.

Hi,
So to start off with I have no idea about costs in Italy/Rome. I am in the process of planning a trip to Ireland and have found that it's hard to find a decent (clean and offers rooms smaller than 16 people dorms) place to stay for under $50 US. That's in Dublin.
Again, I don't know how this compares to Italy, but when I was in Ireland a couple years ago I found everything to be on the expensive side. In London and in Paris I found things to cost reletively the same as the same things, eg food, in the US. (meaning a meal that costs $9 US would cost 9 euros/pounds-the conversion sucks) But in Ireland that $9 meal tended to run more 10-12 euros.

Galway is on the other side of Ireland from Dublin and is about a three hour bus ride-I don't know if there's a train that would take you there. Much smaller city and quite cute. There are a lot of really beautiful natural sites within an easy day trip of Galway.

We met and spent much time with several Irish women during a week in Spain as volunteer English speakers at an English immersion program for Spaniards. They constantly bemoaned the expense of Ireland. It is, in fact, one of the most expensive places in the EU. That said, getting to Italy from England could cost enough that the diff btw staying up north and going south might be a wash

I really do apologise for my frantic posts, but was relieved that you all figured out what I was getting at. Thank you so much for your kindness and patience.

We talked over the Ireland part (cheaper airfare apparently), but on checking accommodations they were not that much cheaper than Italy, so fortunately for my family and I, we will STILL be travelling to Rome, just staying a week instead of 12-14 days. We're calling this an appetizer of Italy/Rome with the hopes of going back to see whatever we miss this time.

Thanks to many of you on this site, your "wisdom" is helping people like myself to realise that we can indeed travel to Europe, but we may have to make changes to our plans to make the trip a reality.

I will stay 20 minutes outside of Rome (fingers crossed that this is the right move).

No offense to anyone, but my son and daughter were a little disappointed when I told them we were skipping Italy this time for Ireland. They've been dreaming of Italian Pizza!

I spent 10 days in Trastevere in 2005 and loved it. It was easy to walk (or take a bus) to all the sites in Rome. A grocery and small fruit/bread stores were abundant so eating was cheap. You'll get a very good feel for life in Rome by staying in Trastevere so have fun!

Eli,

Good to hear that you're finding a way to make your Euro travel dreams come true.

FYI, pizza as we know it is more American than Italian. One Italian treat I'm sure your kids will love is gelato -- basically an Italian version of ice cream. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

Enjoy your trip.