Budget Travel Series: Accomodations

The name of the game when booking accomodations in Europe is to find something that is clean, near the center of a city or close to public transportation, and most importantly, AFFORDABLE. You don’t have to stay in hostels to sleep on a budget in Europe though.

Trip Advisor has become our best friend when booking hotels in European cities. We find the top-rated hotels or B&Bs based on traveler recommendations and then start going down the list to find our least expensive option. Our experience has been that in large cities like Amsterdam or Munich, it’s least expensive to stay in a hotel. In smaller cities like Kerry in Ireland, you can find some real bargains by staying in quaint B&Bs.

Be aware though when reading reviews that European accommodations standards are very different than America’s. Rooms, and especially bathrooms, in Europe tend to be much smaller and aren’t known for the “frills” of some American hotels such as shampoo and conditioner, washcloths, etc. Our requirement is that they are clean.

Sometimes we try to save money by staying outside the main part of a city. When looking at hotel rates though, make sure to factor in additional transportation costs you will have to incur each day to go to the city. Norway, for example, had insanely high public transportation costs (about $8 for a one-way bus ticket), so for that city, it was worth it to pay a bit more to be in the center of town. You also lose time when you have to transport in every day, so if you’re on a short time schedule, decide if you want to save your money elsewhere and pay a bit more for the hotel.

Some cities are just more expensive than others, but in general, we have been very lucky with finding amazing hotels at very great prices. If you’re visiting a city we have been to, let us know and we’ll be happy to give you our recommendations. You can also check out our reviews on Trip Advisor. =)