How Much Does a Trip to Europe Cost?
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When planning a trip to Europe, it’s common to feel uncertain about how much everything included in that trip is going to cost.
FOR ONE THING, THERE ARE A LOT OF VARIABLES.
Things like flights, hotels, experiences, dining, transportation - the list goes on and on.
For another, costs have been rising for years, thanks to inflation and over-tourism.
Maybe that trip cost uncertainty has even been holding you back from planning the trip in the first place.
IF SO, THEN THIS POST WILL DEMYSTIFY THE PROCESS OF BUDGETING FOR A TRIP TO EUROPE.
I’ve priced out a real trip to Europe across three very different price points, so that you can easily see how a budget, mid-range, and luxury trip adds up.
And if you read until the end, I’ll share 9 tips for budgeting for a trip to Europe.
📽️ Prefer to watch this post? You can watch the video version of this over on Youtube.
Trip Assumptions for This Analysis
Before we dive into the numbers, let's establish the baseline for this Europe trip:
Two travelers
Departing from Chicago’s O’Hare Airport
Traveling in the shoulder season (October)
Four nights in Paris and three nights in nearby Rennes (eight days, seven nights total)
For this itinerary, I wanted to choose a major European capital and a nearby, regional destination.
I THINK IT’S NICE FOR TRAVELERS TO HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF VARIETY IN THEIR TRIPS LIKE THIS.
The major transportation for this trip includes round trip international airfare, and one round trip train journey between Paris and Rennes.
The pricing is based on what the average traveler could expect to pay; there are no last-minute deals, no hotels being paid for with points or anything like that.
Finally, all of the figures below are in USD.
Cost of a Budget Trip to Europe
For this budget trip to Europe, our travelers are trying to save money on every element of the trip.
(But to ensure that we have an apples to apples comparison across all three trips, I put these travelers in a hotel rather than a hostel. A lot of budget travelers might opt to stay in a hostel to drastically reduce their accommodation expenses. For the purposes of this exercise, though, our budget travelers have opted to stay in budget, three star hotels in both Paris and Rennes.)
THEIR INTERNATIONAL FLIGHTS WERE VIA ECONOMY AIRFARE FROM CHICAGO O'HARE TO CHARLES DE GAULLE.
Their transportation will be entirely via public transportation, including taking the airport train to the city center and a second-class intercity train ticket to Rennes.
Food and drink for this trip represents bakery breakfasts, casual lunches, inexpensive dinners, and maybe even stopping into the grocery store for snacks.
They’ll enjoy coffee and water, but almost no alcohol aside from a few tastings in Rennes.
For experiences, they’re doing a lot of free sightseeing, plus a few paid attractions, and they're going to do one tour when they're in Rennes.
BUT IT'S AFFORDABLE, LIKE A SMALL GROUP TRIP, RATHER THAN SOMETHING PRIVATE.
Because the trip itself is rather affordable, they don't have to pay a lot for a basic, comprehensive travel insurance policy for two travelers.
Their miscellaneous expenses might include a few tips, or some toiletries, and maybe a few small souvenirs.
Cost of a Mid-Range Trip to Europe
The mid-range trip is virtually the same as the budget trip: same destinations, duration, and time of year.
BUT THESE HYPOTHETICAL TRAVELERS HAVE MADE SOME UPGRADED CHOICES.
First up, they’ve opted for premium economy airfare from Chicago to Charles de Gaulle.
And this is actually kind of crazy; it costs significantly more than economy airfare.
Premium economy has spiked in cost over the last few years, as it hits the budget sweet spot for a lot of travelers.
For accommodations, our mid-range travelers have chosen four star hotels in both Paris and Rennes.
When it comes to transport, they're still taking the airport train into the city, and they're still going to use a lot of public transport to get around in Paris.
But they're also going to take the occasional taxi, and they might even reserve seats or travel in first class on that train between Paris and Rennes.
YOU CAN SEE THAT THE DINING EXPENDITURE FOR THIS TRIP IS NEARLY DOUBLE THAT OF THE BUDGET TRIP.
It includes things like café or hotel breakfasts, restaurant lunches and high-end dinners where they might imbibe with wine or cocktails.
This itinerary also includes a lot more paid attractions: a Seine River cruise, a visit to Versailles and multiple small group tours in both Paris and Rennes.
You’ll also notice that the travel insurance is inching up for this itinerary, because the prepaid cost of the trip is higher.
Their miscellaneous expenses are also a little bit higher, and represent things like hotel incidentals, minor unplanned purchases, and a few tips.
Cost of a Luxury Trip to Europe
NOW LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT THE LUXURY VERSION OF THIS TRIP COSTS.
(Just like with the disclaimer on accommodations for the budget trip, I need to make a note about the luxury trip. Many luxury travelers may opt to travel to France via private aircraft, which would cost significantly more than what’s listed here. But in the interest of apples to apples comparisons, I’ve kept them on a commercial flight.)
Our luxury travelers are flying on nonstop United Polaris business class airfare from Chicago O’Hare to Charles de Gaulle.
AND THAT’S A BIG JUMP IN PRICE FROM THE PREMIUM ECONOMY EXAMPLE.
For hotels, they’ve got four nights in a centrally located, five star hotel in Paris and three nights in a five star hotel in Rennes.
You'll notice that the transportation cost is very different here, and that's because our luxury travelers are going to have a fully private transportation experience when it comes to getting around town.
THAT MEANS NO TRAIN TO THE CITY CENTER - THEY’RE TAKING A PRIVATE AIRPORT TRANSFER.
The train between Paris and Rennes will be booked in first class, and they'll be taking taxis or hired drivers anytime they need to get around the city.
The dining budget is also a lot higher for these travelers; it represents luxury hotel breakfasts, upscale lunches, and probably a couple of Michelin starred dinners in there as well.
AND MOST OF THOSE DINNERS ARE GOING TO INCLUDE A BOTTLE OF WINE OR PREMIUM COCKTAILS.
When it comes to experiences, these travelers will also enjoy private museum and city tours, premium access experiences, a private Versailles excursion, and multiple Champagne house visits in Rennes.
Just like in the previous example, their travel insurance is going to be a little bit higher based on the higher prepaid cost of their trip.
Mobile data is the same $40 here as it is for the other trips, but their miscellaneous line item is a lot higher.
This is representing things like higher tips, hotel incidentals, concierge arranged services, luggage assistance, and any other expenses that might pop up.
Final Comparison Across All Budgets
So for the exact same seven night trip to Paris and Rennes…
The budget trip comes to about $5,000,
The mid-range trip adds up to about $9,500, and
The luxury trip clocks in at close to $35,000.
THE BIGGEST DIFFERENCE HERE IS AIRFARE.
Moving from economy airfare to premium economy airfare nearly doubles the flight budget.
And that next jump up to United Polaris business class – it adds more than $10,000 compared to the budget trip.
HOTELS ARE THE NEXT MAJOR CATEGORY DRIVING COST DIFFERENCES.
While the budget traveler is staying in a simple three star hotel, the mid-range traveler opts for a little bit more comfort in a four star property, and the luxury traveler enjoys the exquisite service and premium amenities of a five star property.
Dining and experiences also widen the gap by a lot, and I think that this fact might surprise people.
BUT THE AMOUNT YOU’LL SPEND ON IN-DESTINATION DINING AND ACTIVITIES REALLY DOES DEPEND ON WHAT LEVEL OF EXPERIENCE YOU'RE HOPING TO HAVE.
If you are fine with the budget trip, relying on casual meals, free sites, and a few carefully selected activities, then you can save a lot of money.
But as soon as you start booking nicer restaurants and guided tours and experiences, things start to get more expensive.
And if you’re seeking the luxury of Michelin star dining experiences or private guides, the cost really starts to accelerate.
THE FINAL QUESTION YOU MIGHT BE WONDERING, IS WHICH TIER OFFERS THE BEST VALUE?
I think that the mid-range trip probably offers the best mix of comfort and value, but honestly, only you can decide what is the best budget for your trip.
Every traveler is different.
Some are fine with basic economy airfare and a three star hotel, but they want to dine at the best restaurants in town.
OTHERS MAY WANT TO OPTIMIZE FOR A DIFFERENT ASPECT OF THEIR TRIP.
What’s important is being aware of how your budget develops, and understanding what is going to demand the largest outlay.
Conclusion
ONE TRIP, THREE TOTALLY DIFFERENT BUDGETS, THREE VERY DIFFERENT WAYS OF TRAVELING.
If this cost breakdown gives you the confidence to finally start planning your trip to Europe, then be sure to enroll in my free email course, How to Plan a Trip to Europe.
And if you want to stay on the topic of budgeting for a trip to Europe, then check out this post with my 9 tips to help do just that.
Until next time,
Angela 🤑
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