Visiting Europe On A Budget

You’ve always wanted to see the grand sights of Europe, visiting famous cities like London, Paris, Venice and Rome, among others. You’ve longed to do the Grand European Tour, and you’ve found one of the perfect cheap all-inclusive vacations to take you to those dreamed-of faraway lands. While vacations of this type can have their drawbacks: a bit rushed, never enough time to dwell on a favorite landmark or town, they have fabulous advantages too. Affordable, a way to experience many countries and cities in one major trip, and finding friendships among fellow travelers are just a few good points of cheap all-inclusive vacations. You can find many variations of these packages and line up all the European cities you’ve wanted to visit. Oh, you might not get to one or two that you’ve always wanted to see, but you’ll certainly be able to visit all the rest.

All-inclusive tours

You can find a tour that visits London, Amsterdam, Lucerne, Venice, Rome, Florence, Cannes, Carcassonne, Barcelona, Madrid, Bilbao, Poitiers and Paris.

Imagine visiting all these fantastic cities on cheap all-inclusive vacations. Travel, accommodations, meals, and entrance fees to major attractions and landmarks are all covered in one payment. Usually, travelers ride on luxury motor coaches, relaxing in comfortable seats while they gaze at the lovely land and seascapes on their way.

Do your research online and find the package tour of your dreams. Two summers ago I happened upon a deal with Tour Radar to Turkey that included almost everything including flights within the country for only $800 a person! 

On your own

On the other hand, maybe you’d like to see the best sites in Europe on your own and without a guided, rushed tour. You might even prefer the lesser-known but still lovely sights of a less-traveled Europe. Say you would love to see Paris, Venice, and Barcelona, but you also wish to avoid the horde of harried visitors tromping through all of Europe during the peak season.

Think of heading to your dream holiday destinations during the off-peak season or during what’s called the “shoulder season” of April, May, early June, September, and early October. Other tourists will still be about during these months, but far less of them than during peak season.

Eden and I recently road-tripped part of the Romantic Road in Germany in late May. It’s so easy to drive around Germany and there were hardly any tourists!

Off the beaten path

Or, reflect on the lesser-known destinations in Europe, some of the eastern European countries or cities that are not on every tourist’s must-see list. Some of these towns and cities are significantly more lovely, with more splendid scenery than the more visited European destinations. Like Albania. 

Consider heading to Bled, Slovenia, known as one of the most beautiful towns in all of Europe, located on the edge of the towering Alps at Lake Bled. For a thousand years, pilgrims came to Bled to visit the church of St. Mary on the island in Lake Bled. A mighty castle tops a 100-meter cliff above the lake.Or try Lyon, France rather than Paris for a visit to the top gastronomic city in France. Lyons’ Renaissance buildings, monuments, and gardens make it one of the country’s most beautiful cities and you won’t run into the tourist crowds you’d surely find in Paris. Instead of Florence, try Sienna, Italy, the jewel of Tuscany. In the 13th century, Sienna was one of Europe’s major cities. You can see just as many glorious treasures in Sienna as you could in more traveled places.

For more ideas check out our article: 30 Tourist Hot Spots Around the World & Where To Go Instead!

Your choice of European cities, famous or not so famous, awaits your visit. Whether you choose to see many at once or take your time and dwell in less touristy towns, you’ll have the time of your life visiting the dazzling landmarks of your dreams.