One-Month Europe Trip on a Budget: A Full Itinerary and Cost breakdown (2024)

While individual guides are great and helpful to people looking for specific places, this itinerary is for people who aren’t even sure where to start with their planning.

It can be overwhelming to plan out an international trip, and even more difficult when you’ve got to plan for a whole month!

This guide includes my full itinerary and cost breakdown for accommodations and transportation between cities. It also contains things to do and where to stay in London, Paris, Ghent, Bruges, Barcelona, Seville, Granada, Cordoba, and Madrid.

I also include an ideal itinerary at the end of the post.

All costs are in US Dollars and estimated based on euro-to-USD conversion rates at the time of purchasing in January 2019. They are likely much lower than present-day costs.

breakdown of the dates/cities

• London January 28th - January 31st (3 nights)

• Belgium January 31st - February 3rd (3 nights)

• Paris February 3rd - February 7th (4 nights)

• Barcelona February 7th - February 8th (1 night)

• Seville February 8th - February 11th (3 nights)

• Granada February 11th - February 13th (2 nights)

• Córdoba February 13th - February 16th (3 nights)

• Madrid February 16th - February 20th (4 nights)

• London February 20th - February 21st (1 night)

We wanted to hit as many places as possible in the one-month (24-night) span we had planned. In hindsight, there are a few changes I would make to this itinerary, but we’ll get to that at the end!

How to get to London

I flew to London from Oakland International Airport via Norwegian Airlines because that was the cheapest option. In 2017, I flew to London via San Francisco International Airport because that was the cheapest option at that time.

It’s important to check multiple airports (if you’re close enough to them) for prices – they change depending on the airline and time of year. I use Google Flights to find the best and cheapest flights.

↳FLIGHT COST: ABOUT $565 USD

How long to stay in london

We spent 3 nights here which was perfect. Our days were jam-packed and we walked 8-10 miles per day despite the chilly weather.

Because I had been to London just a couple years before, I knew the transportation system well and got an Oyster card as soon as I arrived (this is a must if you’ll be taking the tube/buses) which saved me a ton of money because it has a daily cap.

I felt like I saw and did everything I wanted to in the 3 days we had even though there are endless things to see and do in London. I already have a list building up for my next trip!

Where to stay in London

I’ve said this in every mention of London, but I am so grateful for my friend who lives there and has hosted me both times I visited. There are plenty of hotels in London, but I always recommend Airbnb for the coolest experience any place you visit.

They’re usually unique, in more local areas, and you get to have a full kitchen to make home-cooked meals (this is a budget guide, afterall!).

Some neighborhoods to stay in (via santorinidave.com):
• Convent Garden/Leicester Square – Food and Restaurants/Center of everything/Walkable
• South Bank and Bankside – London Eye and Tate Modern
• Soho – Nightlife
• Not-so-safe area at night: Hackney and Shoreditch (been here at night and can confirm!).

Use the widget below to search for hotels in London!

If you aren’t able to see it, try disabling your ad blocker and refreshing the page.

For more information about visiting London, read my guides!

How to get to Belgium

We booked a train from London to Brussels, but unfortunately hit horrible traffic and missed that train. We talked to the service desk and luckily got booked on the next train that would be going to Brussels.

We were heading to Ghent and realized that the stop in Lille, France was closer to Ghent than Brussels would be, so we hopped off early in France! From here, it was about a 45 minute drive to the small town we were staying just outside of Ghent.

I would not recommend hopping off in Lille if you don’t have transport planned. My husband is from Ghent and his parents picked us up so we had reliable transportation when we got to Lille at night.

↳TRAIN COST FOR 2 PEOPLE: ABOUT $166 USD

How long to stay in Belgium

There are three main cities in the Flemish region of Belgium that most people visit – Ghent, Bruges, and Brussels. Ghent is the smallest of the three.

We stayed for 3 nights, but since we arrived at night and left the morning of our last day, we really only had 2 full days to explore. Depending on what time you arrive/leave, 3 nights could easily be enough.

Just make sure you visit Bruges! It’s a must-see city in Belgium. We also spent a half-day in Ghent, but due to bad weather, it wasn’t the greatest day. I’d love to see Brussels on my next trip there!

Where to stay in Belgium (Ghent, Bruges, or Brussels?)

As I mentioned above we stayed at my husband’s parents’ house in Ghent to save money. If we could have stayed anywhere, I would have 100% booked a hotel or Airbnb in Bruges.

I could have easily spent the full 3 nights there. But again, I did not get to see Brussels, so that might be a place you would want to spend one or two nights.

Ghent is likely a cheaper option than Bruges or Brussels because it is a smaller town with less tourism. If you stay here, it’s easy to hop on a 30-40 minute train ride for a day trip to Bruges.

Read my guide About How to Spend a Day in Bruges

Use the widget below to search for hotels in Belgium!

If you aren’t able to see it, try disabling your ad blocker and refreshing the page.

How to get to Paris

From Ghent, we took the bus to get to the train station and took a train from Bruxelles-Midi to Paris Gare du Nord. It was an easy, early morning 1 hr 22 minute ride that was actually really enjoyable.

Watch out for the scammers at the station who will come up and ask for your name and address – just tell them “no merci" and they should leave you alone.

We bought a public transport pass for $35 each thinking we would use it often and save money, but only used it a few times. If you’re close enough to your Airbnb you can just walk, or what we should have done: just pay for an Uber.

↳TRAIN COST FOR 2 PEOPLE: ABOUT $60 USD

How long to stay in paris

There is probably a full month’s worth of things to do just in Paris, but we stayed for 4 nights. Since it was winter and biting cold, we felt good with this length of time.

We spent a good chunk of our time inside heated museums: Musée de l’Orangerie and Musée d’Orsay.

I’d say go for a minimum of 4 nights, maybe 5 or 6 if you want to tack on a day-trip to Versailles, Disneyland Paris, or Giverny.

Where to stay in paris

There are 20 Arrondissem*nts in Paris. I am no expert in this, but this guide from World in Paris will give you everything you need to know about each one.

We stayed in the 6th Arrondissem*nt because it was said to be extremely safe (even for women alone at night –although I never recommend this) and chic/trendy. We loved this area and felt it was central enough to walk to all the main sights.

We took the bus to the Eiffel Tower and Metro to the Arc de Triomphe but were close enough to walk to the Louvre, Luxembourg Gardens, and Notre Dame. Although, we could have probably walked to the Eiffel Tower since it was 2 miles (3.7km) away

The Airbnb we stayed in was not ideal, but we didn’t spend much time in the room, anyway. I’d recommend a hotel over an Airbnb here!

↳AIRBNB FOR 4 NIGHTS: ABOUT $340 USD

Read my Tips for Taking Photos in Paris

Use the widget below to search for hotels in Paris!

If you aren’t able to see it, try disabling your ad blocker and refreshing the page.

How to get to Barcelona

We flew via Vueling Airlines from Paris (Orly) to Barcelona (T1). This time we got smart about Paris transport and ordered an Uber to take us from our Airbnb to the airport. This was a lifesaver and cut down our time and stress about getting to the airport on time.

↳FLIGHT COST FOR 2 PEOPLE: ABOUT $155 + $20 USD FOR 1 CHECKED BAG

How long to stay in Barcelona

Believe it or not, we only stayed for 1 night! We landed early afternoon and left in the late afternoon the next day.

We had a one-night gap in our itinerary and decided to stop in Barcelona on our way to southern Spain. Our days were packed full and we were exhausted.

It was possible to stay one night and see pretty much everything in a couple of days, but 2-3 nights is ideal if you really want to see all of Barcelona.

The original plan was to stay in Giverny for a night, but we found out the Monet Museum and Gardens are closed during the off-season! I wanted to mention this in case you were also wanting to see Giverny.

Where to stay in Barcelona

This was the one place we actually stayed in a hotel! It is called Praktik Bakery. Yes, a BAKERY! This was our one “splurge” night.

You walk in and it looks (and smells) like a regular bakery, but around the corner is a check-in desk for the hotel. In the bakery along the wall are elevators to take you up to your room.

The hotel hallways are filled with the scent of freshly baked bread from the bakery downstairs and in the morning, there is a full breakfast spread.

It was such a dream and I wish we could have stayed there longer. I love a hotel with a unique concept.

↳ONE-NIGHT AT PRAKTIK BAKERY: ABOUT $100 USD (This includes taxes. Room cost was $79.80.)

Read my One Day Guide to Barcelona

How to get to Seville

Fly out of the Barcelona airport right into the Sevilla (or Seville in English) airport! The flight is a quick 1hr and 40ish minutes.

We flew super budget airline Ryanair – it’s not bad for short flights like this and saves a ton of money. I’ve flown Ryanair a few times now and never had any issues! It just isn’t a luxury plane or anything like that.

Once you get to the airport, there are taxis waiting there to take you to your accommodation. We landed at night and got to our Airbnb around 11pm. The roads don’t allow cars all the way on the street in some neighborhoods, but the driver got us as close as possible and I lugged my suitcase along the cobblestone the rest of the way.

↳FLIGHT COST FOR 2 PEOPLE: ABOUT $155 + $35 USD for 1 checked bag

How long to stay in Seville

We stayed in Seville for 3 nights. If you budget your time right and pack your days full, you can probably fit in everything! We hadn’t researched much about Seville ahead of time, so we didn’t have an itinerary.

This was by far my favorite city on this trip and would have loved to stay at least a couple more days just to see everything twice and fit in a couple more things we didn’t get to see.

Seville is the capital of Andalusia (or Andalucía) which is also called the “Golden Triangle” of Spain. We hit all 3 points on the Golden Triangle on this trip.

Where to stay in Seville

We hit the Airbnb jackpot in Seville. I could not BELIEVE how gorgeous and grand it was for less than $40/night (this changes seasonally).

During the low seasons (we went in February), Airbnbs are much less expensive and you can get an amazing place for a steal.

I ended up walking more than 10 miles a day here because we explored so much. The city center is mostly pedestrian-only except for some streets on the outskirts. Our Airbnb was less than a mile outside the center which made it easy to walk everywhere.

Plus, there’s a super good Italian food place around the corner that we went to multiple times.

↳AIRBNB COST FOR 3 NIGHTS: ABOUT $295 USD

Read about the Best Airbnb in Seville, Spain

Airbnb not your style or unavailable for your dates? Use the widget below to search for hotels in Seville!

If you aren’t able to see it, try disabling your ad blocker and refreshing the page.

How to get to Granada

Taking the bus between our Spain destinations was genius! It is incredibly cheap and when we went, the bus was half-empty and we moved seats so we each had our own row. We got to see the countryside of Spain that we probably would have never seen otherwise.

The buses have wifi and bathrooms, too! It was a 3 hour bus ride, so be prepared for that.

Once you get to the bus station in Granada, there are taxis waiting for pickups. We hopped in, showed the address of our Airbnb and got driven right to it! It was easy and low-stress. The taxis are all decently priced and we were happy to put our budget towards them since they made our lives so much easier.

ALSA is the company that we booked our bus rides through and I recommend them!

↳COST FOR 2 BUS TICKETS: ABOUT $60

How long to stay in Granada

The one thing to do in Granada is visit the Alhambra. This can be done in one full day! We didn’t find much else to do there and didn’t need to.

We only came to see the amazing Alhambra anyway and were happy with that! We stayed for 2 nights and felt good with that amount of time.

I’m sure there are more things to do in Granada, but it wasn’t our favorite stop. It’s one redeeming quality for us was the Alhambra and free tapas if you order beer at restaurants!

Where to stay in Granada

Again, another AMAZING Airbnb! From the outside, we were really worried. The entrance to the building is down a dark alley with graffiti all over the walls. The outside door to the building has a lock on it, so there is some security.

The stairs up were also a bit dingy, but as soon as we opened the door, we were staring at a SPARKLING, brand-new apartment.

It had been recently remodeled completely and was gorgeous!! It made up for the location and exterior entrance.

If you’re here for the Alhambra, then you’re going to want to book a hotel or Airbnb closer to the actual area. We had to walk quite a distance to get there and then spent all day walking around inside the Alhambra.

Don’t mind walking? Our Airbnb was nice and right next door to a huge two-story grocery store with tons of good stuff.

There was also a park across the street with fountains and we were about 1/2 a mile from the main downtown restaurants/shopping area. It has 2 bedrooms and fits 4 people – definitely a great budget find.

↳AIRBNB COST FOR 2 NIGHTS: ABOUT $100 USD

Take a virtual tour of the Alhambra

Use the widget below to search for hotels in Granada!

If you aren’t able to see it, try disabling your ad blocker and refreshing the page.

How to get there

Hop back on a bus! This was our second bus ride this trip and it was just as great as the first one. When you book online, you are assigned seats, but once the bus starts driving you can get up and move.

This bus was also through ALSA and the same as the first trip. It was 2 hrs and 40 minutes and we both got a bit of sleep in before getting to Córdoba.

↳COST FOR 2 BUS TICKETS: ABOUT $20

How long to stay

Córdoba is a smaller city and doesn’t have as many “tourist attractions” as some of the other places. We stayed 3 nights and that was plenty for us! By this point, we were pretty exhausted from so much traveling and walking 10+ miles a day and happy to just relax for a few days.

The Mezquita is a must-see and the main attraction here. We also spent a few hours at the Hammam Spa (one of the most incredible experiences I have ever had) one day and I spent the rest of the day relaxing at our Airbnb.

They have a downtown with shops and restaurants that is the main area not far from the Mezquita, as well. It is definitely doable in 3 nights – maybe even 2! If you’re following this full itinerary, the 3 nights is nice to have so you can chill for a little while.

Where to stay

Surprise! Another Airbnb! As I said earlier, the main attraction here is the Mezquita – The Mosque–Cathedral of Córdoba. Kevin booked this Airbnb because he researched more about the area than I did. We ended up being less than 100ft from the Mezquita which was perfect.

It costs money to go inside, unless you go in between 8:30-9:30am – then it is free!

Our Airbnb was also easy walking distance to the main downtown area, the Hammam Spa, Calleja de las Flores, Roman Bridge of Córdoba, and many restaurants. The listing is no longer available for our Airbnb, but you can search for ones in the “La Catedral” area.

↳AIRBNB COST FOR 3 NIGHTS: ABOUT $227 USD

Use the widget below to search for hotels in Cordoba!

If you aren’t able to see it, try disabling your ad blocker and refreshing the page.

How to get to Madrid

To get from Córdoba to Madrid, we took the train. It was big and spacious with a really nice bathroom. There was wifi so I was able to get some work done on blog posts which I had not done the rest of the trip.

There was so much space we each got our own row and it was mostly empty around us. We got food and drinks at the station while we waited for the train and brought it on with us.

We booked through Renfre and had a great experience! It was about a 2.5 hr train ride but it flew by.

↳COST FOR 2 TRAIN TICKETS: ABOUT $66 USD

How long to stay in Madrid

This might surprise some people, but we REALLY did NOT like Madrid. After such an amazing time traveling around Barcelona and Andalusia, Madrid was a crowded, boring (kind of yucky) city.

I know our experience might be drastically different that others – I’ve heard of people absolutely loving Madrid – but it’s a place I’ll probably never go again unless it is to visit the 2 art museums we didn’t go to due to long lines.

We stayed 4 nights and were really bummed we chose Madrid as the city we stayed the longest in. I would wipe this from the itinerary completely unless you’re a huge Sorolla fan – then stay here for a night and go to the Sorolla museum (this was the main reason for our stay in Madrid).

Where to stay in Madrid

The last Airbnb of the trip! Our Airbnb was in “the heart of Gran Vía” which is the main town area. We were here during a huge soccer (fútbol) game and the Gran Vía was absolutely packed with fans who were drunk and loud at night.

After our calm, quiet experiences in Seville, Cordoba, and Granada, Madrid was not great. It was wild and lively, but not our vibe at all. We spent a good amount of time at the vegan restaurant around the corner from our Airbnb because it was the only good food we could find in Madrid within our (extremely tight) budget.

The main center had tons of shops, but it was mostly American fast food places.

The Airbnb itself was decent, but had some unpictured issues so I will not link it. Madrid was also more expensive than our other Airbnbs (aside from Paris) so we were extra bummed when Madrid turned out to be a dud.

If you’re visiting for a lively scene, Gran Vía is for you! If you’re visiting to see Museo de Sorolla, then stay closer to that area. It was much quieter and nicer in that area of the city and we wished we had stayed over there.

↳AIRBNB COST FOR 4 NIGHTS: ABOUT $325 USD

Use the widget below to search for hotels in Madrid!

If you aren’t able to see it, try disabling your ad blocker and refreshing the page.

I when I booked my flight from California to London, it was cheapest to book it round-trip instead of a one-way and then flying home from Madrid. I flew from Madrid back to London, then hopped on a train back to my friend’s apartment for the night.

The next morning, I hopped back on a train to the airport and flew the lonely, exhausting 10 hour flight back home alone.

Kevin and I had already parted ways at the Madrid airport and he flew back to his house in Belgium while I headed back to London. Airport goodbye’s are one of the hardest ones. They get harder every time.

I was really thankful to have a friend I could go spend the night with after the hard goodbye before I had to get on a long flight.

↳MADRID TO LONDON FLIGHT COST FOR 1 PERSON: ABOUT $66 USD (including the $30 checked baggage fee)

Transportation for 1 person: about $1,000 USD

Accommodation for 1 person: About $693

↳TOTAL: ABOUT $1,693 PER PERSON

Other costs not included

– Uber/Taxi/Oyster Card

– Food & drinks

– Activities (e.g., museums/shows)

– Shopping

– Accommodation in London (stayed at a friend’s)

– Accommodation in Belgium (stayed at husband’s parents’)

• London January 28th - January 31st (3 nights)

• Belgium January 31st - February 3rd (3 nights)

• Paris February 3rd - February 7th (4 nights)

• Barcelona February 7th - February 9th (2 nights)

• Seville February 9th - February 14th (5 nights)

• Granada February 14th - February 16th (2 nights)

• Cordoba February 16th - February 19th (3 nights)

• Madrid February 19th - February 20th (1 night) – for the art museums, only.

• London February 20th - February 21st (1 night)

Pack carry-on only

Having checked luggage adds unnecessary time and stress to your trip – not to mention it costs $15-50 extra PER flight. Trying to drag a big suitcase through cobblestone streets and running through train/bus stations with it was a nightmare.

Book all the transportation (planes, trains, buses, etc.) BEFORE your trip

It makes the actual traveling part a breeze when you have your tickets printed out AND on your phone. That way you know you definitely have a spot on whatever means of transportation you’re taking and don’t have to wait in extra lines to buy tickets.

Organize your trip info in a Google Doc

I created a table with each city, link to the Airbnb for that city, and the cost of the Airbnb. I created another table with transportation type between each city and cost of transportation. This helped keep me organized and prepared – because that much travel can be stressful!

Plan your actual budget

Create a realistic budget based on how much you want to spend and how much accommodations and transportation actually cost.

While it is definitely possible to do a month-long Europe trip on a tight budget, it isn’t exactly cheap – unless you do hostels, don’t take taxis/ubers, and don’t eat out. Even then, it’ll still most likely be over $1,000 USD and closer to $2,000 USD.

The flight from Oakland, CA to London alone was almost $600 – and that was in the low season in 2019.