How to Travel Europe on a Student Budget

I’ve spent a lot of time in Europe on a serious budget. I’ve lived in Rome and London as a student, and during my au pair days I was making only €40 a week. In spite of this, I still found ways to travel this notoriously expensive continent without sacrificing good food, a night out, and cultural experiences.

Wondering how to travel Europe on a student budget? Here are some things I’ve learned after almost 2 years of shoestring European travels.

Plan your meals out carefully

For me, eating local food is a very important part of my travels. I’m never going to be one of those people who subsists solely on bread and cheese picnics or cooking pasta in the hostel kitchen. That doesn’t mean, though, that that I eat a huge meal out three times a day. I make a list of the dishes I really want to try in a certain location and then eat one good meal at a restaurant a day, usually at lunch when I’m out and about, and then eat cheap for breakfast and dinner. Cheap doesn’t always involve cooking at the hostel either, I like to grab a piece of pizza (or maybe a spinach pie if I’m in Greece) for a couple of euro.

Don’t go solo

While I’m a huge proponent of solo travel and would never tell someone to not go somewhere because they can’t find friends who want to join, traveling in a group can help save on accommodation costs. Even hostels are a huge money suck in Europe and I’ve found that renting an apartment with a few friends (through sites like Airbnb or GoWithOh) can be a great way to cut costs while living like a local. Not only will your per night cost be lower, but you’ll also have a great place to pregame before a night out and linger over long breakfasts the next day.

Look for deals on drinks

Drinking in Europe is rarely cheap, but if you do some research you can have a night out without busting your budget. First, look around for happy hour deals. In Rome my friends and I would always start our night at The Yellow Hostel’s bar even though we weren’t staying there because the drinks were about half the price of most other bars. Also, check around for pub crawls as they often include drink specials or all you can drink hours.

Walk

Most European cities are surprisingly walkable, even if they don’t look like it on a map. While there are some notable exceptions (Berlin, I’m looking at you), even places like London usually have a high concentration of notable places within easy walking distance from one another. Plan your days around places of interest that are close to each other and take public transportation only when absolutely necessary. I walked everywhere in Rome last winter and not only saved money, but managed to keep off the pounds after stuffing myself with gelato, pizza, and pasta.

Buses vs trains

There’s something romantic about the idea of traveling Europe by train. These days, though, train travel probably isn’t the most economical choice as more and more long distance bus companies enter the market. When I was traveling from Berlin to Warsaw last spring a train ticket was going to be about $60, so I started looking into other options. I found a bus for $15. Better yet? I had my own personal screen to watch movies airplane style and there was wifi to help pass time on the 9 hour journey.

Rome2rio is a great site to help you find the cheapest way to get from Point A to Point B and Eurolines, Megabus, Orangeways, PolskiBus, and Berlinlinienbus are some of the bigger bus companies. There are also often regional carriers, so seek those out for travel in and between certain countries. And don’t forget, if you take a night bus for those longer journeys you can also save on a night’s accommodation!

Pick and choose big name attractions

When I first started traveling I spent a lot of time and money visiting famous landmarks and museums because I felt like I had to. Usually, I’d pay the admission fee, spend a few minutes wandering around looking at things of little interest to me, and then leave feeling disappointed. I began to realize that sending money on attractions I didn’t care about wasn’t doing anything to enhance my travel experience. The Mona Lisa or the Acropolis are only must sees if you like art or ruins.

Now I save my money for the big name attractions that I want to see and spend most of my time searching out the best view of the city, people watching at a cafe, or visiting free sites. Not only am I cutting costs, I’m also enjoying my travels more.

Spend time in less expensive countries

While I don’t think anyone should miss Europe’s most famous because of cost, also visiting some cities in less expensive countries can help keep costs down. I was shocked at how cheap places like Poland, Portugal, and Greece were compared to France, England, and Belgium. If you plan on spending a weekend in Paris indulging all your cliche European fantasies (we’ve all done it), maybe head on over to Krakow the next where beers cost a dollar and a hostel bed is only a few more.

Do your research

Traveling without having much of a plan can be the best way to travel. I loved hopping around Southeast Asia with a lose itinerary. In Europe, though, not doing your research and not having a plan can be costly. Here a few few things to keep in mind when researching your European trip:

Flying a budget airline? Make sure you know which airport they are actually flying into as they are usually far outside the city center and you might end up paying an extra 10 or 20 euro on bas fare to get to and from the airport.

Will you be traveling the weekend of a festival? Hostel prices will probably double.

Are there free walking tours or discount transport passes?

Are flights and trains cheaper to book a few months in advance?

In Europe, research is key to saving those euros so you can see more places.

What are your tips for traveling Europe on a student budget?