Planning a trip to Europe. quick questions.

[TheJunkyardGod]

My friends and I are planning a spring break trip to Amsterdam and London.

I'm not too sure, but i've heard the economy right now is making it hard on tourists.

About how expensive is it going to be for an enjoyable time?

[ThaSaltCracka]

make sure you bring toothpaste and deoderant, I here no one uses them over there and they don't sell them either.

[cardcounter0]

and toliet paper too. they all just use thar hands over there.
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[lapoker17]

That's awesome (and, I think, true).

[kenberman]

Can't give you concrete answers, except to say:

London is roughly as expensive as NYC, not counting the exchange rate.

Amsterdam is a lot cheaper.

[pokerjo22]

I was in London over New Years. More expensive than I've ever known it. Beer was about 8 bucks a pint, a BK meal was about 10 bucks, and a tab of ecstasy was about 10 bucks. Those Brits and their crazy priorities.

[Sheriff Fatman]

You're probably going to think London is ridiculously expensive, particularly while the dollar is so weak against Sterling.

Just a few quick estimates (£1 = approx $1.90 at present)
Beer - £3 a pint
McD's/BK Meal - £4-5
One Day Travelcard - £5ish
Typical Hotel Room - £80+ per night (3*)
CD - £10-14
Petrol (gas) - £0.90 per litre = £3.50 per US gallon (not that you're likely to need it but its the most striking difference and well worth complaining about!)

Amsterdam in general is similarly priced to London from what I remember (although you'll need Euro's over there) but if you spend enough time in the coffee shops then its highly unlikely you'll care!

There are plenty of budget airlines (e.g Easyjet, Ryanair) offering cheap flights from the UK to Amsterdam so this bit at least should be relatively cheap, especially if you book early enough (very quick search for March brought up one way prices starting at £7.99+tax).

Sheriff

[thatpfunk]

In Amsterdam pot is pretty cheap. Everything is expensive in London.

It really depends on what you consider an enjoyabke time. If you plan on clubbing in London, it should be pricey.

[Mystic]

London is cold, over-populated, dirty, grim and depressing. Far better off going to Barcelona, Prague, Riga, Vienna, or countless other European cities instead. All cheaper, all more interesting, all more fun.

Mystic

[nicky g]

"London is cold, over-populated, dirty, grim and depressing. Far better off going to Barcelona, Prague, Riga, Vienna, or countless other European cities instead. All cheaper, all more interesting, all more fun."

Agreed. Unless you have a massive yearning to see some great musuems and a few mildly interesting historical sites, those other places are much more fun to visit, and much cheaper. Also, I;ve spent some time in the kind of places (bars, restaurants etc) American tourists end up in in London, and they're shitholes. You need to get to know the place fairly well before you can find the good stuff it has to offer. If you know some people who've lived here for some time, that might not apply.

[tek]

I've heard the Italians are the cleanest people in euroland relatively speaking...

[Danielih]

London is expensive like NY IMO, except that drugs are cheaper.