How much does it cost you to go to Western Europe for one week?

[NCTDN]

I’ve deliberately posted here and not on holidays to get a more general view. I know there’s huge differences between people and I think I’m way off the mark in the cost of a week abroad in somewhere like Spain or France. Someone at work told me how much it was for her family and I nearly fell over!
I’m not here to ask as a competition, but genuinely intrigued. We had a caravan for many years and toured all over Europe with the children. Ferries then were cheap as were campsites. We’ve also been fortunate to have use of a family apartment so only had to pay for flights.
Neither of those are an option for us now so I’m looking at what is the average cost for an average week. Nothing fancy, just a week abroad. So all I’m after is the cost for one week and for how many people. Thanks!

Was that term time or school holidays?

A 2 bed self cater apartment is generally around €250 per night now in majority west / south Europe. ( assuming 2 adults an 1-2 kids) - obviously some areas are cheaper or way more. but that’s €1750 for a week stay

Flights and car hire on top. - €1000- 2000 depending on location and exact dates
plus food and excursions - €1000 ish a week min if you self care half the time, eat out sometimes and pay entry to some places.

€4000-5000 average for family of 4 in summer. Again could be done a bit cheaper if you travel end of season or fine cheap accommodation or flights ( but these aren’t as common in July/ August)

I spent £3k last year on a week in Greece, for two, but I pushed the boat out on a 2 bed, 2 bath, 2 balcony apartment.

Ds is 6'2", time for separate rooms, and I didn't want the hassle of him sleeping on a pullout sofa in the sitting room. I could have done it for £2k if less lavish accommodation.

Having the extra space was lovely. 😊

We are driving down to South of France in a couple of weeks, staying in a top of the range mobile home for 12 nights:

Crossing £530 (channel tunnel flexi)
Campsite £1000
Hotels £250

Still to pay are fuel and tolls, food, outings.

We could have saved money on crossing and hotels but wanted flexibility to cancel if necessary.

If you do the Brittany Ferries 5 day return in the school holidays it’s half price. Currently in France on one such crossing: car and 2 passengers return from Portsmouth was £200. We usually wait for good weather then book so when I saw the predicted heatwave last week I booked a 5 day break. Accommodation is less than £100 per night staying in an apartment for 5 with an onsite pool and near the beach. Eating out is much cheaper than the UK especially as alcohol is so cheap here.

Based on the spreadsheet from last year, 2 weeks in the south of France in a gites was about £4,500. That’s fuel, tolls, hotel stops on way down and back, and 10days in the gite.

we aren’t going away this year as we’ve commuted to some work on the house this autumn.

God, thanks for reminding me about that. The trip involving the return ferry crossing I quoted up thread isn't going to happen because my van broke down, but maybe when it has its new fucking engine we'll be able to pop over to Brittany or something.

Totally depends what you do. I have lived in Spain most of my adult life and so most of our holidays are within Spain. This summer we are going to Asturias again. We have booked a three bedroom flat in central Oviedo (capital of Asturias in northern Spain) for less than €700. A beach holiday would be a lot more.

Summer holidays the last few years, family of 4, has cost us:
Spain, all inclusive - £3k
Greece, Airbnb - £4k
France, ferry and driving, Airbnb - £3.5k

That’s travel and accommodation only, no spending money at all.

DS (12) and I are currently in Alghero for a week . Flights and self-catering accommodation have cost £1,700.

Ile de Re - £5k for air b&b plus flights for 5 of us for a week.

Can you reasonably get to Folkestone? We can usually get the tunnel crossing for £250 for the family in the school holidays. Then accommodation is as cheap or expensive as you want it to be.

Holiday Village hotel in Majorca - £6k for 5 for a week. Have done various different holidays but this feels right for my ‘typical’ price for 5 in the summer holidays.

Lakes and mountains type holiday in Austria/Germany - similar cost, slightly cheaper if do self catering and cook, more expensive if it is eating out plus activities.

If you put it into Tui you’re looking at a minimum of £2k for a family of four in school holidays for Europe.

Just back from a week in the Canary Islands, two of us. Rented a villa with a private pool. With flights, car hire and restaurants/groceries and gifts/clothes shopping it came in at about just over 5K. Plus just over £600 for kennels. It was lovely but not that much moneys worth of lovely 🤣

August:

£3-500 ferry Newhaven-Dieppe, £300 tolls and petrol, £1000-£2500 per week self-catering accommodation in the Dordogne. Two nights in a family room £300 ancillary hotels on the way down/up, if needed. The sliding scale is dictated by whether it has a pool or not.

We cook our own food, couple of meals out but nothing fancy.

It’s cheap but we don’t go without when we’re there. Some days can be £0 some could be £150.

We’re currently in Italy, staying for a week in Florence. There are 7 of us & between the two families (4 adults & 3 kids) we’ve spent about £5.5k on the flights & accommodation (AirBnB apartment). That’s a lot for us, but it is a special holiday. I too was very shocked at how much flights were.
However at the end of the summer holidays we’ll be getting the ferry from Plymouth to Roscoff & staying at a Eurocamp for a week & that’s only costing about £1k for the week. The ferries were more expensive than the accommodation.

We've not done it for a few years, and I know prices have shot up but we used to drive into France via Eurotunnel and rent a self catering place with access to pool, with occasional eating out.
I'd expect that still to be under/ around £2K unless you go to the very pricey places.

I know you said you are not interested in costs when you get there, but £100 per day is really only going to cover you cooking your own food, a bit of transport and some cheaper activities. Unless you mean per person? Or are you not counting food and assuming it is in the holiday cost (in which case the costs quoted on here won't be all comparable).

Prices are usually cheaper if you book earlier. Try the ferry, it's much cheaper than the tunnel.

Two years ago we drove to Spain and got the ferry back from Santander to Plymouth, a notoriously expensive crossing. But it was only £500 (inc cabin) because a) I booked it the previous November, and b) we came back either the day before schools went back or a day or two into the beginning of term, can't remember.

School holidays but October so cheaper than summer.

This was the sort of thing I was asking. Just getting a general idea as to how much is perceived as ‘normal’ (yes I know that varies a lot from one person to the next).
I’m not asking in terms of budgeting a holiday, more just intrigued as to how much people spend on holidays.

I would've thought that was above average for a 2 person AI in October then. There's lots of options below that and I even see some 4 person deals for that price if you book ahead.

We’ve spent around 2.5k. Flights with BA to Croatia and a lovely 2 bed Airbnb overlooking the sea. 2 adults and 2 teens.

we usually try to go in October or drive to France, Netherlands etc but as it’s the kids GCSE & A level exams the October wasn’t doable. Also this could be the last holiday one of them wants to join us on.

Well there are 5 of us and we’re going to a nice, 4 bed villa in Spain in the summer holidays. £2k villa, £1k flights, £500 hire car. However my kids finish for the summer holidays on the 7th July and we go on the 8th, so it’s cheaper than it would be in summer holidays ‘proper’.