Are Eastern European cities less expensive than W Europe?

Generally, as a rule of thumb, and based on anyone%26#39;s personal experiences, will my dollar go further in Eastern European cities (i.e. Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Budapest) compared to those in the West, such as London, Paris, Amsterdam??

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IMHO

not much farther.........

Martha

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not a lot of difference and with the dollar having such a hard time at the moment everywhere will seem expensive.

Prague and Budapest will probably give you better overall prices than the others,but not a great deal better.

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I think it depends on the city. London and Amsterdam are particularly expensive for some reason compared to say Brussels or Munich.

If you%26#39;re used to staying in Western Luxury Hotels (Marriott, Four Seasons, etc.) and eating in nice restaurants, then it really won%26#39;t be any cheaper than most (but still cheaper than London or Moscow).

If you stick to apartments and more %26quot;local%26quot; (but very good) restaurants, then it will be noticeably cheaper than some. But not by much...

The dollar has another couple of years of turmoil ahead...

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I`d say yes .the further east you go the cheaper. But it doesn`t apply to every city. Moscow and St Petersburg are very expensive (at least that`s what i`ve heard). That is because eastern europe is relatively new target for tourists. Prague gets more expensive by the year as the tourism grows.

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I wouldn%26#39;t class Vienna or Berlin as Eastern European cities. In my experience Vienna is one of Europe%26#39;s most expensive capitals. EU membership tends to bring higher costs in its wake and cities like Budapest and Prague are no longer the very cheap destinations they were a number of years ago. I%26#39;ve visited Prague on a number of occasions since 2002 and have noticed prices climbing steadily over that period.

I just returned from Prague a couple of days ago, was in Budapest in February and Berlin in November. I%26#39;ve also visited all of the other cities in on your list within the past couple of years. While Budapest seemed to me to be somewhat cheaper than the other cities mentioned, I think the trick with any of these cities is to head off the tourist trail to find good value. For instance, while in Prague we had a three course meal and wine in a restaurant behind the Old Town Square and paid the equivalent of approx. €80. The following evening we dined in a Prague pub on the edge of the Old Town and had three courses, wine and beer for the equivalent of approx. €32 (and the pub meal was the more interesting and delicious!). I%26#39;ve also had similar experiences in Paris, Berlin, Amsterdam, Vienna, London and a number of other European cities.

My advice would be to get a good guide book aimed at independent travellers - I always use Lonely Planet but I also find the Rough Guide series good - and to gather as much information as you can from destination experts and %26#39;regulars%26#39; on the relevant TA Forums.

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It won%26#39;t because you have named tourist destinations

and they all have inflated prices.

Budapest least hit by tourist inflation but it%26#39;s still staggeringly high compared to how it was before getting %26#39;on the tourist map%26#39;. Budapest used to have prices cheaper than Belgrade, Belgrade still untouched and offers good value as outside EU.

Moscow %26amp; St.Petersburg very expensive.

For drinking beer %26amp; wine, Paris %26amp; Amsterdam, with London are more expensive than Prague, Vienna etc. but you%26#39;ll find few savings elsewhere.

Always the case that smaller towns in Eastern europe will offer better value once away from tourists.

Stoofer

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Amsterdam prices are rediculous compared to Prague or Krakow.

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Just have a question for Carrmill...we%26#39;re going to Dublin and Prague at the end of this month. Do you remember the name of the pub in Prague that you mentioned and can you provide any recommendations for a similar place in Dublin? Thanks!

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Hi jobabyohio

We ate in The Konvikt Pub on Bartolomejska, which is just off Na Perstyne. It%26#39;s less than 5 minutes walk from Narodni Trida metro and is about 10 minutes walk from the Old Town Square and the Charles Bridge. It%26#39;s a quiet cobbled street full of police buildings (hence the name of the pub!). The microbrewery U Medvidku is just around the corner on Na Perstyne and is a great place for a pre-dinner drink or two.

There%26#39;s lots of Dublin pub recommendations on the Dublin Forum if you do a search. There%26#39;s some recommendations on this thread to start you off.

tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g186605-i90-k18643…

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Is that the place with the Sherlock sign?

I thought it was Sherlocks pub, but maybe close by, or in fact this one you mention. It%26#39;s an Urquell

place with an award for best publican, nice place - same street. If it%26#39;s different then you have two to visit:-)

Stoofer