jnamiyo

I am planning a trip to Spain in March or very early April. I am planning on being in Spain for about 18 days.

My main concerns are as follows:

• What is the weather in Spain during the end of March and beginning of April
• I plan on visiting Madrid, Valencia, Barcelona, Zaragoza, Pamplona, Sevilla with day trips to Segovia and Toledo from Madrid. (I love traveling on train so I dont mind the 'running' around)
  
• I plan on doing a lot of train travel as I think that it is the best way to meet people. Is this a true statement?
  
• I plan on using AirBnB for all my accommodations, is this wise? I have already confirmed the (accommodations) but not paid yet.
  
• I am hoping to spend only about $300 for food, being frugal, is this a reasonable expectation?

By my calculations, I expect to spend no more than $2,000 total including air fare, accommodations and food. Am I dreaming, or is this realistic?

Thanks very very much in advance.

CMK10

My first thought is that $300 for food spread over 18 days is somewhat unrealistic. Hell, even a cup of coffee is going to run you 2 Euros. Unless you plan to eat next to no meals outside your apartment or stick entirely to fast food that sounds nearly impossible and also like it would take away from some of the fun of the trip.

jnamiyo

Great, thats the feedback I need. What would be a more reasonable number with a nice cushion to splurge once or twice?

I suppose that is a vague question. Lets say a comfortable daily meal consumption. Assuming buying from markets on more than a few days to make a sandwich lunch or dinner. On my first trip to France many years ago I went from store to store buying a baguette in a bakery, then a few ounces of cheese in another and three slices of some meat at another and a bottle of Orengina and I was happy as a lark at a park bench. I could do this the whole entire trip, though I suspect I will be enticed by the tapas and wine at some point. But what I mean is that I can be very frugal and am open to anything.

spainlover

I would say double that for food that would allow you to be frugal and still have room for a couple decent meals. You can probably save some money by taking busses in some instances instead of trains (although trains are generally faster, but if you're on a tight budget that could probably save you some). You might also meet people by staying at hostels/hostals/pensiones. They're good budget options that could be better than Airbnb in places you aren't staying more than a night or two.
On the weather, it will depend on location. Could be anywhere from summer-like in Sevilla to brisk but pleasant in Zaragoza/Segovia. Overall, should be pretty nice weather for traveling.

LupineChemist

Consider buses as an alternative form of transport if you are tight on budget. Definitely for the trip to Segovia the bus is best (leaves from Moncloa station).

JR14

A quick note: Your meals are likely to cost more in the big cities and "touristy" areas than outside of those. If you're really focused on keeping to a budget budget, try to figure out where the locals eat.

I've found restaurants with huge servings of quality food for 4 Euros apiece, but that's more common in villages than in cities. In Madrid, for example, lunch at a decent restaurant (remembering that lunch is the biggest meal of the day) is likely to run you 12-15 Euros at least. For the trip you're planning, even if you are willing to do a lot of meals out of supermarkets, it might be good to budget about 20 Euros/day for food.... just a guess

And I love using AirBnB in Europe. Can't comment on your budget since we don't know your airfare, accommodation prices, etc.!

jnamiyo

I've estimated using KAYAK and CheapoAir and Skyscanner that the flight will be between $690 and $780, AirBnB gives me about $400 (all confirmed so far) for accommodations and the fares on renfe have come out to about $350.

so:
$690 air fare
$400 acommodations
$350 train and buses (bus to toledo, segovia from madrid and bus to pamplona from zaragoza)

now, $600 for food and incidentals (I dont plan on buying any souvenirs of any kind)

so my total budget for this trip will be $2,000 max.

spainlover

Make sure to keep some money budgeted for sightseeing. If you're going to Spain, you want to do things like go to the Prado, go in the Cathedral of Toledo, visit the Giralda in Sevilla, go for a tour of Camp Nou. You might not want each of these, but there are a lot of really historical sights to see, most of which cost at least a few dollars.
Tremendous finds to spend just $400 on accommodations for that many nights!

jnamiyo

darn, I knew I forgot something!

Not sure how much to budget for that but I will take it from the food budget. If I need more I will add it as I go but it cant be more than the $1,000

jnamiyo

none of the AirBnB locations was more than 25 a night. Out of the 18 days 2 are spent traveling