Europe Summer Vacation 2017

Don’t look now, but Europe is cheap. This summer

A confluence of events, from a sputtering Greek economy to record-low European interest rates, have pushed the euro to levels unseen since 2002. And that’s making your European summer vacation ridiculously inexpensive.

How inexpensive? Well, the easiest way to do the math is to substituted dollars for euros. (“Parity” means one dollar equals about one euro.) At the moment, one greenback is worth about 90 cents. It came within a few cents of parity this spring, and more economic turmoil could push it back in that range this August — just in time for your vacation. (Here’s a currency calculator.)

For example:

Dinner at Chez Casimir in Paris, a favorite bistro for locals near the Gare du Nord, would have set you back about $30 last summer. This August, you’ll pay just $25.

A standard room for night at Helsinki’s Fabian Hotel, a highly-rated boutique property, would have cost roughly $249 last summer. Next month, rooms can be had for only $208.