Estimated · USD
What it costs
Every line researched, last revised 1 Sep 2026: the LA-Barcelona and London-LA flights and the Eurostar are now booked (real fares in), the Vatican corrected to a self-guided ticket, and the Sagrada moved to an Oct 15 afternoon slot.
$12,108
A working estimate, all in: the flights, the places to stay, food, sights, and getting around. Every day page breaks its own share down activity by activity. Swap in the real figure as each one firms up.
By category
| Travel & transfers | $2,951 |
| Lodging | $3,663 |
| Food & drink | $2,249 |
| Sights & shows | $2,075 |
| Local transit | $438 |
| Gifts & keepsakes | $45 |
| Other | $110 |
| A little slack (5%) | $577 |
| Total, all in | $12,108 |
Fixed & prepaid
| Flight · Los Angeles to Barcelona BOOKED · LEVEL LL2624 · dep Mon Oct 12 20:50, land 17:15 · seats 23C/23A · Economy Light, fare $897 · add the one checked bag (~$65) in Manage My Booking · reference on the Drive voucher | $960 |
| Flight · London to Los Angeles BOOKED · American AA137 · Fri Oct 30, dep LHR T3 11:55, arr LAX 16:10 · seats 31C/31B · paid $997 incl. seats · confirm the checked bag is in the fare, +$95 if not · reference on the Drive voucher | $995 |
| Flight · Barcelona to Rome BOOKED · Vueling VY6106 · Fri Oct 16, dep BCN 08:00, arr FCO 09:50 · seats 2C/2B (Space Plus) · €269.98 total · reference on the Drive voucher · cabin bags only, check in online from 15 days out | $270 |
| Flight · Rome to Paris Orly BOOKED · Transavia TO3911 · Wed Oct 21, dep FCO 10:10, arr ORY 12:20 · €292 total incl. cabin bag + priority boarding · reference on the Drive voucher | $292 |
| Eurostar · Paris to London BOOKED · Tue Oct 27, dep Gare du Nord 10:01, arr St Pancras 11:30 · Standard, Coach 2, seats 77/78 · do the Advance Passenger Info + check UK ETA · reference on the Drive voucher | $294 |
| Ground · San Diego to LAX and back fuel + parking, or a ride | $140 |
| Airport transfers · all four BCN Aerobús · Rome Leonardo Express · Orly Métro 14 · London Elizabeth line | $96 |
| Stay · Barcelona, Room Mate Anna, 3 nights BOOKED · Carrer de Aragó 271, Eixample · Double/Twin, king bed requested · reference on the Drive voucher · €655.52 paid, €55.44 city tax due at property · non-refundable | $768 |
| Stay · Rome, Hotel Santa Prassede (Monti), 5 nights BOOKED · Via Di Santa Prassede 25, Rione Monti · Double/Twin, king bed requested (not yet confirmed) · reference on the Drive voucher · €1,457 total, €50 city tax due at property · non-refundable · no elevator | $1,570 |
| Stay · Paris, Marriott Rive Gauche, 4 nights BOOKED · Deluxe king · 180,000 points + a 35k Free Night Award, plus 67.60 EUR Paris city tax · 4 Nightly Upgrade Awards requested · Executive Lounge on Titanium · confirmation on the Drive voucher | $74 |
| Stay · Paris, L'Empire (nights 5-6), 2 nights BOOKED · 48 Rue de l'Arbre Sec, 1st arr. · Superior Double/Twin, king bed approved · reference on the Drive voucher · €498.30 paid, €33.80 city tax due at property · non-refundable, breakfast not included | $575 |
| Stay · London, citizenM Victoria, 3 nights BOOKED · 292 Vauxhall Bridge Road, Westminster · King Room · reference on the Drive voucher · £500 total, paid in full · non-refundable, breakfast not included | $676 |
| eSIM data · Europe + UK (×2) Airalo or Holafly | $40 |
| Fixed subtotal | $6,750 |
On the ground, by day
Add-ons considered
| Option | Added |
|---|---|
| Casa Batlló interior, Barcelona Day 2 · Gaudí, if architecture pulls you in | +$75 |
| Pompeii or Florence day-trip from Rome Day 8 · replaces the slow day | +$170 |
| Disneyland Paris, full day Day 13 · replaces Versailles · cheapest Tue/Wed | +$150 |
| Seine dinner cruise, instead of the sightseeing cruise Day 10 · the big night, a full dinner on the water | +$175 |
| A third West End show Matilda or Operation Mincemeat · a matinee day-of on TodayTix | +$90 |
| A concert, if one lands in the window check Bandsintown, DICE, Ticketmaster 2-3 wks out · arena seats for two | +$200 |
| Kensington Palace + the Diana Memorial, London a spare London morning · the fountain is free, the palace ~£25pp | +$60 |
| Shakespeare's Globe, London a daytime tour (~£25pp), or a play if one fits an evening | +$55 |
| Oxford day trip, London optional, not necessary · train ~£30 return for two | +$60 |
Credits and discounts worth stacking
None of this is in the numbers above. Stack the ones that apply and roughly $300 to $600 of the estimate above just goes away.
| Play | How | Worth |
|---|---|---|
| Your credit cards | Tell me which you carry. An Amex Platinum = $200 airline + $200 hotel + $200 Uber + lounges. A Sapphire Reserve = $300 travel credit. Most travel cards also kill the ~3% foreign-transaction fee. | $200-600 |
| TheFork | Check it only when the restaurant you actually want is listed there, or when you need a nearby fallback. Promotions vary by restaurant, date and time, so treat any discount as a bonus, not a plan. | varies |
| London 2-for-1 | Only if a train you are genuinely taking has a qualifying National Rail paper ticket (the promo has date, route and attraction rules, a random £3 ticket does not count). Check daysoutguide.co.uk against the attraction first. | $0-90 |
| Cashback portal | Before paying an eligible commercial booking site (Booking.com, an OTA), check Rakuten or TopCashback for a rebate. Only use it if the exact room, cancellation policy and final rate are unchanged. Not on official attraction sites, government forms, museums, transit or restaurant direct bookings. | not counted |
| A Virtuoso agent | Kathy, via Dr. Trace & Dr. Leticia, may be able to add benefits on a hotel booking. Not verified for the current hotel picks, so nothing here is counted. Confirm any breakfast / credit / upgrade in writing before relying on it. | not counted |
| VAT refund (EU only) | Ask for the Global Blue or Planet form on any big purchase in Spain, Italy or France, and keep the goods with you. Paris to London on Oct 27 is the final EU exit: French forms may use the French PABLO electronic process at Gare du Nord; Spanish and Italian paperwork is handled per the issuing country / refund provider instructions at that exit. Allow extra time if you bought anything tax-free. The UK has no tourist VAT refund. | ~10-12% of it |