Travel is all about new experiences, whether in a museum, a castle, or a restaurant. In Dublin’s pubs, fish and chips always please, although it’s nothing new. But, behold brown sauce! It’s tangy, very Irish, and can be found in little packets… for free!

Bring home a saucy surprise

The “Chef” brand of brown sauce hit the commercial Irish market in 1921 and has accompanied meat and potato dishes ever since. Much like Americans use ketchup, the Irish pair brown sauce with all kinds of dishes: baked ham, potato cakes, soda farl, and so forth. Brown sauce sports a unique and zesty flavor. Americans might describe it as a tangier A1 Steak Sauce, while Brits might find it similar to their HP Sauce.

Brown sauce is commonly found in single-use serving packets on the tables of restaurants and pubs. Dress up your meal with some special sauce at the bar, and then stash away a couple extra packets for the diners back home. 

While you’re at it…

As long as you’re grabbing things off the table, be on the lookout for sugar or vinegar packets sporting interesting quotes, illustrations, or depictions of local sights. After all, nothing is sweeter than a sugar packet stamped with a quote from Oscar Wilde or James Joyce. (For inspiration, check out this collection of Irish and British sugar packets.)

Also see: Our list of recommended budget hotels in Dublin.

Popularity: 9% [?]

Stylish coffee cups for about $20 from Illums Bolighus

The designers of Denmark are renowned for their sleek and refined ideas. Bringing home some Danish wares can help you spice up your interior decor, from dressing up the bedroom to simplifying the kitchen.

Although some pieces of Danish ingenuity can be very pricey, many smaller, easy-to-pack items won’t cost all of your kroners. Modest vases, picture frames, and jewelry boxes travel well, and are useful and stylish souvenirs.

Danish house wares: Tasteful and practical

Take a trip to the Danish Design Center and the fancy shops on Amagertorv for inspiration, then head over to Magasin du Nord, Scandanavia’s first department store, at Kongens Nytorv 13. There you will find similar kitchenware and home furnishings available for much less.

If you’re planning to enjoy low-priced meals from the grocery store or will be picnicking in the Ørsteds Parken, why not dress it up with some trendy utensils? Collapsible cups and bowls and two-in-one salt and pepper shakers are simply elegant, and will be a hit back home. These pieces can be found for DKK 100 (about US $20).

While you’re at it…

Keep some Danish kroner. Hearts, swirls, and depictions of lions and crowns surrounded by a curvy typeface make for creative coinage. Not only is the fancy money fun to hand out to friends, but you can save it for your next trip. Danes have repeatedly rejected the adoption of the euro, although the government is still committed to its eventual adoption.

Also see: Our list of recommended budget hotels in Copenhagen.

Popularity: 9% [?]

The Scilly Isles. Photo © hidden europe

Okay Cheapos! Indulge us for two minutes. We’ve just been taking a break on an island full of surprises, a place so beguilingly beautiful that we think it’s worth a mention. There must a thousand candidates for the accolade of “Europe’s most beautiful island.”

One of our favorites is Gozo in the Med. Gozo is at its best in midwinter when the crowds have gone and the grigal winds bear down fiercely on the rocky island that Calypso once called home.

Azores, Hebrides and Lofoten Islands

Then there’s Moskenesøya, the most rugged of the Lofoten island group in northern Norway. It is a place where fierce black peaks tower out of the sea.

Lovely Colonsay in Scotland’s Inner Hebrides surely stakes a claim, as does remote Corvo in the Azores.

Nor should we neglect tiny Fugloy, the Faroese outpost that is draped in mist for half the year and yet still the most delectable spot in the North Atlantic archipelago.

And what of Brändö in the Åland Islands?

Or tiny San Lazzaro degli Armeni in the Venetian lagoon with its cypress trees, peacocks and the Armenian monastery where Byron once studied the Armenian language.

The Scilly Isles. Photo © hidden europe

Our pick: Tresco and the Scilly Isles

That’s seven of the best already, but these past few days of Indian summer on Tresco push this remote outpost of England right up into the premier league of European islands. The Scilly Isles, of which Tresco is the second largest, are on the same latitude as Winnipeg and Newfoundland. But warm Gulf Stream waters bathe the islands, so frost-free Tresco has an almost Caribbean demeanor.

Palm trees and cacti, eucalyptus and strelitzia rub shoulders in the lush gardens that surround Tresco Abbey. Canny Brits have always had a soft spot for the Scillies, but the islands are not well known among other travelers.

Routes to Tresco

A half hour helicopter flight from Penzance (on the UK mainland) will bring you straight to Tresco, but, better still, take the boat as we did. The three-hour crossing from Penzance to St Mary’s (from where there is an onward ferry to Tresco) on the Scillonian III affords views of fabulous Cornish coastal scenery, basking sharks, dolphins, and porpoises.

Try Tresco! It might well get our vote to be Europe’s most beautiful island.

About the authors: Nicky Gardner and Susanne Kries, the authors of this post, are the editors of hidden europe magazine.

Popularity: 9% [?]

The 2007 Rubik’s Cube World Championship winner solved the puzzle in 12 seconds.

Not only is the “Rubik’s Cube,” invented by Hungarian Ernő Rubik, a global sensation, but it’s also a colorful and cheap souvenir. When in Budapest, we recommend picking up a couple cubes for the folks back home.

Solving the low-cost souvenir puzzle

Patented in Hungary in 1974, the Rubik’s Cube became a world-wide obsession within a few years. Today, puzzle aficionados can choose between numerous variations of the classic 3×3x3 cube, including a 2×2x2 Mini Cube, the 4×4x4 Rubik’s Revenge, and the 5×5x5 Professor’s Cube.

Not only do these puzzles makes great souvenirs, but they can also help pass untold hours on the metro, bus or tram rides while still visiting Budapest or during the long flight back home. All items sell locally for HUF 850 to HUF 3,300 (about €3.50 to €14).

Rubik’s inventions (and the knock-off key chains, pens and other trinkets) can be found in souvenir shops all over Budapest. We don’t recommend purchasing anything on the expensive Váci U. pedestrian street, where souvenirs can be up to five times more expensive than on nearby Rákóczi Út.

While you’re at it…

Tourists visiting Budapest already have a cheapo souvenir jingling in their pockets: the forint currency itself. Due to be replaced by the euro in 2013, forint coins can’t be cashed out at exchange centers, making them an appropriate—and unavoidable—souvenir.

Also see: Our guide to budget hotels in Budapest, more on the history of the Rubik’s Cube, and an attempt at a Rubik’s Cube Cake.

Popularity: 9% [?]

Almost every visitor to Brussels finds themselves at some point standing and smiling at the city’s famous “Manneken Pis” statue, which depicts a youngster cheerfully peeing into a fountain basin.  

Cheapo-friendly Manneken Pis memorabilia flood the streets of Brussels. While large statues can be expensive and too heavy to carry, smaller and cheaper versions are easy to pack and will likely provide plenty of laughs for the folks back home. With a little hunting, you might also find some freebies…

Let’s hear it for the little squirt

In the case of the Manneken Pis, toilet humor is historically justified. There are several legends about the meaning of the statue, most of which involve a small boy urinating on armies attacking Brussels and thus saving the day.

This bronze statue was cast in 1619 by sculptor Jerome Duquesnoy and is located at the corner of Rue de l’Étuve & Eikstraat, very near the Grand Place. Needless to say, the fountain is one of the city’s most famous attractions.

Replicas and pee-themed souvenirs are celebrated city-wide. Entire stores are devoted to M.P. memorabilia. Some of our favorite items include:

• Manneken Pis Belgian white beer
• Manneken Pis butane lighter
• Manneken Pis postcards depicting the boy in various costumes
• Manneken Pis shot glass
• Manneken Pis corkscrew

You can preview these souvenirs above, but know that you’ll be able to find cheaper versions from street vendors or shops in town.

While you’re at it…

If you find yourself eating some of those famous Belgian fries or waffles, check out the napkins. You might find depictions of the Manneken Pis you can take home for free.

Also see: our recommended budget hotels in Brussels.

Popularity: 8% [?]

No adventure in Bratislava is complete without experiencing (and embracing) the Slovak language itself. Slovak, a West Slavic language, is closely related to Czech and Polish and spoken by 6 million people. Why not bring some of that language home?

Bring home some Slovak

We recommend purchasing one of the local newspapers for a few SKKs or (for serious Cheapos) picking up a free used issue. You could find them on a bench by Ganymede’s Fountain, a seat on the bus, or anywhere else around town.

Sure your could pick up a copy of The Slovak Spectator, the English speaking news magazine, at the city’s central square, Hviezdoslavovo nám. That would be understandable (literally!). However, we’d suggest opting for a copy of the economic Hospodarske Noviny, the gossipy Novy Cas or Katolicke Noviny, the Catholic paper. These would serve as a more adventurous souvenir once you’ve returned to your native tongue.

While you’re at it…

While you are busy finding newspapers on park benches, pick up free brochures in Slovak at the Bratislava Castle, the Slovak National Gallery and the Primate’s Palace, or any other destination with free guides to offer.

Also see: Our recommended budget hotels in Bratislava.

Popularity: 8% [?]

When it comes to Berlin, we love the nightlife. Not only are the clubs and bars wildly fun, with great music and dancing pumping ’til dawn, but admission is cheapo-friendly, especially compared to the hot spots of other capital cities.

For cheap souvenirs, we recommend bringing home free club promotional materials, handouts, and even listings magazines. You’ll have proof that you partied like a rock star (even if you can’t fully remember the club…).

Your nightlife “Tip”-sheet

Choose your own nightly adventure with a copy of either Zitty or Tip, Berlin’s listings magazines, available at any magazine kiosk for less than €3. Not only will the guides help you navigate Berlin after dark, but they’ll inform you of low-cost classical and rock concerts, operas, movies, museum exhibits, and gallery openings. We recommend picking up either magazine as soon as you arrive in Berlin.

If you decide to make a night of Berlin’s hot bars and clubs, we’d suggest picking up all the flyers that catch your eye. You can usually find club promos near the door or coat check, as well as (frame-able) postcard advertisements near the toilets and cigarette vending machines. Who knows, you might even be able to score a poster. 

Although they are essentially advertisements, free nightlife flyers from Berlin will be a hit back home–and might help you remember your adventure, especially if the nights blur into days. While you’re at it, hold on to your used copy of Zitty or Tip. It will be fun to see where to go next time!

Also see: Our recommended budget hotels in Berlin.

Popularity: 10% [?]

No trip to Barcelona is complete without picking up a little free (or almost-free) reminder of Gaudí, the city’s favorite architect. Happily, Barcelona is teeming with arty Gaudí souvenirs, ranging from the refined to the (you guessed it) gaudy.

Take home some cheapo Gaudí

Regarded as tasteless in his own time, Antoni Gaudí’s unique art nouveau ideas are widely celebrated in Barcelona’s architecture today. All over the city, and surrounding his iconic Sagrada Família in Eixample, Gaudí souvenirs abound.

Sure, some of these items are tacky, but tacky will be fun back home! Some of our favorite examples of Gaudí souvenirs include:

• Illustrated brochures and ticket stubs from the Segrada Família
• Gaudí-adorned (and free) napkins from the church’s on-site café
• Postcards of the picturesque Casa Milà and Parc Güell
• Salt and pepper shakers in the shape of Gaudí smokestacks
• Gaudí chess pieces

These are just a few of our favorite Gaudí-themed cheapo souvenirs. You can preview some souvenirs here, but know that you’ll be able to find cheaper versions from street vendors.

While you’re at it…

As long as one is in the barrio, we suggest picking up free hand-outs from museums showing off any of the city’s modern style. The Picasso Museum in Old Town and the Museum of Chocolate San Pere Born are both good places to find stylish brochures.

Editor’s Note: This is our third post in our “Cheapo Souvenirs” blog series. Join us over the next four weeks as we suggest one cheap or free souvenir to bring home from each city we cover on EuroCheapo. Do you have a suggestion for another cheap souvenir in Barcelona? A favorite Gaudí souvenir? Leave a comment below! 

Popularity: 13% [?]

Tourists visiting the ruins of ancient Athens will probably already be armed with a cheapo souvenir. Your archeological map (available for free or cheap) serves as both a necessary guide to the past and a fun souvenir for the future.

Build your map collection in Athens

Face it, if you’re planning to spend any time exploring Athens’ ancient past (and who isn’t?) you’re going to need a map. Confusion within the ancient city’s winding streets is normal, and most of the city’s ancient glories have been reduced to rubble. Even standing structures, such as the Acropolis, are surrounded by sites that could use a little explanation.

Here at EuroCheapo, we always recommend picking up free or cheap city maps whenever possible. In the case of Athens, we’re writing this advice in stone. For a cheapo souvenir, bring those maps home. Just imagine how great they’ll look framed and hanging in your rec room!

Digging for maps in Athens

Pick up free (or nearly free) city maps at one the city’s three tourism offices (also called GNTO or EOT):

The city’s main tourism office is located at 7 Tsoha (open 8 a.m. until 3 p.m. on weekdays).

If you’re flying into Athens, you could swing by the office in the Arrivals Terminal of Eleftherios Venizelos Airport (open from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. on weekdays and 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays). 

A super-central tourism “information desk” is also located at 26 Amalias, near Syndagma Square. (Open 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. on weekdays and 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays.)

For more information, visit the Greece Tourism Office website.

Also, be aware that many archeological passes, necessary to visit the sites, include detailed maps. Don’t toss these out after your visit! For more information about the archeological sites, including days that they’re free to visit, check out our “budget tips to Athens” article.

While you’re at it…

As long as you’re hitting the town, why not pick up anything that’s written in Greek? A menu or a brochure, which might appear totally unintelligible and even frustrating while in Athens, will become cherished reminders of your time in Attica.

Also see: Our list of recommended budget hotels in Athens.

Editor’s Note: This is our second post in our “Cheapo Souvenirs” blog series. Join us over the next four weeks as we suggest one cheap or free souvenir to bring home from each city we cover on EuroCheapo. Do you have a suggestion for another cheap souvenir in Athens? Leave a comment below! 

Popularity: 9% [?]

Amsterdam is fertile ground for free and almost-free souvenirs. While floral bouquets don’t travel well on an airplane (and may not be allowed!), seed packets and bulbs are both easy to pack, travel well, and will blossom back home. Plus, they’re totally cheap.

(Please note: US Customs doesn’t want American tourists bringing home just any old bulb or seed, of course. The agency carefully regulates what agricultural items it allows back into the States. When seed shopping, make sure you choose items labeled as “cleared for US Customs.” See comments below for more information.)

Tulip mania peaked in Amsterdam during the city’s 17th-century golden age, sowing the scene for today’s fragrant flower markets, or Bloemenmarkt. We recommend visiting two of the city’s flower markets.

The Aalsmeer Flower Auction

Every morning, the Bloemenveiling Aalsmeer, or Aalsmeer flower auction, takes place in nearby Aalsmeer, 10 km south of Amsterdam. The fast-paced auction gives tourists an introduction to the global flower market, as 19 million flowers get bought and sold daily, before being shipped worldwide. Try picking up some sample seeds or bulbs at the market for a cheapo souvenir.

Bloemenmarkt

The Floating Flower Market, or Bloemenmarkt, is in full bloom every day along the Singel canal. The market, held in barges floating along the Singel, is the place to find thousands of seed packets, bulbs, and cut (and dried) flowers for mere euros.

Even if you don’t plan on bringing any seeds home, you might also consider swinging by the Bloemenmarkt at night, as the shops are closing up and eager owners slash their prices on cut fresh flowers. After all, couldn’t your hotel room use a little sprucing up?

More information on Amsterdam Flower Markets

Aalsmeer Flower Auction
Driekolommenplein 1. Open Monday through Friday, from 7:30 AM to 11:00 AM. The best time to go is between 7:30 AM and 9 AM.

Amsterdam Bloemenmarkt
Daily between Koninsplein and Heiligeweg.  Monday through Saturday, 9 AM - 5:30 PM, Sunday 11:00 AM - 5:30 PM.

See also: Our guide to recommended budget hotels in Amsterdam.

Editor’s Note: This is the first post in our “Cheapo Souvenirs” blog series. Join us over the next four weeks as we suggest one cheap or free souvenir to bring home from each city we cover on EuroCheapo. Do you have a suggestion for another cheap souvenir in Amsterdam? Leave a comment below!

Popularity: 13% [?]