When planning your trip to New York, it’s easy to forget to pack your bathing suit. (After all, not many affordable hotels are blessed with swimming pools.) However, the city’s Downtown Boathouse offers kayak rides in the Hudson River throughout the summer and fall… for free!

The all-volunteer boathouse has been getting New Yorkers (and visitors) into the Hudson for 10 years, and an estimated 250,000 kayak trips have been enjoyed so far. The group provides several programs: kayaking lessons, three-hour kayak adventures up the Hudson, harbor tours, and the popular “walk-up kayaking.”

Free Walk-Up Kayaking

Between May 17 and October 19, the group offers its free walk-up kayaking program. It’s simple: walk up to any of the group’s three boathouses, sign a liability waiver, put on a life jacket, and grab a kayak and paddle. You’re restricted to paddling inside the protected waters surrounding the boathouse (so lay aside your plans to head for Lady Liberty). The staff keeps a watchful eye on the kayakers.

Rules: Anyone who can swim is permitted to kayak. Children between 16-18 years may take a kayak out on their own, if a parent or guardian is present at the boathouse. Children younger than 16 may go out, but must be accompanied by an adult in a double-kayak.

Boathouse locations and hours

The Downtown Boathouse has three locations, each with their own hours:

Pier 40 at Houston Street and the Hudson River — 9 AM to 6 PM, weekends and holidays.

Pier 96 at 56th Street and the Hudson River — 9 AM to 6 PM, weekends and holidays. Also open weekday nights from 5 PM to 7 PM, June 16 through August 29.

72nd Street and the Hudson River — 10 AM to 5 PM, weekends and holidays.

For more information, visit the New York City Downtown Boathouse’s website.

Popularity: 16% [?]

You simply can’t leave Amsterdam without getting wet. While a traditional canal cruise that tours the lively and lovely harbor of Amsterdam will cost upwards of €14 depending on whether or not food is served, free ferry rides leave daily from the city center and go to some of its lesser known stopping grounds.

From either jetty 7 or 8 in Central Station, you can hop on one of three ferries: Java ferry, Adelaarsweg ferry, or the Buiksloterweg ferry. The most popular route is on Buiksloterweg (jetty 7 at Central Station); this ferry service travels to the oldest part of Amsterdam’s harbor and takes you from central Amsterdam to North-Amsterdam via IJsselmeer Lake, the body of water that separates the two areas.

We recommend taking all three boat trips, but if you only have time for one, get on the Buiksloterweg. This ride takes about five minutes, but offers a slew of photo opps and some of the best views of the canals and of the IJ shoreline.

Hey, turns out there is such a thing as a free ride! For more information, visit the Holland Tourism Board’s web site.

Join us again tomorrow, Cheapos, for another free tip. Next stop? Athens!

Popularity: 14% [?]

Photo by antshez

Last Sunday the Twin City Line opened up for business after a long winter slumber. The ship connects the capital cities of Vienna and Bratislava via the Danube River three times a day. The journey takes about 75 minutes and the Twin City boats can accommodate up to 102 passengers.

The liner is not only a service to tourists but also another means of transport for locals of both cities as well as business people who would like to try an alternative to trains and cars. Ship passengers don’t have to worry about parking spaces or grumpy cab drivers—the liner takes passengers from city center to city center. Plus, the murky waters of the famous Danube afford great views along the way.

The cheapest one-way ticket costs €15 on weekdays and goes up to €17 on weekends and holidays. Kids up to two years old travel for free, and there’s a 50% reduction for children under 12. Twin City Line is also wheelchair-accessible and accepts dogs and bikes.

For the month of April, 2007, the line is offering a child-free-with-parent special. The offer is valid for all routes but can only be reserved by telephone: +43 1-588-80. For more information, please email twincityliner@ddsg-blue-danube.at.

Popularity: 13% [?]