The scene at United Islands Prague. Photo by czechian.

By Jacy Meyer in Prague—

Planning a trip to Prague this year? One of central Europe’s most historic and picturesque capitals will mesmerize you with its charm and beauty. But it’s not all architectural oohs and ahhs—there are plenty of festivals and other events sure to enliven your experience. Check these out!

FebioFest
March 25-April 4, 2010
website

The Czech Republic’s largest non-competitive international film festival is one of the most popular events on local film lovers’ calendars. The festival specializes in full length films from just about every genre: documentaries, retrospectives, and premieres.

The majority of films are shown at a city center multiplex and tickets are a nice cheapo 79 CZK. An added bonus for Cheapos is the accompanying FebioFest Music Festival. The event is held in the cinema’s underground garage, and bands range from ska to rock-n-roll to pop and admission is free!

Prague Spring
May 12-June 4, 2010
website

Prague’s premier international music festival isn’t the most bargain event on the calendar, but it’s worth every koruna. This year’s program offers performances of work by Mozart, Martinu, and Hayden, to name a few.

From theater to opera to early music performances, Prague Spring is a stellar musical extravaganza. Plus, the event is held in some equally stunning venues. Viewing concert halls like the Rudolfinum and the Municipal House is a free added feast for your eyes.

Czech Beer Festival
May 14-May 30, 2010
website

A bit more low-brow than Prague Spring, the Czech Beer Festival is a fun feast of a different kind. Admission is free to this event full of Czech beer, Czech food, and Czech fun. Servers in traditional Czech dress and music playing all day long makes this a cheerful place to spend an afternoon.

Prague Fringe Festival
May-28-June 5
website

Prague’s own mini-version of the Edinburgh legend, the Fringe here brings a welcome dose of English theater and comedy to the city. Expect lots of favorites from past Edinburgh Fringes as well as fun newcomers.

Prague Museum Night
June 12, 2010
website

Like many other European cities, Prague hosts its own museum night. On the designated night, hundreds of museums around the city are open for free from 7 PM-1 AM. Free transport is available from venue to venue. Visit the bigger museums early; this is an extremely popular event and lines form quite quickly.

United Islands of Prague
June 24-26, 2010
website

This international outdoor music festival is one of the most popular events in Prague. Featuring a range of musical acts from around the world, the concerts are showcased on three Vltava River islands. The festival is free, and plenty of after-parties take place in area clubs.

To find out what else is going on when you’re in town, check two of the biggest ticket sellers: Both Ticketpro.cz and Ticketstream.cz have easy search-by-date functions.

Popularity: 3% [?]

When night falls, head for the Kulturehuset. Photo: Pineapplebun

By Marcus Cederstrom in Stockholm—

On October 25th, the clocks changed and Sweden fell back one hour. For many people around the world, this just means that it gets darker a little earlier, in Stockholm it means that on Monday the 26th Stockholmers were greeted with a sunset around 4:00 pm. The days are short in Sweden now and only getting shorter as winter approaches.

Luckily, there are plenty of things to do to keep busy, and some that will really appeal to Cheapos.

Daylight on the island of Djurgården

The city of Stockholm is built on a string of islands, which makes for beautiful sightseeing. Start your day by taking advantage of the daylight and wandering around the island of Djurgården. Walk along Strandvägen on your way to the island or take bus 47 from Central Station and get off at Djurgårdsbron.

The island itself is an amazing blend of nature and history. Several museums dot the island from the famous Vasa Museum, one of the most popular museums in Stockholm, to Waldemarsudde, a beautiful art museum, to Skansen, a living outdoor museum. For Cheapos, however, Djurgården can be enjoyed without spending a dime (or krona, in this case).

Walking around Djurgården, it’s easy to forget you are in the biggest city in Sweden. That might be because as you head east on the island you’ll be staring out towards the edge of the Stockholm archipelago. Or it could be the large National Park that runs through Stockholm and Djurgården.

The area of the National Park on the island is known as “Isbladskärret” and is a beautiful place to see the birds of Sweden, most notably the herons, which can be seen flying home to their nests as the sun sets in the spring.

Off to Kulturhuset

As the sun starts to set, (remember, the days are short during the fall and winter here in Stockholm) start heading back to the city and to Kulturhuset, (The Culture House).

Kulturhuset is located right in front of Sergels torg, the large chessboard-like square. Several bus stops in the area as well as one exit from Central Station make it hard to miss Sergels torg. Coming from Djurgården, you can either walk back along Strandvägen, or take bus 47 and get off at the Sergels torg stop.

Kulturhuset is known for its free exhibitions. Keep in mind that most of the exhibitions are closed on Mondays, and on all other days they don’t open until 11 AM. Closing times vary depending on the day of the week, so be sure to check Kulturhuset’s website if you’re unsure.

Once inside, Kulturhuset has a lot to offer. Each of the five floors has something, most of which are free. You’ll always have access to the Library for Comics and Graphic Literature on the 2nd floor, and the Kidzone on the 4th floor. Revolving photo exhibitions, film festivals, musical performances, and even literature workshops can be found on the other floors throughout the year.

After having explored the natural beauty of Stockholm, as well as the cultural offerings, relax with one of the numerous global newspapers available or befriend a local and finish your day with a game of chess. You’ll have experienced Stockholm, and done so on a budget that any Cheapo would love.

Popularity: 6% [?]

By Nicky Gardner and Susanne Kries—

The "World's Smallest Museum" in Superior, AZ. Really? Photo by Danny McL.

Years ago, we drove across Arizona on US Highway 60, and after hours of agave, mesquite, and thorny acacia, stopped off in Superior. Ground squirrels, Harris hawks, and lizards were everywhere in this Arizona backwater.

The town also offered a museum that claims to be the smallest in the world, which is actually a piece of arrant self-delusion. The Superior museum turned out to be about as exciting as the Cawker City Twine-A-Thon, but did encourage us to start combing Europe for even smaller museums.

A Parisian contender

What about the tiny Paris apartment which was the one-time home of eccentric French composer Erik Satie? Open only by appointment, the one room where Satie spent most of the last twenty-seven years of his life not only has real content (and lots of it), but it also affords insights into the mind of a man who gave his compositions bizarre names like “Préludes flasques pour un chien” (Drivelling preludes for a Dog) and “Trois Morceaux en forme de Poire” (Three pear-shaped pieces).

The Musée-Placard d’Erik Satie is packed in just the way that Satie left it when he departed this world. He owned two pianos, one kept on top of the other, a hundred umbrellas, and he was an inveterate collector of clothes, bric-a-brac, and correspondence.

But the winner is… in Macedonia!

But even better (and smaller) is a truly diminutive museum in Macedonia in the village of Dzepciste just north of Tetovo. Oddly enough, Dzepciste has that same kind of frontier feel about it as Superior in Arizona. Dzepciste is an outback place of rugged faces, cautious smiles, and expressive simplicity. Plus one fabulous museum devoted to local history and ethnography with more than a thousand artifacts that document two millennia of Macedonian civilization.

With a total exhibition space of just seven square meters, visitor rules are strict: no more than one person at a time is allowed to visit. And, best of all for Cheapos, it is absolutely free. It is no bad thing, though, to leave a donation to support the work of the locals who have, over many years, developed this fine diminutive attraction.

About the authors: Susanne Kries and Nicky Gardner are regular contributors to EuroCheapo and together edit hidden europe magazine. They live in Berlin.

Popularity: 7% [?]

Who can resist French art books? Photos by Theadora Brack.

By Théadora Brack in Paris—

Oops, I did it again.

I attended an exposition’s “vernissage” (literally, the “varnishing”—how the French refer to a preview or opening of an art show), and became smitten with the show and its fine-looking catalog. Obsession activated. Hit hard, and a post card just wouldn’t do.

But, how can I get an art catalogue on the cheap? Walk this way!

1. Check out that rack of glossies!

Most museum shops sell “les albums de l’exposition” (guides, magazines, and portfolios). Published by Beaux Arts Magazine, Connaissance des Arts, Le Figaro, or the museum itself, these slim gems are usually prominently displayed, lightweight and affordable, costing just €2 to €10. Chockfull of visuals with punch, they’ll satisfy your head, pocketbook and suitcase. Translated versions are often available, too.

Books on sale!

2. Crack Da Chintzy code

La Boutique du Musée du Louvre not only carries current and back issues of “albums de l’exposition” (see above), but also discounts catalogs from its previous expositions by up to 60% off their original cost!

Other museums like the Centre Pompidou, Musée Carnavalet, and The Palais de Tokyo also slash art catalogue prices throughout the year. Recently at the Musée Galliera (museum of fashion), I purchased the Madame Carven catalogue for just €12, marked down from €30. Memorize one of my favorite French words, “soldes” (“on sale”), and you too will start spotting bargains everywhere. (As Anaïs Nin wrote, “We don’t see things as they are. We see things as we are.”)

3. Ch-ching at Fuh-nack!

Even my French friends were surprised to learn that Fnac (pronounced “fuh-nack”), the largest French entertainment retail chain, discounts its inventory of books. This includes the latest catalogues from current blockbuster shows, like Le Grande Monde d’Andy Warhol at the Grand Palais, Kadinsky at the Centre Pompidou, the David LaChapelle Retrospective at the Musée de la Monnaie, and Valadon et Utrillo at La Pinacothèque!

Fnac is a bustling combination of Barnes & Noble, Best Buy, Staples, and Ticketmaster. With everything from laptops and DVDs to French comic books and concert tickets, it’s one-stop shopping. You can also pick up museum admission tickets.

4. Flâneur-tastique! That’s how we stroll.

I’ve been known to spend entire days in the aisles of Mona Lisait Librairies. Although this funky bookstore chain that specializes in new and used art books has shops scattered all over Paris, its Marais location at 17bis rue Pavée (Metro: St Paul) is closest to my heart. Its creaky wooden floorboards, uneven brick flooring, tinny classical music, helpful staff, and free gift-wrapping all add up to real atmosphere.

Another favorite is at Place Joachim du Bellay, not far from the Centre Pompidou. Each of the seven locations has its own charm, and definitely worth a visit. (By the way, “Mona lisait” means “Mona was reading.”)

The "Librarie du Passage."

For another take on the arts, go meet the artists or at least their wax replicas at the Musée Grévin (Paris Wax Museum). Then visit the Librairie du Passage just a few feet away at 39 and 48 Passage Jouffroy (near Grand Boulevard–pictured above). Open since 1846, it’s in one of Paris’ classic 19th-century shopping arcades. Rumor has it that Victor Hugo, a renowned bargain hound, got his Cheapo on at this very shop. 

6. Mosey on to Glory

Here I weep. At La librairie de l’Avenue in the middle of Clignancourt Flea Market (Métros: Garibaldi or Porte de Clignancourt), the angels sing on high from a little CD player located just below the cashier’s desk. The sweet smell of coffee and frankincense tickles the nose.

This large but still intimate bookshop is well stocked with new and used art books, catalogues, vintage prints and antique magazines. Deciding exactly where to start my quest is the only glitch I encounter here as I make my way though the narrow labyrinth of floor to ceiling bookshelves, stocked with discounted books that have been meticulously organized by category, author or genre.

7. Don’t forget to look in the ‘hood

Neighborhood bookstores (”librairies”) all over the city occasionally stock and discount catalogues from current and past expositions. The handsome books are usually displayed in the windows.

How to find out about current art expositions in Paris

Pariscope: Invest 40 cents in a copy of Pariscope, available at any newsstand or kiosk. The pocket-sized weekly listings magazine covers the week’s happenings from theatre, cinema and arts, to music and restaurants. It hits the stands on Wednesdays.

An important note on pronunciation:

You risk raising a few bemused eyebrows if you ask for directions to an “exhibition.” “Exhibitions” (with an “h”) are peep shows—which is fine, if that’s the sort of display you’re after. However, if you’re looking for art, give that word a “p”–“exposition”!

Tell us. Do you have a favorite bookstore in Paris? Tell us below.

About the author and photographer: Theadora Brack is a writer working in Paris. Her fiction has appeared in more than 30 literary publications, including 3AM International, The Smoking Poet, Beloit Fiction Journal, Mid-American Review, and the Haight-Ashbury Literary Journal.

Popularity: 9% [?]

A plaque marks the site of the former Berlin Wall

Sure, to save more money in Berlin you could just eat pretzels until you’re blue in the face. Hey, we’ve done it. They’re cheap and filling. Or, you could snag a city pass and take advantage of discounts on transport and museums, and freebies all around town.

Two passes in particular, the Schaulust Museen Berlin pass and Berlin’s Tourism Board’s Welcomecard offer particularly good deals for quick trips.  Take a look.

SchauLUST-MuseenBERLIN ticket

With the 3-day Schaulust-Museen Berlin pass, travelers have access to about 70 Berlin museums and collections, for free! You must use the ticket for three consecutive days. The museums pass is not valid for some special exhibitions, so check with the tourism board, or via their web site, for more details. Cost: €19 (€9.50 for students with valid identification).  

What museums can you visit?

Highlights of the pass include the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin,  the Preussischer Kulturbesitz (including the Bode Museum), the incredible Pergamon Museum, Egyptian Museum and Gemaldegalerie (painting gallery).

In addition, you can hit up Stiftung Stadtmuseum Berlin, the German Technology Museum, and the Brücke Museum. The 3-day “Museumspass” is available online and at the Berlin infostores.

Berlin’s Welcomecard

Another terrific option is the Berlin Welcomecard. It’s a great value offering free public transportation, a pocket map, and 50 percent off admission to more than 140 museums and city sights. 

This year, to help mark the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Berlin Tourism Board launches a new 5-day Welcomecard (it’s previously only been available in 2-day and 3-day versions).

Cost:  The pass is €16.50 for a 48-hour period, and €22 for a 72-hour period. The new 5-day card costs €29.50. Also new this year, a special card that tacks on free shuttle service to and from Tegel or Schonefeld airport. Prices vary, so check the site for details.

What should you pick up?

If you plan to see museums and also see the city, the Welcomecard could be just the ticket. Since it gives you free transport for up to 5-days (depending on which type of pass you buy), you can jet around freely, stopping in at museums and other sights where you’ll also enjoy a hefty discount.

Our pick? Well, we’re art buffs and we love to ride bicycles and pound the pavenment, so no matter how cold or how far we plan to go, we’re always more likely to opt for the Schaulust-Museen Berlin pass.

Either way, neither card is a bitte pill to swallow. So, get packin’!

If you go, check out our budget hotel picks for Berlin here.

Popularity: 15% [?]

The Alte Pinakothek Museum in Munich. Photo by Clare and Ben

You don’t want to leave Munich without visiting some of the city’s wonderful art, history, and science museums. Aside from traditional museum, visitors to Munchen have no shortage of other sightseeing options, from flea markets to cafes and the Hofbrauhaus.

Here’s our “Cheapo Strategy”: During the week, keep busy with biergartens and Bavarian buildings. But on the weekend, take advantage of the several city museums that charge only €1!

Art on a shoestring

Each Sunday, many of Munich’s best-known museums offer reduced entrance fares to visitors.

For instance, you can tour the Alte Pinakothek’s collection of European art, the modern art at the Lenbachhaus, Roman and Greek architecture at the Glyptothek, and the sculpture and musical instruments at the Bayerisches National Museum’s, each for a small €1 admission charge.

If you want to hold onto every last euro, Munich can be even friendlier on your wallet.

Entrance to the unique collections at the Kartoffelmuseum, the Siemens AG company museum, and the Geologisches Museum are free seven days a week.

While you’re at it

Be sure to check the museums’ websites for any upcoming events. For instance, the Glyptothek, Munich’s museum of classical Roman and Greek art, hosts a “Lange Nacht der Museen” twice a year, when the museum’s doors stay open till 2 a.m.

Tell us: Have any other Munich tourist tips? Add them below!

Popularity: 12% [?]

Art and Paris are forever linked—throughout history, popular culture, and in the minds of most visitors to the French capital. Reproduction posters, postcards, and vintage magazine covers allow tourists to bring home a frame-worthy piece of art history (often by the likes of Gauguin, Degas, and Toulouse-Lautrec) for a vraiment cheapo price.

Boutique or bouquiniste?

Gifts from museum shops or boutiques can be expensive. So, we suggest looking for inspiration at any of the city’s museums or art galleries, and then purchasing your souvenir posters at a riverside bouquiniste.  Similar in look to outdoor newsstands, these green stalls are located along the river Seine and sell vintage magazines and newspapers, as well as old maps of Paris, art reproductions, and French books. 

We especially love the colorful turn-of-the-century advertisements for liquor, cigarettes, cocoa, and milk, as well as the cabaret posters of the same era. Most wares will run you less than €10.

Souvenir savoir-faire

The first Seine-side salesmen appeared in the 19th century on quai Voltaire and sold many of the same items you still see sold today. In 1993, President Jacques Chirac created legal standards for the wooden stands. Today, around 250 vendors—bouquinistes—can be found in the city of light. Peppered along the right bank, on Pont Marie, at Quai du Louvre, the left bank, at Quai de la Tournelle, and the original quai Voltaire, they carry cheapo souvenirs in abundance.

Calling all Cheapos: Do you recommend buying souvenirs from a Parisian bouquiniste? Tell us about your experience below, or suggest another cheap Parisian souvenir!

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

Popularity: 19% [?]

Photo courtesy of Fragonard’s official web site

In the list of Paris museums, one sweet-smelling attraction is sometimes overlooked. The Musee du Parfum, run by the famous perfume manufacturer Fragonard, has been offering a “behind the scents” tour of the perfume business for 25 years. And happily for us, the visit is free!

The museum is housed in a gorgeous 19th-century townhouse that drips with romantic ornamentation. The house was built by Joseph Lesoufaché, a student of Garnier, for whom the nearby Opera Garnier was named. (When we say “nearby,” we mean it. The museum is less than half a block west of the opera!)

The Fragonard Museum provides free guided tours throughout the day. Learn how perfume has been made through the ages, and inspect the elaborate tools used in their production.

Just don’t be surprised if you’re inspired to buy some wares at the end of the tour!

Visiting Fragonard’s Perfume Museum

Le musee du parfum
9, rue Scribe
Metro: Opera
Tél: +33 (0) 1 47 42 04 56

The museum is open Monday to Saturday from 9 AM to 6 PM, Sundays and holidays, 9 AM to 5 PM.

For more details, visit the museum’s website.

Join us again tomorrow, as our “Grand Tour” continues in Prague.

Popularity: 21% [?]

“Artemis” by Rembrandt. One of the masterpieces on display at the Prado.

The Museo Nacional del Prado is Madrid’s most famous museum. Opened to the public in 1819, today it boasts a world-class collection of European artwork, including more than 7,000 works spanning from the 12th century to the early 19th century. At any time, about 1,300 pieces of art are on display.

The museum started out as a royal collection of art, and visitors can still get a feel for the varying tastes of monarch’s past. The Prado is especially acclaimed for works by Spanish painters, including Velazquez, El Greco, and Goya, as well as “foreigners” Titian, Bosch, Rubens, and Rembrandt.

Visiting the Prado Museum…

The museum is open daily from 9 AM to 8 PM, and closed on Mondays.

General admission to the museum costs €6 if tickets are bought at the museum’s ticket office. Advance tickets (allowing you to skip the line) can be purchased online through the Prado’s website, for €9.

…for free

However, the Prado offers free admission at the end of every day for two hours (three on Sunday). From Tuesday through Saturday, the museum’s doors are wide open from 6 PM to 8 PM, and on Sunday from 5 PM to 8 PM.

With so much to see, we’d suggest visiting the museum multiple times for free. Popping in to tackle one artist or one section of the museum is not only doable in two hours, but could help prevent “museum burn-out.”

Tip: Check out the museum’s recommended list of 15 masterpieces on the Prado’s website. This virtual tour offers historical insights into the collection’s most famous paintings.

Also see: our list of budget tips for Madrid and our reviews of budget hotels in Madrid.

Next stop: Munich! 

Popularity: 18% [?]

Bratislava, thankfully for us Cheapos, is a pretty reasonable city.  Most museums here do charge an entrance fee, of which the average cost is SKK80 (just over $4).

But, one of Bratislava’s national treasures is free and open to the public every day except for holidays and Mondays.

Bratislava Castle sits high on a hill. It’s a national landmark you simply can’t miss, visually or otherwise. The castle itself probably dates back to the 9th-Century and was first inhabited by the Celts. It’s known for the four, massive towers at each of its corners; these giants seem to dot the sky with importance.

Today, the Castle houses the Museum of History - an impressive collection of art, artifacts, and architectural marvels - all under the umbrella of the Slovak National Museum. Exhibits at the Castle include art and sculpture by Slovaks, venues exploring Slovakian culture’s reach across Europe, and lots of military objects, ceramics, and items of folklore. Note: From time to time, some exhibits do charge a nominal admission fee, typically SKK60 (about $3).

To visit the grand collection and see parts of the old castle, pick up a free ticket, available at the visitor’s center on the premises.

Note: Much of the Castle will be undergoing planned renovation from 2008-2011. While the castle doesn’t have its own web site, you can check for more details via the Slovak National Museum page, where you can also learn more about the current exhibitions that open to the public.

Join us again tomorrow, Cheapos, for more free tips. Next stop? Brussels!

Popularity: 12% [?]