When it comes to our list of travel essentials, iPods and MP3 players are right up there with good city maps and sun block. And, if we hit a bump in the road or happen to meet with a European transit strike, there’s no better way to while away the hours than with a few portable travel guides.

Read on, dear Cheapos, for five free podcasts we love for Barcelona, Spain:

For those with unique taste

If you’re more into meandering side streets than queuing up at the Sagrada Familia, check out Notes from Spain’s frequently uploaded casts. Audio guides offer an “anti-tourist” take on exploring Barcelona, from back street tours of the barri gotic to a bike route through the Basque region.  

For well-rounded travelers

We like Tourcaster for its wide array of podcasts—from tours of art museums to jaunts through national parks—highlighting destinations around the world. Although some audio guides get super-specific (Madrid’s Royal Palace, anyone?), the Barcelona City Guide provides a comprehensive introduction to the city’s top attractions, like Gaudi’s Parc Guell or the best places to eat tapas. And, unlike other Tourcaster podcasts, it’s free!

For the language buffs

Don’t know your por qué from your por favor? Radio Alicante International FM, a radio station broadcasting from Spain, doles out language lessons in a free podcast on learning Spanish. Download the courses from iTunes and listen, repeat, listen, repeat.

For architecture aficionados

For a Cheapo architecture fix, we like LoDingo’s comprehensive building tour. The two-hour podcast winds its way through Barcelona’s best examples of “el Modernisme Catal,” the style made famous by the Catalonian architect Antonio Gaudi.

For some in-flight entertainment

Okay, so the Barcelona Vidcast HD podcast is in Spanish, but since it’s a video, the sights and sounds of the city speak for themselves. It’s available on iTunes (search “Barcelona Vidcast HD” to find it), is perfect for the plane ride over or for distracting yourself during a classic Spanish conundrum, the rail strike.

Popularity: 15% [?]

We use our iPod like it’s going out of style. And, that doesn’t stop once we get to Europe. In fact, before we head off, we load it up with free podcasts depending on what city we’re visiting. We’ve saved many a euro by taking our own free tours, headphones in.

Here are five picks for free Paris podcasts:

For art buffs:

We love Rick Steve’s audio walking tour of the Musée d’Orsay. You can download it for free via iTunes. Or, visit his site for more info on how to download his podcasts. Rick also has a free tour of the Louvre if you’re so inclined.

For history fanatics:

We like Zevisit’s guides to historical landmarks and monuments in European cities. You can download them via iTunes, or visit their site for more information. The Paris audio guide boasts tales of an elephant on the Eiffel Tower, mysteries of the Louvre, and includes a tour of Notre Dame.

For bookish types:

Ok, so there have been a lot of “Code”-inspired tours since Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code debuted in 2003. Heck, we even saw a Louvre exhibit based on the bestseller. We wouldn’t normally recommend these audio tours as they can get pricey and touristy. However, if you’re a fan of the book (and yes, we read it too!), we suggest “Walking the Da Vinci Code” by Peter Caine, a free podcast available on iTunes or via the author’s web site. Plug in and get your Priory of Scion on!

For one-stop shoppers:

Cityzeum covers a lot of subjects on their podcasts, available through iTunes. Download their audio guides for free via iTunes or download the Paris tour, in French only, on their site. The tour touches on all the main neighborhoods (the Marais, Latin Quarter, Montmartre and others) as well as provides introductions to monuments, famous squares, churches, gardens, and more.

For the indecisives:

There are so many podcasts to choose from! One audio tour may lead to a fancy bar in the Marais while another might mean bumping into a rush of American tourists wearing fanny packs (we’ll let you figure out which podcast this applies to). So, when we’re feeling conflicted, we head over to Tourcaster, or visit their page on iTunes. Here, you can choose from a range of walking tours. For example, there are guides to religion in Paris, government, or key French phrase tutorials to help you learn your qui from your quoi. Tourcaster typically charges for guides on their web site, but if you subscribe to their weekly podcast feed (again, via iTunes), you should have no trouble hitting the city of lights in stride.

Other Paris podcasts?

Do you know of another quality Paris podcast? Please let us know, by posting below!

Popularity: 17% [?]