Buildings in Stockholm's Old Town. Photo by pntphoto.

By Marcus Cederstrom in Stockholm—

Many cities throughout Europe offer free walking tours, though, unfortunately, Stockholm does not. Despite the ease in which Stockholm can be navigated on foot. Despite the natural beauty of a city built on islands. Despite Sweden being the land of the midnight sun.

However, on Sunday, February 21st, 2010 at 11:00 AM, Stockholm will be celebrating its International Tourist Guide Day with a free guided tour. This is a perfect opportunity for Cheapos in the area to take advantage of authorized guides and learn a bit about one of Europe’s best preserved medieval Old Towns.

The history and sights of Old Town

Old Town Stockholm has much to offer, including Stortorget, the site of the Stockholm Bloodbath in 1520 which eventually led to Swedish independence, the royal castle, and the colorful, picturesque buildings that complete any European Old Town.

Stockholm’s Old Town is rich with history, with several small squares tucked away on the island, as well as statues reminding visitors of the area’s history. And of course, there are the beautiful churches of Stockholm dotting the islands which are perfect for Cheapos looking for a free fix of medieval history and architecture.

Catching the tour

The Association of Authorized Local Guides (FSAG is the Swedish acronym) will be hosting the event and offering free walking tours of Gamla Stan and Riddarholmen in Stockholm. FSAG has about 290 guides and can teach you about Stockholm in 29 different languages, some of which will be on display this Sunday.

The walking tours will be available in several different languages, hence the international appeal of the day. All tours will be leaving from Slottsbacken, right next to the large obelisk situated near the royal castle and Storkyrkan in Gamla Stan. There is no need to book in advance.

If you have any questions about the event, and exactly which languages the tour will be offered in, check out the FSAG site.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Tour the newly remodeled Printemps. Photos by Theadora Brack.

By Theadora Brack in Paris—

Les Musées de Paris aren’t the only ones in the city getting a “little work” done these days. Following suit, why, even the Printemps Haussmann, the grand department store, has begun to enter the final phases of an extreme makeover!

Check out the atrium.

Now sporting a chic modern look that nevertheless manages to pay homage to her expansive Belle Époque days, Printemps’ new three-level atrium is finally open to the public. Window lickers (as the French call window shoppers—”lèche-vitrine”) of the world, unite.

Heads up, Cheapos! A special unveiling of the store’s newly-restored façade, along with its notorious holiday window displays, happens on November 12, 2009. And there are still more wonders are yet to come!

Équipe (”team”) effort

On the case is the Canadian architectural firm Yabu Pushelberg. (Toronto duo George Yabu and Glenn Pushelberg were also responsible for New York City’s Tiffany & Co. Wall Street, Neiman Marcus, and Bergdorf Goodman’s impressive good looks.) No holds were barred, as roughly €70 million have been poured into Printemps’ extensive interior and exterior revamping. The rest of the project’s completion is slated for spring 2010.

A rather large bag.

Like a dream

Meanwhile you’ll be dazzled by the recently installed super-cool (and eco-friendly) LED lighting system that illuminates and opens up the heart of the store: the center atrium. Resembling an oversized Lucite box, this pleasing eye candy is decked out in slick marble, sleek bands of iced chrome, and live trees that sprout multi-colored handbags. Ma joie!

Jutting out between the bustling, zigzagging escalators are towering cubbyholes (three stories high) stuffed with shiny fab accessories, just enough out of reach to tantalize. But one can always dream, can’t one?

Don’t skip the loo, my darlings

Check out “the first luxury public toilets” by Point WC (as touted on their website). One euro buys you private seating in a water closet lit by rose-colored lights, and handsomely stocked with shocking fluorescent toilet tissues in pinks, greens, and blues.

Skip to the loo!

You can’t miss the €1800 price tag for the commode, but happily you don’t have to buy it to experience it! Cosmetics for touch-ups, souvenir rolls of toilet tissue, and even beverages are available at the Point WC welcome desk.

Yes, I know, life is good–and with flattering lighting to boot. So make a beeline! Stopping by the loo has never been more fun or stylish! (BTW, you’ll also find a Point WC at the Carrousel du Louvre.)

About the author: 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: 6% [?]

A statue in front of Humboldt University in Berlin. Photo by Zephyrinus.

By Susan Buzzelli in Berlin—

With Berlin’s three public universities—Humboldt Universität zu Berlin (Humboldt University), Freie Universität (Free University), and Technische Universität (Technical University)—and dozens of private colleges, Germany’s capital is crawling with students studying everything from “Kunst” (art) to “Wirtschaft” (business).

With the oldest of the three, Humboldt, in the midst of a 200th anniversary celebration, it’s a great time to get in touch with Berlin’s collegiate side. German schools aren’t really known for their wild celebrations, so don’t expect to stumble across raucous soccer matches or wild kegger parties while touring the two most visit-worthy campuses.

Instead, FU and HU boast historic buildings, memorable museums, ultra-contemporary libraries, and tasty, Cheapo-friendly “Mensas” (cafeterias).

Humboldt Universität zu Berlin

Founded in 1810 by the education innovator Alexander von Humboldt, HU is regarded as the first “modern” university because it offered courses in diverse subjects, such as chemistry and physics, in addition to standard classes on the humanities.

Since its debut, the university’s (now faded) halls have hosted dozens of star students and faculty, including the economist Karl Marx, the folklorists Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, the philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, and the physicist Albert Einstein.

A statue of Humboldt guards the central building (Unter den Linden, S-bahn: Unter den Linden), a gorgeous 19th-century palace on Berlin’s monument-studded main drag, Unter den Linden. After browsing the used book stalls set up in the front yard (Mon.–Sat.), pop inside the entrance hall to marvel at the marble-bedecked East Germany-era staircase. It features a gilded quote by Marx.

Stroll through the back courtyard to reach the university’s newest building. Designed by the Swiss architect Max Dudler, the streamlined Brüder Grimm Zentrum (Brothers Grimm Center, Geschwister-Scholl-Str. 1/3, S/U-bahn: Friedrich Str.) houses the university’s central library.

A free exhibition

FU's Norman Foster Library. Photo by Svenwerk.

In honor of the university’s bicentennial, the main hall currently plays host to the free exhibit, “In the city center—200 years of the Universität Unter den Linden,” which chronicles HU’s history. After your cram history session, be sure to check out the architecturally-striking Lesehalle (reading hall).

Freie Universität

Nestled in Dahlem (U-bahn: Dahlem Dorf), a leafy suburb southwest of the center, “the Oxford of Germany” is newer, bigger, and more highly-regarded than Humboldt. In fact, HU is still fuming about the fact that FU beat it out for a spot on the exclusive list of German Centers of Excellence, a distinction awarded to the country’s best schools.

In addition to its trio of fantastic museums—the Asian Art Museum, the Ethnological Museum, and the Museum of European Cultures—FU boasts an impressive library of its own.

Opened in 2005, Sir Norman Foster’s cerebral Philologische Bibliothek (Philological Library, Habelschwerdter Allee 45) is literally shaped like a brain. Step inside the so-called “Berlin Brain” to find a curvaceous central chamber that plays host to nearly a million books.

If you find yourself in need of a study break, head to one of the campuses many Mensas for a cheap and filling meal. The best of the bunch, the bright orange Mensa FU II (Otto-von-Simson-Str. 26), is right next door to the library.

Popularity: 5% [?]

The Pantheon. Photos by Liz Webber.

By Liz Webber in Paris–

In preparation for the “Journées Européens du Patrimoine” (European Heritage Days), the Mairie of Paris has put together 27 balades, or “strolls,” highlighting cultural and historical themes throughout the city.

Although the descriptions of these self-guided walking tours are only available in French, the easy-to-read maps make it possible for anyone to follow the trail.

Here are two of the tours we liked, along with some Cheapo translation and commentary. The maps also show the locations of all the nearest Vélib stations, so you can hop on a bike if you prefer.

Tour One: The Republic and the Great Men

This tour starts at the Pantheon, the impressive mausoleum for France’s honored citizens. If you’d like to visit the resting place of all the great men (and women), entry costs €8.

On the south side of the monument in the Place de Pantheon, you’ll find a statue of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, the writer and philosopher whose works were instrumental in shaping the French Revolution.

Next stop is the Place de la Sorbonne and the statue of Auguste Comte, a philosopher whose works “incarnated the republican ideas that the Third Republic tried to institute.” Comte once lived on this Place and also on the nearby Rue Monsieur le Prince.

Follow that road to the Odeon Metro station to get to the next landmark, a statue of Georges Danton, a Revolutionary figure who like many fell to the guillotine during the Reign of Terror. The statue was one of the few bronze works spared from destruction during the Occupation.

A statue of Diderot

Another bronze, this one of writer and philosopher Denis Diderot, sits across from the church St. Germain des Prés. A plaster model was erected for the centennial of Diderot’s death in 1884, while the final copy appeared two years later; it was also saved under the Occupation.

The sculpture of the writer Voltaire that is the next stop on the walk originally caused controversy because those who commissioned it couldn’t agree on where to put it. The statue finally found its current home at the Square Honoré Champion in 1962 – after the death of the sculptor who created it.

A number of symbols adorn the statue of “La République” across the way on the Quai Malaquais: a bundle of arms entwining the broken royal crown (denoting republican unity and liberty); the sword and triangle (justice and equality); the beehive (work); and the star on the crown of oak (reason and wisdom).

Last stop is Nicolas de Condorcet, a philosopher, mathematician and politician, on the Quai Conti. Its location is fitting, between the Hôtel de la Monnaie, where Condorcet was the director, and the Palais de l’Institut, of which Condorcet was a member.

The walk lasts about an hour on foot, not including a visit to the Pantheon. Download the pdf of the map here.

Tour Two: Myths and Realities

The St. Michel fountain

Start out at the St. Michel fountain, dedicated to the patron saint of warriors, the archangel Michael, with the two dragons at his feet representing the unsuccessful forces of evil. It was Michael who appeared to Joan of Arc and told her to liberate France from the English.

In the shadow of Notre Dame, it’s easy to overlook the statue of Charlemagne and his Squires. The sculptors incorporated several of the legendary aspects of the historic king, including the crown used by the Holy Roman Emperors and his nephew Roland’s mythical sword Durandal. If you have time, climb the tower of Notre Dame for a view of the entire parvis and beyond.

A little further east down the Seine on the Pont de la Tournelle, an imposing statue of Saint Genevieve watches over the city. According to legend, it was Genevieve who saved Paris from the invasion of Attila and the Huns.

The Fountain of Natural History

All manner of birds and beasts adorn the Fountain of Natural History, located at 20 Rue Cuvier. A woman personifying natural history sits surrounded by Minerva’s owl, a lion, a crocodile and even a walrus.

The final stop is actually inside the menagerie in the Jardin des Plantes, for which entry costs 8 €. Next to the reptile section, the Snake Charmer sweetly plays his flute to keep a viper from nipping at his toes.

This walk also lasts about an hour. Find the pdf of the map here.

About the author: Liz Webber is a freelance journalist living and working in Paris. She has previously worked for the International Herald Tribune and Budget Travel.

Popularity: 6% [?]

Amsterdam's Brouwerij ‘t Ij offers free tours on Fridays. Photos by Audrey Sykes.

By Audrey Sykes in Amsterdam—

Amsterdam’s “Brouwerij ‘t Ij” brewery has been serving up a selection of Belgian-style organic brews since 1985. Located in an eastern corner of the city, the brewery is worth the trip for those seeking flavorful, fresh beer at a surprisingly low cost.

Plus, if you swing by Brouwerij ‘t Ij on Fridays, you can take a free guided tour!

History a-brewin’

The Brouwerij ‘t Ij stands beside an enormous, classic Dutch windmill once used for grinding oats. (Now a private residence, the windmill serves as a helpful landmark for those looking for the brewery.) As for the brewery, it was once a large bathhouse, yet the only remains of its soapy past are the old tiled walls inside.

The brewery was founded by Kasper Peterson, a Dutch citizen who spent years as a “beer engineer” in Belgium. Peterson’s first beer creation was the floral, blonde tripel named Zatte, a Dutch term for being “a bit drunk” — and still available on tap.

While the Brouwerij ‘t Ij’s logo is a humorous cartoon ostrich standing in a desert with a windmill in the background, the name “Brouwerij ‘t Ij” literally translates to “brewery on the Ij” due to its location near the Ij River.

The brewery produces only about 200,000 liters per year, a small amount compared to Heineken’s massive 220 million liters.

Cozy and beer buzzy

An assortment of beer enthusiasts flock to the “‘t Ij” brewery on sunny, warm weekends to sample the beers, snack away, and chill out. Tourists, locals, and families brew up a chatty environment, and the staff is a friendly bunch of connoisseurs who honestly enjoy their job. It’s a relaxed and pleasing setting for even the quietest of introverts: everyone has a new best friend after a few rounds at Brouwerij ‘t Ij.

Inside, the decor includes a sizable collection of beer bottles from around the world. Old photos of windmills, ostriches, random faces, and news clippings are pinned above the beer-logged tables. (There will never be enough coasters to keep the counters clean, so stay outside if you can’t handle the scent of stale beer!)

A pure and simple beer recipe

Regardless of beer type, the Brouwerij ‘t Ij’s recipes strictly adhere to just three organic ingredients: water, hops, and malted barley. Yeast acts as a natural preservative and filtering system, making additives unnecessary, and giving the beer a cloudy, smooth, and frothy body.

Following the introduction of “Zatte,” Brouwerij ‘t Ij has added six Belgian-style beers available on tap year-round, plus a few seasonal specials. The list includes:

So many choices...

Plzen:  A light Czech pilsner. Cost: €1.90. (ABV: 5%)
Natte:  Dubbel and mildly bitter. Cost: €2.20. (ABV: 6.5%)
Ijwit:  Citrusy wheat beer. Cost: €2.20. (ABV: 7%)
Zatte:  Tripel with a floral aroma. Cost: €2.20. (ABV: 8%)
Columbus:  Bittersweet amber. Cost: €2.40. (ABV: 9%)
Struis:  Dark stout-like ale. Cost: €2.70. (ABV: 9%)

The Brouwerij ‘t Ij will be interesting to anyone who considers themselves a beer devotee. It will be enjoyed by anyone who wants to sample the Dutch tradition of sipping something bubbly while relaxing in the sun with friends.

Free tours every Friday

Guided tours revealing the ins and outs of the brewery are offered for free on Fridays by the current brewmaster. Tours start at 4 PM.

And don’t worry–you won’t go hungry. Trappist cheeses dipped in beer, sliced salami meats, and local sheep cheeses are a few of the snacks served while sipping the aromatic brews.

Brouwerij ‘t Ij
Funenkade 7
Transportation: Tram 10 and 14
Phone +(31)(0) 20 6228325
Open daily: 3 PM – 8 PM

More information is available on the brewery’s website.

Also consider:

Heineken Experience (The Official Tour)
Stadhouderskade 78
Trams: 7, 10, 16, 24 and 25
Phone +(31)(0) 20 5239222
Hours: 11 AM – 7 PM, daily

Tour prices: €15 (no discounts given, except for groups, in advance)
Website: www.heinekenexperience.com

Popularity: 11% [?]

Paris' last remaining vineyard on the Rue des Saules.

By Liz Webber—

One of the best ways to experience Paris is by wandering through the streets, especially when you’re accompanied by someone who knows what to look for.

But who wants to pay for a tour guide?

One do-it-yourself option that caught our attention is City Walks: Paris. These detailed “Adventures on Foot” are walking tour itineraries printed on cards, and can help you experience a new side of the city.

A walk to remember

The “City Walks” set consists of 50 cards, each detailing a different walk. On one side of the card you’ll find written directions of where to go and what to look for along the way. On the other side is a map of the area with the path marked in red. We found the maps generally helpful, although not all of the streets are labeled.

Some of the itineraries are obvious, like a stroll down the Champs Elysées or a walk through the Tuileries garden. Other walks take you to areas less-traveled by tourists, like Père Lachaise in the 20th Arrondissement or the Parc Montsouris in the 14th. Each walk starts and ends at a Métro stop, so the suggested path is easy to find and you won’t be stranded once it’s over.

A test drive, er, walk

I recently went on a couple of the walks through Montmartre (be warned: lots of hills and stairs). Though I’d wandered the streets of the 18th before, I would not have known to look for many of the sights on the card, or even what I was seeing if I’d found them on my own.

The coolest finds: Paris’s last remaining vineyard on the Rue des Saules (pictured above) and a statue of a man walking through a wall at the Place Marcel Aymé; the statue is inspired by a short story by Aymé.

City Walks sets are available for many cities around the world – other European editions include Rome, London and Amsterdam. You can purchase City Walks: Paris from Chronicle Books for $14.95, and from many American booksellers.

About the author: Liz Webber is a freelance journalist living and working in Paris. She has previously worked for the International Herald Tribune and Budget Travel.

Popularity: 11% [?]

No trip to Salzburg is complete without at least a passing nod to “The Sound of Music,” the 1959 Rodgers and Hammerstein Broadway musical set in the city. The movie version, shot six years later, starred Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer and included many scenes shot in Salzburg.

Not surprisingly, the city’s tourism industry doesn’t shy away from a little “Do-Re-Mi.” Movie-related reminders are available throughout the city (on chocolate and marzipan), a marionette show packs ‘em in, and of course, more than one bus tour will shuttle you from sight to sight.

These “Sound of Music” bus tours are popular with the tourist set, as they offer audio commentary, an easy ride, and lots of photo-ops. The bus is especially convenient for reaching those locales outside the city, such as the lovely St. Gilgen and Lake Wolfgang, the rolling hills behind the opening credits. These tours can get pricy. Panorama Tours offers the four-hour “Original Sound of Music Tour” for €37 for adults ($53) and €18 for children ($26).

Do it yourself Sound of Music tour

However, you don’t need to take a bus tour to visit many of the locations used in the film.

The website Visit Salzburg offers a “do it yourself” Sound of Music tour, with background information on sights used in the making of the movie. Most of the locations listed are in central Salzburg, and many can be visited for free.

Their free walking tour includes the Nonnberg Nunnery (where the nuns sing “Maria”), Mirabell Castle and Mirabell Gardens (the place where Maria and the children sing “Do-Re-Mi”), and the Felsenreitschule and Festival Halls (the stage where the Trapps perform during the Salzburg Festival). For more information, check out Visit Salzburg’s website.

Salzburg’s tourism office offers additional “Sound of Music” locations on their website, Salzburg.info. Sights here include St. Peter’s Cemetery and Leopoldskron Palace. (Read the whole tour here.)

Also see: Our reviews of cheap hotels in Salzburg.

Popularity: 21% [?]

Photo by Salsano

Do something in Budapest that will be unforgettable and likely much cheaper than it would be at home—an organized afternoon at the horse races, through Budapest Tours.

For HUF8000 (€32; $43) your own personal guide will welcome you with drinks, introduce you to the history of horse-racing in Hungary and the rules of betting, and show you all the behind the scenes preparations for the race. You will be given some racing tips and two coupons for betting on the filly of your choice. Then you can cheer on your fancy in the race itself.

All in all a winning day, even if your horse isn’t first past the post.

Popularity: 9% [?]

Photo by Mandy Pearce

The Paris Transportation Authority runs a bike rental service called Roue Libre. It has three locations (Les Halles, Bastille, or Alésia) where bikes can be rented. A four hour rental runs €10, and a whole day costs €10 during the week and €15 on weekends. In addition, there are package prices for weekend or week-long rentals.

Roue Libre locations are open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Since April 15, it’s also been possible to rent a biking-specific TAOcity. This pocket-sized computer contains information about 700 sites of Paris, an interactive map, and lists of good bars and restaurants for every neighborhood. It’s available at the Bastille and Les Halles rental locations in English, Spanish, French, or Japanese. It’s a pretty great way to see the whole city for under €20!

Popularity: 5% [?]

Photo by lylycat

There’s nothing worse than running to catch a tour that has already left without you—unless it’s paying for an unwieldy, uninteresting, or too-pricey tour, of course.

Dubl!n, the official online tourist office for Dublin, has made the frustrations of guided walking tours a thing of the past. Visitors can simply log on and download one of their iWalks for free.

iWalks are podcast audio guides to Dublin that guide the listeners to specific haunts and tell interesting stories along the way. The downloads even come with their own color maps and illustrations.

At present, iWalks exist on a variety of Dublin themes, including Georgian Dublin, The Historic Northside, Castles & Cathedrals, Viking & Medieval Dublin, Temple Bar to the Docklands, Ulysses, Kilmainham, Howth, Dalkey & Dun Laoghaire, and Malahide to Portmarnock.

Just remember to charge up your batteries before you go!

Popularity: 5% [?]