Don't be afraid to count your pennies in Paris. Photo: groume
We’ve given suggestions on how to avoid racking up ATM fees and offered an argument against indiscriminately using credit cards while traveling with your American wallet in Paris. To help you combat the stress of handling loose euro change and avoid ending up with an unused pile of centimes at the end of your trip, » Read more
Follow our advice for saving on your morning meal. Photo: Thomas van de Weerd
Breakfast in a Parisian café can be a lovely way to start your morning, but if you’re not careful it can also turn out to be a sorely overpriced treat. Here are a few pointers for enjoying the most important meal of the day without blowing your budget before lunch. Avoid the English-Speaking French Breakfast » Read more
Buy your Paris bus tickets before you hop on the bus. Photo: omaromar
The Paris Métro is quick and efficient, but when time isn’t an issue, we prefer riding the public bus. Wait times are longer and despite the dedicated bus lanes, traffic can slow you down. But you can step off easily if something catches your eye, and the big picture windows are a perfect way to » Read more
The Père Lachaise Cemetery is the 20th's most visited attraction. Photo: Till Krech
For those who have been to Paris and feel like they’ve seen it all, head to the city’s 20th arrondissement for a change of pace. While not necessarily an “it” place to go, it’s just this lack of luster that makes it appeal to locals as a place to live and hang out. To see: » Read more
The Cinémathèque Francaise offers a museum, library and screenings. Photo: johnwilliamsphd
This film-loving city in the land where cinema was invented is home to a handful of state-subsidized cultural institutions dedicated to preserving the history of French film and document the city’s past and present. Open to the public, these collections offer an inexpensive, entertaining way to revisit classic films and get some perspective on Paris » Read more
Who could pass up a free concert at Schoenbrunn Palace by the Vienna Philharmonic?! Photo: Cha già José.
Nicknamed the “City of Music,” Vienna has a long history as one of the centers (at times, the center) of musical innovation in Europe. It has seen the likes of Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert and Strauss grace its streets and performance halls. And though that was centuries ago, if it sounds at all like Vienna, Austria » Read more
You may find that using euros instead of plastic will save you actual cash. Photo: Analogicus
Many people prefer to pay for everything with plastic, to keep tabs on spending, accumulate rewards points or not have to hassle with ATMS or making change. But a brilliant system for managing your budget on home turf doesn’t always work when traveling in Europe, and hidden costs from using your American credit card abroad » Read more
Cocktails, Central Park views, and unique art. Priceless. Photo: Metropolitan Museum of Art
In a city where space is at a premium, the rooftop bar is as much necessity as it is a treat. But oh, what a treat. It’s nearly impossible to argue with the blissful combination that is city views, sparkling sun and drink in hand. All that said, luxury comes with a price, and many » Read more
Cooling off in the fountains of Trocadero. Photo: dany13
Average temperatures in summertime Paris hover at a reasonable 77 degrees Fahrenheit, which is one of the reasons that air conditioning in the French capital is considered more luxury than necessity. But Paris weather can be as moody and unpredictable as a French man in love. And when temperatures soar, this means that traditional urban » Read more
While it might not look cheap, Menorca's seaside beauty comes at budget prices.
The second largest and least tourist-ridden of Spain’s Balearic Islands had been on my holiday wish list for years. An untouched paradise of pretty coves, virgin beaches, historic cities and laid-back Spanish culture, Menorca awoke my curiosity, especially in the face of its rowdier, glitzier and better-known sister islands, Ibiza and Mallorca. I also had » Read more
The Luna & Simone Hotel has been in Mark Desira's family since 1970. Photo: Frances Ambler
For the next in our series of our favorite hotel proprietors in London, I spoke to Mark Desira of the Luna & Simone Hotel. It’s another hotel that continues to get great reviews for its helpfulness and hospitality. (Indeed as I’m taking my photo of Mark, a couple of hotel guest remark how they’d like » Read more
The banks of the Seine turn into a beach during the summer in Paris. Photo: passionleica
In the summer of 2002, newly elected socialist Mayor of Paris Bertrand Delanoë transformed the banks of the Seine into a sandy beach. The philosophy behind this spectacular gesture? To provide an urban oasis and a gathering place for cash-strapped Parisians on a staycation as well as the hordes of tourists who flock to the » Read more
Take the S-Bahn 30 minutes to the sandy, clean and popular beaches of the Wannsee. Photo: Steffen Zahn
As there are just a handful of days every summer when Berlin’s temperatures surpass the 30° C / 85° F mark, air conditioning is virtually non-existent. If you’re not content to sweat it out like the locals, you have two options: dark and cool (movies and museum visits), or sunny and wet. Thankfully, a large » Read more
Leaving a tip for a coffee really isn't necessary. Photo: Mike Fleming
Sometimes budget-minded travelers are so preoccupied with saving on big things like hotels and flights that they end up losing money in more stealthy ways, like spending unnecessarily by failing to embrace cultural differences. One way to avoid letting your trip to Paris burn a hole in your wallet? Think twice before you tip. Americans » Read more
Along with free fireworks over the Eiffel Tower, Bastille Day means free admission to many of the city's museums. Photo: Yann Caradec
Here are some budget-friendly ideas for how to celebrate French independence if you find yourself in the nation’s capital for Bastille Day this weekend. Warming Up Every year, Bastille Day (July 14) kicks off with the fireman’s brigade ball on the evening of July 13, where you can go and dance the night away (until » Read more
Not all pharmacies in Paris are created equal. Choose wisely and you can save big on beauty products. Photo: The LEAF Project
Models, beauty editors, bloggers, make-up artists and celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow are always obsessing about the French pharmacy and its legendary selection of cult beauty products. These secret weapons aren’t overpriced luxury items sold in department stores but no-nonsense everyday staples that can be found in every French person’s medicine cabinet (and in every make-up » Read more
Visit Palma's cathedral (above) on your way from Valencia to Barcelona. Photo: EuroCheapo
Each Saturday evening, the Albayzin leaves the Spanish port of Valencia for the overnight voyage to Palma, capital of the island of Mallorca. On the Sunday she continues by day from Palma to Maó, the principal port on Menorca. That latter stretch (shown as a solid green line on our map) skirts the south coast » Read more
MK2 Cinemas offer a 5-ticket movie pass. Photo: Fred Romero
Going to the movies is a no-brainer of a cheap date pretty much anywhere in the world. But France is the birthplace of cinema, and the Lumière brothers invented the concept when they held their first paid public film screening in Paris in 1895. Today the French are Europe’s number one movie-going population (and in » Read more
Hanging in Parc de la Ciutadella in Barcelona is a perfectly pleasant way to spend a day! Photo: Regina W Bryan
My friend Kris is a “freegan.” What’s that? You’ve never heard of a freegan before? It’s like vegan but instead of a strict diet, they are very strict in their belief that they should find and get things for free. This lifestyle can be taken to extreme levels, like dumpster diving and eating expired foods. » Read more
The square in front of Paris' Hotel de Ville has been transformed into a garden, through July 12. Photos by Kristin Hohenadel
Every year since 2006, the sprawling plaza in front of Paris’ city hall has been transformed into an ephemeral garden, offering a shock of verdant relief in the heart of this eternally gray city. The Paris municipal crew responsible for maintaining the city’s 480 gardens, 20 cemeteries and the 100,000 trees lining its avenues and » Read more
Germany's "Rail & Fly" program allows you to cheaply add destinations to your trip. Photo: TeaMEister
Saving money on plane tickets and German rail travel simultaneously sounds almost too good to be true, but Deutsche Bahn’s Rail & Fly program is an excellent way to do both. Savvy travelers may use the opportunity to spend one day visiting a different German city before heading on to their intended destination. Here’s a » Read more
How much will it cost to withdraw money from that ATM? Photo: Coenen
UPDATE: As of 2014, Bank of America now charges 3% on withdrawn cash using the Global ATM Alliance. So while you can still save the $5 fee for withdrawing cash abroad using a Global ATM Alliance machine, B of A now charges you 3% on withdrawn money, making what was once a welcome customer service » Read more
A touch of Habsburg style in Zagreb, Croatia. Photo © hidden europe
Something has changed in Europe. Croatia still uses the kuna as its currency and it’s not yet a member of the Schengen Area. But it is now a member of the European Union (EU). That Croatians raised a modest cheer at midnight last Sunday was perhaps the greatest surprise of the week. Croatia smiled and » Read more
With showings in many beautiful settings, there's hardly a better way to watch a movie than au clair de lune. Photo: gmangeret.
If Hollywood is the movie-making capital of the world, Paris is the world’s mecca for cinéphiles. And while there are plenty of ways to save on big-screen entertainment all year round in Paris, summer is especially kind to film lovers, with a handful of annual events that exist for the sole purpose of making it » Read more
Schloss Charlottenburg cuts an imposing figure in the neighborhood. Photo: Rolf Dietrich Brecher
Picasso may have been from Spain and spent most of his life in France, but that doesn’t mean you can’t find some of his best works in Germany. With the recently renovated and expanded Museum Berggruen reopening, there are a number of great modernist museums in the Charlottenburg neighborhood of Berlin. Thanks to these collections, there » Read more
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