In the excitement of visiting glamorous European cities, it’s easy to get carried away and end up with a financial headache at the end of your trip. Avoid expensive mistakes by making some savvy travel choices.
TIP: Forget expensive taxis to get around. Many big city sights are concentrated in a walkable area. Barcelona, Stockholm, London, Venice and Paris are all great for walking. Explore on your own or take a walking tour such as those offered by Blue Badge guides in London. Nip around on local buses, subways or trams. In Venice, use the traghetto gondolas instead of the fancier and far more expensive tourist gondolas to criss-cross the canals. This no frills service costs just 50 cents (70 cents US) a ride. In Amsterdam, hire a bicycle. Sometimes cash is preferred, so use your Visa Debit at ATMs to access local currency at ATMs all over Europe.
TIP: Think like a local when it comes to food and drink. Europe’s cities have some wonderful green spaces for a picnic lunch. Shop at local markets for cheeses, sausage, breads, fruit and pastries or sample ethnic street foods – Berlin has some of the best. In restaurants, look for set price menus (‘prix fixe’ in Paris) and daily specials and make a value lunch your biggest meal of the day, then dine light in the evening.
Draught domestic beer is cheaper than your favourite bottled beer from back home. Order house wine - half carafes can work out cheaper than individual glasses. In Barcelona, hit the cava bars to sample this inexpensive sparkling wine and some tapas. Order snacks and drinks from the bar in southern Europe – it’s cheaper than waiter service at the table.
TIP: Many cities offer museum passes but make sure it’s worth getting one – not always the case if you are only in town for a day and feel you must slog round six museums to get your money’s worth. Some cities have free museum days so check before you buy a pass. In Paris, if you just want to do the Louvre once, pay your 10 euros general admission but if you want to go back several times and see other museums too, a four day pass costing 50 euros may be a better option. Berlin’s three day pass is 19 euros but in London, most of the major museums are free so don’t buy a pass unless you want to visit lots of smaller museums which do charge.
TIP: When shopping in EU countries you’ll find that, unlike the US, taxes are included in the price of goods, rather than added at the point of sale. US residents can claim back this Value Added Tax, which varies from one country to another but averages around 20%. On big ticket items of 100 euros or more, it’s well worth claiming that tax back, though a lot of hassle for small amounts. You’ll need to take your passport along when you shop, get the necessary documentation from the store, keep your purchase receipts and get your documents stamped at customs on leaving the country. Stores displaying the ETS logo (Europe Tax-Free Shopping) can refund tax on site.
TIP: Skip expensive hotel room service and if breakfast is not included in your room price, head to a local café – it will cost less and probably have more atmosphere. Use your hotel as a place to sleep and avoid add-ons like phone calls from your room, dry cleaning, morning newspapers (not always free) and drinks in the hotel bar, where it’s easy to run up big bar tabs on your credit card.
