25 Ways to Save Money in Europe

PHOTO: Museo Nacional del Prado; Madrid, Spain. (photo courtesy of sedmak/iStock/Getty Images Plus)

by Scott Hartbeck
Last updated: 7:10 AM ET, Wed June 21, 2023

Find Free Museum Entry

1/25

Some of Europe's finest museums have special days or times when entry is absolutely free. For example, The Louvre in Paris offers free admission on the first Sunday of each month (excluding July & August) and the Prado Museum in Madrid offers free admission for two hours every day in the late afternoon. In Italy, over 400 museums are free on the first Sunday of the month and the Vatican Museums offer free entry on the last Sunday of each month.

Add to this places like the British Museum & National Gallery in London, National Museum in Copenhagen, The Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville in Paris—and many more—which are free all the time.

Always Ask About Discounts

2/25

It never hurts to ask, right? Turns out, if you're a senior or a student, the answer might just be "yes" more often than expected. Entrance to the aforementioned museums, tourist attractions and transportation tickets are just a few of the travel costs that might be discounted for seniors and students. Tip: anytime you are buying a ticket in Europe, keep an eye out for the word "concession” (or local variant) and you just might be onto something.

Go Al Fresco for Dinner

3/25

Europe’s impressive collection of urban parks aren’t just swell places to take a stroll, they are fine places to throw a blanket down and enjoy a supermarket-bought feast. With most of Europe seeing sunsets well past nine o’clock, a PM picnic is a great way to spend the evening and enjoy those golden hour vibes without breaking the bank. Oh, and if you’re wondering, in the overwhelming majority of parks in Europe, it’s totally fine to bring a bottle of wine or a few beers with you, too.

Walk Where You Can

4/25

You'd be surprised at how walkable most European destinations are, so if you're looking to save euros, simply packing comfy walking shoes will be a sound savings tool. Exploring a destination on foot is always free, with the added benefit of giving you a little exercise. Plus, you'd be surprised at how many sights and unique bits of city life you'll pass by along the way. Aside from just getting between Point A and Point B, spending a couple of hours just wandering around a romantic European city—preferably early in the morning or around sunset—will prove to be a memorable experience.

If Not, Take Public Transportation

5/25

Sometimes, the distances might be too far to cover on foot or you might be in a hurry and not be able to afford the time. In those cases, instead of pulling out your phone and calling for a car, take public transportation instead. European cities are filled with metros, trams, and buses and sometimes the experience of mingling with the locals on them will save you money and prove to be one of your more memorable "authentic" European travel experiences.

Go East To Spend Least

6/25

Generally speaking, the further you drift toward Central Europe and beyond, the lower the prices are going to be. Especially if you get off the beaten path. Countries like the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovenia have all the history, fairytale castles and pretty landscapes as their counterparts in Western Europe, but they don't have quite as high of prices. Further east in Romania & Bulgaria, you'll find more of the same.

Meander the Markets

7/25

Like in North America, you'll find shiny new food halls all over Europe where you can sample a selection of street food-inspired food booths and sup some craft beer, wine or cocktails. They're really fun, but they're not exactly easy on the wallet. Instead, opt for the venerable old market that's been selling locals their fruit & vegetable for generations, because many of them also have food stalls serving up snacks to the hungry shoppers. Some of the more famous ones like Central Market Hall in Budapest, Mercato Testaccio in Rome and La Boqueria in Barcelona are certainly popular and may be pricier than their brethren buried in the suburbs, but at their core, they still cater to locals doing their daily shopping so things will be reasonable.

Take a Vacation From Your Vacation

8/25

Traveling around Europe can be hard work, so you should always build in a day or two to simply just relax. It will be better for you and since the faster you move and the more you do, the more expensive things become, you'll save money. Head to the beach, hotel pool or park and just spend a day doing absolutely nothing but reading or doing research for the days ahead: it won't cost you a thing.

Tickets in Advance

9/25

At this point in 2023, if you're just rocking up to an attraction in Europe without tickets, you're truly doing things wrong. Buying your tickets online in advance will save you time waiting in line and typically save you some dough. It may only be a couple of Euros less, but it all adds up and when you consider that "time is money", then avoiding having to wait in line makes the savings even more significant.

Lunch Over Dinner

10/25

If you're looking to save a few euros on your trip, but still want to experience the best of the European food scene, then make lunch your big meal of the day. Lunchtime at restaurants almost universally features a more relaxed atmosphere and lower prices than later on in the day. You'll save some cash and get a nice block of relaxation in the middle of the day, especially important in summer when the temperatures go up. In many countries, a special "menu of the day" set lunch will offer even more value.

Aperitivo TIme

11/25

While complimentary tapas in Spain are starting to slip away from the food scene (don't worry, they're still very, very affordable), Italian aperitivo is still going strong. Typically, during this pre-dinner ritual, complimentary snacks are served (sometimes as a buffet) and you're free to indulge as much as you want—as long as you buy a drink. Naturally, aperitivo is a great way to fill up on the cheap to help you roll through if you've had a large lunch. For the Italians, it serves as a way to open up the appetite for a large dinner ahead and you know what they say about "when in Rome".

Go to the Grocery Store

12/25

If you're looking to save a few euros (or pounds, krona or francs for that matter), then you're going to want to get to know the local supermarkets on a first-name basis. Unlike convenience stores on high-traffic tourist streets, supermarkets depend on locals to survive, so they can't get stray too far from "normal" with their prices. Obviously, if you're staying in an apartment, this is your go-to for supplies, but even if you just stop in for soft drinks, a bottle of wine or snacks, you'll find savings here. The same is said for any signature foods of the destination you're visiting, they can often be found here much cheaper than at the tourist shops.

Bring a Water Bottle

13/25

Exploring cities and ticking boxes on your bucket list can be hard work and so you need to stay on top of your hydration situation. Obviously, the supermarkets I just mentioned are more than happy to sell you a big plastic bottle of water much cheaper than the tourist street shops, but packing your own bottle will save you even more money. European cities are awash in water fountains and taps specifically designed to provide free drinking water (Paris even has one that serves sparkling water!) and in many regions near the mountains, delicious fresh alpine water is available at spigots and fountains all over town. A simple web search for the city you're in will land you with a resource to find refreshing water and save you some money.

Take the Night Train

14/25

Want a free one-night hotel stay? Okay, then hop aboard Europe's resurgent network of night trains. Okay, okay, let me explain the “free” thing. Of course, the train won't be free (but it could be pretty budget-friendly if you're traveling with a rail pass), but since you won't have to pay for a stationary room for the night, you'll almost certainly save money compared to staying in a hotel for the night and then moving on via train the next day. This is most applicable when you're looking to cover decent distances.

City Cards Have Their Privileges

15/25

If you're planning on hitting several of the main tourist sights in a city, chances are good you're going to be better off picking up one of the many "city cards" available than just buying individual tickets. Famous examples include the Iamsterdam City Card, the London Pass and Vienna City Card. These cards typically offer entry into scores of sights and access to public transportation and other perks for a set amount of time for just one fee. Obviously, you need to do the math and see if you're planning on hitting up enough sights to make it worth your while, but if you are: don't hesitate. Then, get as much bang for your buck as you can!

Scan the Events Calendar

16/25

Just like at home, there are tons of free things to do and see all over Europe, you just need to find them. Keep in mind that in addition to all the great free sights & attractions, European destinations play host to plenty of free events like concerts, festivals and shows too—especially in the summer. Search the online event calendar of the city you are visiting for the most up-to-date information and chances are you'll stumble across a free event or two coinciding with your visit.

Avoid Exchanging Money

17/25

Anytime you're exchanging money, you're losing money. Anyone and everyone who offers this service to travelers skims a little bit off the top for themselves, so no matter what you do, do not show up in Europe with a bunch of dollars and just exchange it along the way. No, simply use your card everywhere you can and take out local currency at the ATM for the times you need cash.

Pay Attention at the ATM

18/25

This isn't about personal security (although it's always a good idea to be cautious around any ATM), it's about the crazy fees you'll end up paying if you hit the button "convert to US Dollars" during your transaction. Typically, you'll be given an option between that and "Withdraw in local currency", always take the local currency option, you'll save yourself money by stopping them from making an unnecessary currency conversion for you. The same goes for point of sale at shops and restaurants, where this option will occasionally come up too. Bottom line: while not perfect, the best exchange rate you're likely to get is from your bank at home, so let them convert your euros transaction into USD, not the ATM owner.

Shop Around for the Best Travel Card

19/25

Speaking of your bank, you may love it and your credit card company to death, but make sure to do a little bit of shopping around on potential fees for international purchases and ATM withdrawals before you leave and if you can beat their prices, then use somebody else. Even just a percentage or two can make a huge difference throughout a multi-week trip and with every passing year, credit cards and contactless payments are getting more and more ubiquitous in Europe.

Book a Budget Airline

20/25

Depending on your route, you may be able to save money by using one of Europe's many budget airlines as part of your itinerary. Famous names include Ryanair, Easyjet Wizz and Vueling (among many others) and as long as book far in advance and follow their rules regarding luggage, you might just save a chunk of cash by flying over to Europe with one airline and then switching to one of the budget airlines.

Don't Stay Downtown

21/25

The further you go away from the center core of the city, the cheaper hotel and apartment prices will be. This can work to your advantage big time because sometimes the local neighborhoods the hotels are located in are attractions in themselves. Furthermore, the food & drink in the local neighborhoods will always be less expensive than the city center. The good thing is almost anywhere you stay in Europe, you'll be able to hop on public transportation and get to the core of the city quickly, and it might be included in those city cards that we talked about a few slides back.

Travel Seasonally

22/25

It's no exaggeration that when you go to Europe and where you go when you get there will be the biggest determining factor in how much money you'll spend. Bottom line: if you are flexible, you'll always save and I'm not talking about yoga here. Naturally, the low season (October to April) is going to offer up some savings on accommodation and flights, but there will be fewer attractions open and the weather isn't as conducive to outdoor activities. But if you're locked into summertime peak season travel then one option is to try to be open-minded on destinations and shoot for lesser-known places. Save the iconic cities for when you can come back in the off-season someday.

Download an Audio Tour

23/25

Sometimes, you just don't have the time or the budget to go inside every single tourist sight that you want to, but that doesn't mean you can't learn all about them from the outside. Downloading an audio walking tour of a city is a fine way to explore a city on foot at your own pace and learn about what you're seeing as you go, usually for absolutely free. If you'd still like a guide, most cities offer walking tours that won't break the bank run by local experts that will only serve to enhance your experience, thus offering better value for money. Even inside world famous sights, you can often download a free guide online for less than the one offered by the attraction.

Take the Bus

24/25

You won't find a bigger fan of European rail travel than me, but if you're on a tight budget, the truth is that bus travel can be the cheapest way to get around. Firms like Megabus, Eurolines and Flixbus operate huge fleets, offering cheap—and most often—cheerful service around the continent. Riding the bus is certainly not luxurious and it won't be as romantic as riding the rails, but it will get you from Point A to Point B for less cash than most other modes of transportation.

Book Hotels Direct

25/25

Whether or not your staying in a big chain hotel, small family-run bed & breakfast or a castle, it might be cheaper to book directly with them as opposed to using the big booking engines. Taking out the middle man saves them money, and they will usually be motivated to make it worth your while to do so.

There's no way to sugarcoat it: Europe is not a cheap destination. And according to reports, the recent rise in hotel prices that we've seen in Europe and the US shows no signs of abating.

But that doesn't mean that you can't save money in Europe if you know how to do it. Yes, there are many ways to turn your trip to the continent into a more budget-friendly one. Broadly speaking, you just need to make a few adjustments, switch a few priorities and pay a little more attention to fees and the savings will add up.

The following 25 money-saving tips for Europe are tried and true and will help stretch your dollar this summer or whenever you visit. And some of them might just lead to you having more fun than if you broke the bank.

Bon voyage and happy savings.