Following renovations in 2009 and late 2011, the museum looks better than ever. It’s also one of the most popular spots in town, so it’s wise to plan ahead.

Here are our top tips for visiting Musée d’Orsay like a pro.

Transportation to Musée d’Orsay

The Metro is your best bet, with line 12 dropping you off at the Solferino station two blocks away. The RER C also stops at the museum, making it an easy commute from most anywhere in Paris.

Arrive early

While it’s hardly as palatial as the Louvre, the Orsay is, however, almost as popular. Unfortunately there’s only one way to get into the museum (unless you have a museum pass), so, yes, that line is for you! Arriving super early is of course a great idea (around 9 AM). Otherwise, prepare to queue up to enter at 9:30 AM.

The museum is open from 9:30 AM to 6 PM daily (9:45 PM on Thursdays), and closed Mondays.

Musée d’Orsay tickets and passes

Tickets cost €16 for the full adult fare when purchased online, or €14 at the museum. European Economic Area (EEA) citizens ages 18 to 26 get free admission.

Cheapo tip: Tickets sold after 6 PM on Thursdays are reduced to €12 online or €10 at the museum, and you’ll have until 9:45 PM to explore.

Note that admission to special exhibitions will tack on a few extra euros. See all admission charges here.

If you have a museum pass, the entrance is clearly marked by the group entrance door. (More about Paris museum tickets and passes.)

Give yourself more time by visiting on Thursday nights. Photo: fduk

Come late and save on Thursday

Like the Louvre, the Orsay stays open late one night a week, in this case on Thursday. From 6 to 9:45 PM, not only are tickets cheaper (€10-12), but crowds are thinner. Take advantage of the evening hours if you can to avoid the hustle and bustle of the rest of the week.

Guided tours/audio guides

A guided tour isn’t really necessary, though they are offered in English at various times for €5 (check website).

The audio guide can be helpful while navigating from one Impressionist painting to another. From the Degas’ ballerinas to Monet’s water lilies, many of the works are at least familiar to most visitors.

First Sundays are free (and crazy)

The first Sunday of the month is free for the Orsay, but, like the Louvre, it becomes a madhouse. We’re just warning you in advance!

Eating and drinking

The museum has a café and a restaurant (see on-site dining options here). Consider splurging at the museum’s chic restaurant, restored from the original Hotel d’Orsay. The classy spot offers a starter and main dish or a main dish and dessert for €27, or daily specials for €23.

True Cheapos, however, will probably want to head outside for food and drinks. The area behind the Musée d’Orsay stretches toward St-Germain. Nearby rue du Bac is also a happening street with many food options and cafés (the baker Eric Kayser has an outpost at 18 rue du Bac).

Looking for a cheap place to stay nearby? Check out our list of favorite budget hotels near the museum.

The post Tips for visiting the Musee d’Orsay in Paris appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

That said, the line can be long, the temperatures inside less than appealing, and the entry fee isn’t exactly cheap.

More Florence travel tips:
• Best budget hotels near the Uffizi Gallery
• 10 Days in Italy: An itinerary through Rome, Florence & Venice

10 Tips for saving time and money at the Uffizi

So what’s a cheapo to do? Here are our best tips to make the most of your time and your euros at the Uffizi.

1. Get tickets from the official museum site

There are a lot of middleman and third-party sites advertising museum tickets in Florence. If there’s nothing available, and you’re desperate to go, by all means, you should consider it. Just note that you’ll pay substantially higher booking fees. The official site at firenzemusei.it is a bit more difficult to use, but you’ll get the best price. Middleman sites like Florence.net, charge an added commission.

2. Go early

If you’re willing to risk not getting a ticket for the added flexibility and a few euros in savings (€4 to be exact), be prepared to get up early and be in line at least 30 minutes before the museum opens at  8:15 am. Don’t try this during high season, as you’re unlikely to get a last-minute ticket for any time during the entire day, much less that morning.

3. Reserve in advance

Go ahead and spend the extra €4 and book a ticket online. You’ll get in guaranteed, and you’ll also get to spend your time in the museum — as opposed to in line. Just remember to show up at least 15 minutes before your ticket time.

4. Go on a free day

In Italy, state museums are free of charge on the first Sunday of every month. If you can, arrange your Uffizi visit around these dates, but expect to brave the crowds (inside and out). Go early, and bring a book and a beverage to make the most of your time in the line.

The outdoor space between the two wings at the Uffizi. Photo: Andy

5. Time your visit for off-season

From November 1st through the end of February, tickets cost approximately half as much as during peak season. Compare €12 per person for a full-price ticket in late fall and winter to the €20 rate that reigns during the warmer months of the year. Unfortunately, there’s no discount in book-ahead fees. They’re always €4 per person year-round.

6. Bring the kids

Kids under 18 accompanying their families visit the museum for “free.” Why is “free” in quotation marks? Because if you reserve your tickets ahead (and you should to avoid waiting in line with your little ones), you’ll still have to pay the €4 reservation fee.

7. Explore conscientiously

The Uffizi is packed with world-class art around every corner. But even if you were an art history major, you may not be interested in absolutely everything. To save yourself from wandering around aimlessly, check out what interests you online before your visit to come up with a game plan.

Or if you want some general advice, head to the top floor where you’ll find treasures by Da Vinci, Michelangelo, and “The Birth of Venus,” and then work your way back down to the exit. Seeing everything is overrated, especially in summer, when the Uffizi is that particularly lovely combination of crowded, hot, and stuffy.

Exploring a hallway in the Uffizi Gallery. Photo: Larry

8. Come with the shirt on your back

Don’t drag extra jackets, bags, or really anything unnecessary into the museum. It’ll save you time from having to dump your bag/coat/umbrella before your visit and collecting everything when you’re ready to leave. Of course, if you can’t avoid it, the good news is the coat check here is free.

9. Skip the audio guide

Unless you’re a huge fan of audio guides in general, skip it. For €6 extra, we’d rather read up on the official website over a cappuccino just before our visit in a café with Wi-Fi, but it’s up to you.

10. Buy a Firenze Card

Let’s face it — if you’re interested enough in art to visit the Uffizi, you’re probably also on board to see Michelangelo’s David at the Accademia Gallery and a few other museums and sites around town. The Firenze Card will get you out of reserving ahead or waiting in line pretty much everywhere but the Duomo.

At €72, the price is up there, but it includes admission to up to 72 sites in the city in a 72-hour time frame. It’s well worth it if you plan to see three or four museums, especially during high season when entry fees nearly double. To fit in as many museums as possible, add the Firenze Card+ for €5 more so you can hop on transit and get around in a hurry.

Bonus Tip

If you find yourself in Florence and no tickets are available online, either call the Uffizi’s official reservation line or head to Orsanmichele Church (Monday-Saturday from 9 am – 4 pm) and ask if there are short-notice tickets available. You’ll still have to pay the €4 reservation fee, but you won’t have to wait in line.

Uffizi Gallery

Address: Piazzale degli Uffizi, 6
Hours: 8:15 am to 6:50 pm (Closed Monday)
Website: www.uffizi.it/en/

Have you been to the Uffizi Gallery in Florence? Share any tips or comments in the section below.

The post Florence: 10 Tips for visiting the Uffizi Gallery appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

This is a minor single track railway, and the unstaffed station at Retretti is as small as they come. On the platform stands an oversized sculpture, an apt welcome to a community, hidden away amid the lakes and forests, that is utterly devoted to art.

Matti Kalkamo’s "Silent Dialogue" sculpture (2006) being installed at the Retretti Arts Centre

The Art Centre

The Retretti Art Centre is in the premier league of European galleries. And it is unique in that the majority of its display space is underground in a series of caves.

It is a chance to immerse oneself in art in a space that is distanced from the here-and-now. Over the years the Retretti summer exhibitions have featured such celebrated artists as Ilya Repin and Marc Chagall.

The 2011 season

Retretti’s 2011 season kicked off last week with a summer program featuring artist-couples from the mid-19th to the early-20th century, so covering the heyday of Finnish Romanticism through to early Modernism. “Masters and their spouses,” you might say for in most cases it was the husband who enjoyed the premier reputation of the two.

Also at Retretti this summer are lithographs of Carl Barks’ Donald Duck comic strip, a children’s art workshop with African flavors and many other displays and installations. In a sneak preview last month, we were especially impressed by glassware from the avant-garde Kyösti Kakkosen collection and the striking photographic installations of Maija Pirilä and Petri Nuutinen.

Art apart

Retretti stays open until August 28. Art apart, the surrounding lake and forest landscape is magnificent. If you are bound for Savonlinna, famous for its summer opera festival, then definitely make a stop at Retretti. It is four hours by train from Helsinki to Retretti, and from there just a further half hour on to Savonlinna. There is also a useful boat connection from Retretti to Savonlinna that operates when the arts center is open.

Where to stay

As to accommodation, you will find more choice in Savonlinna than immediately around Retretti. When we were in the area last month, we stayed at the Hotel Hospitz on the shore of the lake in Savonlinna. Get one of the lake-view rooms with a balcony if you can (they only have two). It is a first-class location, just a short walk to Savonlinna’s imposing castle.

Savonlinna in summer is Finland at its very best. Throw in Retretti too, and you have a first-class destination.

Air links

The train journey from Helsinki to Retretti and Savonlinna is a very fine introduction to Finland. At one point it skirts the Russian border. But if it sounds too remote, Savonlinna does have its own airport, with Finncomm Airlines offering twice daily direct air service from Helsinki in just 85 minutes.

The post Art in the Finnish Forest: Retretti appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Even though Rome is fast becoming one of the most expensive cities in Europe, there are still plenty of memorable things to do that won’t put a big strain on your budget. Here are my top ten Roman activities that cost less than €10.

1. Galleria Borghese: €8.50
Piazzale del Museo Borghese, 5
Tel.: +39 06 32 810
Web site
Open: Tuesdays- Sundays 9 a.m.-7 p.m.

Located inside Rome’s “Central Park,” the Villa Borghese is a lovely museum that holds a vast collection of 17th and 18th-century artwork. Feast on masterpieces by Bernini, Caravaggio and Raphael. The villa was built for Cardinal Sciopione Borghese and is itself quite a beauty. When you’ve had enough art you can go for a passeggiata in the park. (That’s always free.)

2. Castel Sant’Angelo: €5.50
Lungotevere Castello, 50
Tel.: +39 06.6819111
Web site
Open: Tuesdays-Sundays 9 a.m.-7:30 p.m.

At first glance, the overbearing structure that looms over the Tiber River near the Vatican seems to be just another enormous castle. However, the history of Castel Sant’Angelo is more complicated than that. It was built by the emperor Hadrian as a mausoleum for himself in 135 AD. The monument was later transformed into a fortress that guarded the Vatican and became a Papal refuge for nearly 1,000 years. Inside the castle you’ll find a spectacular showcase of battlefield weaponry, including cannons, cannon balls and dungeons, too. Not a bad deal for just €5.50!

3. Dome of St. Peter’s Basilica: €5-€7
Piazza San Pietro
Tel.: +39 06.0608
Web site
Hours: October 1 – March 31: daily, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.; April 1 – September 30: daily, 8 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Sure, a bird’s-eye view of the Eternal City can be found from any number of rooftop terraces around town. But there’s something extra special about taking in the view from the tip-top of St. Peter’s dome. There are two ways to get up there: your feet or an elevator. For €5 you can huff and puff your way up 500 steps to the top. Or you can ride the elevator up for €7.

4. Fountain-hopping frenzy: Free

Did someone say free? One of the most amazing things about Rome for budget travelers is the amount of art, architecture and sculptures that can be admired for niente. When it comes to marvelous fountains, Rome has plenty to go around. They’re just as breathtaking by day as they are by night. Here are some of my personal favorites:

Fontana del Tritone (Triton Fountain): Located at the center of the bustling Piazza Barberini where traffic flows in and out of the Centro Storico. The fountain was designed by Bernini in 1642. Also worth checking out is the Fontana delle Api (Fountain of the Bees) nearby on Via Veneto.

Fontana delle Naiadi (Fountain of the Naiads): My goodness what a piazza (della Repubblica)! Albeit, seeing it by day doesn’t do it justice, as the the fountain only becomes more beautiful when illuminated at night.

Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi (Fountain of the Four Rivers): What makes Piazza Navona so beautiful (apart from its picturesque cafes) are the three beautiful fountains that dominate the square. My favorite is the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi, the central and largest of the three. Designed by the great Bernini, the fountain represents the rivers of the four continents known at that time: the Nile (symbol of Africa), the Ganges (symbol of Asia), the Danube (representing Europe) and the Rio de la Plata (representing America).

Fontana di Trevi (Trevi Fountain): The mother of all fountains, it’s also world-famous for wish-makers. Legend has it that if you toss a coin into the fountain, a return to Rome is guaranteed! It also made famous appearances for movies like Three Coins in a Fountain and Fellini’s La Dolce Vita.

5. Ostia Antica: €6.50 + two €1 bus tickets
Viale dei Romagnoli, 717
Tel.: +39 06 5635 8099
Web site
Hours: November-February, Tues-Sun 8:30 a.m-6 p.m.; March, Tues-Sun 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.; April-October, Tues-Sun 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m.

Located just outside Rome, the Ancient town of Ostia Antica often gets overlooked. Ostia Antica is an archeological site that served as a port city for ancient Rome and is located near the modern town of Ostia. Although its founding was thought to have been in the seventh century BC, archaeological remnants “only” date it back to fourth century BC. Wander about the impressive ruins, including an amphitheater, many temples and villas.

Getting there is a simple combination of a Metro and train ride (45 minutes total). Take Metro B line to the “Piramide” stop (direction: “Laurentina”). The Piramide Metro stop is located next to the Roma Porta San Paolo train station. Make sure to follow the signs that say “Lido.” Trains leave every 15 minutes.

6. Roaming the streets of Trastevere: Free

One of the favorite Italian past times is going for a passeggiata (“easy stroll”), and what better neighborhood to stroll through than picturesque Trastevere. Get lost in the winding cobblestone alleys. Happen upon local trattorias, street cafès and wonderful churches, such as Santa Maria in Trastevere.

7. Attend a Papal Mass: Free
Web site

There’s our favorite word again! On Sundays at noon, the Pope gives a prayer (the “Angelus”) and blesses the crowd of pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square. Tickets are not required to attend this event, so if you want a good spot, be sure to arrive early. On Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m. the Pope leads a blessing before a general audience; tickets are required but can be easily obtained (see Web site for details).

8. Hop on the ArcheoBus: €10
Web site

Sometimes, it’s nice to have someone do all the planning for you. For example, the ArcheoBus will drive you around town and let you hop on and hop off at major sights, including the Colosseum, the Baths of Caracalla, the Appia Antica Park, the Catacombs of San Callisto and San Sebastiano, among others. The entire loop lasts about an hour and a half and includes an audio guide in eight languages, including English. You can catch the green open-air bus from Termini train station.

9. Go for gelato: €2-€3

After going to see the Pantheon (another must-see freebie), you must indulge in one of life’s tastiest pleasures: a gelato from Giolitti (Uffici del Vicario, 40). It’s one of Rome’s oldest gelaterie and, according to me at least, it’s one of the city’s best. Nocciola (“hazelnut”) and pistacchio are my favorites. The place is always packed with tourists, but once you’ve tried their gelato, you’ll understand why. (It’s a far cry from Häagen-Dazs.)

10. Visit Ara Pacis: €7.50
Lungotevere in Augusta
Tel.: +39 06.0608
Open: Tuesday-Sunday 9 a.m.-7 p.m.
Web site

One of Rome’s newest landmarks, the funky glass-and-travertine structure where the Ara Pacis (“Alter of Peace”) is held was designed by the American architect Richard Meier. Some find the structure gaudy, while others find it breathtaking. Regardless, it caused quite a stir in Rome when it opened in 2006.

The post Rome: 10 things to do for less than €10 appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

The museum started out as a royal collection of art, and visitors can still get a feel for the varying tastes of monarch’s past. The Prado is especially acclaimed for works by Spanish painters, including Velazquez, El Greco, and Goya, as well as “foreigners” Titian, Bosch, Rubens, and Rembrandt.

Visiting the Prado Museum…

The museum is open daily from 9 AM to 8 PM, and closed on Mondays.

General admission to the museum costs €6 if tickets are bought at the museum’s ticket office. Advance tickets (allowing you to skip the line) can be purchased online through the Prado’s website, for €9.

…for free

However, the Prado offers free admission at the end of every day for two hours (three on Sunday). From Tuesday through Saturday, the museum’s doors are wide open from 6 PM to 8 PM, and on Sunday from 5 PM to 8 PM.

With so much to see, we’d suggest visiting the museum multiple times for free. Popping in to tackle one artist or one section of the museum is not only doable in two hours, but could help prevent “museum burn-out.”

Tip: Check out the museum’s recommended list of 15 masterpieces on the Prado’s website. This virtual tour offers historical insights into the collection’s most famous paintings.

Also see: our list of budget tips for Madrid and our reviews of budget hotels in Madrid.

Next stop: Munich!

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