Our advice is to visit your top picks on the free or reduced price days, or even better, stick to the many galleries and collections that are free and open to the public all day, every day.

More tips for visiting museums and attractions
• Tips for beating the crowds at top sites in Paris
• 10 Free museums in Stockholm
• How to save money and time at the Prado in Madrid

10 Free museums in Europe

You are probably familiar with the big-name museums, so we came up with a list of 10 favorites that you might not expect. From Paris to Berlin, add these free museums to your to-do list for your next trip.

Free Museums in Paris

Paris hosts a few of the world’s most beloved collections  — among them the Louvre and Musée de Orsay. We’re not at all suggesting you should skip these gems if it’s your first time exploring the City of Light. That said, if you’re not a first-timer or you’re a museum-lover with excess time on your hands, 14 of the City of Paris Museums are free to the public throughout the year. Want a couple of more specific suggestions? Here are two of our favorite free collections in the French capital.

1. The Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris

11 Avenue Du Président Wilson
website

MaM, located in the east wing of the Palais de Tokyo a short walk from the Eiffel Tower, is an excellent free option to get a look at contemporary art. The collection contains more than 8,000 works of art including pieces by Picasso and Matisse.

2. The Musée de la Vie Romantique

Hôtel Scheffer-Renan – 16 rue Chaptal
website

Located in the former residence of the painter Ary Scheffer, this 1830 home in Paris’ Pigalle neighborhood gives visitors the chance to relive life in Paris’ romantic period. The artwork by George Sand and Ary Scheffer is set amid furniture, portraits and jewelry from the 18th and 19th century.

Check out our full list of free museums in Paris and book a cheap hotel for your trip.

Virreina Palace in Barcelona is home to art and photo exhibits. Photo: Katherine

Free Museums in Barcelona

Spain’s second-largest city, Barcelona boasts noteworthy collections you simply won’t find anywhere else. Beyond everything Gaudi, there are also museums dedicated to Spanish and Catalan artists like Picasso, Miró, and Tàpies. While most major museums have at minimum, a free afternoon during the week and free first Sundays, there are a few always-free options in the Catalan capital as well.

3. Museo de Carruajes Fúnebres de Barcelona

Carrer de la Mare de Déu de Port, 56
website

While it may be a bit out of the way, Barcelona’s collection of funeral carriages is worth a visit as it features everything from the carriages themselves to funerary ornaments and artifacts. Besides, it’s in Barcelona’s most famous cemetery (Montjüic), which should be on your itinerary for while you’re in town anyway. It’s more than just funerary art — it’s a great place to get sweeping views of Barcelona and beyond.

4. La Virreina Centre de la Imatge

Palau de la Virreina, La Rambla 99
website

Perched near the top end of La Rambla, this 18th-century baroque and rococo palace hosts temporary photo exhibitions and is always free of charge. Even folks who aren’t particularly interested in photography should take a few moments to explore this relatively peaceful space amidst the hubbub of Barcelona’s most boisterous street. You can also see Barcelona’s massive puppets that are used in parades housed on the ground floor here.

Related: Tips for saving at Barcelona’s top attractions 

The Natural History Museum in London. Photo: mapa mundi

Free Museums in London

Keeping more of your pounds in your pocket can be a tall order in the British capital. There are loads of things to see in London, and most of it can cost a pretty penny. But don’t despair. If there’s one thing London has more of than most European capitals, it’s free museums open to the public. Near the top of your list should be the British Museum, aka, the magical place where the Rosetta Stone lives. Sure, there’s usually a suggested donation, but you don’t technically have to pay it. Here are two other world-class spots that are always free.

5. The Natural History Museum

Cromwell Road London SW7 5BD
website

Learn about the natural world in one of the world’s best science museums with an extensive collection of fossils (including dinosaurs and stuffed animal specimens, many of them now extinct) and interactive exhibits on volcanoes and earthquakes.

6. The National Gallery

Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 5DN
website

Gawk at over 2,300 pieces of artwork in Britain’s National Gallery, free of charge. There’s something for every type of art-lover here from masterpieces by Italian greats like Titian to impressionists like Cézanne.

Looking for even more freebies? Read our guide to 20 free museums in London. If you need a place to stay, check out our top budget hotels in London.

Chester Beatty Library in Dublin. Photo: shadowgate

Free Museums in Dublin

While comparisons between Ireland and England aren’t typically welcomed by either party, there’s one good thing that these two countries have in common — the wide range of free national museums that are open to the public. In Dublin, this means visitors can see all of the artifacts at the National Museum’s collections around town and all of the art at the National Gallery of Ireland without paying admission. The National Gallery even offers free tours on weekends. Meet at the information desk at 11:30 am, 12:30 pm or 1:30 pm.

7. Irish Museum of Modern Art

Royal Hospital, Kilmainham
website

A former hospital, this museum is considered Ireland’s most important modern art gallery. Add to that the fact that it’s surrounded by gorgeous gardens perfect for a leisurely stroll, and it’s worth a visit even in a city like Dublin with a multitude of free museum options.

8. Chester Beatty Library

Dublin Castle, Dublin 2, Ireland
website

Head to Dublin Castle for a look around book-lover Alfred Chester Beatty’s worldly goods and explore his collection of ancient scrolls, books and art objects.

Walking through the Topography of Terror Museum in Berlin. Photo: Craig Nelson

Free Museums in Berlin

Good news! Almost all of Berlin’s regional museums and memorial sites charge no admission, no matter the date. But unfortunately, gone are the days of free admission on Berlin’s famous Museum Island, unless of course, you’re a minor (admission is free for folks under 18 years of age). That said, if it’s your first time in town and you’re much of a museum buff, you probably should shell out the €18 for entry to all five museums. You can also look into picking up a Berlin WelcomCard for discounts. But for everyone else, or folks that have already been, here are two free options we highly recommend.

9. Topography of Terror

Niederkirchnerstraße 8
website

This museum near Potsdamer Platz stands on the historical site of Gestapo offices and SS leadership headquarters in Berlin. It’s the place where the persecution and extermination of political opponents to the Nazis, as well as the coordination of the extermination of Jews, Sinti, and Roma, was organized and managed. The emotional exhibition examines this dark history in a very open and honest manner. Parts of it are outdoors, so bring a jacket.

10. Museum der Unerhörten Dinge

Crellestrasse 5
website

The Museum of Unheard Things is above all things about the story. This curio cabinet — in museum form — showcases a wide range of curious objects (everything from a letter written by Freud to a cowpie), and more importantly, tells the story of their significance.

Are you headed to Berlin soon? Add these 15 free museums in Berlin to your to-do list and browse our top cheap hotels in the city.

Your picks

What are your favorite free museums in Europe? Are there any places you’d add to our list? Let us know in the comments below.

The post 10 Free museums in Europe to visit on your vacation appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

So is it a worthwhile investment for budget-conscious travelers? To answer this question, let’s break down the costs by looking at a few examples.

Related:
•Cheap hotels in Berlin under $100 per night
•15 Free and affordable museums in Berlin under €10
•Berlin: Tips for saving on shopping

Details of the Berlin WelcomeCard All Inclusive

Cost

Although the benefits sound great, the card is a bit on the pricey side. The Berlin WelcomeCard All Inclusive costs:

• 2 days: €95 (€49 for children 3-14 years old)
• 3 days: €109 (€54 for children)
• 4 days: €129 (€59 for children)

(See all prices for the All Inclusive card)

Comparatively, the regular old Berlin WelcomeCard is much cheaper. A 2-day WelcomeCard is €19.90 and a 3-day is €27.90. A three-day WelcomeCard with entry to Museum Island museums is €44. (See all options.) Remember, however, that the normal WelcomeCard only covers transportation and discounts of up to 50% at attractions.

Sightseeing and tours included

The Berlin WelcomeCard All Inclusive includes dozens of perks not included in their other “WelcomeCard”. We’ve chosen a few sightseeing offers to help you break down the costs:

Berlin on Bike

You can choose either a 3.5-hour guided bike tour that includes a bike rental or a 48-hour bike rental.

Regular full price: €21 for tour, €10 for 24 hours per adult, prices for children depends on age and transportation needed (bike, bike seat, trailer bikes, etc.)

City Circle Sightseeing

(BBS, BEROLINA, BVB, BEX): Includes a Yellow ticket for the hop-on-hop-off bus tour.

Regular full price: €22 for a day ticket or €26 for a 2-day ticket per adult, €11 for a day ticket or €13 for a 2-day ticket per child ages 7 to 14

Original Berlin Walks Tour

Discover Berlin is a 3.5-hour walking tour in English.

Regular full price: €14 per adult or €12 for people 26 and under

Stern und Kreisschiffahrt Boat Tours

River Spree city tour (1 hour) or Havel World Heritage Tour (2 hours).

Regular full price: Between €11-14

Museums and attractions included

The Berlin WelcomeCard All Inclusive also grants you free admission to 19 different museums, including museums on Museum Island, like the Pergamon Museum, art museums like the Gemäldegalerie, and museums of history, such as the German Historical Museum.

Without the card, ticket prices for most of these museums range between €12/€6 (Pergamon Museum), €10/€5 (Gemäldegalerie) and €8/€4 (German Historical Museum). For most state museums, admission for children 18 and under is free of charge.

Several attractions are also included in the card, such a trip up to the top of the Berlin TV Tower (regular price €13 for adults, €8.50 for children age 4 and up), free entry to Olympiastadion Berlin (regular price, €7/€4) and a trip to the Berlin’s Madame Tussaud’s (regular price to €16 to €20, depending on when you book).

Theater ticket discounts and more

The Berlin WelcomeCard All Inclusive also provides 25-30% discounts off tickets for theaters such as Friedrich-Stadt Palast and Wintergarten Varieté, various restaurants and shops.

Notably, it also includes the price of a day ticket for regular public transportation (€7/€4.70 within Berlin, group discounts available).

Is it a good deal?

So is the Berlin WelcomeCard All Inclusive worth the dough? The answer really depends on what type of tourist you are. If your goal is to hit as many museums and sights as possible, take walking or bus tours, and maybe even check out a Vegas-style show, this card will most likely help you save.

If, however, you’re really just looking for a card that will cover public transportation plus admission to the top museums on Museum Island, we’d forget the “All Inclusive” ticket and consider the WelcomeCard “Museum Island” ticket, good for three days at the five museums located on the island.

Meanwhile, there are cheaper (and in our opinion, sometimes better) ways to save than just falling in line with every other tourist. Here are some cheapo alternatives:

Biking

If you’d rather just rent a bike and explore on your own (instead of a bike tour), you can find bike rentals lower than the €10 per day that Berlin on Bike charges. Check out our guide to cheap bike rentals in Berlin.

Transportation

Since they follow more or less the same route as Berlin’s Bus 100 line, in our opinion, the hop-on-hop-off buses are are not worth the added price. A trip across one of Berlin’s many rivers is admittedly a delightful experience, but to save, you can also take a ride on one of the regular public ferries that travel from Wannsee to several locations. These public ferries are included in the price of a regular public transportation ticket.

Museums and entertainment

As for museums, most offer nicely priced tickets to begin with, as well as free admission for children 18 and under. As mentioned above, the Berlin WelcomeCard “Museum Island” ticket covers admission to those five museums and is much cheaper.

The ticket price for shows at variety, music and cabaret shows will still be on the pricey side even with the discount the card offers, and the restaurants listed are mainly overpriced tourist traps.

Last but not least, in our opinion, there’s absolutely no reason to go to Madame Tussaud’s in Berlin — unless the kids insist.

Final thoughts

So, in a nutshell, if you’re a really ambitious tourist, go ahead and spring for the Berlin WelcomeCard All Inclusive — the 4-day card offers the best deal and will allow you to pack in tons of sights and activities. We’d be much more likely to buy the WelcomeCard “Museum Island” ticket — and use it for discounts at museums and attractions not covered by the card.

And if you’re more of a relaxed tourist who would like to pick and choose your activities or find alternative ways to explore Berlin, then hold onto your wallet, as this card is probably not for you.

For a full list of all the benefits and discounts the Berlin WelcomeCard all inclusive offers, click here.

The post The Berlin WelcomeCard All Inclusive: Is it a good deal? appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Related: 12 Simple ways to save big on your trip to Berlin

That said, there are still plenty of free or relatively cheap museums in Berlin. We’ve put together a list below, and included some additional tips for how to get more cultural bang for your buck.

Free museums

Nearly 50 museums and historical sights in Berlin do not charge an entry fee. Here are some of the highlights.

Allied Museum
Housed in the Outpost Theatre, a former movie theater for American soldiers in the heart of the former American sector, the Allierten Museum (Allied Museum) traces the history of Allied forces in Berlin from 1945 to 1989. (Address: Clayallee 135)

The Berlin Wall Memorial is a powerful experience. Photo: Craig Nelson

Berlin Wall Memorial
Located on Bernauer Strasse in Berlin’s Mitte district, the Berliner Mauer Gedenkstätte (Berlin Wall Memorial) has preserved a section of the wall to offer a historical glimpse at Berlin’s divided past. (Address: Bernauer Straße 111)

Daimler Art Collection
Daimler’s contemporary art collection presents works across a wide spectrum of major 20th-century art movements up to the present. (Address: Alte Potsdamer Straße 5)

District Museums
Each Berlin district also has its own admission-free museum tracing the neighborhood’s history and development. Some examples include the Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg Museum (Address:Adalbertstraße 95A), the Wilmersdorf-Charlottenburg Museum (Address:Schloßstraße 55) and the Mitte Museum (Address: Pankstr. 47).

Holocaust Memorial
You’ll be amazed how disorienting and moving it is wandering through the concrete pillars erected on uneven terrain in the beautifully haunting Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. (Address: Cora-Berliner-Straße 1)

Knoblauchhaus
Erected in 1760, this house lets the visitor delve into the world of the Biedermeier period by exploring the original furnishing and objects owned by the Knoblauch family. (Address: Poststraße 23)

Topography of Terror
This museum, located at the former SS headquarters, documents Nazi institutions of terror during this dark chapter of Germany’s history. (Address: Niederkirchnerstraße 8)

Tränenpalast
Until 1990, this building located at Berlin’s Friedrichstrasse station was the departure hall for border crossing from the GDR to West Berlin. The scene of many heartbreaking goodbyes between Germans from the West and those from the former East, Berliners soon aptly dubbed the place “Tränenpalast” (Palace of Tears). (Address: Reichstagufer 17)

Museums under €10

Here’s a list of museums in Berlin with tickets for under €10 and also offering free admission to those 18 and under.

Berlinishe Galerie
A Museum of modern art, photography and architecture, Berlinische Galerie presents art from Berlin from 1870 to the present day. Adult admissions: €7 (Address: Alte Jakobstraße 124–128)

Märkisches Museum
Take a stroll through Berlin’s history in the permanent collection of Berlin’s city museum. Adult admission: €5 (Address: Am Köllnischen Park 5)

Mies van der Rohe Haus
Located far off the tourist beat in a residential neighborhood in Berlin’s Hohenschönhausen district, this house was designed by the famous Bauhaus architect Mies van der Rohe. Adult admission: €5 (Address: Oberseestraße 60)

Museum für Kommunikation
The Museum für Kommunikation (Communication Museum) is worth a visit for the three robots in the atrium alone. Adult admission: €4, free admission for children 17 and under (Address: Leipziger Straße 16)

Museumsdorf Düppel
This open air museum is a reconstructed medieval village where you can briefly live like its 1259.  Adult admission: €3 (Address: Clauertstraße 11)

Museums entry packages

If you’re a true culture nut and plan to hit Berlin’s museums in a major way, you can also save on admission fees by purchasing a Berlin Museum Pass, which grants free admission to 50 museums and exhibitions over three consecutive days.

The three-day pass costs €24 for adults and €12 for students. If you’re not quite that ambitious, you can also purchase other passes for a shorter period of time, such as the one-day pass for Museum Island.

Related: Which museum pass in Berlin makes the most sense for your trip?

The post Berlin: 15 Free and affordable museums under €10 appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Since that first night, the successful open house concept of the Long Night has expanded to the city’s theaters, opera houses, and scientific research institutions, with each offering a similar event during different months of the year.

Lange Nacht der Museen
Mid-March and Late August
This year: Saturday August 31, 2013

The long night of museums takes place twice yearly: first in mid-March, and again at the end of August. With nearly 100 institutions across the entire city to choose from, you’ll want to plan your evening carefully while consulting the map of chartered buses and public transportation, both included in your ticket price.

You can find detailed information about each event as well as purchase tickets online one month before each event on this website (German only). Each long night runs from 6 p.m. till 2 a.m. Admission: €18/€12 reduced.

Lange Nacht der Wissenschaften
Early May

Under the slogan “smartest night of the year,” the long night of scientific research is an annual event, next scheduled for early May. 75 institutions in Berlin and Potsdam open their doors, providing direct access to the scientists and their work. Everything from chemistry to photography to cartography to solar energy to economics to space research and beyond is included.  Most institutions offer plenty of hands-on experimentation, making this long night the best for visitors with children (and for children at heart).

The Lange Nacht runs from 4 p.m. till midnight. Included is transportation on the chartered shuttles as well as a Berlin ABC ticket for public transportation. Tickets are €11/€7 advance purchase and €13/€9 on the night of the event. Family tickets are available for €25/€20 in advance.

Want more? Check out our top cheap hotel picks for Berlin. And don’t forget to leave any questions or comments in the box below.

The post Berlin’s Long Nights are Worth Staying Up For appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

For those of you who want to go off the beaten path, let me suggest four especially eclectic museums:

1. Deutsch-Russisches Museum (German-Russian Museum)
Zwieseler Straße 4
Tel.: +49 (0)30 50 15 08 52
Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Tuesday to Sunday)
Free entry
Web site

This historical collection on the eastern edge of the city is well worth the S-Bahn ride. Housed in a former Nazi officers’ school where the Wehrmacht officially surrendered to the Soviets, the museum offers a fascinating overview of German-Soviet relations spanning from 1917 to 1990.

You’ll see a whole lot of propaganda, odd uniforms, in-depth documentaries and even WWII Soviet tanks. Before the fall of the Wall, the museum was exclusively open to members of the Soviet Army. Today, anyone can visit, free of charge.

2. Jugend Museum (Young People’s Museum)
Hauptstraße 40-42
Tel.: +49 (0)30 90277 61 63
Hours: 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. (Wednesday and Thursday), 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. (Saturday and Sunday)
Free entry
Web site

While the Jugend Museum aims to educate young Berliners about the city’s diversity, the real treasures are found in the basement. Don’t be put off by the musky smell and charge forth past the human skeleton on display. Immerse yourself in the German tradition of Wunderkammern, or cabinets of curiosities.

Part ethnography, part zoology and part freak show, the 27 haphazardly curated cabinets feature anything and everything collected from the neighborhood—from centuries-old ceramics to a 1920’s toilet. It’s a fantastic little place to learn about Berlin’s present and past. (Full disclosure: The author used to work here.)

3. Abguss-Sammlung Antiker Plastik Berlin (The Ancient Sculpture Plaster Collection)
Schlossstraße 69 b
Tel.: +49 (0)30 33 77 83 32
Hours: 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. (Thursday to Sunday)
Free entry
Web site

Yes, it’s far from the city center; yes, it’s open only three hours a day, three days a week. But come on. It’s a roomful of plaster replicas of famous sculptures. Imagine all the hilarious photo ops. Enough said.

4. Buchstaben Museum (Museum of Letters)
Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 13
Berlin Carré, 2nd floor
Tel.: +49 (0)177 420 15 87
Hours: 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. (Thursday to Saturday)
Entry: €2.50
Web site

Dedicated to the world of typography, the Museum of Letters collects interesting store signs and stacks them from floor to ceiling. While they continue to search for a permanent space, the friendly curators (who are always up for a nice chat) open the crammed temporary showroom to public from Thursday to Saturday, two hours each day. You’re bound to discover something beautiful in the collection, even if it takes quite a bit of shuffling and restacking.

The post Berlin: 4 quirky—and mostly free—museums appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Dozens of exhibits, concerts, tours, readings, and more related to life and times on both sides of the Mauer are dominating the Berlin’s cultural calendar this fall.

Seeing Red

Information about Wall-related happenings isn’t hard to gather. Painted a jarring shade of tomato red, the Infotreppe (Info stairs, Washingtonplatz, U- and S-bahn: Hauptbahnhof), a staircase parked in front of the Hauptbahnhof (central train station), offers a multimedia exhibit and tips about how to celebrate the Wall during your visit.

From the viewing platform atop the Treppe, you can spot giant, red, helium-filled arrows hovering above the city, one of which points out the current location of a roving red “info box”. This small exhibition space, set up in front of various Schauplätze (show places), throughout the city, emphasize the exciting and myriad ways in which Berlin has changed over the last two decades. Until September 20, the spotlight is on the Adlershof, an impressive cluster of 8,000 high-tech science and media companies that’s located on a former airfield in Treptow, a district deep in the former East.

In addition to visiting these Schauplätze and the city’s most famous Wall-related sights, including the admission-free Gedenkstätte Berliner Mauer (Berlin Wall Memorial) and the East Side Gallery, you can pay tribute to the city’s division and reunification, Cheapo-style, by visiting a handful of temporary (and free) exhibits in both halves of the city.

In the east

The open-air exhibition Peaceful Revolution 1989/90, in German and English, (open until Nov. 19) sheds light on the non-violent protest movements that led to the fall of the Wall. Fanned out in the southern end of the Communist-era square, Alexanderplatz (near the Saturn electronics store, U-bahn: Alexanderplatz), the extensive exhibit is broken down into three categories: Awakening, Revolution, and Unity. Free and open 24-7, this is a Cheapo alternative to the pricey DDR Museum nearby.

In the west

Less centrally-located, but worth the journey south of the center (near Dahlem, where Free University is located), the free and fascinating Erinnerungsstätte Notaufnahmelager Marienfelde (Marienfelde Refugee Centre Memorial, S-bahn: Marienfelde) marks the spot where the 1.3 million East Germans who successfully “escaped” from the East between 1949 and 1990 were temporarily housed before their relocation to the so-called Goldene Westen (the golden west). After checking out the permanent display, stop by the special exhibit, Mit der S-bahn in den Westen (“To the West with the S-bahn”), about the role that the city’s commuter rail played in the divided city.

For a complete listing of the dozens of Wall-related things to do and see, check out the 20th Anniversary of the Fall of the Wall website.

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