Luckily, Stockholm’s museums continue to draw crowds, even if those crowds now have to pay to get in. The Stockholm tourist board boasts that the city has over 70 museums, and for the Cheapos out there, some are still free to the public. Many museums offer free entry to children, which tends to be anyone under the age of 19. (Just be sure to ask before you waltz in.) Others offer discounts for students and retirees. Still, others open their doors free to the public for a few hours every week.

Related: 5 budget tips for keeping things cheap in Stockholm

Our top Stockholm free museums

Here’s a quick rundown of ten museums in Stockholm that are easily reachable by bus or subway. All ten are free to the public no matter your age or the day for that matter. So check-in at one of our favorite hotels and start exploring:

1. Dance Museum (Dansmuseet)

The Museum for the Performing and Visual Arts focuses on dance and theater from various cultures; they even offer live performances at times. Check the upcoming calendar for the latest events.

2. The Living History Museum (Forum för Levande Historia)

This living history museum provides a haunting look at crimes against humanity (the Holocaust for example) that aims to remind people of the past in order to avoid such events in the future.

3. Färgfabriken

This space is a gallery that works with contemporary art of various forms. Färgfabriken offers plenty of exhibitions as well as workshops for those interested in getting their hands dirty.

4. Haga parkmuseum

Quite a distance from the city center, the Haga parkmuseum describes the history and architecture of the surrounding park. The park itself is beautiful and includes the ruins of Gustav III’s unfinished castle.

5. Kulturhuset

The famous Kulturhuset offers temporary exhibitions throughout the year (we’ve written about it before), everything from photography, theater, and comic books. Not all exhibitions are free, but there is always something open to the public.

6. National Library of Sweden (Kungliga biblioteket)

This museum, also known as the National Library of Sweden, is home to the Codex Gigas, often referred to as the Devil’s Bible. Unfortunately, the Codex Gigas is not viewable by the public; however, the collection of historical documents is still impressive.

7. Magasin 3

You’ll have to take the bus to get out there, as it’s located near an industrial shipyard. However, the location of the Magasin III art museum only adds to the atmosphere and the various contemporary art exhibitions that are displayed.

8. Museum of Medieval Stockholm (Stockholms medeltidsmuseum)

The Museum of Medieval Stockholm offers a look at Middle Ages Stockholm set in an underground building just a stone’s throw away from the royal castle. The only visible remains of Stockholm’s medieval city wall are located, still intact, in the museum. There is even a medieval tunnel from the museum to the castle, which is very much closed to the public.

Stockholm City Museum is another freebie that shouldn’t be missed! Photo: arjanrichter

9. Stockholm City Museum (Stockholms Stadsmuseum)

Stockholm’s City Museum provides a quick look at the history of Stockholm from the past to the contemporary issues dominating the city today. If you’re new to the city, it’s a great place to get your bearings.

10. Tullmuseum

This Swedish Customs Museum offers plenty of exhibitions about the history of customs in Sweden. Of course, when it comes to customs, it tends to be the smuggling that is interesting, and the museum focuses much of its efforts on smuggling and anti-smuggling displays.

The post 10 free museums in Stockholm appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

1. Notre Dame’s birthday

Notre Dame is turning 850 and the party is going strong. With renovations, new bells, and a platform allowing a unique elevated view of the church, there will be plenty of activity around the world’s most iconic cathedral.

Paris is very popular on Facebook.

2. Because you “like” Paris

Paris is a social media phenomenon with more likes on its Facebook page than any other city. If that’s not reason enough to come visit, then clearly you’re behind the times. Be sure to tag us in some of your photos if you do decide to come.

3. Nothing to sneeze at

Have a food allergy? No need to hide! Along with Helmut Newcake, Paris’s first gluten-free bakery, other food establishments are offering more and more allergy-conscious dishes, making this culinary capital even more all-encompassing. Check out Noglu, a gluten-free and often dairy-free restaurant in the 9th arrondissement. Grocery stores are also increasingly displaying their gluten-free varieties, so we’re excited to see what 2013 has in store!

The Carreau du Temple will reopen in the spring or summer. Photo: Loresui

4. New life in the Marais

The Carreau du Temple, a 19th-century covered market, is opening sometime in the spring or summer, bringing even more life into the Upper Marais district. Haven’t checked out this area yet? It’s full of great shops, cafés, and the Marché des Enfants Rouges, the city’s oldest covered market. When the Carreau du Temple opens, the renovated pavilion will host a cultural center with different halls for events ranging from sports and theater to markets and art shows.

5. A new Place de la République

A new Place de la République will be unveiled, creating a more attractive journey between the Marais and the Canal St-Martin districts. Once construction is finished, the renovated plaza will boast new fountains, energy efficient lights, and an overall brighter atmosphere than of olden days.

Get closer to the Seine on your Velib’ in 2013. Photo: fgornet

6. New dedicated Right Bank bike lanes

Biking across Paris will be even easier as a path between Place de la Concorde and the Bastille will be opened, connecting the east and west of the city along the Right Bank. Currently, biking by the Louvre and the Tuileries towards either end of the city is a nightmare, but in 2013, Paris will become more of a biker’s paradise, allowing you to cruise along the river without worrying about buses and cars.

7. Last call for the food trucks?

Food will return to the table in 2013, at least it’s looking that way. The famous Camion Qui Fume and other food trucks don’t have quite the mobility that their American counterparts do, since the city doesn’t make things easy for these movable feasts. I predict that the novelty will wear off soon as Parisians and tourists alike realize that sitting down while eating wasn’t really a problem in the first place.

The Picasso Museum reopens in the summer of 2013. Photo: Heyrocker

8. Picasso comes home!

At last, at last, the Picasso Museum will reopen! Few remember when we last stepped foot inside the Marais haunt, but starting in the summer of 2013, as long as all goes well with the renovations, we’ll be able to relive the Blue Period and wrap our minds around Cubism all over again.

9. A little night music

Theatre doesn’t stop surprising us. After a hugely successful run of “West Side Story,” Sondheim’s “A Sunday in the Park with George” will be presented at the Théâtre du Chatelet April 15-25, 2013. And if Broadway isn’t your thing, the Opera Bastille and Garnier will hold stellar seasons as usual. “Hansel and Gretel” anyone?

The newest Louvre, in Lens. Photo: James Kirk

10. The Louvre through another Lens

There’s a second… Louvre? Yes, Mona Lisa’s home just wasn’t big enough to house all of the Louvre’s treasures, so the museum just opened a second address in Lens, a nearby coal-mining town. Take the train ride, just over an hour, to experience a very different and modern experience, the Louvre-Lens.

11. Bon app!

Parisians love apps. Forget reading books and newspapers in the Metro (well, not really…). Now they’re scanning the news on their tablets and smartphones. Need a pastry? There’s an app for that. Need to get to the airport? Check. Want to know where to find the nearest Vélib stand? Got it covered. There’s no telling what our smartphones will be doing in 2013.

TGV-Eco fares let you get out of town for less than €25. Photo: Gerard Stolk

12. Exhibits galore!

In 2013, Paris is still the place to be with some fun and fresh shows in the city’s most iconic museums, as well as some lesser-known ones. See Chagall at the Musée du Luxembourg (February 21-July 21), experience a collection on Miss Dior at the Grand Palais (March 22-April 3), or explore Da Vinci at Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie (now on through August 18). And don’t forget the continually rotating free shows at the Hotel de Ville, including the upcoming Haute Couture exhibit (March 2-July 6).

13. €25 fares on the TGV

Trains are getting Cheapo, finally! The SCNF is introducing a new idea, the TGV-Eco, that will offer at least 1 million TGV tickets each year for under €25. The first trial will be on the Paris—Montpellier line, and include stops in Lyon and Marseille. If all goes well, this could mean good things for budget travelers looking to take a trip out of Paris for a day or two.

Your reasons to visit Paris in 2013?

What are you looking forward to in Paris this year, Cheapos? Add something to our list in the comments section!

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What view you take on the American influence on Florence, there is no doubt that the Italian city (as seen through American eyes) has most certainly made its mark on American life and even the American soul.

Charmed lives on the banks of the Arno

American writers and artists have been inspired by the city’s artistic and literary heritage. Florence, with its plentiful supply of cheap marble, attracted American sculptors aplenty. The American writer Nathaniel Hawthorne captured the views of millions of his countrymen when he wrote of Florence: “I hardly think there can be a place in the world where life is more delicious than here.”

“Americani a Firenzi” is open through July 15, 2012. Photo © hidden europe

Successive generations of Americans have flocked to Florence in search of charmed lives. 150 years ago the literati visited and later the artists. Nowadays the transatlantic pilgrims are more likely to be well-heeled couples who judge that Florence deserves at least a night or two on a whistle-stop tour of old Europe. (Gucci and Prada perhaps possess greater magnetism than the Uffizi or High Mass in the Duomo.) Or their daughters, taking time out on a junior year abroad to jog along the bank of the Arno, isolated from the Florentine soundscape by their iPods or MP3 players.

The Palazzo Strozzi: Americani a Firenze

We were in Florence just before Easter, arriving as always in fear of the crowds and tourist tumult. But it was fun. Florence is always fun. And we stumbled on a exhibition that nicely explores America’s relationship with Florence.

Running at the Palazzo Strozzi until July 15, 2012, Americani a Firenze maps the strong ties between the Old and the New World that have found particular expression in Florence and its Tuscan hinterland. It is a chance to see the work of the American painters who in Florence engaged so powerfully with the Impressionist movement.

City of shadows and mysteries

Writing in the preface to The Marble Thorn (1860), Nathaniel Hawthorne remarked on how easy he found it to write in Florence, yet how difficult it was back at home. Of his native America, he wrote “there is no shadow, no antiquity, no mystery, no picturesque or gloomy wrong, nor anything but a commonplace prosperity.”

It is those shadows, those mysteries which so inflect the Florentine spirit and Tuscan landscapes that were later to make so deep an impression on American artists like John Singer Sargent. Men like Sargent and Henry James, women like Gertrude Stein and Edith Wharton, dreamt the Florentine dream and helped remind the folk back home that Europe deserved a visit.

It is this story of cultural interaction that the current exhibition at the Palazzo Strozzi so perfectly evokes.

The post Exile in Paradise: Americans in Florence appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

1. Je ne regrette rien—NOT.

Dear Musée Edith Piaf, You broke my heart. Was it really necessary to slam the door in my face back in November when I arrived at your doorstep without a set rendezvous? I’ve loved you since my first visit back in 1998, and every visit since. So what gives? Do the math. For over a decade, I’ve been sending folks your way. In this easy, breezy social media world, perhaps a new system is needed? Just asking.

Regrette rien at Anna’s music box shop.

If operations get switched up for the better, do let me know. Nothing in this world would give me more pleasure than happily spreading the word about the “little sparrow” and your collection once more. (5 Rue Crespin du Gast, 75011)

Happy alternative plays on

Yearning for a little “La Vie en Rose” to take home with you? Then trek it to Boîtes à Musique Anna Joliet. Located at the northern end of the Jardin du Palais Royal, Anna and her collection of hand-cranked music boxes have held court here for three decades. Prices start at only €8.

Looking for a specific tune? Just ask. Listen for Debussy, Chopin, and Charles Trénet, along with Mozart, Beethoven and Andrew Lloyd Webber. Yes, fellow felines, “Memory” is always in stock.

The Centre Pompidou. All that plumbing… and not one decent toilet.

2. Skip the loo—entirely.

Dear Centre Pompidou, I love you, but it’s time to clean up your act, as my grandmother Helen would quip. I’m no restroom diva, but golly gee wham—I nearly fainted during a recent visit. All that piping on the outside of the building and there’s still a problem? It makes the mind reel! Perhaps it’s time to get Point WC on the horn. After all, their restrooms at the Louvre and Printemps are state of the art and consistently spotless. It’s just a thought.

By the way, the Point WC washrooms are pretty hot. One euro gets you private seating in a water closet lit by rose-colored lights, and stocked with fluorescent toilet paper in blues, pinks, and greens. Just don’t leave your soda pop bottle behind. They will hunt you down, and give you a scolding at sink side! My-O-My, bad.

Alternative pit stop

Cheapos, if you plan to visit the Centre Pompidou, pick your potty spot prior to your arrival. Or run nearby to the grand washrooms at the BHV department store (Bazaar de l’Hotel de Ville), which also boasts one of my pet views of Paris. It’s a straight shot down rue du Renard. Make a left at rue Rivoli. It’s also definitely worth the wait (or trot)!

So what’s red hot? Follow my lead!

Farewell, Sympa.

1. Sympa

Due to a recent fire, two of my favorite Sympa shops have closed. Located at the historic “Bal de l’Elysée Montmartre,” this is where Can Can starlet (and muse of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec) La Goulue got her start before joining the Moulin Rouge.

I nearly cried when I spotted the damage. Confession: I did cry. Its façade is still a beauty, on the outside at least. I’ll keep you posted on any future reconstruction work.

In the meantime, the Sympa bargain bins on rue Steinkerque and along Boulevard de Rochechouart are still overflowing with tremendous deals.

Wendy at the Starbucks kitty-corner to the Moulin Rouge.

2. Starbucks

Café Royalists, look away because you’re going to hate this tip. During my sister Wen’s recent trip to Paris, the Starbucks at Place Blanche is where she picked up her morning coffee.

Located kitty-corner to the Moulin Rouge, the place was bustling, but by the end of her week-long visit, the amiable staff not only knew her name, but also her standard “Café Latte skim” order. Did they make fun of her French? I don’t think so!

Inside and out, the jaunty joint was packed with locals, not tourists, by the way. Don’t hate me because I’m truthful.

Pumped and ready at Minutit moins 7.

3. Minuit moins 7

And speaking of red hot steals, I recently scored a pair of Christian Louboutin kitten heels at a flea market for just €15. They’re real and they’re spectacular. Except for the soles, the black leather shoes were in perfect condition.

So what to do? I took them to the Minuit moins 7 for a much-needed official red resoling. Located in the historic passage Véro-Dodat, the repair will cost just €20. Also, this is where Monsieur Louboutin takes his very own shoes. Ask about their signature homemade (and affordable) shoe polish.

“Gaz à les étages around 1880” at the Bibliothèque Forney

4. Bibliothèque Forney

While strolling about in the Marais, I stumbled upon the “Gaz à tous les étages” exhibition at the Bibliothèque Forney in the Hotel de Sens (1 rue du Figuier, 75004). It’s definitely worth a pop in. Named as a nod to the little blue enamel signs that can still be spotted on buildings throughout the City of Light (“All floors have gas”—a 19th century boasting), the exhibit recounts the brilliant history of gas in Paris.

Highlights include antique lighting and cooking equipment, gas company uniforms, and a stellar collection of advertising posters along with a 1920s kitchen and hair salon, an Art Nouveau bathroom, and Frédéric Kastner’s weirdly entrancing gas organ. It’s a looker, and one of only two in the world. “Gaz à tous” will stay on through January 28, 2012.

Happy New Year, Cheapos!

The post Paris: What’s hot (and what’s not) in 2012 appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Compton: The Watts Gallery

This weekend (June 18, 2011) sees the long awaited reopening of the Watts Gallery in Compton. George Frederic Watts (1817–1904) was an artist whose work always struck more of a chord abroad than in his native England. So it was left to his wife, Mary, and a small band of Watts devotees in Surrey, to perpetuate the memory of the artist and his work.

The Surrey village of Compton is a wonderful spot, one that makes a perfect day out from London. And the newly refurbished gallery will surely be a crowd puller. Even if you don’t know Watts’ work, go and take a look.

And don’t miss the Watts Memorial Mortuary Chapel in the village. Both George Frederic and Mary are interred in the chapel, which is one of the most extraordinarily eclectic and magical buildings in England.

Compton is easy to reach. Trains run every 15 minutes from London Waterloo to Guildford, taking a shade over half an hour for the journey. From Guildford, it is a 12-minute ride on bus route 46 to Compton. Note that the connecting bus does not run on Sundays.

The gallery is closed on Monday, so this is an out-of-town trip best made anytime from Tuesday through Saturday. On those days the Watts Gallery is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Turner Contemporary in Margate. Photo: Diamond Geezer

Margate: Turner Contemporary

Turner Contemporary is a newcomer to the visual arts scene which opened in April and is clearly inspired by JMW Turner’s sense of enquiry. The center’s opening exhibition runs till September 4, 2011 and brings together works by JMW Turner (1775-1851) with those of six of his contemporaries.

Margate, which is home to the Turner Contemporary, boasts impeccable Turner credentials, for the artist often visited the seaside town and was evidently much taken by the light and landscapes of the Kent coast.

The Turner Contemporary initiative is part of a wider renaissance of the Thanet towns, a point nicely celebrated in a neat newly-published pocket guide to Margate and its region. Discover Thanet is edited by Stewart Turner (no relation to JMW Turner, presumably!) and is an accomplished guide to a corner of England that really deserves to be much better known.

Margate is an easy journey from London. Just hop on one of the stylish hourly Javelin trains at London St. Pancras International for the 88-minute ride to Margate. There are also direct trains to Margate from Victoria, Charing Cross and Waterloo (East) stations in London. These all take longer, but are a little cheaper than the fast Javelin service.

Turner Contemporary is a ten-minute walk from Margate station. The gallery is open daily except Mondays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., with extended evening opening till later on Fridays. Admission is free.

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High on any visitor’s “must see” list when traveling to Madrid are the city’s fine art museums. The capital city is overflowing with classic, contemporary, abstract, expressionist and experimental art. What many may not know is that many of the best museums offer free admission–at least at some point during the week.

Here’s a quick overview of five of my favorite art museums in Madrid, and when you can visit them for free:

Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia

Museo del Prado
Paseo del Prado s/n
Metro: Banco de España
Tel: +34 91 330 2800
Web site

The permanent collection houses works by El Greco, Ribera, Zurbarán, Murillo, Alonso Cano, Velázquez, Goya and more.

Free admission: Tuesday to Sunday 6 p.m. – 8 p.m., Sundays from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Other free days: Constitution Day (December 6), November 19, National Holiday (October 12), May 2, and on International Museum Day (May 18).

Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia
Calle Santa Isabel, 52
Metro: Atocha
Tel: +34 91 774 1000
Web site

Check out Picasso’s Guernica, Dali’s Figure at a Window, or Juan Gris’ Portrait of Josette Gris.

Free admission: Wednesday, Thursday and Friday 7 p.m. – 9 p.m., Saturday 2:30 p.m. – 9 p.m., and Sunday 10 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.

Other free days include World Heritage Day (April 18), International Museum Day (May 18), National Holiday (October 12), and Constitution Day (December 6).

Museo Naval de Madrid
Paseo del Prado, 5
Metro: Banco de España
Tel: +34 91 523 8789
Web site

Interested in seeing treasures accumulated by Columbus, navigational instruments, or murals of routes taken by Spanish explorers? The Naval Museum is the place to feast your eyes on all things maritime at no cost.

Free admission every day. Open Tuesday–Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m

CaixaForum Madrid
Paseo del Prado, 36
Metro: Atocha
Tel: +34 91 330 7300
Web site

Located in the heart of the city center, Caixa Forum holds events and art exhibitions all year round. Read more about the CaixaForum on MapMagazine.

Free admission every day. The CaixaForum is open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Museo Arte Público
Paseo Castellana, 40
Metro: Rubén Dario
Tel: +34 91 701 1863
Web site

You’ll find sculptures and installations at this completely free outdoor museum. Open since 1970, the museum offers collections from Andreu Alfaro, Rafael Leoz, Pablo Palazuelo and more. Best times to go are during the spring, summer and fall.

Free admission every day.

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From July 27 to September 29, 2010, the recently opened Garden Café will provide visitors the opportunity to enjoy some light refreshment on the West Terrace, located between the State Rooms and the Palace garden. The café overlooks the Palace’s famous lawn and lake.

The Garden Café is open during the Palace’s visiting hours, from 9:45 a.m. to 6 p.m. View the Palace’s Web site for more information.

The price of luxury

Of course, the fancy ambiance does come for the cost of a visit to the State Rooms: The café sits at the end of this exhibit. Admission costs £17 (£15.50 reduced).

Buckingham Palace also offers “A Royal Day Out” combination tickets, with admission to the States Rooms, the Royal Mews and the Queen’s Gallery for £30.50 (£27.50 reduced). The combination tickets are available from July 27 to October 1, 2010.

If you’ll be in London again (and can’t get enough of Her Majesty’s posh pad), buy your combination ticket from the Royal Collection to get free admission for the next 12 months. (Otherwise, stick to the standard ticket and save the pounds for a confection at the café.)

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To celebrate Rome’s Caravaggio exhibition that has just opened at the Villa Borghese (and runs through January 24, 2010), it seemed timely to look at this bad boy of the paintbrush and take a tour around Rome to see some of his masterpieces for free!

So just who was Caravaggio?

Whilst most artists of the Middle Ages were more soft ruffles than tough scuffles, Caravaggio was not afraid of a fight, a drink, and the odd murder to boot. Commission happy, the taste of luxury did not bring out his lighter side. As well as pushing the Catholic church to the edge with his dark religious paintings, he eventually lost his temper once too often. After killing a young man who beat him in a tennis match in the Campo Dei Fiori, he fled Rome with a price on his head. He finally died in exile, never learning that he had been given a Papal Pardon.

Where can I see Caravaggio for free?

Sant’ Agostino Church
Via Sant’ Agostino

The Madonna di Loreto (painted in 1605, pictured above) is hung in the first chapel on the left. The church is close to Piazza Navona, and also includes a Raphael fresco. The church is currently under restoration, but don’t be fooled. Under the scaffolding, it is still open so you can see the paintings. For those who are pregnant (or wish to be), touch the statue of the “Madonna del Parto” near the door as you leave for luck.

San Luigi dei Francesi
Via Giustiniani

In the church of San Luigi dei Francesi you get three Caravaggio paintings for free with the Matthew trilogy, including  “The Calling of Saint Matthew”, “St. Matthew and the Angels”, and “The Matrydom of Saint Matthew”. This church is close to the centre, a short walk from the Pantheon and Piazza Navona, and next to the French institute with its wonderful bookshop.

Santa Maria Del Popolo
Piazza Del Popolo

This church is about a 20-minute walk from the historic centre, or you can take the Metro Linea A to Flaminio. Here you can find two paintings, the “Conversion of St. Paul” and “The Crucifixion of St. Peter”, so well worth the journey.

Please note that many churches are closed between 1 PM – 4 PM, but usually stay open in the evening until around 7 PM.

And if I want to pay?

Well if you are at the Santa Maria del Popolo, it is just a short walk up the hill to the Galleria Borghese, and its wonderful park. Here you can see three Caravaggio works, “Sick Bacchus”, “Boy with Bag of Fruit” and “Madonna dei Palafrenieri”. Entrance will cost you €8.50 but you also get to see the amazing Bernini sculpture of “Daphne and Apollo” amongst many other treasures.

At the moment, you can also access the Caravaggio and Bacon exhibition, on through January 24. Note that for the Galleria Borghese, you need to book in advance as only a limited number are allowed in at any one time (more details here).

Lastly, you can see the “Gypsy Fortune Teller” at the Capitoline Museums, entrance fee €6.50. Don’t forget that both of these museums are included in the Roma Pass, which is a 3-day pass that gives you free access to two museums, free travel on Rome’s public transport, and discounts to other museums and attractions. The pass costs €34. (read more about the Roma Pass).

The post Rome Art Walking Tour: See Caravaggio’s finest works for free appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

With the oldest of the three, Humboldt, in the midst of a 200th-anniversary celebration, it’s a great time to get in touch with Berlin’s collegiate side. German schools aren’t really known for their wild celebrations, so don’t expect to stumble across raucous soccer matches or wild kegger parties while touring the two most visit-worthy campuses.

Instead, FU and HU boast historic buildings, memorable museums, ultra-contemporary libraries, and tasty, Cheapo-friendly “Mensas” (cafeterias).

Humboldt Universität zu Berlin

Founded in 1810 by the education innovator Alexander von Humboldt, HU is regarded as the first “modern” university because it offered courses in diverse subjects, such as chemistry and physics, in addition to standard classes on the humanities.

Since its debut, the university’s (now faded) halls have hosted dozens of star students and faculty, including the economist Karl Marx, the folklorists Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, the philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, and the physicist Albert Einstein.

A statue of Humboldt guards the central building (Unter den Linden, S-bahn: Unter den Linden), a gorgeous 19th-century palace on Berlin’s monument-studded main drag, Unter den Linden. After browsing the used book stalls set up in the front yard (Mon.–Sat.), pop inside the entrance hall to marvel at the marble-bedecked East Germany-era staircase. It features a gilded quote by Marx.

Stroll through the back courtyard to reach the university’s newest building. Designed by the Swiss architect Max Dudler, the streamlined Brüder Grimm Zentrum (Brothers Grimm Center, Geschwister-Scholl-Str. 1/3, S/U-bahn: Friedrich Str.) houses the university’s central library.

Freie Universität

Nestled in Dahlem (U-bahn: Dahlem Dorf), a leafy suburb southwest of the center, “the Oxford of Germany” is newer, bigger, and more highly-regarded than Humboldt. In fact, HU is still fuming about the fact that FU beat it out for a spot on the exclusive list of German Centers of Excellence, a distinction awarded to the country’s best schools.

In addition to its trio of fantastic museums—the Asian Art Museum, the Ethnological Museum, and the Museum of European Cultures—FU boasts an impressive library of its own.

Opened in 2005, Sir Norman Foster’s cerebral Philologische Bibliothek (Philological Library, Habelschwerdter Allee 45) is literally shaped like a brain. Step inside the so-called “Berlin Brain” to find a curvaceous central chamber that plays host to nearly a million books.

If you find yourself in need of a study break, head to one of the campuses many Mensas for a cheap and filling meal. The best of the bunch, the bright orange Mensa FU II (Otto-von-Simson-Str. 26), is right next door to the library.

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But first, don’t leave Paris without checking out the Tour Eiffel’s special 120th birthday exposition, “L’Épopée Tour Eiffel” (“Epic of the Eiffel Tower”).  The exhibit features pictures and a history of the famous structure, along with a gallery of 300 reproductions of the Tower and a collection of artwork inspired by the “Lady of Iron.”

The festivities will run through December 31, 2009. Elevator access to the tower is open from 9:30 AM to 11:45 PM.

Photos by Theadora Brack.

Some riveting facts

The Eiffel Tower is made with 2.5 million rivets holding together 20,000 square meters of intricate iron latticework projecting 1,046 feet high. She was the tallest structure on earth from 1889 until 1930. Wind, the dominant natural force affecting her, is strongest at the top, but most of it blows through her and not against her because of her airy wrought iron. (Well, almost. She has been known to jiggle on a gusty day–but only a few inches.)

The Tower’s beauty regimen involves 60 tons of paint, which must be applied at least every seven years to protect her from rust. Each paint job takes 15 to 18 months. Thinking ahead, Gustave Eiffel nailed it when he said, “The more meticulous the paint job, the longer the Tower shall endure.” The most recent paint job started in March 2009, just in time for her 120th birthday celebration.

Down through the years the colors have varied from dark red to a rather bright yellow, and from dark chocolate brown to her current “Brun Tour Eiffel”—a special grayish-brown hue. To emphasize her fabulous silhouette as seen from the ground, there are actually three different shades of the hue that change from dark to light, the higher up you go.

Beauté tips from the Eiffel Tower employees

Like the great iron spire jutting directly above them, the employees who run the Tour Eiffel’s lifts have to protect themselves against the elements. “It’s windy up there!” one lift-operator told me. Daily she makes some fifty round trips to the first and second levels, and at least twenty more to the third level. “So moisturizing is key. Neutrogena is the most famous around here. We also wear hooded parkas!”

The Tour Eiffel uniform, strikingly stylish in olive green with bright orange piping, was created by couturier Jean Charles de Castelbajac. The coordinated ensemble includes a tight-fitted pantsuit, scarf, and a matching purse on a string.

The lift operator grinned. “I especially like the sacs. We all carry our beauty products in them and talk about them often. We also share.” she said. “The favorite lip-moisturizer here is LaBello, strawberry flavored. All my colleagues use it. I suppose that’s because of the color and shape.” She winked. “We all wish to look pretty, but not too sexy. After all, la Tour is a family place.”

Her co-workers also pack Nivéa Crème. (Tip: Cheapos, all products mentioned can be purchased for just a few euros at grocery stores or pharmacies in Paris.)

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