• Related: Heading to Amsterdam? Be sure to swing by our guide to the best cheap hotels in Amsterdam. Our editors have inspected, photographed and reviewed budget hotels all over the city center. Read more in our Amsterdam guide.

Here’s my plan for a perfect Cheapo-day:

Breakfast: Head to the Heijn

The local grocery store here is called Albert Heijn, and its shops are well equipped with meals “to go.” Find one with a coffee machine (sometimes free!) and grab one of the many warm, freshly-baked delights at the bakery.

While you’re there pick up a fresh, packaged sandwich and a bottled fruit smoothie for lunch. Find the drink section for a row of beers, sodas and bottled water all for under a euro each. Now you’re set for the day!

Cost: Warm ham and cheese croissant with a coffee/tea: about €2 (Tourist cafe price: €5)
Sandwich, smoothie and a drink: about €4.50 (Tourist cafe price: €12)

Transport: Rent a bike

Cycling around town is a fun way to see the city and cover lots of ground without your feet hurting from cobblestones. They’re also the quickest and cheapest way to get around. Trams cost €2.60 one way, and don’t even think about taxis.

Learn these bike safety rules, find a good bike rental store, and enjoy money well spent for your ride (and your health).

Good deal on daily rental: €7  (Typical tourist price: €12.50+)

Take in the big sights–on your bike

Between the canals and beautiful greenery, Amsterdam has endless opportunities for bicycle cruising. Start in the center and knock out the main sights: Dam Square, the Royal Palace, national monument, and Nieuwe Kerk.

Next, pedal over to Spui and peek inside the quiet walls of the Begijnhof, or follow Spuistraat and snap shots of all the funky graffiti coloring squatter residences.

Vondelpark-it

Make your way to Vondelpark, Amsterdam’s largest central park, and ride along the winding paths past lakes, ducks, rosebushes and weeping willows. Join the masses soaking up the sun, or follow the Amstel and Ij rivers for a canal-side break (there are plenty of benches with gorgeous views).

Munch on lunch as you people watch. Wave at the families and groups on boats cruising by.

Sunset and a free boat ride

For a unique view of the city and an ideal spot to watch a sunset, walk up the stairs of Amsterdam’s science center NEMO (the curvy green building near Amsterdam Central station).

While you’re there, why not take a free boat ride? Jump on one of the free ferries behind Centraal Station headed north. It’s only about a 10-minute walk from NEMO, and the ferry to “NDSF Werf” takes about 20 minutes each way.

Cheap dinner and a stroll

After returning your wheels for the day, split an order of the famous Dutch treat: “frites” with mayonnaise (€2 – €3). Yum.

Then treat yourself to a healthy falafel or vegetable wok (€3 to €5) at one of the many “in ‘n’ out” food shops along Zeedijk, Spui, Rembrandtplein and Leidseplein.

Looking for a little free romance? Couples will love strolling along the canals of the Jordaan, while others can do a bit of “window shopping” in the Red Light District.

Free concert

End the night with a bit of (free) live music at Jazz Café Alto, Mulligan’s Irish Pub or the Waterhole. And if you still have a few euros, buy yourself a drink. You successfully spent an Amsterdam day the EuroCheapo way!

The post Amsterdam: A day on less than €20 in Amsterdam appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

A little bit of history…

First inhabited by a tribe of Native Americans in the early 17th Century, Governors Island is afloat with history, lore, and intriguing sights. It’s been home to Dutch and British settlers, the latter who used it for quarantining immigrants.

In 1909, Wilbur Wright flew a plane from the island, over the Statue of Liberty, and back again, thus marking the first flight over U.S. waters. From the 1960s to the 1990s, Governors Island was controlled by the U.S. Coast Guard, which erected apartment buildings for officers on the island (as well as a Burger King and a Super 8 Motel!). From 1995 to 2001, the island was ostensibly abandoned by the Coast Guard until 2003, when the federal government sold the island to the people of New York City for $1.

These days, Governors Island is open for weekend visits from May through October. Locals and tourists alike enjoy exploring, checking out some of the original Victorian homes, and taking part in city-planned events. As of this year, plans for an 85-acre park on the island are in the works.

How to get there

You may visit Governors Island on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from June 5 to October 10.

Free ferries leave from the Battery Maritime Building in Manhattan (South Street at Whitehall), and on designated weekends from the Fulton Ferry Landing in Brooklyn. The island is open 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Friday, and 10 a.m. (11 a.m. from Brooklyn) – 7 p.m.  Saturdays and Sundays. Check out the island’s website for a detailed ferry schedule.

What to do

A full list of events and concerts on the island is available on the island’s website. Free bike rental is available on Fridays (you’ll see signs posted once you dock). On Saturdays and Sundays, bike rental is $15 for two hours and $20 for the day.

For more fun ideas, check out this comprehensive list of activities from New York Magazine.

The post New York: Free ferries to historic Governors Island appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.