However, to make your budget stretch even further, check out these tips on Lisbon’s finest free attractions.

Wander around the Alfama

The Alfama is the oldest part of the city — it was one of the few areas to survive the city’s huge earthquake in 1755. It contains sights such as the cathedral that do charge an entry fee, but there is a huge amount of pleasure to be had purely wandering around the neighborhood’s charming streets. Still largely a residential area, it’s got something of a village feel, with washing hanging out and residents stopping to chat to each other. Do pack comfy shoes to make the most of it, as the roads are steep and narrow.

Related: The best value hotels in Lisbon with doubles from $50/night

If you can afford to spare a euro, you could take part in the tradition of trying to land a coin in the book held by the statue of Saint Anthony outside the Igreja Santo Antonio. It could be a worthwhile investment — if you succeed, it’s said you’ll find a new or improved romantic partner!

Free walking tours in Lisbon

If you prefer to do your exploring in the company of a knowledgeable guide, book on one of Lisbon’s free walking tours. Discover Lisbon offer free tours of Alfama and Belém, or for a citywide introduction, join Lisbon Chill-Out — each tour guided by Lisbon natives.

Viewing the collection at Museu Calouste Gulbenkian in Lisbon. Photo: Pedro R

Take advantage of free entry to museums and galleries

Lisbon’s most popular attractions are ticketed, but there are a couple that offer free entry, such as MUDE (Museum of Design and Fashion). Many of the others have free hours, such as the Museu do Oriente (Museum of the Orient), which is free to enter on Friday from 6 pm to 10 pm. Sunday, however, is the day you should really channel your inner culture vulture — Belém’s 16th century Mosteiros dos Jerónimos and Torre de Belém are both free until 2 pm, as is the Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga (National Museum of Ancient Art). The Museu Calouste Gulbenkian the impressively opulent collection of art and decorative arts amassed by a hugely wealthy oil magnate, meanwhile, is free all day.

Visit the markets

Perhaps the most famous of Lisbon’s markets is the historic Mercado da Ribeira, a daily affair selling fresh fish, flowers, fruit and vegetables and a place where you can explore and discover traditional Portuguese produce. Half of the market space is now given over to the Time Out market, lined with stalls by different chefs, food shops, and restaurants. It’s free and fun to explore, and while you’ll probably end up buying something, it’ll set you back considerably less than eating in a restaurant.

Flea market lovers should make a beeline for the Feira da Ladra, which takes place in the Campo do Santa Clara in the Alfama each Tuesday and Saturday. It’s far more reputable than its name suggests (it translates roughly as “thieves market”), selling homemade goods and souvenirs alongside secondhand and collectables.

For more artisan and vintage wares, visit the Sunday market in the fashionable LX Factory. A complex of former industrial units, it’s now home to artists and creatives alongside small shops and cafes making it the perfect spot for a weekend mooch. Well worth a look is the impressive bookstore Ler Devagar — although bibliophiles will find it hard to leave without a purchase.

Pick up a few pastry tips

You can’t leave Lisbon without sampling some — or several — of the famous pasteis de nata (custard tarts). You’ll find them in cafes and bakeries all over the city, available to eat in or take away. The guidebooks will probably point you in the direction of those available at Belém, but we recommend picking yours up at Manteigaria in the Baixa / Chiado area of the city. The free bonus is that you can watch the staff at work making this local delicacy through the day until midnight, hopefully picking up a few tips in the process. Wait for the bell to ring to know a fresh batch is coming out of the oven.

Hike up one of the hills for a spectacular view over Lisbon. Photo: Alessandro G.

See the city from another view

Make the most of those comfy shoes we told you to wear earlier and seek out some of Lisbon’s “miradouros”, or viewpoints. Being a city based around seven hills makes for plenty of picturesque spots to stop and admire the view. These viewpoints are an inbuilt part of city life, and you’ll find locals as well as tourists resting together. This list pulls together 30 of the best stops, although part of the fun is stumbling across them yourself.

The post Lisbon: The best free attractions and things to do appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Hang on to your hats, Cheapos. Follow our list and you can spend an entire week in New York museums without forking out a cent in admission fees!

Monday

Let it be known that many of the smaller museums are closed on Mondays. That being said, many do stay open, and some even for free.

The Museum at Eldridge Street (12 Eldridge Street, Manhattan) is worth visiting for the building alone. Adorned with spectacular stained-glass and 19th-century gas fixtures, the impeccably restored landmark building dates back to 1887, and its museum tells the story of generations of Jewish in New York. Admission is “pay what you wish” on Mondays from 10 am until 5 pm.

Monday is also the day to check out a “free all the time” museum:

At the Rose Museum on the second floor of Carnegie Hall (154 West 57th Street, Manhattan), you can dabble in a little music memorabilia.

Tuesday

If you’re after a bit of fresh air, you’re also, uh, free, to commune with the flowers at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden (1000 Washington Ave, Brooklyn) every Tuesday during opening hours (8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in winter months, until 6 p.m. from mid-March to mid-November). Admission, incidentally, is free on all weekdays in winter.

Wednesday

Wednesday is not the friendliest of weekdays to museum freeloaders in New York—or at least for those unwilling to leave Manhattan. If you head up to the Bronx, however, you can get free entry to the pre-Revoluntionary War Van Cortlandt House (Broadway at West 246th Street, Bronx). Washington himself (not to be confused with his life mask) is said to have sheltered there at the beginning and end of the war.

If the Bronx is too much of a schlep for you, today’s a good day to hit up museums like the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the American Museum of Natural History. Both post suggested donations but technically have “open donation” policies every day.

Round out your Wednesday with some fine art at the Frick Museum (1 East 70th Street, Manhattan), housed in a gorgeous mansion. Pay what you wish is from 2 p.m. until 6 p.m.

Thursday

Thursday night kicks off a weekend of free museum festivities. Start it right with some contemporary art at the New Museum (235 Bowery, Manhattan), free from 7 pm until 9 pm.

If you didn’t get your fill at the New Museum, right across the street is the International Center of Photography (250 Bowery). Their exhibits are free on Thursdays starting at 6 pm.

Uptown, the David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center is a cool public space with two vertical gardens, some impressive architecture and rotating art installations. Every week (including many Thursday evenings), there are performances open to the public at no charge. Free shows might feature anything from spoken word to country or world music, or talent from The Juilliard School, Jazz at Lincoln Center and more. In short, anything goes. Check this calendar of events to see what’s happening every night, and note that you should arrive early because capacity is limited for this popular event.

Friday

Welcome to the free museum free-for-all that is Friday night in New York City. Behold, Cheapos, the museum is your oyster:

Free admission or pay what you wish on Friday nights:

Museum of the Moving Image: 4 p.m. – 8 p.m.; 35 Avenue at 37 Street, Astoria, Queens

Museum of Modern Art: 4 p.m. – 8 p.m.; 11 West 53rd Street, Manhattan

Whitney Museum of American Art: 7 p.m. – 10 p.m.; 99 Gansevoort Street, Manhattan

New-York Historical Society: 6 pm. – 8 p.m.; 170 Central Park West, Manhattan

Cheapo pick: Or get a taste of the highbrow at the Morgan Library & Museum (29 East 36th Street, Manhattan), home to some of the rarest books and manuscripts in the world. Admission to the McKim rooms, a former private study of Pierpont Morgan himself, is free every Friday evening from 7 pm until 9 pm. Inside those gilded walls you’ll spot some of the lush original furnishings, along with precious items from the Morgan collection, including his life mask of George Washington (don’t go trying to steal that now) and copies of the Declaration of Independence and the Star-Spangled Banner.

Saturday

The massive art collection (and incredible architecture) at the Guggenheim (1071 5th Avenue, Manhattan) can be enjoyed for free on Saturday evenings from 5:45 p.m. until 7:45 p.m.

Other Saturday festivities are limited to once a month:

The Brooklyn Museum of Art (200 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn) dominates first Saturdays, with free admission, plus live entertainment, from 5 p.m. until 11 p.m. Learn more here.

El Museo del Barrio (1230 5th Avenue, Manhattan) hosts “SUPER SABADO” on the third Saturday of the month, in all months except January and August. Admission is free from 11 a.m. until 8:30 p.m. and events range from film screenings to walking tours.

Sunday

For a livelier vibe, head uptown to the Studio Museum (144 West 125th Street, Manhattan) in Harlem, where Target Free Sundays grant free access to the vast and provocative collection of art, as well as access to special tours, talks and hands-on activities.

Do you have any tips for getting into museums for free? Share your comments below!

The post Free museums in New York: A calendar for every day of the week appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.