But don’t despair: there are still plenty of nicely priced options for Cheapos who crave a bit of sand and surf on their European vacation, and there are even ways to save at some of the most popular beaches in Europe.

Related beach tips:
• Best affordable seaside escapes in Spain
• Beating the heat in Rome: 4 Beaches easily accessible by train
• Four beach trips close to Lisbon

Our favorite budget beaches in Europe

Below we’ve listed six of our favorite budget beaches in Europe, with plenty of tips to help you save.

Montenegro

With its beautiful coastline, Montenegro is becoming popular with the Russian jet set, with yachts galore docking in the fancy new Porto Montenegro marina in Tivat. However, the area remains largely undiscovered by Western tourists, and there are still plenty of bargains to be had.

Some great places to check out are the town of Herceg Novi, located at the entrance of the Bay of Kotor, and Ulcinj, which has a lovely old town with a distinct Ottoman flair.

Budget Tips

• Hotels: Hotel rooms with easy beach access can go as low as $30 a night for a double room. Search and book over 5,300 hotels in Montenegro.

• Eating cheap: Food and drink, including excellent local beer and wine, is very cheap throughout the country.

• When to go: If possible, try to visit during the warm shoulder seasons from May to June and September to October, with an average high of around 70 degrees. The area gets very crowded in July and August and prices can easily double in some places.

The beautiful sands of Algarve, Portugal. Photo: Ricardo

Algarve, Portugal

Located in the southernmost area in Portugal, Algarve is very popular with beach-loving tourists from Europe and beyond. Besides frolicking in the waves and lounging in the sand, tourists in Algarve can indulge in a little lively nightlife, some of it directly at the beach, like Restaurante Bar | Caniço, a lively hangout which is nestled between two cliffs in a seaside cove in Portimão.

If you need a break from the beach, Algarve also has many charming villages such as Santa Luzia, famous for its octopus fishermen, who still use traditional fishing methods to catch “polvo” (Portuguese for octopus), a popular delicacy in the country. Algarve is also well-known as a family-friendly destination, so feel free to bring along the tots and sand toys.

Budget Tips

• Hotels: Algarve does have a number of hotels catering to budget tourists. If you want to splurge, there are vacation homes available with a swimming pool, so you can still take a quick dip even if you decide not to trek out to the beach every day. Search over 5,000 hotels in Algarve

• When to go: July and August are busy and pricier months to visit, so if you would like to visit during this time, make sure and book well in advance or the best deals will be gone.

Playa Jardín en Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife. Photo: Jaume

Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain

The largest of Spain’s Canary Islands, Tenerife is also the most popular with tourists, catering to everyone from the luxury traveler to the bare-bones backpacker. With nearly 7.5 miles of beautiful coastline stretching from Costa Adeje, Playa de las Américas, and Los Cristianos, beach lovers have plenty to choose from.

However, choose your beaches wisely, as the price for sun lounger rentals varies greatly. To save, make sure you choose a beach in the yellow zone, not the green zone, where sun loungers cost 20 percent more. Better yet, spread a towel out on the sand old-school style for an absolutely free experience.

For day trips, check out the old town and African market in the island’s capital city, Santa Cruz. And make sure to pack your hiking boots along with your sandals: No trip to Tenerife is complete without a visit to Mount Teide, the world’s third largest volcano, which you can reach easily by bus.

Budget Tips

• Getting around: One of the best ways to explore the island is by car, and luckily rental cars on Tenerife are inexpensive. However, be sure and book before you go to snag the best deals. Use CheapoSearch to find rental car prices.

• When to go: Although Tenerife belongs to Spain, the island is located off the coast of Morocco, so you lots of sunny days and warm temperatures throughout the year. The average high dips down to 68 degrees from December to February, stays in the mid-70s in spring and late fall and rises to around 80 degrees from July to September.

• Off-season: Because of the weather, the island is perfect for off-season budget travelers in search of warmth throughout the year as well as high season summer travelers who prefer the thermometer to stay well below 100 degrees.

• Meals: To save on dining, do as the Spanish do and eat your larger meal at lunchtime when prices are lower.

• Hotels: Search more than 2,800 hotels in Tenerife

Antalya, Turkey

Located in the Gulf of Antalya, Antalya boasts a beautiful stretch of Mediterranean coastline in southwest Turkey, an area known as the Turkish Riviera. Although technically in Asia, this area is incredibly popular with tourists, and many cheap flights are available from across Europe. The place is famous for mega-resorts, with a network of pools and gigantic buffets, which can be booked at a variety of different price classes.

Be sure and take a break from the beach to have a stroll through Antalya’s old town to take a walk through history. Many of the city’s winding streets and buildings hail from the Ottoman Empire and there are also many Roman Era highlights, like Hadrian’s Gate, which was built in the 2nd century.

Budget Tips

• When to go: Although highs in Antalya from July to September usually range in the mid-80s, the water also matches the temperature outside at this time, so don’t expect a swim to cool you down.

• Politics: The current political situation in Turkey these days has reportedly been very hard on the Turkish tourism industry, so this likely a good time to find some truly great deals. However, be sure to keep abreast of political tensions and travel warnings before you do.

• Hotels: If you’d prefer something in town, check out White Garden Hotel or Hotel Twenty, a budget hotel located six minutes from the beach. Want more options? Search over 500 hotels in Antalya.

Diving into the sparkling waters of Cala d’Or in Mallorca. Photo: Adria

Mallorca Island, Spain

Mallorca is particularly popular with British and German tourists, with hotel high-rises catering to their sun-starved populations since the 1960s. For Germans, it’s also a popular place to retire; in some places, you’ll be just as likely to see signs in German as in Spanish.

Unless you’re in the mood for some spring break-like partying, be sure and avoid places like El Arenal and Cala d’Or. However, if you are in the mood for lively nightlife to mix in with baking in the sun, Cala d’Or is the better choice.

Make sure and take a stroll through the old town in the island’s capital, Palma de Mallorca. A ride on the old wooden train to Soller and Valldemossa is also a fun outing and well worth the price.

And if you rent a car, be sure to check out the island’s east coast, where German jet-setters dock their yachts and have million dollar homes tucked away in the cliffs. This side of the island has some of the most breathtaking views as well as many less crowded, rocky beaches favored by locals.

Budget Tips

• Getting around: Like Tenerife, one of the best ways to see Mallorca is by car, and thanks to the great tourist infrastructure on the island you should be able to rent one with ease for a nice price. Check rates for rental cars.

• Hotels: Many budget priced hotels are available in the area. If you prefer to avoid the crowds, try for a place on the less touristy northern side of the island, like Sa Boronia in Banyalbufar, which is a five-minute walk from the beach.

• Search hotels: Know your dates? Search over 5,000 hotels in Mallorca.

Related: Beyond the beaches in Mallorca and Sun, sea & schnitzel in Mallorca

The sun sets over a beach on Kos Island. Photo: Mycatkins

Kos Island, Greece

A European beach guide is simply not complete without a shout out to Greece, so here we go. Famous for its sparkling blue, gentle Aegean sea, Greece has many options for beach-loving budget travelers.

Budget Tips

• Just ‘Kos: Our favorite Greek island beach? Kos Island. Some recommended and budget-friendly places to stay include Ilios and Irene and Philippos Studio & Apartments, which is located almost directly on the beach and is less than five miles from Kos International Airport.

• Ferry tickets: If you decide to do some island hopping, be sure and book your ferry ticket in advance to save.

• Choosing islands: Although Santorini and Mykonos are among the most beautiful of the islands, they are also the priciest, and therefore better for short day trips.

• Day to avoid: If you can, try to avoid traveling to Greece on August 15. This is a major holiday in the country, and prices always skyrocket.

• Search hotels: Know your dates? Search over 375 hotels on the island of Kos.

Your favorite budget beaches in Europe?

Have an affordable beachy escape to add to our list? Tell us about your favorite budget beach in the comments section below!

The post Our 6 favorite budget beaches in Europe appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Here are our top five rail journeys for this month.

1. Zürich to Salzburg

A wonderful transect from west to east through the Alps, taking in three countries (Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Austria) and including the mountainous Arlberg route through the Tyrol. Depart Zürich at 10:40 a.m., enjoy lunch on board, and you’ll arrive in Salzburg at 4 p.m.

2. Riviera Cruise

Sit on the right side of the train for sea views aplenty as you ride local trains from Marseille all the way to Genoa. The train hugs the coast for much of the eight-hour journey. Leave Marseille St. Charles at 9:25 a.m., and with two easy changes of train along the way (at Nice Ville and Ventimiglia), you’ll arrive in Genoa just after 5 p.m.

3. Northward Bound

Central Finland has a delicate beauty as winter slips gently into spring. The rail route from Helsinki north through Kuopio is a gem – in our view outshining the more westerly route followed by the fastest trains from Helsinki to Oulu. So leave Helsinki at 8:12 a.m., change at Kajaani onto a delightfully rural local train, and you’ll arrive in Oulu at 5:24 p.m. There is no better way to mark the coming of spring in Finland.

4. Belgrade to Bar

The rail journey from the Serbian capital to the coast of Montenegro is one of the finest in Europe and at its best in early spring. Take the Tara Express from Belgrade at 10:10 a.m. and you’ll reach the port of Bar in Montenegro ten hours later. The journey passes through Bosnia & Herzegovina along the way. Rugged, wild terrain aplenty with fabulous mountain and gorge scenery.

5. Hebridean Adventure

The West Highland Line from Glasgow is a classic. Travel it this month and you’ll still see winter snow lingering on the Scottish hills. Depart Glasgow Queen Street at 8:21 a.m., cross lonely Rannoch Moor and skirt Ben Nevis to reach the fishing port of Mallaig at 1:34 p.m. You’ll have a couple of hours to wander before hopping aboard the afternoon sailing over the sea to Skye.

The train times given in this article generally apply to weekday services. Weekend timings may vary. You can check current schedules in the March 2011 issue of the Thomas Cook European Rail Timetable.

The post 5 daytime rail journeys to consider in Europe appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

However, there are a few key things to keep in mind when planning how to get around Montenegro:

Avoid trains, unless you’re heading for the mountains

Unlike Western Europe, the local train system in Montenegro doesn’t cover much ground and makes rail travel difficult. The line is from northeast to southwest, starting in Bijelo Polje and ending in the coastal town of Bar. Trains are a good option when heading into the mountains, but pointless when staying on the seaside. Cheaper than the buses but not as efficient (and some would argue not as safe), railways are to be used at your own risk.

The wheels on the bus go ’round through town

Planes fly in and out of the capital of Podgorica and the touristy town of Tivat, though the most common way to enter is via bordering countries (Croatia or Serbia, for example) by bus. What the train system lacks in broad coverage, the country’s bus system makes up for in frequency and destination choice.

Buses in Montenegro, like in many countries in Southeast Europe, are not the newest, but they are reliable and get travelers from Point A to Point B in a timely manner (around 80 kilometers per hour on the highways). Smaller shuttle buses are also available at bus stations and sometimes cost less.

We didn’t find the bus stations to be terribly confusing or too large, although the local language doesn’t make things simple for foreigners. It’s quite easy to figure out which bus goes where and when, so make a match and stay alert for the departure call. When people begin to board your bus, that’s a good notion for you to do the same.

Avoid taxis

In short, buses are the best way to get from town to town, and travelers won’t have to deal with fretting over fair prices. This is not the case with taxis, and it won’t be easy to find a driver willing to give you a “local price.” Montenegro runs on the euro, and bus transit prices run cheap at €5 to €10 for a two to five-hour journey. A taxi driver will easily ask for twice as much without blinking an eye, so either be smart when bargaining with private transportation or hop on a bus and enjoy the ride.

The post Montenegro Transportation Tips: Trains, buses, and taxis appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Start in Kotor’s old town and meander through the narrow streets, soaking up the Mediterranean ambiance. There’s a reasonably-priced mini-market in Kotor’s old town where Cheapos can stock up on water and eats for the task ahead. When you’re properly geared up, head towards the entrance sign. Visitors cough up €1 for admission.

Even if you’re in tip-top shape, you’ll want to stop for breaks to catch views of the bay and surrounding mountains from various vantage points. The vertical climb on the cliff is about 4.5 km, and places hikers almost directly above the old town. There’s no need to rush through your climb. Along the way, listen for the clank of bells—mountain goat bells, that is. Herds of mountain goats graze along the path and peacefully share their mountain with you.

When you reach the ruins of the fortress at the top, bask in your achievement with a queen/king-of-the-mountain photo framed by the Montenegrin flag and sweeping views of the Boka Kotorska behind you.

Tip: Cheapos should head to Kotor before high season (June to August) begins. Outside of high season, crowds are few and admittance is free.

The post Wandering Cheapo: Climbing to the Top of Kotor appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Like when you want to inquire about transport options to Montenegro from Bulgaria and your handy Bulgarian phrase book only gets you so far with the impatient cashier. After all, how are you supposed to know that locally, Montenegro is known as Crna Gora?

Never fear, it’s ‘ole Wikipedia to the rescue. Consulting this handy Wikipedia directory in advance might just save you the energy you need to climb Ano Poli when you travel from Sofia to Solun (Thessaloniki). We love that the Web site lists city names in most European languages and with a version that uses the Latin alphabet. This way, we can at least approximate the local pronunciation.

Oh, and if you’re in Budapest and want to meet me in Dubrovnik, ask for a flight to Raguza pronto.

Wandering Cheapo Sunnia Ko is a wanderer at heart and primarily supports this habit as a teacher at Plovdiv University in Bulgaria. She is currently on a cross-Balkan trek from Plovdiv to Sibenik, Croatia, where she hopes to find the Adriatic as splendid and turquoise as she remembers it to be.

The post Wandering Cheapo: Localize Your Lingo appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.