Monday Madness and Student Tuesdays at the Barbican Centre
The Barbican runs a “Monday Madness” promotion, where tickets to new releases cost just £6 on Mondays, while on Tuesdays students can gain access for a fiver (on production of a valid student card). The Barbican is a good choice for all tastes as it screens everything from popular mainstream releases to smaller art-house productions, and there are even regular £6 parent and baby screenings geared towards parents with children aged 12 months or under.

Barbican Centre
Silk Street London
Box Office: 020 7638 8891

“Super Tuesday” at Vue and “Bargain Tuesday” at ODEON
Tuesday is the day to bag cheap seats at Vue and ODEON cinemas across the city. For Vue, just fill in the online form to receive a special membership code and get up to 1/3 of all adult ticket prices every Tuesday, it’s as simple as that. In turn, selected ODEON cinemas offer special rates on Tuesdays (for 2D films only), but the prices and level of discount depend on the cinema and film. You’ll get the best rate if you bypass online booking fees and buy direct at the box office or ticket machine in the cinema.

Vue website / ODEON website

Rich Mix Six cinema. Photo: Frank Boyd

Rich Mix Six £6 admission on Mondays
Rich Mix is an eclectic arts centre and charity in Shoreditch showcasing live music, dance, comedy and film among other creative activities. The cinema offerings are excellent, ranging from general releases to more niche independent and world cinema, and the best thing about it is that every Monday cinema tickets cost just £6 to any film when booked online. There are some family-friendly options too, with parent and baby screenings for £6 each Monday and special weekend kids’ screenings from just £1.75 per person.

Rich Mix Six
35 – 47 Bethnal Green Road
Box Office: 020 7613 7498

Orange Wednesdays  two-for-one tickets
The old favorite: if you’re visiting London and surprised to see queues for the cinema on a Wednesday night, it’s because phone operator, Orange’s Orange Wednesdays have become a bit of an institution. Every Wednesday customers are entitled to two-for-one on film tickets at participating cinemas. You just need to text “FILM” to 241 from an Orange or EE sim card to generate a special code which can be used to redeem your discounted ticket at the box office. Alternatively, download the EE FIlm or Orange Wednesdays app on your smartphone for iTunes or Google Play. Added into the deal is two for the price of one on pizzas and doughballs at Pizza Express, so Cheapos can fill their bellies AND get their fill of entertainment for half the price every single week. Delicious!

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Here are five budget tips that will help you save your money for what’s really important: wine, wine and more wine!

1. Use (and reuse) public transportation.

Taxis are incredibly expensive here in Florence. Think about it: You pay almost double the base fee every Sunday and on holidays, you pay extra when you take a taxi after 10 p.m. (until 6 a.m.) and central Florence is almost always congested with traffic. You know what’s worse than waiting in traffic? Waiting in traffic and paying for it!

That’s why I recommend using the bus/tram system (ATAF). A 10 ticket pass costs €10 and gets you 10 trips almost anywhere in Florence, each up to 90 minutes. I recommend buying a 20 or 30 ticket pass (21 rides for €20/ 35 rides for €30), especially if you are going to be in town for awhile. They’re also great for traveling with others, as you can share the pass (just swipe it two times when you get on the bus).

A one-ride ticket will cost you €1.20, so purchasing the multi-ride pass is a good deal. You can buy these passes in most Tabacchi stores. (Tabacchi stores are located throughout the city and can be recognized by the big “T” symbol sign outside the store.)

2. Go bowling.

This is a recent discovery of mine and I am so glad to know about it. Bowling is a ton of fun and so cheap! Go to Crazy Bowling (Via del Cavallaccio 3) on Thursdays, which is “Happy Bowling” day, where they offer a reduced price of €2.50 per game.

I would never have thought to go bowling when I’m traveling, but it’s a great activity if you are traveling in a group or looking for something to do with friends.

If you don’t have a car or bike, you will need to take a bus or tram to get there from the center of Florence. (Plan ahead on the bus website.)

3. Take in a screening at the Odeon.

For all film fanatics, a trip to the Odeon is a must. Located in the center of Florence in Piazza Strozzi, the beautifully decorated movie theater has been around for more than 85 years. Sitting under the stained glass cupola in the center of the theater, you might assume that ticket prices must be quite high, but that is often not the case.

On Wednesdays, the Odeon offers reduced priced tickets all day for €6 (normal tickets are priced at €7.50). They also offer cheap tickets for students, kids under 10 and senior citizens with identification.

Foreign films shown here are in their original language (with Italian subtitles). Meanwhile, most of the other theaters in town charge about €8 or €9, and show films that are either in Italian or dubbed in Italian.

4. Shop at the 99-cent store.

This a great place to make some basic purchases: personal hygiene items, snacks, household supplies. These stores are a much better alternative to the mini-markets you’ll find around town, which cater to tourists and charge you triple the price.

I would stay far away from all mini-markets, especially in the downtown Florence area. The 99-cent stores are scattered throughout the city and have bright yellow and blue signs (you can’t miss them). The products are often not the best quality so pay attention to what you’re buying.

5. Hang out in the Oblate Library.

Florence’s public libraries offer many free or low-cost activities. I recommend stopping by the Oblate Library in particular (located behind the Duomo), as it offers free Wi-Fi, computers and printers (at five cents a page).

When heading to the library, remember to bring your passport, as you’ll need it to sign up for an account to use the internet. Once you have an account, you can access the city’s free Wi-Fi (FirenzeWiFi) as well.

The Oblate sometimes offers an Apericena (buffet with alcoholic drink included) or live music. The Apericena costs €8 and the live music is free. If you understand Italian, or are learning, the Oblate offers many lecture series throughout the year, most of which are free!

The post 5 ways to save on sightseeing in Florence appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Seeing a film abroad can be a fun and educational experience (not to mention Cheapo-friendly). Even in Rome, finding a movie in English isn’t totally hopeless. Some movie theaters, after all, show movies in their original language. You just have to do some digging.

However, before heading to the theater, here are a few things to keep in mind:

1. English-language films have delayed release dates

Because of all the work and time it takes to dub and subtitle films here, imported films come out later in Italy than in their original countries. Chances are the films that were showing back home when you booked your trip to Italy still haven’t come out yet. In fact, it sometimes takes up to a year for an American movie to be released in Italy.

There are exceptions, of course. Big blockbuster films such as the “Harry Potter” and “Twilight” series, “Avatar” and “Sex & the City” all came out simultaneously around the world (including in Italy).

2. Theaters have assigned seating

Unlike in America, you are assigned a seat when you purchase your movie ticket. That’s right, assigned seating. At first I thought this was annoying. But now I actually like knowing that I can arrive comfortably at the start of the movie rather than a half hour before to reserve my spot, as I know my seat has been spoken for.

Note: I’ve found that Italians are very particular about sitting in the seat that was given to them. Therefore, it’s probably not a good idea to try and sneak into a “better” seat. If someone finds you in their place, they will most likely call for an employee to kick you out of it.

3. Some movie theaters have intermission

As with plays and musicals in “legit theater,” many movies in Italy stop for an intermission. While many might find this to be annoying, Italians seem to like the break. In fact, it seems that it gives them a chance to compare notes with their friends and family. In some theaters, a vendor comes around selling popcorn, ice cream and beverages during the break.

Searching for a movie in English

When searching for a movie in English, there are several useful Web sites that offer information on which movies are playing in English.

The most comprehensive site on movies in Rome is www.trovacinema.repubblica.it. When searching this site, you’ll have to keep an eye out for the movies with the letters “V.O.” listed directly beneath the film’s name. This stands for “versione originale,” and designates that the films haven’t been dubbed.

Another great Web site for tourists and expats is www.inromenow.com. This site offers updated movie listings every Thursday and is written entirely in English (making for a more user-friendly experience for non-Italian speakers).

When in doubt (or without access to the internet), pay a visit to any of these movie theaters for showings in English:

Nuovo Olimpia
Via in Lucina 16 (Off via del Corso)
Tel: 06 686 1068
Tickets: €7.50 (€5.50 for early shows Monday-Friday and all day Wednesday. Two screens.)
Web site

Greenwich
Via Bodoni 59 (Testaccio)
Tel: 06 5745825
€7, reduced €5. Three screens.
Web site

Nuovo Sacher
Largo Ascianghi 1 (Trastevere)
Tel: 06 581 8116
Web site

Alternatively, there’s the Casa del Cinema…

Located in the heart of the Villa Borghese Park (the “Central Park of Rome”) the La Casa del Cinema often hosts free screenings of movies in their original languages. Many of these are English-language independent films, but from time to time, blockbuster hits are also shown. Also inside you’ll find a bookstore, café, personal DVD stations, and a library stocked with hundreds of movies.

Casa del Cinema
Largo Marcello Mastroianni
tel 06 423601.
Web site

The post Rome: Finding movies in English (and what to know before you go) appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.