Cheapo tours

The city has numerous ferries plying the Elbe in its transportation network, which means that for the price of a transportation day ticket, you can hop on-hop off these water routes as you wish.

The classic tour is #62 to Finkenwerder, an area with a small village atmosphere that’s enjoyable to explore by foot before returning to the mainland by ferry – or make a half-day trip out of it by packing a picnic lunch or dinner along. The ferry makes a number of stops along the coast, giving you the opportunity to walk on the beach or enjoy a beer or fish sandwich from the small restaurants along the shoreline, a lovely diversion when the weather is agreeable.

Ferries depart every 15 minutes from Landungsbrücken.
Total travel time: one hour.
Cost: day tickets from 5.80€.

Alster cruises

ATG offers basic trips around the Alster all year long. If you’d prefer a short trip, it’s possible to pay per station; otherwise, purchase a round-trip or day ticket.

Cruises depart from outside S-/U-Jungfernstieg.
Cost: round trip 8.50€, day tickets 12€.

Canal tours

ATG also offers extended versions of its Alster tours, which include an additional hour-long excursion through Hamburg’s canal system.

Runs March through October.
Cost: 18€.

In good weather, however, you may prefer to rent a small boat – a canoe or even a swan-shaped paddle boat – to explore the canals at a slower pace. Try Bootsvermietung Dornheim in Winterhude; prices start at just 9€ per hour for a two-person boat.  Closest station: U-Saarlandstrasse.

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While they’re definitely worth shelling out for, there are a few different options to sift through. Here’s our Cheapo guide to choosing the Seine river cruise that’s right for you… and your budget.

Bateaux Parisiens

With departures from both Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower, the Bateaux Parisiens offer the most basic of the “bateaux mouches.” With pre-recorded audioguides detailing the sights along the one-hour trip, it’s a perfectly fine and basic way to experience Paris from the water. Just be sure to go later in the evening or night when there are slightly fewer groups crowding the docks.

At just €13 (€14 from Notre Dame) and €5 euros (or €6) for children, it’s not a bad choice, even if it can feel a bit over-the-top touristy at times.

Vedettes de Pont Neuf

There’s something about having a real human commentating that makes this company seem a bit more interesting, even if the poor commentator might still not have every English conjugation under their belt. The one-hour tour offered by the Vedettes de Pont Neuf are a bit less of a cattle call than the Bateaux Parisiens and leave centrally from their dock off the Pont Neuf. While passing by all of the same monuments, the boats have the added advantage of ending up back at the Pont Neuf, smack in the center of the city.

Deals on their website might allow you to score tickets for €8 instead of the normal €13 ticket price. Pre-buy if possible!

We love the Batobus for its hop-on-hop-off service. Photo: AndyRobertsPhotos

Batobus

My pick for exploring the river, the Batobus is Paris’s water taxi, taking tourists from major attraction to major attraction. Its eight stops include the Musée d’Orsay and the Jardin des Plantes, meaning you can get off and wander a bit before hopping back on to the next dock. Or just grab a spot on the deck and watch the city go by. You can stay on all day if you want! And there’s no pesky commentary in several languages to distract you.

Tickets start at €15, but Groupon can be your friend here!

Canauxrama

While the Seine is the main aquatic thoroughfare in Paris, don’t forget the canal which runs through the east of the city, meeting the river by the Bastille neighborhood. The trendy area is worth a visit from the Canauxrama, the slow-moving cruise that passes through the old lochs and even underground, while offering commentary in several languages. Kids love watching the water rush in and out as the boats pass up and down the canal.

While canal cruises cost €16 for a 2.5 hour cruise, online tickets are reduced to €13.50. For further savings, try Groupon, which regularly discounts the boat tickets up to 50%.

Your favorite way to cruise?

Do you have a favorite way to see Paris by boat? Share your experience with us in the comments section.

The post Paris River Cruises: Which bateaux mouches is the best deal? appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

1. Ride the RV1 or number 11 bus
From £1.40

For as little as £2.40 (or £1.40 with an Oyster card) for a journey, you can take in the best of London from the comfort of these public buses. Instead of paying over the odds for an expensive tourist bus, these two central London bus routes take in the main attractions and you can jump on and off as you go.

The RV1 starts in Covent Garden and will take you past Somerset House, across Waterloo Bridge and down past the London Eye, Royal Festival Hall and the Oxo Tower. It carries on past London Bridge and City Hall before crossing Tower Bridge and stopping at the Tower of London and ending its route at Tower Gateway Station.

Alternatively, the number 11 bus travels between Fulham Town Hall and Liverpool Street Station, calling at Westminster Abbey, Horse Guards Parade, Trafalgar Square and St Paul’s Cathedral along the way. More information.

Experience the sights (and smells!) of Borough Market for free. Photo: Kenjonbro

2. Visit to Borough Market
Free

This haven for foodies is the ideal place to wile away an afternoon without frittering away too much cash. With food from all over the world, most of the stalls at Borough Market offer samples so you can happily try a whole lot of different tastes before deciding what to have for lunch. Head there at the end of the day around 4:30 pm and you might also benefit from larger freebies as the traders get rid of their leftovers before packing up and going home.

3. Happy Hour at Match Bar
Beer for £3, 2-for-1 cocktails, cheap food

It’s rare to find a central London cocktail bar with a decent Happy Hour even on the weekends, but this cool locale tucked away behind Oxford Street is the perfect place for a little bit of indulgence if you’ve been window shopping and successfully managed not to blow your budget!

From 8 pm-10:30 pm Monday to Thursday and 5 pm-8 pm on Saturdays Match Bar offers 20% off small food platters, bottles of beer for £3 each or two delicious cocktails for the price of one, meaning you can even treat a friend and get change from a tenner!

4. River cruise
From £4

A leisurely cruise down the River Thames is a great way to explore London if the weather is good. KPMG Thames Clippers stop at lots of lovely landmarks, from the London Eye all the way to Greenwich Pier. A single adult ticket costs £6, but you can get 10% off with a pay as you go Oyster card, or 1/3 off with a Travelcard. Alternatively, an unlimited hop on/hop off “Roamer” ticket will cost you £9.10 with a Travelcard.

5. Bar Kick
£2 beer and cheap cocktails

Much more than just a bar, head to Bar Kick with a few £1 coins and spend a fun-filled afternoon playing table football. If you’ve got a competitive streak, you may also want to sign up as a member and play more seriously in the tournaments. Head down between 4-7pm any day of the week and you’ll also benefit from £2 bottles of beer and cocktails for £4.85 each! Located at 127 Shoreditch High Street, nearest station is Shoreditch High Street Overground.

Hang out over London on the Emirates Air Line. Photo: Martin Pettitt

6. Emirates Air Line
From £3.20

The Emirates Air Line opened just in time for the London Olympics and is an alternative way to cross the river from north to south London. This brand new cable car offers a five-minute journey over the River Thames from Greenwich in the south of London to the Royal Docks in the north (or vice versa). Fares start from £4.30 for a single and £8.60 for a return, but with your Oyster card you’ll only have to pay £3.20 or £6.40 respectively, leaving you with more than enough for a pint of beer once you’ve reached the other side!

Read our related post on more cheap ways to get great views of London.

7. More London Scoop
Free

Every summer you’ll find a huge program of exciting free events going on at the amphitheater at More London, right by London Bridge station. There is anything from films and theatre, to dance, art and music, all totally free. Overlooking the river, it’s a fab place to include on any summer itinerary – just stop by and see what’s happening, or alternatively, sign up to the More London mailing list and receive updates direct to your inbox.

National museums, including the British Museum (above), are free to enter every day! Photo: Moria

8. Museums
Free

One of the most fantastic things about London is the fact that the museums are free. You could spend weeks exploring everything from the British Museum and the National Gallery, to the Science Museum and the Tate Modern, without parting with a penny. So make the most of it, Cheapos!

Here’s our list of 20 free museums in London.

9. Royal Court Theatre
£10 tickets

You have to be quick off the mark, but it is possible to bag a theatre ticket for just £10 in London. There are £10 tickets to every Monday performance at the Royal Court Theatre. Located in Sloane Square, this famous theatre prides itself on showcasing the work of up and coming young writers and its productions can vary greatly in style.

10. Parks and gardens
Free

If the weather goes in your favor, you’ll find that the liveliest places to spend a sunny afternoon in London are in actual fact, absolutely free. Whether you’re exploring well-known spots such as Hyde Park, Regent’s Park, Green Park or Hampstead Heath, or lazing about in smaller green spaces like Highbury Fields and Clapham Common, there is no shortage of open, green space in London. So pack a picnic and get exploring!

Also in our guide: Looking for more ideas about ways to save in London? Head over to EuroCheapo’s London Guide to read about great affordable hotels in London, plus articles on budget tips, transportation passes, and more.

The post London: 10 cheap things to do (for under £10!) appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Smaller is Better

Yet to really catch the flavor of Elbe landscapes and communities, it’s good to head for some of the lesser riverside towns. Along the Czech portion of the river, our two favorites are the winemaking center of Melník and lovely Litomerice, which boasts a remarkable main square.

Market square in Meissen.

North of Litomerice, the river cuts through a spectacular gorge to gain German territory, where several small and mid-sized riverside towns are all first rate. Our travels this year have already taken us to Bad Schandau, Meissen, Lutherstadt Wittenberg and Tangermünde—all places calculated to soothe the jaded traveler’s soul.

Porcelain and more

Meissen pulled the crowds back in the days of the German Democratic Republic, the chief draw being its world-famous porcelain factory. The town has smartened itself up over the last twenty years and, with its showpiece city center and modest Gothic cathedral, Meissen appeals even to those who have no interest in the celebrated local tableware. Those pricey plates are still produced here by a factory that offers a great selection of tours and workshops both for the cognoscenti and for those who just want to try and understand what makes Meissen porcelain so special.

The town

Meissen enjoys a gorgeous location on a low hill overlooking the confluence of the Elbe and Triebisch rivers, at the heart of one of Germany’s most distinguished winegrowing regions. There are boat trips aplenty on the Elbe. The heart of Meissen’s Old Town is a gem, nicely clustered around the cathedral on the Albrechtsburg.

Paddle steamer on the River Elbe at Meissen.

Getting there

The sedate and slow route to Meissen is surely the boat. It is a two-hour cruise on a paddle steamer down the Elbe from Dresden. Sächsische Dampfschiffahrthave a daily departure (until late October) from Dresden Terrassenufer at 9.45 am.

Those pressed for time can always take the train. Half-hourly local services on VVO Route S1 from Dresde Hauptbahnhof take 35 minutes for the journey.

Meissen is also a superb day out from Berlin. One-way tickets start at €19, but to get that fare you do need to book well in advance. Most folk coming to Meissen from Berlin take the regular EuroCity service from Berlin to Dresden, changing there onto the S1 train for the short hop on to Meissen. But there is an alternative route from Berlin via Leipzig, then continuing east on a rural rail line that meanders through the valleys of western Saxony to reach the Triebisch Valley and Meissen. The latter service runs only once every two hours, but it is a journey well worth making.

Key facts

Head first for the small tourist office on the main market square, which has the usual range of free maps and leaflets. Aim high, and be prepared to walk, for the nicest parts of Meissen are all at higher elevations. The Hotel Burgkeller, at the top of the town, offers a dose of luxury with prices to match. Rooms start at €69. For a light lunch with a superb panorama over Meissen’s choppy roofscape to the Elbe beyond, head for the Café am Dom where the Müller family serve up soups and salads with an excellent range of local wines available by the glass. Don’t miss their classic Saxon potato soup.

The post Exploring the Elbe: The Town of Meissen appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.