Whether you’re traveling by boat, train, or rail, the eager anticipation at arriving to a new destination in Europe often makes us miss the best bit of the entire journey—the moment of arrival.

Arriving by boat

Some of Europe’s finest arrivals are by sea. There may be no great drama in arriving in Iceland on the Smyril Line ship Norröna from Denmark. Instead, there is the sheer beauty of the lonely eastern fjords and the knowledge that this is how the first settlers arrived on the island over a thousand years ago.

And Venice is really at her best arriving on a summer morning after a long ferry journey up the Adriatic. Last time we took the Minoan Lines ferry from Corfu, it crept into Venice at about eight in the morning, the giant ship dwarfing the buildings on the famous Venetian skyline. Never did San Marco look so good.

Approaching London by train

Arrivals by train offer their own peculiar theater. London has not just one but two of the very best in Europe. The last half hour of Eurostar’s run into London from the Channel Tunnel is rich in dramatic aesthetics.

The railway skirts Kentish hop fields, dives under the North Downs, crosses the Medway on a spectacular viaduct, before a tantalizing series of tunnels bring the railway back above ground for a graceful, seemingly endless, curve into London’s St Pancras station – now handsomely restored to reclaim its status as easily the most elegant of London’s railroad termini.

Speeding into Paddington

If there is a rival to the  Eurostar run into London, it is the fifteen-minute hop on the Heathrow Express from London’s principal airport into Paddington station.

The run out of Heathrow is unremarkable, and gives no hint of what is to come. But free of the airport tunnel, the 12 mile journey on Brunel’s Great Western route into Paddington is a fabulous feast for the senses. The train storms past Victorian water towers and canals. There are art deco factories, a magnificent Sikh temple, eerie wastelands, and the back gardens of endless terraces of small houses. All of English life is laid bare for the traveler arriving in London.

True, the Heathrow Express costs a little more than the tube, but it is worth the premium fare. Few other such short journeys by train are so richly entertaining. And speed brings its own benefits. Last time we used Heathrow Express, we were enjoying a beer in our hotel room at Lancaster Gate less than half an hour after boarding the train at Heathrow.

The post Splendid arrivals: Getting into London and beyond appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Doubles: €93-197

Venice can be an tricky place to find reasonable accommodations. You dream of a room facing a canal, or at least something with a nice view. And, that will cost you.

Thankfully, there are several hotels in our hotel guide to Venice where rooms with a view can be had at reasonable rates. Take, for instance, the lovely Locanda Casa Querini, where half of the 11 rooms look out onto the surprisingly tranquil Santo Giovanni Novo square.

Benefiting from its prime location minutes from San Marco square, Querini’s rooms sparkle with bright, blue tones. After our visit here, we were screaming, “Love the bedspreads, the curtains, the carpeting! Love all of it!”

Read our full review of the Casa Querini.

Also see: Our full list of recommended cheap hotels in Venice.

The post Venice Crush: Locanda Casa Querini appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Venice, city of gondolas and canals, can get expensive. Thankfully, however, it need not break your budget. Here are five free things to do in Venice:

Hang out in Piazza San Marco.

While we don’t recommend Cheapos splurge for the touristy restaurants and cafés lining San Marco’s square, we do think that parking yourself just outside the Basilica to people-watch is one of the best free things to do in Venice. Head inside to the Basilica (open from March to October, Monday through Friday from 9:45 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. and on Sundays from 2-4:45 p.m.; from April to September, Monday through Friday from 9:45 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from 2-5 p.m.), and take in 10th-Century relics for just €1.50. Snap a few photos. Just don’t feed the pigeons. These days, that pastime is off-limits.

Cross the Ponte di Rialto.

The Rialto Bridge could be the most famous bridge in Italy (we hear you grumbling, Florence!). It also affords one of the best canal views in the city, and is a perfect starting point for travelers ready to lose themselves in Venice. Spend some time wandering through the well-known Rialto Market—which is closeby—and where fishmongers and fruit and vegetable dealers convene daily (from early morning until nearly 11 p.m.). Browse the wares for free or haggle with a seller.

Take in a free concert.

Unfortunately, in Venice, free concerts and expositions are not widely promoted. Check for flyers in cafes and bars or look for posters hanging outside churches and museums. During culture week in May, many museums also host free events and exhibits.  For free concert listings in Italian, visit the “Music in Venice” site.

Or, check out the official site for Venice’s Suona festival (scheduled for July 6th this year), a day-long city-wide event, coinciding with the European Fete de la Musique, in which all of Venice’s squares host free concerts. Also, try the tourist center next to St. Mark’s Square, where they often have “what’s on” flyers and pamphlets.

Go to church.

Venice is packed with churches and many of them are free and open to the public daily. After you’ve seen the majestic San Marco’s Basilica, check out two of our other favorites: Santa Maria della Salute, a gorgeous, picturesque church dedicated to the Madonna, which frequently hosts free concerts, especially during the months of January and February. Next, visit the 13th-Century Gothic church of S.S. Giovanni e Paolo. Here, make sure you check out Paolo Veronese’s ceiling frescoes.

Get lost!

Hey, in Venice it’s cheap—and easy!—to get lost. Wander the cobblestone streets, absent of motorized vehicles, and traverse bridges, meander the canals, and get a real sense for the city’s 15th-Century layout. Losing yourself in the architecture of the city is one of the best ways to see the real Venice and to experience it as it was meant for travelers. In any case, try as you might, you won’t be able to avoid getting lost during your trip to Venice. You might as well make it “part of the plan.”

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