Although Berlin is renowned for its diversity, creativity, and rich (if complicated) history, there are a few places that can be worth skipping. Here are five places that are among the city’s most popular (and none of which was created as a “tourist trap”). However, each of these can also devolve into a waste of time. Know before you go—and spend your time (and euros) wisely!

1. Alexanderplatz

Alexanderplatz might as well be called, “Anarchy Central.” Located in the city center, it is a tamer version of New York’s Time Square—minus the naked cowboy, but with bratwurst vendors and the Fernsehturm looming above instead. This part of Berlin is heavy with traffic, as it’s the main hub for the U-Bahn and buses shuttling to and from Tegel Airport.

Although it’s quite a sight, if you’re not keen on crowds nor a big shopper, skip the square (or “platz”) and head either to Mitte for some quality shopping, designer studios, and a row of great cafes and bars, or skip on over to Museum Island.

2. Checkpoint Charlie

Checkpoint Charlie, along with Glienicker Brücke (Glienicker Bridge), was the best-known border crossing during the Cold War. Today, the Checkpoint is more of symbol, an echo of the past whose historical and emotional resonance is its main appeal. The sight itself possesses little charm and is always crowded with the flashing of overzealous visitors’ cameras.

As it is one of the only border remnants of the pre-1988 days, history buffs may feel compelled to stop and pay homage to ole Charlie and its museum. Your history text book, however, could also suffice.

3. The characters around Brandenburger Tor

Brandenburg Gate is one of Berlin’s most important historical monuments and certainly deserves a visit. Visiting the Gate, along with the nearby embassies and the Adlon Kempinski Hotel, however, can be slightly disorientating. First there’s the Starbucks located across the street from it, the overeager cameramen “kindly” offering to take your picture, and the Mickey Mouse and Space Invader ready to pose with you. They all have one track minds focused on ripping you off.

If you can’t shake the hangers-on, seek solace in the Tiergarten (located across the street) or head to the nearby Holocaust Memorial—a sight well worth the visit.

4. East Side Gallery

History meets art at the East Side Gallery. One of Berlin’s most popular tourist attractions, the remaining panels of the Berlin Wall offers a 1.3 km-long outdoor gallery. However, it’s lost its luster in the past few years due to an expensive copyright controversy.

The art is nothing remarkable, although the gallery’s ability to blend art and history is still impressive. Either way, the canal is nearby and is a perfect spot for snagging a beer and enjoying a lazy Berlin day.

5. “Traditional” and “authentic” German meals

When it comes to food in Berlin these days, the words “authentic” and “traditional” are used so loosely that they have lost their real meaning. Keep this in mind when you are on the prowl for traditional German food. Berlin is home to people from 187 nations, giving it a unique international flavor of its own. Although currywurst is a true Berlin dish, a döner kebab is just as “authentic,” and I would say tastier and more filling.

The city does have, however, a heady mix of Bavarian-style restaurants and biergartens that do serve something close to authentic German food. Best to avoid the commercial ones near Alexanderplatz as they are overpriced and overcrowded, especially during the summer months. (Oddly, there is also an American-imported “Hooters” restaurant located inside the Tiegarten that I advise against.)

However, if you don’t mind paying a little extra cash for sub-par schnitzel and bratwursts stuffed in starchy rolls, then go for it. It may not be terribly authentic, but it can be tasty. Guten appetit!

The post Berlin: 5 popular sights that can be tourist traps appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Here’s my list of five attractions I’d steer clear of in Barcelona. Be strong!

1. La Rambla

You probably should stroll down La Rambla at least once if it’s your first time to the city. Once is enough. La Rambla is a thorn in many a local’s side, and all the junky souvenir shops selling Mexican hats and exorbitant restaurants serving hangover-producing “sangria” make me cringe, to say nothing of all the ladies working it once the sun goes down. (Fellas, they will steal your wallet while feeling you up, you have been warned.)

Stroll it and then avoid it, and by no means stop to play any of the games that are offered by clever con artists on the famous strip.

2. Flamenco and Dinner

We’re not in Andalusia, which means were not in flamenco country. Skip most of the shows you read about on flyers or posters. There are a couple places to see flamenco in Barcelona, and one of them is Jazz Si in El Raval.

Avoid any “flamenco” shows in the center. A great flamenco festival is in Barcelona now through March called De Cajón, and I would recommend any of the shows that are on that ticket. Note that none of them come with dinner.

3. Sangria

I don’t know if sangria qualifies a tourist trap per se, but it isn’t anything a local would drink. I’ve never ordered sangria here, apart from the first week I arrived six years ago. That once was enough to know that there is no good reason to drink very cheap wine with even cheaper hard alcohol mixed into it.

However, “cava sangria” is popular in Barcelona and I would recommend trying a glass or a pitcher of it. Unlike traditional sangria, cava sangria is made with white cava or rose cava (sparkling wine), and usually has less fruit in it.

4. Restaurants with lots of pictures of the food posted outside

As a rule I avoid these places with, often times, hideous food photos. If the menu is in 20 languages, I also tend to go somewhere else. Why? Because they are probably catering to a tourist crowd, which means the prices will be a lot higher. Go for the place with the menu in Catalan and Spanish and use your dictionary while saving money.

5. The single transit ticket

This year the price of a single ticket on the metro or bus jumped to €2 from about €1.40. Is this aimed at tourists? I can’t say, but it sure has upset locals. Most of us who take public transport buy a “T10” or “50/30,” which are not as expensive. Get a T10 and avoid paying single tickets. If you’re going to be here for a month, then get the 50/30 which gives you 50 rides in 30 days.

Bonus Tips:

I also want to add on a couple of touristy things that look like traps but that I think are pretty good deals.

The Bus Turístic is one of these. It’s a super way to get your bearings and recover from jet lag.

Bike taxis also seem like tourist traps, but I think they are a nice addition to Barcelona’s transportation options. I have never taken a bike taxi, but believe a ride in one would be an ideal way to see the seashore.

Open your trap!

Wondering about other traps in Barcelona? Just ask in our comments section! Have you given in to any of the traps mentioned here? Tell us about your experience!

Also in our guide: Heading to Barcelona soon? Check out EuroCheapo’s reviews of the city’s best and most affordable hotels, all visited, inspected and reviewed by EuroCheapo’s editors. We assure you, none of our recommended hotels is a tourist trap! Read more in our Barcelona hotel guide.

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Here is some advice on how to skip Dublin’s tourist traps, and just as important, how to find the authentic experience within them.

Tourist Trap: Temple Bar
http://www.templebar.ie/

Temple Bar is the well-known historic neighborhood of Dublin that flanks the River Liffey on the south side. Its cobblestone alleys and street musicians can set a great atmosphere – if you know when to visit.

This neighborhood is home to a number of pubs (the Oliver St John Gogarty, the Quays Bar) that few Dubliners ever set foot in. The reasons are simple: pints here are overpriced compared to other areas of the city, and the pubs are typically full of tourists and rowdy bachelor parties.

Yet there’s another side of Temple Bar. The neighborhood is also known as Dublin’s cultural quarter, and it takes on another life during the day. Visit on a Saturday morning to nibble your way through the Temple Bar Food Market in Meeting House Square. Take in an exhibit at the Gallery of Photography next door, or if it’s a rainy day, join the locals in the IFI (Irish Film Institute) for a film or a pot of tea in the café.

Do: Visit Temple Bar during the day for its galleries, markets, and cafés.
Don’t: Fall into the trap of Temple Bar’s overpriced pubs at night.

Tourist Trap: Trinity College and the Book of Kells
http://www.tcd.ie/Library/bookofkells/

One of the top attractions in Dublin is Trinity College and the ancient Book of Kells. It is so popular that there is often a long line to get in and a hefty price tag attached to try and squeeze up to the pages of the Book of Kells in a dimly lit room before being shoved out by the next guy in line.

The Book of Kells exhibits closes daily at 5 p.m. (4:30 p.m. on Sundays) so why not show up half an our before closing time? Not only will the aforementioned line by nonexistent, but the entry fee is also sliced in half. Then instead of seeing the Book of Kells and the incredible Long Room library with a crowd – you will have it all to yourself.

Do: Visit the Long Room Library and Book of Kells right before closing.
Don’t: Skip this worthwhile attraction or wait in the long line during the day.

Tourist Trap: Taxis

When visitors to Dublin hear that the capital city doesn’t have a subway system, some think they are going to be stuck taking expensive taxis. First of all – the city is quite small and manageable to be explored on foot – and second there are many affordable methods of public transportation to help you get around.

On a sunny day, nothing beats renting a Dublin Bike (“db” for short) and cycling around the city. There is also Dublin Bus, the LUAS trams, the DART train, and even the Hop On, Hop Off double decker bus that stops at 25 of the top tourist attractions in the city.

Do: Explore different parts of the city.
Don’t: Rely on expensive taxis to get around.

Not a trap

There are some attractions that people might suspect as tourist traps – such as the Guinness Storehouse – that are actually some of the best things to do in the city. Taking a first sip of a perfect pint on top of the 365-day a year brewery at sunset, and you’ll no longer think of calling such an important piece of Dublin history a tourist trap.

Your advice

Do you have any tourist trap advice to add to our list? Tell us about it in the comments section.

Also on EuroCheapo: Our editors inspect, review and photograph the best budget hotels in Dublin (some of which are in Temple Bar, but none of which are tourist traps!).

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