Bilbao is an immediately attractive city with green parks and a pleasingly well-heeled atmosphere. There are so many exciting things going on in Bilbao that it’s hard to know if the focus should be on the new or on the old.

Architectural draw

Santiago Calatrava’s Campo Volantin Footbridge.

The city has become a magnet for those thrilled by contemporary architecture. Gehry’s museum is a masterpiece, and Santiago Calatrava’s imprint on the city is also undeniable. His Campo Volantin Footbridge is a marvel, and Bilbao’s Sondika Airport, also designed by Calatrava, is dramatic and grand.

But lovers of older styles shouldn’t sit Bilbao out. The city’s Casco Viejo (Old Town) is dripping with old world charm. The Gothic Catedral de Santiago, at the center of the Old Town, is gorgeous; elsewhere, there are plenty of Neoclassical and hybrid eclecticism buildings to admire.

A touch of tension

Yet despite Bilbao’s palpable prosperity and many charms, there’s tension in the air. Upon observing a protest adjacent to the Arriaga Theatre led by men and women in their sixties and seventies, many holding signs written in Basque, I asked a local what the protests were about. I assumed that the protesters were holding a vigil for those murdered by separatist terrorists.

Bilbao’s Casco Viejo (Old City).

In fact, the man on the street told me, the silent protest was not for the victims of Basque terrorism at all. Those holding signs were the parents of convicted terrorists demonstrating for the transfer of their children to prisons inside the Basque Country—away from the prisons, elsewhere in Spain, where they are currently housed.

All of this, while very interesting, no doubt gives a misleading impression of the placid and quite wealthy city. In fact, Bilbao is very safe. The various skirmishes over language, culture, and politics in the Basque Country are mostly invisible to visitors.

What tourists see is an omnipresent Basque language, as well as tourist shops selling Basque flags and t-shirts.

Bilbao on a budget

Here are five tips for saving money in Bilbao.

1. Cheap savories.

One word: pintxos (pronounced “pinchos”), or: the Basque version of tapas. Pintxos come in all sorts of forms. There is a lot of cod, shrimp, and mayonnaise involved. All good, and all pretty cheap. Three pintxos and a glass of wine shouldn’t set you back more than €7. Stroll the Casco Viejo (Old Town) to find a pintxos popping perch.

2. Cheap sweets.

Refuel with cheap and filling pastries. Try the local rice tart with coffee. We like the old school feel of New York Café, at Calle Buenos Aires 12.

Take the Bilbobus!

3. Hubbing it.

Bilbao makes a great hub for exploring other cities in the Basque Country and beyond. The exquisite city of San Sebastián is about 90 minutes away by bus (roundtrip around €18), while Santander in the neighboring region of Cantabria is roughly the same distance to the west (roundtrip beginning at €13).

4. Museum switch.

We can’t seriously recommend that you not visit the Guggenheim. But if innovative interiors are less important to you than broad permanent art collections, restrict your explorations of the Guggenheim (admission €13) to the remarkable building’s exterior and check out the Museo de Bellas Artes (admission €5.50) instead.

5. Cheap sleeps.

Bilbao has a good range of affordable beds. We like Hotel Sirimiri, right next to the Atxuri tram station, where a double room runs just €60. The word “sirimiri” means a faint yet continuous mist, a type of precipitation common to Bilbao throughout much of the year.

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Terre-de-Haut, you see, gives new meaning to the word “lovely.”

Its one village is quaint, full of tourist shops, bakeries, markets, and restaurants. The buildings are mostly diminutive. There’s a distinctly rural French fishing village feel to the place, which no doubt has something to do with the island’s settlement history. Fishermen from Brittany and Normandy were among the island’s first settlers, and today fishing remains a big part of the local economy. In the late evening, fishermen gather on their porches to mend their nets.

Welcome to Terre-de-Haut.

Terre-de-Haut is not a shoestring destination, but it provides very good value. More developed Caribbean islands—we prefer not to name names—offer much less in terms of charm, physical beauty, and grub, yet charge much more for beds and meals. Terre-de-Haut, while not dirt cheap, is a wonderful mid-range option for travelers who want great cuisine and astounding physical beauty, yet balk at the Caribbean’s price index.

Here’s the rub: It’s not easy to get to Terre-de-Haut.

Getting There

From North America, there are two main routes: air travel via St. Maarten or San Juan to Guadeloupe’s Pointe-à-Pitre, followed by a very pricey plane to Terre-de-Haut or a less expensive ferry ride (€22 roundtrip.) We recommend the latter, of course, and we recommend leaving for Terre-de-Haut from Trois-Rivières, not Pointe-à-Pitre, in order to shorten the journey and limit the risk of terrible sea turbulence.

(Trois-Rivières is also a far more charming spot for an overnight than Pointe-à-Pitre. We recommend a fab little gîte called An Tikaz La, where a rustic double room runs €49 per night. You’ll fall asleep under a mosquito net to the scent of ylang-ylang. Proprietor Mi-Marie, originally from the Jura, will make you feel right at home.)

The beaches of Terre-de-Haut

What to Do

In crude shorthand: 1. Go to the beach. 2. Eat.

First, beach. The beaches on Terre-de-Haut are beautiful. There’s Pain de Sucre, a miniature version of Rio’s Sugar Loaf, a perfect arc of a beach best in the early morning and late afternoon when the day-trippers from Guadeloupe aren’t around and the water is stunningly clear.

The island’s most popular beach, Plage de Pompierre, is studded with coconut trees. It is typically full of people (and goats!) but is so expansive that neither really disturbs. It’s also blessed with a one-woman baguette machine, an entrepreneur at the beach’s entrance who assembles delicious sandwiches. If you’re lucky, she’ll have fish in vinaigrette on hand.

Which brings us to food. Terre-de-Haut is a place to eat well.

At Le Triangle, a reasonable beachfront restaurant, the three-course menu is €17. The fish is fresh and delightfully seasoned, and it comes with a dreamy plantain mash. If you’re polite, your meal will close with a digestif. Up the price chain at La Téranga, Auberge des Petits Saintes, or La Saladerie, one can eat extraordinary meals starting around €40 per person for dinner. The island’s cuisine is hybrid French/Creole, and there are lots of good fresh fish dishes on offer.

Where to Stay

We love Hôtel LôBleu, a stylish, mid-range charmer run well by Maxime Naffah and his friendly staff. Doubles with a view of the village begin at €68 in low season (late May through the end of July; October) and top out at €110 in high season (mid-December through late May).

The Upshot

We’ll repeat our earlier dictum: Terre-de-Haut is not a backpackers’ destination, but it is a good midrange Caribbean holiday destination. Hotels are reasonably priced, with most offering double rooms for €80 in high season and €60 in low season. There are also a handful of gîtes on hand with even cheaper nightly rates. Restaurants are not exactly full of bargains, but nothing is outrageous or dramatically overpriced.

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Research and development

Although down-to-the-minute planning can be limiting, doing some research on the best hotels and hostels, and the best modes of transportation, is the key to saving your money later. If you can do research about your intended destination before you even get on the plane, all the better.

For me, the preparation began the day I realized I wanted to get the heck outta dodge and head back to Europe.

Through some crafty internet research and a few phone calls, I was fortunate to get hooked up with an artist residency that paid for my room and board while I was there. But I was expected to work an eight-hour day on a farm. (In my next post, I’ll explore ways that the average Cheapo can find similar kinds of set-ups.)

Here are my most important tips for a budget-friendly European experience, Wandering Cheapo-style:

1. One big meal a day is plenty.

Budget for cheap breakfasts (unless you’re in Ireland, and then that can be your big meal), grocery-store lunches (I love the sandwiches at Tesco in London), and then wolf down a bigger dinner if you like. This is especially important if you are going on a longer trip. Your money will drain fast, especially if you’re stopping here and there for bottled water, snacks, and aperitifs.

2. Make a budget for yourself that is weekly on a longer trip, daily on a shorter one.

Sometimes, you arrive in a city and find that there are great tours and museums that cannot be missed (Please don’t leave Paris without visiting the Louvre). Admission charges will quickly eat into your budget. But don’t fret. On a longer trip, think about your budget in terms of weekly caps. That way, if you go over your budget on one day, you can compensate on another day. Have fun, but keep disciplined at the same time.

3. Always have a notebook and pen handy.

Sometimes you’ll want to take notes on a place, or you’ll want to jot down the location of a cheap restaurant that you come across and want to check out later. You may need to get the e-mail of your new best friend in, say, Latvia, or the phone number of a good hostel that doesn’t offer on-line booking. Try to find a notebook with a pocket so you can collect train tickets, pamphlets and brochures, and other helpful info easily.

4. Talk to everyone.

I know that this may not seem like a budget tip, but it definitely can be. When you talk to other travelers, you find out where to go and when to go, what to spend time and money on. And when you talk to locals, you find out all sorts of money-saving insider tips about a place. You might even snag a free meal or a night’s lodging just by engaging someone’s interest. (It goes without saying, use your gut and follow your instincts along the way. If you feel uncomfortable around someone, think twice about accepting their hospitality.)

5. Everywhere you go, ask about discounts.

There are thousands of discounts to be had in Europe. If you’re a student, you’re pretty much set. Those of us who are late-blooming travelers need not worry either. Some museums and sights are cheaper – or FREE – on certain days of the week. Restaurants offer fixed-price menus at certain times of the day, often including a free beverage. Sometimes by picking up the right piece of paper in a city, or maybe a magazine or flyer, you can snag discounts on stuff. Ask, ask, and ask again. “Do you offer discounts of any kind?” You will often be happily surprised.

For more about Reinhardt’s travels, visit his blog: The Pork Chop Express.

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Strolling along the Bistrica in Prizren’s charming town center, you’ll feel the buzz of the energy coming from the young crowds on the street. 65% of the Kosovar population is under the age of 30. From the main square, look towards the top of the hill above the town for the ruins of the old fortress wall and below that closer to town, you’ll see the neighborhood of houses burned in the 2004 riots. Those riots drove out what remained of the Serbian community in this part of Kosovo, and none of the ‘hood has been repaired. The neighborhood stands today as an ominous reminder of the town’s recent instability.

For more vivid accounts, try socializing with Prizren inhabitants. Ask a young Kosovar about the inspiration behind graffiti all throughout town (and Kosovo) that read “Jo Negociata” (No negotiation) and “12:44. Time’s up. UNMIK go home.” Or strike up a conversation with a friendly German KFOR soldier to gain perspective about the international military and human rights presence in Prizren and Prishtina today.

We highly recommend a field trip to Prizren for a most valuable lesson in recent history.

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.

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