So come on Cheapos, it’s time to pull out all the stops and show that special someone you care with a romantic (and budget-friendly) day out in London!

Call your sweetheart, book an affordable hotel in the heart of London, and follow along for a fun-filled adventure.

1. Escape the city on a romantic walk

Many visitors to London go no further than Regent’s and Hyde Park when in search of green spaces, but to really escape the madness of the city, just head north to Hampstead Heath. This wild and rambling area of parkland is the perfect place to get away from it all and whisper sweet nothings.

The view from Hampstead Heath. Photo: Martin Deutsch

Lakes, swimming ponds, rolling hills, and woodland all make for the perfect romantic backdrop. So, if the weather is good, take along a picnic and make a day of it. Don’t miss the climb to the top of Parliament Hill, one of London’s highest points, where you can take in a spectacular view of the city’s major landmarks including The London Eye, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Canary Wharf and the Gherkin, to name but a few.

Hampstead Heath
Highgate Road NW3 7JR
Tube: Hampstead

2. Snuggle up at the movies

Make a trip to the cinema even more romantic and visit the Everyman. In each of the Everyman cinemas, you can choose to reserve a plush sofa for two complete with footrests and “sofa service” so you can sit back and enjoy a more intimate cinema experience. Although a little more pricey than a normal cinema ticket, with sofas priced at £17.50 per person, it certainly adds a touch of romance and is perfect for a special occasion.

Everyman Cinemas (several locations in London)
See website for more information.

3. Splurge on a romantic view of the city

Enjoy the ultimate romantic London experience and head for a sunset drink at the lovely Oxo Tower Bar. Whilst just thinking about dining at the Oxo Tower Restaurant or Brasserie is enough to leave most Cheapo’s out of pocket, sipping on an early evening drink is easier on your wallet and certainly worth the splurge. Located on London’s South Bank, the Oxo Tower is one of the city’s most iconic restaurants and the views across the river are unbeaten.

Oxo Tower Wharf
South Bank SE1 9PH
Tube: Waterloo / Southwark
website

4. Wine and dine by candlelight

There’s no better place to cozy up together and enjoy a great meal than at Gordon’s. Opened in 1890, this atmospheric haunt claims to be London’s oldest wine bar and offers excellent wine, exquisite cheese platters, and tasty traditional English fare at reasonable prices (meals cost between £10-13).

Gordon’s Wine Bar oozes character with low lighting and candlelit tables tucked away in the nooks and crannies of this underground cavern. It is entirely unique and is the ideal setting for that special romantic meal.

Gordon’s Wine Bar
47 Villiers Street WC2N 6NE
Tube: Embankment / Charing Cross
website

The post 4 Cheapo ways to be romantic in London appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Simply show up with empty bottles or boxes and fill them up with the wine of your choice. It’s typically cheaper than buying a bottle in the supermarket and, most importantly, the wines are of high quality and integrity.

Here are five places I recommend for filling up with wine on tap in Florence:

Enoteca Alla Sosta dei Papi
Via Borgo La Croce, 81r
Neighborhood: Sant’Ambrogio

Located right down the road from Sant’Ambrogio market, this enoteca is a perfect place to fill up on wine after you get your groceries from the market. They offer six or seven wines on tap, almost all from local family-owned wineries. Their most inexpensive red wine is a Montepulciano, at €2.60/liter, while their most popular is the Montalcino for €3.30/liter.

If you are looking for a basic red wine, I would recommend one of their “table” wines: the Rosso Toscano Chianti and the Nero d’Avola (Sicilian), both for €2.80/liter. My personal favorite so far is their Chardonnay for €2.70/liter.

One of the special aspects of this enoteca is that you can organize little (or big) “Apericena” events here. For about €15 a person, you can choose a wine and eat from a buffet of local Tuscan specialties, like local meats and cheeses, bruschetta and other goodies.

Fattoria San Michele a Torri
Via dell’Agnolo, 101
Neighborhood: Santa Croce

Fattoria San Michele a Torri offers a smaller selection of wine on tap, but the wines are all from grapes that are biologiche (organic). I am obsessed with their Merlot (€3.50/liter), but their red and white table wines are also amazing (€2.40/liter).

I would also recommend buying your bread here. Although it is a bit more expensive than what you will find at the supermarket, it is well worth the extra euro. Baked in a wood fired oven, the loaves taste great with local cheeses (which you can also buy here).

San Michele is where all my friends from this neighborhood go to get wine—it’s always packed with locals, a great sign.

I Vinaio
Via delle Carra, 16
Neighborhood: Piazza S. Jacopino

I Vinaio an itsy bitsy little wine and beer shop on Via delle Carre, near Piazza San Jacopino. The wines on tap cost around €2- €5 a bottle and all come from Tuscany or Sicily. I bought a red “Morello” that was amazing for only €3 here.

Unlike most wine stores in Florence, this store also carries a wide selection of artisan beer. Though there is no beer on tap, their prices for bottled specialty beer are not extraordinarily high, so it’s easy enough to come and try a couple from their selection to find one you really like. The owners are very knowledgeable, so if you are unsure of what to try, just ask them and they will help you select the perfect wine or beer to fit your tastes. If you are in the mood for something bubbly, they also have prosecco on tap, how amazing is that?!

Vigna Vittoria
Via Fabroni Giovanni, 14R
Neighborhood: Piazza S. Jacopino

The superstore!  Vigna Vittoria has a huge selection of wine on tap. What makes this place great is their extensive selection of wines from all around Italy, not just Tuscany. White wines from Venice, Liguria, red wines from Piedmont, Puglia, Sardinia etc. and prices that are very affordable. (Basic red/white table wines start at €1.20/liter.)

Plan on coming here when you have lots of time—preferably in the morning or late evenings when it is least busy—so that you will have a chance to talk with a staff member about their selection.

BVeg
Via degli Orti Oricellari, 6
Neighborhood: Santa Maria Novella Station

Not only does Bveg offer some of the best vegetarian food in Florence, but this little bistro has a great selection of beer, hence the name B(eer)Veg(etarian). They have about six beers on tap, all of which are exclusively from Italian breweries.

I recommend the Brewfist Jale, but if you are unsure of what you want, sit at the bar and—if it isn’t too busy—the bartender will let you sample a couple of beers. An average-sized beer costs around €5 and if you come after 7 p.m. they offer a small aperitivo: a selection of delicious little finger foods (some of which are made using the beer!).

This is a place to come and enjoy a glass of beer or wine with friends in a tranquil atmosphere—with great music and free Wi-Fi too!

The post Florence: Buy your wine like the locals… on tap! appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

From underground options to food markets to cheap eats in fancy places, Dublin is full of opportunities to banish the idea of bland Irish food for good. Stick to fresh seafood (don’t miss out on local smoked salmon) and artisanal products like Irish cheese and your trip to Ireland will be flavor-packed.

The following is a list of a few favorite cheap eats in Dublin. Some are hidden in the basement of department stores while others are clearly visible on the city’s best streets. These tasty nibbles will show that you don’t have to spend a lot for serious flavor in Dublin.

Avoca Food Hall
11-13 Suffolk Street
Tel: (+353) 1 677 4215
Web site

Avoca is the kind of place your mother would love – full of hand-woven blankets, funky picture frames, and plenty of tools for the kitchen. Yet when you stand in front of the door at this store in central Dublin you’ll notice a different kind of clientele going inside and straight down the stairs. These are locals that know of the pleasures in the basement food hall.

Avoca is known for its food (they even have a couple of beautiful cookbooks). But for me, the best way to sample a taste of Ireland in the food hall is with the baked goods. For breakfast or an afternoon snack I would stop in for a wild berry scone, crispy on the outside, fluffy and moist on the inside. Ask for cream and jam when paying at the counter to get the full Irish experience.

Another staple in the Irish diet is brown soda bread. If the weather is nice, Avoca is a great place to stock up on picnic supplies – don’t miss that brown soda bread.

Ely Wine Bar
22 Ely Place
Tel: (+353) 1 633 9988
Web site

If you’re looking for one place to abandon your budget, take a seat in the restaurant section of Ely Wine Bar for a variety of Irish-inspired dishes. Cheapos trying to stick to their budget will want to take a seat in the bar and order from the bar menu instead, where local flavors can be tasted in the form of Irish cheese or my favorite: Irish oysters.

Across the country, oysters from the west of Ireland are praised for their size and intense flavor. Ely Wine Bar serves up Kilkee Pacific Oysters with horseradish sauce and some brown bread for substance. Although Ely is known for its wine list, nothing pairs with oysters quite like a pint of Guinness.

Temple Bar Food Market
Saturdays, 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Web site

For a sampling of the national flavors of Ireland all in one place, head to the Temple Bar Food Market on a Saturday and bring your appetite. Here you can throw back a few more of those delicious Pacific oysters, sample a range of Irish cheeses, and indulge in one of my favorite sandwiches on the planet: the Paddy Jack Sandwich.

This incredibly filling and affordable meal consists of two massive slices of fresh olive bread topped with just-carved roasted lamb, brie cheese, a pile of greens, and your choice of dressing. Take a stroll throughout the market first and sample a few other options before making the Paddy Jack sandwich your grand finale.

Your favorite Irish eats?

Do you have an Irish restaurant to add to our list? Share with us in the comments section.

The post Dublin Cheap Eats: Get a taste of the Irish appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

This second post will take us to the neighborhood of Vinohrady. I like to think of Vinohrady as Zizkov’s slightly older, more sophisticated, yet still hip sister. It’s a great place to walk, as it’s full of shops, restaurants and cafes, one of the city’s best squares and some lovely views.

As I did with Zizkov, here are some top spots to check out to have a full day’s worth of activity in Vinohrady!

Something to start to the day

Books and coffee at the Cafe Fra. Photo: Lipar

Café Fra
Safarikova 15
120 00 Prague 2-Vinohrady
Tel: 773 458 073
Web site

Open the door and walk down the stairs into this compact, atmospheric café. It actually feels like you’re sitting inside a good book, and it’s no wonder as the wall to your left on entry is full of books. The venue, after all, combines good coffee with a bookstore and its own publishing company. You can also pick up a Moleskin journal. In the warmer months a few tables are set up outside, so you can sip your kava (coffee) or wine, streetside.

Something to see

The neighborhood

As I mentioned, Vinohrady is a nice place to walk, so I’d recommend just taking a stroll through its quaint streets. Café Fra (above) is actually an excellent place from which to begin your journey. Make a left outside the café’s door and then make either an immediate right onto the street Bruselska, which will take you down some quiet, pleasant streets, or go straight ahead onto Belehradska, which is full of shops (including the Antikvariat Belehradska, below). Follow Belehradska until you hit Rumunska, onto which you’ll make a right.

Just a few paces up, you’ll essentially run right into a big square–home to the lovely neo-Gothic St. Ludmila church–called Namesti Miru (Peace Square). If the weather is good, have a seat on one of its benches and take a rest and people watch along with the locals.

Something to eat

Pizzeria Grosseto
Francouzska 79/2
120 00 Praha 2-Vinohrady
Tel: 224 252 778
Web site

Once again, you’re in luck: The Pizzeria Grosseto, one of the two best pizza places in the city, is located directly across from Namesti Miru. I love pizza, so if I’m craving a good pie, this is where you’ll find me (it most often beats out Kmotra, my other favorite pizzeria, because it’s closer to where I live).

Located on a corner, it’s comprised of one big floor and a balcony area with about five more tables. Besides pizza, the restaurant also offers pasta dishes, salads and soups. In summer, definitely ask to sit in the garden (out back, just around the corner).

FYI: They recently opened another location right on the Vltava river (but it gets crowded fast).

Something to buy

Antikvariat Belehradska
Belehradska 644/96
120 00 Prague 2-Vinohrady, Czech Republic
Tel: 222 521 043
Web site

Back on Belehradska street, head into Antikvariat Belehradska. Antikvariats are scattered around the city. They’re a special kind of antique shop carrying rare books, prints, stamps, maps, postcards and other unique paper items. Be sure to have a look at the bins hanging from the windowsills outside, as they hold discounted items. You will find a small selection of English books inside, but most of the fun is looking through all the treasures.

Something to drink

Vinecko Wine Bar
Londýnská 135/29
120 00 Praha 2
Tel: 222 511 035
Web site

This hopping little wine bar is a refreshing way to begin, or carry out, the evening. With two rooms and two garden seating areas in summer, Vinecko offers yummy wines from the Czech Republic as well as abroad. If you get hungry, they offer some light snacks. Be sure to get there early or make a reservation beforehand, however, as this place gets packed early on.

The post Prague: Vinohrady neighborhood walking tour appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Fear not: Whether you are a wine buff or a wine buffoon,  we are here to help with a short guide to Lazio wines and to the maze of Italian classifications.

Lazio wines

Lazio, the region in which Rome is situated, is not as well known for its wines as other Italian regions such as Tuscany and Abruzzo, but it still has a fair few to sample.

In the 1930s, the Lazio region suffered from boggy, malaria-infested land. However, Mussolini initiated a “bonification” program to make the land usable, which  meant workers from the north brought down local grapes such as Merlot or Cabernet. This has led to a diverse wine industry in the region.

Around 80% of the wines produced in Lazio are white, with the best known being Frascati from the Castelli Wine Region just close to Rome and Est Est Est, from Lake Bolsena, further north towards Umbria. Lovers of red should try a sip of Cesanese del Piglio or look out for the Red Cremere (produced by local vineyard Terre del Veio). There is even a Rosato Risona Rosé wine (which is nothing like the sweet, cloying wine drunk by teenagers at the height of 1970’s sophistication).

Wine Classification System

How do you know if you are buying a wine bargain or something that would be better sprinkled on your chips? Luckily, Italy has its own system for classifying wine quality. Bring along this (not very) serious guide and you will never have to worry again…

DOCG – Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita

This classification denotes the highest quality recognition for Italian wines, and only a few achieve this status. To be sipped seriously without the use of a straw and served on very special occasions such as marriage proposals and honeymoons, or sampled freely and without discretion at wine tastings.

DOC wine – Denominazione di Origine Controllata

Good stuff. Wine that has passed a strict set of tests to ensure its provenance and to ensure that the region’s produce remains distinct. Probably one to buy for a first date or a business lunch, ensuring that the label can be seen at all times.

IGT – Indicazione di Geografica Tipica

General wines that are suitable for the table. These wines are often grown in specific geographical growing regions but without the strict controls of DOC wines. Tend to be of a lesser quality, but excellent DOC wines fall under this to avoid the paperwork for DOC status.  (It’s worth tasting them all to check.) Works well if drunk as a second bottle and/or third.

VdT – Vino Da Tavola

This signifies wines that have met no other criteria than that they were produced somewhere in Italy. Fine in an emergency, but most suitable for buying as a present to take home to relatives or colleagues that you don’t like very much.

And if all that sounds like too much hard work, ask for the house wine, or “vino sfuso,” which costs hardly anything (you should pay around €4 for half a liter) and goes down like a treat. The best advice is just to try as many as you can!

Cheers!

The post Rome: A quick guide to local wines (and Italian wine classification) appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Campo de’ Fiori: La Vineria

A delightful watering hole overlooking the charming Campo de’ Fiori, the cosy “La Vineria” (photo, above) has a warm and inviting feel that attracts a friendly international crowd. La Vineria offers a good selection of wines, with prices starting at €1.50 for drinks in the bar and €2.50-€3 for drinks outside at a table on the famous square. The bar features a daily selection of wines available to try by the glass.

With good vino and a central address, La Vineria is an easy and enjoyable place to relax (and get a little buzz).

Address: Campo de’ Fiori. 15 Campo de’ Fiori. Tel 06 6880 3268.

1970’s-era football memorabilia at the San Calisto.

Trastevere: Bar San Calisto

The San Calisto, located on the Piazza San Calisto in Trastevere, has character, a bit of a reputation, and feels edgier than your normal Roman bar. The décor inside seems stuck in the 1970’s. Decades-old football posters featuring stars of the past adorn the walls, and the furniture has a retro quality.

The San Calisto is mostly a coffee shop during the day, but in the evening locals (and those in the know) pack inside, enticed by cheap drinks. Becks, Bud, Peroni and gin and tonics are yours for €2-2.50 a pop.

Most guests grab a drink before snagging a seat outside, or wander off into the Piazza Santa Maria.

Trastevere. Piazza San Calisto.

Lots of wine at the Enoteca Cavour.

Near the Forum: Enoteca Cavour

Enoteca Cavour offers an extensive wine and drinks menu, great food, reasonable prices, and friendly service. Whatever your drink of choice, from Earl Grey to a Pilsner Urquell, you can find it, although wine is the main attraction. Glasses start at €3 and bottles at €13.

Happily, we can also recommend the food at Enoteca Cavour. House specialities include the tasty cheese and salami platter, fine salads, and exquisite desserts.

The décor is modern and stylish, yet comfortable. It’s this mix that attracts locals and a smattering of “in the know” tourists.

Via Cavour 313. Tel: 06 678 5496

The post Rome: Affordable wine bars in central Rome appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.