Posts by author Tom Meyers
You don't need to spend a fortune to get a canal view in Venice. Photos by Tom Meyers
Who doesn’t dream of a canal view from their hotel room when visiting Venice? Ever since I started regularly visiting the city to review its hotels in 2001, I’ve always hoped that I would be able to fling my windows open in the morning to the sights and sounds of a passing gondola. It hasn’t » Read more
EuroCheapo is thrilled to announce that we’ll soon be offering our first small-group “Insider Tours of Paris”, which will begin in October 2018. Get ready for an expert guided, intimate adventure in Paris. EuroCheapo’s “Insider Tours of Paris” will bring together the best of what EuroCheapo has to offer. Insider Tours will be: Affordable: EuroCheapo’s » Read more
Florence's Duomo dominates the city. Photo: Richard Mortel
When visiting Florence, you can’t find a more central spot than the city’s impressive cathedral, the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore, known colloquially as the “Duomo”. This marble masterpiece was completed in the 15th century when it was topped with Brunelleschi’s massive dome — a structure that’s visible from most corners of the city » Read more
The Gare de Sète was empty on April 3, 2018. (Photos by Tom Meyers for EuroCheapo.)
Today is being called “Black Tuesday” here in France, the first day of three months of scheduled train strikes. The strikes, or “grèves”, have already caused chaotic scenes in train stations around the country, as commuters, intercity travelers and tourists grapple with how to get to their destinations. The train strikes, however, have at least » Read more
Enjoy this view for under €100 at Hotel Saint-Pierre.
Heading to Paris this August? We’ve been combing through the city’s hotel listings looking for the best remaining Paris hotel deals for the month, and have many to report! Here are our favorite seven hotels in the city center. All have high guest ratings (above 8.0), and all are equipped with private baths and rates » Read more
Take off on Wow Air with $69 flights. Photo: BriYYZ
Editor’s Note: WOW Air ceased operations in March of 2019. In celebration of Wow Air’s fifth anniversary, the ultra-budget airline today announced $55 one-way tickets from three US departures (Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Miami) to several European cities. The tickets go on sale today, but there’s a catch: In order to score the cheap » Read more
The view from the Pomipou Center, which turns 40 in 2017. Photo: davesandford
This year is packed with great reasons to visit Paris, including world-class art retrospectives, free outdoor festivals, and grand “salons” that celebrate everything from chocolates to vintage clothing. Best of all for budget travelers, many of these events are absolutely free! While you never really need any reason to visit, we thought we’d put together » Read more
Dusseldorf, a city of contrasts on the Rhine. Photo: beck32
Dusseldorf is a place of contrasts — a bustling, artistic and fashionable city of nearly 600,000 inhabitants in the western reaches of Germany along the Rhine River, it manages to feel like both a big city and a small town. Its economy roars along, with local industries still chugging, while fashion boutiques and upscale department » Read more
Straighten out your frequent flyer program, and then get ready for takeoff. Photo: christiantlambert
I have a somewhat embarrassing confession to make: Even though I regularly write about the hundreds of ways you can save when traveling through Europe, when it came to my own frequent flyer program, I was a bit of a newbie. I rarely managed to get upgrades, let alone free flights. In retrospect, I was » Read more
As it turns out, you can get great seats — for less! Photo: Jo.sau
Here’s an oddity that we came across today while booking train tickets on the TGV for our upcoming two-week trip to France: First class train tickets for our journey were actually cheaper than the second class tickets. But here’s the catch: By default, the SNCF website (the official French railway website, which is the only » Read more
Inspect that car before you drive away from the lot. Photo: patrick janicek
Ready to hit the road in France? While we love speeding around the country on the TGV’s high-speed rail network, sometimes it makes more sense to head off on your own four wheels. Renting a car allows you complete control over your itinerary, and permits you to visit smaller towns, tiny villages, and out-of-the-way wineries. » Read more
EuroCheapo Flash: Eurostar has just announced €39 one-way tickets between Paris and London for summer 2016 travel. Planning to take the journey this summer? Book it now through the SNCF to get this sale fare. But don’t delay, as the sale fare has been limited to 100,000 passengers. Related: See all flash deals on European » Read more
Save big on your trip to Europe by booking a EuroCheapo Travel Package.
EuroCheapo is thrilled to announce the launch of EuroCheapo Travel Packages, which offer tremendous savings to American travelers to Europe who bundle together their airfare, hotels and car rentals. While EuroCheapo has championed the do-it-yourself trip booking philosophy for more than a decade (and continues to do so!), it’s also true that there are some » Read more
Find cheap TGV tickets by using the Best Fare Calendar. Photo: Rob Dammers
Good news for Cheapos planning to take the train in France: The SNCF offers a “Best Price Calendar” that makes it simple to find and book cheap TGV tickets for your trip. But first, a quick reminder: Book your tickets in advance through the official site of the French railway, the SNCF. Why book through » Read more
Follow our lead to save big on your flight to Europe. Photo: aero_icarus
As the end of the year approaches, we’re already thinking about our travel plans for 2016. At the top of our list is, as always, scoring affordable airfare. It’s time to set those airfare alerts and check them twice! Related: 7 Ways to save now on next year’s trip to Europe For most of us » Read more
In these difficult moments, we send our thoughts and well wishes to the people of France as they recover from last Friday’s tragic events in Paris. There truly is no other city like Paris. Spend a day guided by your whims, wandering its streets–you’re sure to experience a remarkable mix of sights, smells and sounds, » Read more
Flying through Munich and have a couple of hours to spare before your flight? Sounds like it’s time to hit the airport’s beloved “Airbräu” beer garden! Airport bars and lounges are nothing new, of course. But Munich’s airport offers a uniquely Bavarian twist to “grabbing a beer between flights”: Don’t just head to a bar. » Read more
Act now to take advantage of big savings on your trip to Europe next year. Photo: blackbulb
Planning to travel to Europe next year? Sure, it can seem like a long way off, but savvy travelers know that there are some smart moves you can make right now — many months in advance — to hep make that trip more affordable and enjoyable. From plane tickets to trains tickets, cars and hotels, » Read more
$99 from DC to Paris? Wow! indeed.
Editor’s Note: Wow Air ceased operations in March of 2019. Wow! Airlines, the self-proclaimed “ultra low-cost transatlantic carrier”, today announced a new crop of $99 seats beginning in October from two US departure points, Boston and Washington, to Paris and Amsterdam (all with connections in Reykjavik, Iceland). Although the airline claimed that $99 seats are » Read more
Even Venice has gotten a lot cheaper!
For American tourists heading to Eurozone countries, the news just keeps getting better. When I wrote this piece celebrating the strong dollar back in January, the euro had stumbled to $1.17 for one dollar, the lowest it had been since 2006. As of today, the euro will cost you only $1.07. (For the latest rate, » Read more
A Ouigo train. Photo: Patrick Janice
Heading from the Paris region to the south of France this summer? Now’s the time to snag the cheapest train tickets of the season, as Ouigo, France’s low-cost high-speed train, released 100,000 tickets for summer travel today for €10. Book early, as the price will increase once these ultra-cheapo seats disappear. As I mentioned in » Read more
Matthew Kepnes, author of "How to Travel the World on $50 a Day".
Matthew Kepnes, known to his thousands of daily blog readers and social media followers as “Nomadic Matt,” has spent nearly 10 years traveling the world on a budget and sharing his adventures along the way. An updated version of his 2013 book, “How to Travel the World on $50 a Day”, was released this past » Read more
That ticket to the Louvre just got cheaper for American tourists. Photo: Ian K.
Americans traveling to Europe this year will finally have a little relief at the register, or at least a smile on their faces when they examine their credit card statements once they get home. The euro has fallen significantly against the dollar in the past six months, tumbling down to US $1.17 for 1 euro » Read more
The Copenhagen Card includes entry to Tivoli Gardens. Photo: Stephen D. Strowes
Note: This article was updated on January 2, 2015 with new information, photos and links. Budget travelers get understandably nervous when visiting Copenhagen. As is the case with many other northern European capitals, prices for food, lodging and shopping can be stunningly steep. But Cheapos should not steer clear of this city of Danish design, » Read more
Waiting for a tram that wasn't coming on Sunday in Amsterdam. Photos by Tom Meyers
My train pulled into Amsterdam on Sunday during a marathon. Well, I didn’t realize the Amsterdam Marathon was happening at first. I just realized that something was up with the trams. I had studied up on the city’s tram system in advance, and knew that to get from Centraal Station to my hotel, the cute-and-simple » Read more
