For anyone on a tight travel budget, expensive cities like London and New York are often no-go zones. But travelling on the cheap doesn't mean missing out on the action. Read on to discover ways you can make visiting some of the world's most expensive cities affordable.
While the dollar to pound exchange rate has taken a welcome budget-friendly turn, London still remains an extremely expensive destination.
Deals on digs: Beyond bouts of
couch surfing, your best budget bet is to stay in a hostel. The Youth Hostel Association (www.yha.org.uk) has the largest choice of hostels in London, offering everything from fairly basic dorms to private rooms in city-centre locations. And you don't have to be a member to stay.
Budget attractions: For theatre lovers, the TKTS tickets (wwwofficiallondontheatre.co.uk/tkts) booth in Leicester Square offers the best seats at half the standard price. Alternatively, on the day of the performance, stand-by tickets are often available direct from the theatres' box office.
Cheap eats: Be sure to pick up a
Taste London Dining Card — available from
Visit London at a £20 ($39) discount — which gives you 50 percent off your dining bill at more than 800 London restaurants.
Getting around: When it comes to transport the
Oyster Card pay-as-you-go travel card caps your daily costs at the cheapest price available. You'll also save on cash payments for individual journeys on the Underground.
Related video: London on a budget
Ireland may bill itself as the land of a "hundred-thousand welcomes", but all too often it feels more like the land of a "hundred-thousand euros".
Deals on digs: Hotel rooms are usually charged per person rather than per room, so insist on a room rate. For discounts on longer stays at hotels, check out the
Irish Hotel Federation's website Alternatively, stay at one of Dublin's hundreds of
home-based B&Bs.
Budget attractions: The National Museum of Ireland has two Dublin locations, both of which are free. As is the
National Gallery, which features the impressionistic works of Jack Butler Yeats, the less-famous brother of the Nobel laureate poet, William Butler Yeats.
Cheap eats: For the best value — and most authentic — Irish grub around, head to the nearest pub. For less than £13 ($25), you can fill up on a lunchtime buffet of beef, ham, turkey and stuffing, plus spuds and other vegetables.
Getting around: Save money with a multi-day
Dublin Bus pass, which you can purchase from a machine at the airport bus stop. Day-trip packages to major centres outside Dublin are also available.
Copenhagen
Denmark's capital is a wonderful, romantic city, but not all of us can afford the Princess Mary lifestyle.
Deals on digs: Renting an apartment or staying in a hostel are the best alternatives to pocket-pinching hotels. If you book through VisitCopenhagen.com (www.visitcopenhagen.com), you can change or cancel your booking up until noon on the day prior to your arrival without being charged.
Budget attractions: The canal tours are certainly the most romantic way of seeing the city. But be warned — two companies operate the boats, and one is double the cost. Opt for the "Netto" boats: they're the cheapest and much less touristy.
Cheap eats: Copenhagen's new budget-friendly eating option is the mobile street food — several bikes and mopeds ply the busiest thoroughfares offering affordable and filling food. Alternatively, look out for small takeaway shops selling
smørrebrød (open-faced rye-bread sandwiches) which cost about DKK4.50 to DKK30 ($1 to $7).
Getting around: The city's
Bycyklen Kobenhavn bike program provides free bicycles to anyone to zip around the city centre. You just pay a DKK20 ($4.60) deposit and ride off. Then when you're finished return it to one of the 125 bike parking areas, whereupon you'll get back your deposit!
In spite of the recession, it's hard to take a bite out of the Big Apple without feeling a pinch in your pocket.
Deals on digs: When it comes to accommodation, New York is short on budget-friendly options. Your best bet is to opt for a two- or three-star hotel away from the main tourist attractions. Otherwise, try a small B&B in an area like Brooklyn (
www.bedandbreakfast.com or (
www.bnbfinder.com). For longer stays, you can sublet a small apartment for as little as US$75 ($89) a night (see:
www.craigslist.com).
Budget attractions: Entry to many of the city's museums is free for at least one day or an evening each week (the
Museum of Modern Art; — is free from 4pm on Fridays), while others like the
Metropolitan Museum of Art allow you to "pay what you wish".
Cheap eats: New York's best cheap eats are found in its migrant enclaves, where stretching the dime has long been an art form.
Getting around: To get a great view of lower Manhattan and snap some photos of the Statue of Liberty, avoid the pricey Circle Line tour and catch a ride on the free Staten Island Ferry.
