Joanna Booth has some ideas for the flush and the thrifty
Whether you travel on a shoestring or upgrade religiously, Europe’s iconic cities can offer an option to suit your budget. Check out our guide to city breaks for the skint and the minted.
Rome: Save
Do: Browse the morning market in the Campo de’ Fiori – it costs nothing to browse the stalls heaving with produce and it’s a great window into the buzzing hub of Roman life.
See: Entry to the Forum and the Pantheon is free, so you can glimpse these iconic historic sights plus the famous Trevi fountains without spending a penny.
Eat: Romans are reputed to make the best pizza in Italy, and you can grab a slice for a few euros from a pizza al taglio, where you can take it away or sit at the counter.
Nightlife: The cultural event of the summer months is the Estate Romana which features outdoor concerts and performances followed by discos, accessible with a cheap weekly pass.
Stay: The Hotel Canada is three star but feels higher. The Celio is smaller-scale – a bed and breakfast in a traditional Roman property but with opulent decor.
Sample package:Cresta offers three nights’ bed and breakfast at the two-star ABC Pyramid from £245 twin-share, including flights from Gatwick. This offer is valid from November 9 to December 23, and includes a free night if arriving on a Sunday.
Rome: Splurge
Do: Check out how one of the city’s most aristocratic families used to live, and explore the Villa Borghese park. The museums are ornate, and you can even take a balloon ride over the park, or have a horse-riding lesson. Or marvel at the wealth of the Catholic church in the labyrinthine halls of the Vatican.
See: Cheer on one of Rome’s Serie A football teams at the Olympic Stadium. You can buy Lazio or Roma tickets in advance at romantickets.com – you’ll pay more than you would turning up on the day, but your ticket is assured.
Eat: Make like an ancient Roman and feast on local dishes in Ferrara in the Trastevere or Il Convivio da Troiani in the historic centre, or sample fine fish at La Rosetta.
Nightlife: The city’s late night bar scene is the place to see and be seen. Check out Bartaruga, a mismatched and theatrical cocktail haunt for the beautiful people, or sip champagne and appreciate the view from the top floor piano bar of the Hotel Eden.
Stay: Rub shoulders with visiting dignitaries at the palatial Westin Excelsior, or star-spot at the elegant Majestic.
Sample package:Abercrombie and Kent offers four nights’ bed and breakfast at the Hotel de Russie from £965 per person twin-share with return BA Euro Traveller flights and transfers.
Prague: Save
Do: Throw off the shackles of capitalism and visit the Museum of Communism, which lifts the lid on Czechoslovakia under the control of the totalitarian regime. It’s fascinating, but unfortunately not free – 180 Koruny (about £6) per person.
See: It costs nothing but time to see the Astronomical Clock in the Old Town Hall – every hour mechanical figures pop out to go through the motions of a medieval morality play. Wander across the Charles Bridge for a great view of the city.
Eat: Fill up on cheap pork and traditional honey liquer at U Sedmi Svabo, a Czech tavern near the castle.
Nightlife: Alcohol is cheap in Prague and there are many old-style pubs to be found. If the beer doesn’t floor you, carry on in one of the bars or clubs in the up-and-coming (and still cheap) Zizkov area.
Stay: The Zizkov area is also home to a large portion of the lower budget accommodation on offer. For a good value option in the centre, try the three-star Beranek.
Sample package:Cresta offers three nights bed and breakfast at the three-star Comfort Hotel from £260 twin-share. This offer, which runs from November 9 to December 23, includes a free night and return flights from Heathrow on Czech Airlines.
Prague: Splurge
Do: Splash your Koruny at the boutiques in the triangle around the Old Town Square – the Czech Fashion Centre has joined forces with them to promote eight indigenous design labels.
See: Relive Prague’s grand history with a visit to the Castle. Your ticket covers everything in the grounds, including the palace, the cathedral and the tiny coloured cottages of the famed Golden Lane. Pay extra for an English-language audio guide.
Eat: The Four Seasons restaurant Allegro is Michelin starred, the trendy Le Terroir is perfect for gastronomes with a love of wine, and La Degustation solely serves a range of seven-course tasting menus.
Nightlife: For a really bohemian evening, listen to traditional folk tunes and stare at ceiling mosaics at the art nouveau Municipal House. Each year the national symphony orchestra launches the Prague Spring Festival here.
Stay: The ultra-central Hotel Josef is a symphony of glass and vivid splashes of colour. Music lovers should check into the Aria, where each floor is named after a different genre and there’s a piano bar.
Sample package: Until December 28, Carrier offers four nights for the price of three at the Four Seasons Prague, from £1,075 per person twin-share on a bed-and-breakfast basis. The price includes business-class flights with British Airways, and transfers.
Amsterdam: Save
Do: Buy an iamsterdamcard – from €33 for a 24-hour pass. As well as travel on public transport, this gives you free entrance to many museums and attractions. During the winter, skate at low cost on the rinks on Leidseplein and Beursplein.
See: Visit the 17th-century Zuiderkirk to see an exhibition on how the city has developed over the centuries and pick up an English-language walking route through the top architectural attractions. In summer take a picnic to the Vondelpark to see free concerts and performances.
Eat: Grab a delicious and healthy snack at one of the Maoz falafel bars which are scattered around the city.
Nightlife: Check out one of Amsterdam’s traditional brown cafes – the Dutch equivalent of a pub – and stick to local drinks to keep the price down. Many bars and cafes will showcase new bands. Get to the Alto Jazz Café early to get a table and settle in for a night of smooth tunes.
Stay: The rates at the Stay Okay Zeeburg are low, from €22.20, but it’s a little outside the centre. In the thick of things, the Lloyd Hotel has rooms from one to five star (starting from €95) so you can get luxury level service for less.
Sample package:Gold Medal offers two nights’ bed and breakfast at the three-star Delta Hotel in Amsterdam for £159, including BMI flights from Heathrow.
Amsterdam: Splurge
Do: Fashion and design lovers will be in heaven with the biannual Amsterdam International Fashion Week in January and July, and design month in September. All year round the city is stuffed with boutiques selling strikingly individual clothing and furniture by Dutch designers.
See: Get a different perspective on the city by viewing it from the canal. Upgrade from the regular tourist boats and rent your own – you can get one with a captain, or if you’re brave you can go it alone.
Eat: Those who like to rack up their Michelin stars can pick up a further two at Ciel Blue, a haute cuisine restaurant 23 floors above the city. Bang on trend, Restaurant de Kas is a former greenhouse which sources all its food from local producers – or the greenhouse itself.
Nightlife: The new Panama nightclub in a converted dock building has a fusion of theatre, dance, live music and DJs. The original Supperclub restaurant/bar, one of the earliest venues to offer dining on a bed, has expanded to offer a Supperclub Cruise so you can recline and dine afloat.
Stay: Boutique fans will love the Dylan Hotel, where each of the 41 rooms is individually designed. Its rates start from €275. The Grand Hotel Amrath is an ex-shopping house fitted out in luxurious Art Deco style, with rooms from €270 right up to the top suite at €2,500.
Sample package: Kirker Holidays offers three nights for the price of two at the five-star deluxe Politzer, from £499 per person twin-share, for three nights’ bed and breakfast, The offer, valid from December 1–24, includes return flights from Heathrow, private transfers, canal cruise, and a one-day tram/bus pass.
Berlin: Save
Do: Visit the National Museums of Berlin for free on Thursday evenings. Visit the Hekticket office at the Zoologischer Garten and Alexanderplatz stations after 4pm for half-price tickets for events the same evening, or check out their discount online at hekticket.de
See: Get a free sightseeing tour by hopping on and off the 100 and 200 bus – you’ll take in many of the top spots including the Reichstag, the Brandenburg Gate Potsdamer Platz and the Holocaust Memorial.
The Berlin Welcome Card will not only allow you unlimited travel on public transport, but can get you up to a 50% discount on over 130 attractions and services including city tours, museums, shows, restaurants and clubs.
There are 48 and 72-hour versions and single and family tickets. Prices start at €16.50
Eat: Avoid the tourist spots and look for small establishments down the side roads in the Friedrichshain and Kreuzberg districts. The famous German currywurst sausage can be bought cheaply from snack bars – try the famed Curry 36 on Mehringdamm.
Nightlife: Clarchens Ballhaus serves good solid cooking accompanied with free or very cheap tango, salsa or swing evenings. Visit techno temple Berghain and pay a fraction of the price you’d shell out in the super clubs of Ibiza.
Stay: There are three ‘baxpax’ hostels in the city with well-designed but extremely cheap accommodation, and four Motel One Hotels which offer two-star rooms from €49.
Sample package:Gold Medal offers two nights’ bed and breakfast at the three-star Agon am Alexanderplatz from £139, including BMI flights from London City.
Berlin: Splurge
Do: The western end of the Ku’damm is a veritable who’s who of designer shopping, and the KaDeWe department store is the largest in Europe.
See: Front-row seats at the home of high culture, the Berlin Statsoper, cost €66. In January you can see the The Nutcracker or the The Magic Flute.
Eat: Chef-of-the-moment Tim Raue’s Ma restaurant is the place to be seen, but it also caters for the über-rich who value their privacy – The Krug Room offers private dining with degustation menus.
Nightlife: The view from the Puro bar on the 20th floor of the Europa Centre almost makes up for its sky-high prices. Rumour has it Paris Hilton wanted to buy Bangaluu, a restaurant and club where you’re served reclining on a bed and
after-dinner entertainment includes cabaret and clubbing – happily she isn’t the owner.
Stay: Thirteen five-star hotels have clubbed together to form Berlin Exclusiv. The website visitberlin.de/berlin-exclusiv details the hotels and experiences such as private night-time museum tours.
Sample package: Cox and Kings is offering four nights for the price of three at Brandenburger Hof travelling between January 1 and March 31, from £595 per person. This includes flights with British Airways, accommodation with breakfast, and private transfers.
