Europe doesn’t belong to the cheapest places on Earth, but it doesn’t mean its charm and grandeur cannot be experienced on a budget. Luckily, seasoned travellers have gone all over it exploring its cheapest places and shared lots of thrifty hacks on their personal travelling websites. We’ve collected some best tips for you to help you discover the beauty of Europe, even though on a shoestring. Maybe someday you will tell the world about your travelling hacks on your own website (which is easy to create using numerous travel website templates).

Head to Eastern Europe
Western Europe, however beautiful and poetized, is notoriously expensive, especially the major cities (London, Paris, Berlin, Rome, etc.). Consider cheaper European destinations such as Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, or Romania where you can enjoy a full tourist package (accommodation, attractions, meals, transportation etc.) for just half the price a day. You can start your research from these cheap though stunning cities listed by Forbes: Naples (Italy), Albufeira (Portugal), Dubrovnik (Croatia), Karpathos (Greece), and Piran (Slovenia).

Shop for deals rather than destinations
This is a tip from Matt Kepnes, the founder of NomadicMatt.com. If you are on a budget, look for bargains instead of popular destinations. Matt believes being open-minded and flexible can save you tons of money. However, if you still decide to commit to a city or a country you were dreaming about, the next tip is for you.

Visit Europe during off-seasons
In summer, prices in popular European destinations are at their highest, everything is booked and lines are enormous. If you want to enjoy an authentic local experience, head to Europe October-April when the weather is still pleasant, the atmosphere is more relaxed, but the prices go down.

Bit of planning: book tours in advance
If you want to skip lines and queues near popular attractions, plan and book beforehand. Free walking tours are a great way to save some cash. Sandemans New Europe, known as a leader on the market, offers free tours in 18 European cities. To join your tour, register online in advance and then tip your guide in the end. Rick Steves’ Audio Tours is another exciting way to tour 23 European cities with your headphones on.

Lodge smart
Hotels are places to avoid if you’re on a budget – not only because of hefty prices but also because a hotel room isolates you from the real local life you are here for. Instead, consider staying in a hostel (a perfect option for solo travellers who want to meet new people), renting a room using Airbnb, Wimdu or Homestay or just hitting someone’s couch (find a local willing to host you on Couchsurfing).

Avoid dining in the city centre
If you don’t want to overpay for sub-par inauthentic meals, give restaurants located in the tourist areas a wide berth. Beware multilingual menus or the ones containing pictures. They are the calling cards of venues charging mad tourist prices. Instead, just walk 5 blocks from the city centre to discover quieter places with more exquisite food for much less crazy prices. This “5-block rule” invented by Matt Kepnes, refers to shopping as well.
Another seasoned traveller, Cameron Hewitt recommends the street food, which is cheap, filling and delicious, as an alternative to boring fast food. Every European city has its street speciality to eat on the go: waffles in Brussels, Churros in Madrid, Crêpes in Paris, Trdelník in Prague, Zapiekanka in Krakow, Currywurst in Berlin and the like.

Opt for budget transport
Similar to hotels and city centre restaurants, taxis are a bad idea for a budget traveller. Take a bus, tram, train or Metro where you can’t go by foot to not only save a bunch of cash but also to see the real life out there. To save even more, find out if there are public transport passes (weekly, 3-day or 24-hour) which can sometimes include huge discounts to attractions, tours, restaurants and other things (for example, Oslo Pass, Berlin welcome Card, the Paris Pass, etc.). For travelling between cities, opt for a railway (buy a pass or a second class ticket in order to save, whatever works best for you) or buses (Eurolines, Megabus or BusAbout service, which allows you to create your own itinerary and then hop-on & hop-off from city to city in 38 destinations across Europe).