Photo by Phil Whitehouse

Free Chocolate in Brussels

Dark chocolate rules in Brussels, with palaces at Godiva, Galler and Leonidas, to name a few. Many shops will offer a free taste and cafes often serve a piece of chocolate with your coffee.

Photo by kaitlyn means.

For those who prefer milk chocolate, the Cailler Nestle factory in Broc, Switzerland offers free tours and samples. Incidentally, Broc flanks Gruyeres, the cheese-making town.

Free Alcohol

Belgium produces over 600 beers, including Haacht’s new fruit beer. Haacht offers a free one-hour guided tour of their sprawling facility and a taste of one low and one high-fermentation beer.

Many members of the Vignerons Independants d’Aquitaine offer free cellar visits and wine tastings, some of them in Saint Emilion, a world heritage site in Bordeaux.

Cognac also flows freely in France. Visit Le Cognac for information about free tours and tastings.

Free Cheese

Feeling the need for some food groups other than sugar and alcohol? Roquefort Papillon, is where the famous blue cheese matures in the rock crevices of Mont Combalou.

Tours of the caves are free and include a nibble at the end.

Photo by Coralie Ferreira

Henri Willig’s cheese farms in the Netherlands offers free tours and tastings of Gouda cheese.

Free Museums

Entry to permanent collections at British museums was made free in 2001. Take advantage by visiting the mummies at the British Museum, the Botticellis at The National Gallery and the dinosaurs at The Natural History Museum.

Instead of waiting in line at the Louvre, try the Musee du Petit Palais. The name is misleading since the museum houses 1300 pieces spanning many centuries. Several of the masters, including Monet and Cezanne, are represented here.

Paris is synonymous with fashion, and the Musee Galliera’s permanent collection features trends from the 17th to the 21th century.

Free Concerts

Vienna’s elegant architecture is an appropriate setting for waltzes and balls. The cheapest seats, however, are in front of the Rathaus (city hall), which broadcasts free films of famous concerts during the summer months.

Salzburg, setting for The Sound of Music, offers similar shows on a giant screen at the Salzburg Residenz Square.

Photo by Luz A. Villa.

Although Mozart was born in Salzburg, he often stayed in Prague, the fairy-tale city of a hundred spires. The Villa Bertramka now houses a Mozart museum and concert hall.

Tickets are not cheap, but there’s nothing stopping you from sitting in the surrounding gardens. I once sat outside on an autumn day drinking my coffee and listening to the live music floating out of the concert hall.

Photo by Gideon.

Free Transportation

Europe’s canal lined streets can be seen for free, by bike.

Barcelona (Bicing), Lyon (Vélo’v), London(OYBike), Call a Bike (Berlin, Frankfurt), Copenhagen/Helsinki (CIOS), Seville (Sevici) are among the cities that have hopped on board an almost-free program that allows tourists to pick up and drop off bikes at designated locations.

Fees are minimal, and the first half-hour of use is often free. The new Velib bikes in Paris, for example, cost only 1 Euro per hour.

Photo by Christopher Walker

Free Churches

Europe’s churches are rich repositories of history, and entrance is usually free.

Westminster Abbey in London is the final resting place for generations of British monarchs, and its Poet’s Corner commemorates famous British writers.

The view alone at hilltop Vyšehrad is worth paying for. The Cathedral of Saint Paul and Peter, as well as the Vyšehrad cemetery, contains the remains of many famous people from Czech history.

The Vatican Museum, home of the Sistine Chapel, is free on the last Sunday of each month. Entrance to Saint Peter’s Basilica is free, providing visitors with access to several famous art works as well as the Popes’ tombs.

Tourists can take sanctuary at Notre Dame de Paris, the Gothic masterpiece of stone lacework made famous by Victor Hugo. Free organ recitals are held on Sundays at 4:30 p.m.

Photo by Sven Lindner

Free Gardens

Europe’s public gardens are more than rows of trees and flowers. They can be outdoor community centers and art exhibitions.

Hungary’s Margaret Island is a green oasis in the Danube, between Buda and Pest. A joggers’ track around the outside of the park encircles themed gardens, soccer fields, swimming pools, and a petting zoo.

Bloemenmarkt, in Amsterdam, is the only floating flower market in the world. The flower stalls, awash with exotic colors and varieties, are perched on houseboats.

The Glasgow Botanic Gardens is internationally renowned for its glass houses and exotic collection of tree ferns from Australia as well as plants from several continents.

There are events scheduled throughout the year, including art exhibitions, plant sales and guided tours.

Photo by Antonio Zugaldia

Free Festivals

The largest free open air festival takes place in July, in Ghent, Belgium. The event features pop music, folk, rock ‘n’ roll, hiphop, jazz, and R’n'B on all the city squares. Visitors can also enjoy theatre, comedy, exhibitions and boat trips on the river Lys.

The Copenhagen Jazz Festival is held over ten days in July. Performances take place on the streets as well as in cafes, city parks, and event centers.

Free Tours

Although the activity is not actually free, visitors pay whatever they think is appropriate for guided walking tours that last about three hours. The tours were recently introduced in Prague and Berlin .

Do you know some free activities in Europe? Please share by leaving a comment below!

Your purchases help support Matador.

Feature photo by kk. Photo above by maurice

For a durable sense of well being, you’ll have to dig deeper than your pores. With wellness travel on the rise, retreats are sprouting everywhere.

The following eco-friendly retreats rely on local resources, offer multidimensional treatments for body, mind and soul and cost under $150 a day with accommodation included.

Since “retreat” suggests escape from the crowds, I favor smaller establishments on roads less taken.

Enjoy the scenery.

La Plâtrière, France

Healing seeps from the ground in this region of France. The volcanoes that forged the Auvergne’s valleys and mountains deposited precious minerals in its soil and springs.

The Auvergne region is studded with spa towns, but La Plâtrière hangs back on a quiet country road. A three-hundred-year old stone farmhouse welcomes guests in bright rooms equipped with en suite facilities, electric kettles and fluffy duvets.

Guests can also unwind around the in-ground pool or cycle the gently lilting countryside.

Between them, owners Jackie and Andrew Diaper can cater to almost every need.

Jackie, a trained psychotherapist, runs de-stress workshops and life counseling sessions.

Andrew is an experienced builder and fisherman who can help you purchase property in France, choose fish at the market or find your way around the region’s many lakes and streams.

A four-day de-stress “weekend” costs about $540 and includes daily relaxation sessions, an Ayurvedic head massage that loosens all your knots and meals prepared with fresh food from local markets.

Flexibility characterizes the spirit of La Plâtrière, from treatment approaches and scheduling to meal choice. I was even invited to come along to Saint-Amand Montrond and pick some ingredients from the extensive covered market.

The presence of personable pets, including two pygmy goats who enjoy massages, just adds to the intimate, homey feeling of the center.

La Platriere website

Photo by singsing_sky

Sivananda Ashram Yoga Camp, Canada

Resting in the palm of Quebec’s Laurentian Mountains, the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Camp offers contemplation and outdoor recreation.

Winter weekend getaways combine yoga and meditation with cross-country skiing and snowshoeing over a forested landscape that rises and falls like a gentle breath.

In the summer, yoga classes are held on an outdoor deck, and guests can go canoeing or swim in the in-ground pool.

The rooms are clean but ascetic, consisting of bunk beds, a desk and a wicker armchair.

Weekend getaways, in shared occupancy with private bathrooms, cost $130.00 and include two daily yoga classes, afternoon sports and workshops, two brunches and one supper.

Workshops vary throughout the year and may include vegetarian cuisine, Indian music or the art of forgiveness.

Meals are buffet-style vegetarian, in keeping with the philosophy to choose things which have a positive effect on the body and have the least negative impact on nature.

Herbs come from the nearby garden and water is drawn from a local artesian well.

You should be aware that guests are urged to respect the atmosphere of the camp and follow the schedule, which includes early morning and evening Satsang, a silent meditation followed by group chanting and readings illustrating yogic principles.

In keeping with Vedanta’s emphasis on harmony among religions, hymn books include Christian and Hebrew prayers as well as Sanskrit verses.

Sivananda Ashram website

Photo by wanhoff

Harmony Dawn Retreat, Canada

What better way to practice mindfulness and gratitude than through the grounded, sensuous art of cooking!

Under the guidance of a professional chef, learn to create nutritious meals based on local and organic ingredients.

The three-day Cooking for Health, Qigong and Meditation workshops (about $350), held during the fall, include three vegetarian meals a day and accommodation in airy rooms.

Space is limited to ten people, so guests receive lots of individual attention and the atmosphere is light-hearted.

Renowned chef Nicola Lawrence also practices Tai Chi and Quigong, which uses breathing, movement and visualization to enhance energy flow, and she applies some of these yin-yang principles to her cooking.

The center is housed in a solar and wind-powered building decorated with wall-length windows overlooking Rice Lake. Visitors may forget that Toronto is about an hour away when they see deer and foxes scampering in the nearby woods.

Similarly priced interpretive dance and detox weekends are held during the spring.

Harmony Dawn website

Photo by kk

Weihrerhof Hotel, Italy

Set in a “Sound of Music” landscape, this compact, four-star hotel is shielded from the noisy outside world by the Dolomite Mountains.

Rooms are equipped with balconies overlooking Lake Wolfsgruben and the sunny, forested plateau of Renon.

The Dolomites have many sides, from rolling meadows to stark, lunar landscapes of limestone peaks and turquoise lakes.

You can explore the region through a guided-hiking week package that includes a visit to the famous earth pyramids, natural clay sculptures carved by erosion.

A Relaxing Week Package (about $798.00) includes seven days of half-board, 2 walking tours, two aqua-gym workouts in an elegant indoor pool and three sessions of yoga and Qi Gong.

Weiderhof website

Kalani Oceanside Retreat, Hawaii

Hawaii’s idyllic setting, rich diversity of plant and animal life and growing expertise in wellness vacations makes it an attractive retreat option.

Kalani, an educational nonprofit organization located on The Big Island, offers a wide array of therapies.

Rooms are equipped with light screens that allow guests to enjoy maximum airflow and stunning views of the tropical jungle and the Pacific Ocean.

A conch calls visitors to the outdoor terrace for meals concocted from exotic combinations of fruits, vegetables and seafood.

A three-day yoga escape package costs about $425 and includes access to the sauna and low-chlorine pool, one private yoga class as well as group classes, meals, double occupancy accommodation and a choice of activities including hula lessons, aromatherapy and meditation.

Hula, in its traditional form, includes chanting and story telling and allows participants to connect with their emotional and physical being.

Guests who can’t bear to go back to the mainland may work as volunteers and earn free accommodation and yoga classes.

Kalani website

Community Connection!

Planning a journey of spiritual awakening? Check out these inspiring articles in the Brave New Traveler archives:

Simple Beach Yoga For Backpackers by BNT editor Ian MacKenzie

How To Choose Your Perfect Yoga Retreat by Cam Karsten

Can You Development Your Spirituality Without Visiting India? by Christine Garvin

Here’s a link to BNT’s complete spiritual travel archive.