With characteristic hospitality, Europe throws open its doors to offer free food, music and art.
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!
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13 Comments... join the discussion!
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Talking about free concert and big open festival, the biggest is certainly on the 21st of June in France. ” target=”_blank”>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F%C3%AAte_de_la_Musi... There are virtually thousands of concerts for free everywhere across the country and it's growing every year since 1982. You can now find the same kind of festival in many other countries.
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This is great, informing everyone of the things they can experience for free that is certainly few of the best experiences!
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The Schonbrunn Gardens in Vienna are also free for everyone; pretty much ALL gardens in Vienna are free to visit.
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It's great to know that even low-budget travelers can sample European culture. I passed the article on to a European friend who is planning to visit Belgium.
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For anyone who happens to be in Berlin from 16th to 25th of January, the Gruene Woche fair is a great way to eat for free. Ok, the entry is €12 for the day or €7 for students, but you can sample international food until you can't move anymore and you can take samples with you and eat for days on end for free. I haven't even mentioned the drinks! If you aren't careful you might not remember by the end of the day where you live.
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I was surprised to read this and realize that I have done at least 3 of these things. One thing that wasn't mentioned is that the Louvre (and possibly other art museums in Paris) are FREE on the first sunday of the month… when we were there that was the day that we happened to go on - what a nice surprise.
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very attractive.!! Free food, drink and music. great free ideas…. nice to know before going to Europe.
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What great ideas! I knew about the free museums in Great Britain — I take advantage of this when I’m in the UK. Festivals are always a great idea. You enjoy the festivities for free and meet some great people. I did not know about Hungary’s Margaret Island, thanks for the tip. I would like to visit Hungary because I’m part Hungarian and would like to do some family research.
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Great guide to free things to do in Europe. I can personally vouch for the fact that you can get free chocolates in Brussels (one the few things Belgium has going for it). I definitely want to check out the free Cognac that stuff is good but too expensive.
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When in Munich, you have to take Lenny’s free bike tour. He meets at the Fish Fountain in Marienplatz and has beach cruisers for the group. Expect to spend the afternoon sightseeing with a stop for a pint. At the end, you tip him if you want. Otherwise, it’s completely free! But be warned, Lenny’s crude sense of humor probably isn’t suitable for children.
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