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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Linda Handiak

Matador contributor Linda Handiak is a translator and freelance travel writer. She has published a book, 101 Green Travel Tips, based on her volunteer and teaching experiences abroad.