Money-Saving European Travel Tips

Continued from: Page 5

ABOVE: Walking is cheap, and you won't have to wait for a ride.

TIP 5: Walk more, ride smart.

Walking isn't just good exercise: It's also a great street-level introduction to European cities. Even in a large city like Paris, you can walk all the way from Montmartre to the Seine in 45 minutes to an hour. In Venice, you can walk from one end of the city to another in half an hour (assuming that you don't get lost, but that's part of the fun).

Remember this rule: Every time you walk instead of taking the bus or subway, you'll save money.

Avoid taxis. You won't need them if you're reasonably fit and traveling light. (When you're transferring between your hotel and the airport or train station, use buses, trams, or trains the way the locals do. The New York Times may suggest a US $56 taxi ride from Schiphol Airport to central Amsterdam, for example, but that's crazy when the train costs only a few euros.)

Before buying tourist cards or passes for local transit, calculate how often you're likely to use them. Example: A carnet of 10 Paris Métro tickets that you can share with your companion is a good deal, but the Paris Visite card won't be worth the expense if you're riding buses or trains only a couple of times per day.

Look for local transportation bargains. Example: A 40-minute gondola ride in Venice will cost you €80 or more, but a ride by traghetto gondola ferry across the Grand Canal is 50 cents. You can sample every one of the traghetto routes along the canal for about three euros.