Free/cheap things to do in...

Discussion in Travel started by drpiggledy • Sep 29, 2013.

  1. drpiggledy

    drpiggledyNew Member

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    As we all know, travelling is great, but not cheap. After you've paid the air/train/bus fare, or your petrol (gas for those in the US!), you still have to pay for accommodation. And food. And all the activities you want to do while you're there. Chances are you'll also want to do a bit of shopping and so you end up spending a fortune.

    Now, I was thinking, this is a very international forum. So why not use the local knowledge of the various members. We can all suggest free and cheap things to do where we live. Then other forum members who might be travelling there can take these tips and save some money on holiday.

    Basically, let's build a database of budget holiday tips!

    I'll start. I live in Dublin (fair city), the capital city of the Republic of Ireland. This country now has a reputation of being expensive, and rightly so. But there's still a bunch of free and cheap things to be enjoyed that will give you a great experience of Dublin and the 'craic' (as the Irish like to call having a good time).

    To start, the museums. There's a bunch of state run ones that are free of charge. They are excellent as well. The archeology museum on Dawson street is full of Celtic art treasures. It also has a collection of bog bodies. Another personal favourite of mine is the museum of national history, which is jam packed with skeletons and preserved animals. Children will love this one in particular.

    I'd also strongly recommend taking a stroll up Grafton Street. This is a major shopping district, but you'll also find a ton of buskers who really make Dublin what it is. Some of them are world class musicians - world famous bands like U2 got started this way!

    At the far end of Grafton Street you'll find St. Stephen's Green, an urban park. On a sunny day this is where the Dubliners come to enjoy the weather. You can feed the ducks, stroll along the flowers, and if you've got kids, they will love the excellent and well maintained free playground.

    You can't talk about Dublin without mentioning the pubs. These are not cheap, but still worth a visit. What you should do is ask around when you're in town. There's always free gigs on, with music being played by and for the locals. You just have to find the place to be on any given night. Whatever you do though, stay away from the pubs in Temple Bar. These are tourist traps, overly expensive and not the real thing at all.

    A final thing I'd recommend is getting a dart ticket. The dart (Dublin area rapid transport) is a coastal rail line. Tickets are cheap enough, and if you're a family you can get a good value day ticket. It will bring you all along the coast of Dublin bay. In the north, you've got the lovely village Malahide, the wonderful beach at Portmarnock, and the scenic fishing town and peninsula Howth. In the south, the line takes you along breathtaking cliffs all the way to Greystones in County Wicklow. From there, you can walk along the cliffs back to Bray and hop on the dart again. In between, there's a variety of other great places worthy of a visit, such as Blackrock and Dun Laoghaire.

    So, these are my tips for a budget holiday in Dublin. I hope they are of some use to someone.

    What are your recommendations for where you live?
     
  2. caparica007

    caparica007Banned

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    In Lisbon we have loads of things to do for free. If you have kids there are a lot of public parks in great condition, if you enjoy the city or history you can visit Alfama, Chiado, Bairro Alto or Castelo de São Jorge, if you love the beach it's just 20 minute driving and if you love the mountains you have this historic Sintra just 25 minutes driving too. Come and visit us! :)
     
  3. tangela

    tangelaActive Member

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    I live in Santa Cruz, California and there are a TON of things to do here. Plenty of beaches (you can go to the Boardwalk and it's connected beach which is always fun, or you can go to more secluded beach if you don't like crowds), plenty of places to go hiking, a lot of natural history museums, etc. We also have a marine museum where it's free entry and you can enter by donation (and it's really nice cause it's set up like a mini aquarium so there's animals and stuff).

    There's also a lot of parks where you can go BBQing or just play during the day, and especially during the summer there are free concerts on the Boardwalk beach.

    Or if taking a train ride through our famous redwood forest is more of your cup of tea, we have that too! It costs money but it's totally worth it.
     
  4. Corzhens

    CorzhensWell-Known Member

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    In the Philippines, almost everything is cheap, from places to go to, food and drinks, entertainment, accommodation. Name it and we have it cheap. That is why European tourists love our country not just for the cheap prices but for the hospitality that is second nature to us. And if you want a nature trip instead of a beach or scuba diving, we have lots to offer for that kind of trip.