Bargain Travel Opportunities for Visiting Europe

By Mark Kahler. Budget Travel Expert

Mark Kahler is an American journalist and writer with three decades of professional experience. He s also an avid traveler who has visited all 48 contiguous U.S. states and more than 30 other countries around the world. Read more

When looking for bargain travel to Europe, budget travelers look for any break available. If you can combine enough of those small bits of savings, it could add up to an affordable trip.

The best advice for affordable European travel: look for opportunities to travel off-peak . Go in spring, fall or even winter, when prices are lower and crowds are smaller. Winter can be the most rewarding of all financially, but you ll deal with cold and darkness.

For people of any nation who are intent on enjoying Europe, here are 9 ideas to spark your search for savings.

Bargain 1: Intra-European Airfares

How would you like to fly across Europe for about $11 USD? Such base fares are still available, although they show up less frequently than when the budget airline bonanza began years ago. Taxes and other fees drive gaudy low fares much higher, but adjusted to inflation, airfares between European cities are still an incredible bargain.

Veteran travelers snarl when you talk about flying around Europe.

These flights make it far more difficult to enjoy the rich European countryside, and tend to result in an itinerary consisting only of big cities. These caveats are worth considering carefully. Don t make the mistake of flying for every leg of your journey or bypassing all but a few large cities.

But travelers gain valuable time savings by mixing in a few well-positioned budget airline flights. How much do you really see taking the Chunnel (Eurostar is the official name) between London and Paris?

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London is Europe s budget airline capital, but you ll also find other European airports where budget flights abound .

Bargain 2: Renault s Eurodrive Program

Renault s popular short-term lease program can be a better deal than renting a car, especially if you ll be in Europe for about three weeks.

Each short-term lease includes a brand new car, full insurance coverage with no deductible and unlimited mileage.

The low-end models can be leased for three weeks at prices that sometimes dip below $1,500. When you start looking at daily car rental rates in Europe, that figure is competitive.

One more thing to consider: A lease of this type is not subject to Value Added Tax.

This is nothing new. Renault claims more than half a million satisfied customers since 1954. They pick up and drop off at 29 certified locations in Europe. Choose these carefully, because many that might be more convenient require budget-busting add-on fees.

Click next to see some bargain destinations.