Travel

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The new two-day Barcelona Card Express includes free metro and bus rides and discounts on popular attractions such as Antoni Gaudi s Basilica de la Sagrada Familia. (Photo: David Ramos, Getty Images)

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BARCELONA—Cathie Golden takes a European vacation each year with her sister Barbara Needham and their children.

This year they chose Barcelona and Madrid. For the first time in more than a decade, the euro is almost equal in value to the dollar, making Spain and other European cities more affordable to Americans than even some domestic destinations.

"We've been shopping up a storm because of it," Golden says, showing off a new pair of sneakers. "Here you're just throwing money around."

The family stop into the Hotel Colon in the Gothic Quarter for drinks. They are surprised when two glasses of white wine and a beer cost as much as one drink in a New York City hotel. Their train tickets to Madrid are less than seats on an Amtrak train from New York to Washington, D.C. A 15-minute cab ride to the beach is 10 euros.

Golden, who lives in the New York area, has good reason to throw money around. TripAdvisor's TripIndex Europe, released last week, found that travel expenses for popular European destinations have dropped an average of 11% year-over-year. Travelers will be able to save as much as 25% on their summer trips.