Europe is commonly known as an expensive destination. However, there are some areas that could be quite affordable. Porto and the northern part of Portugal are quite cheap to visit. The area is famous for their port wine lodges and they offer free samples for visitors. Portugal is the second largest city in the country after Lisbon. It is a historic trading port city on the Atlantic. There are many seafood restaurants and we can take photographs of waterfront boars. At the front of grocery stores, we can find bacalhau of sheets of cod. Many of the local buildings have tiled facades with original art nouveau. The church of Sao Francisco is known for its gold leaf interior. We may also go to the higher belfry tower in Portugal, or the Torre dos Clerigos. The Bolhau food market is also a great place to visit with many local produce and fruits that we can try. We could try to go high buildings, to have wonderful views of the jumbled cityscape with red-roofed houses, bridges and churches.
After splitting from the rest of Yugoslavia, Montenegro offers a great holiday hotspot. It is one of newly independent country. Montenegro is known for its low cost amenities. As an example, in private houses, we can get rooms for only $10 per night and an additional of $7 per day for three-course meal. Montenegro is known for its craggy mountain and coastline on the Adriatic shore. There are also many villages with their distinctive pale gray stone. The Adriatic Sea is known for its sparkling blue topaz colors. We could also find medieval walled towns with their crumbling fortress. In some mountain crevices, we could find monasteries slotted into them. Fishing villages in the area is known for their deep-green shutters and red-tiled roofs. Other places that we can visit are deep canyons and Europe’s southernmost fjord, the Boka Kotorska. Ulcinj is a border town in Montenegro known for its historic slave-trading history and minarets.
Austria could also provide us with wonderful, low-cost destination. While Switzerland is known for its western edge of Alps, Austria is located at the eastern part of the mountain. However, visiting the towns, lakes and mountains of Switzerland may wreak havoc on our finances. As a comparison, Austria could provide the same kind Alpine “Wow” factor, but at lower costs. Salzburg and Vienna are known for their old splendours. Staying in these cities can be less expensive that we may think. For lower costs, we could stay in less crowded areas. As an as example, Tyrolean villages at Fendels are known for low-cost accommodation, allowing to get a $230 room per week. Fendel villages are excellent base for a whole week excursion of Austria. We could find many hiking trains in the area.
Bohemia in the Czech Republic is also a good alternative. It’s blessed with Rapunzel-style turrets, frescoed houses and spellbinding castles. At some areas, we can feel that we are being magically transported to a different world with sword and sorcery tale.