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- A website known as "Wanderu" can help you plan out a trip all across Europe for under $500.
- Buses from Bratislava, Slovakia to Vienna, Austria run as little as $5.
- Warsaw, Poland is a city full of history and affordable places to eat and stay.
Remember when the dollar was worth about four cents on the euro and American tourists were paying, like, $14 for ketchup? Trying to visit more than one city across the pond seemed exorbitant to the point of comedy. But favorable exchange rates have turned the tide — the era of the dirt-cheap Euro trip is back, baby!
There's no shortage of world-class destinations you can actually afford to visit right now. Thanks to a slew of sleek new bus companies, you can actually loop around 15 of Europe's grand capital cities for 500 bucks. Yeah, I said bus. Wanderu is that site for bus and train travel that helps you find quick trips outta town for as little as $10, and the wizards there have worked their magic with European bus lines. All have comfy seats and free Wi-Fi, and many of these routes go over water, through mountains, and down streets of quaint towns you'd otherwise never see. Making this not only a cheap way to see Europe, but an especially unique one.
Now be forewarned: Bus fares, like airfares, change rapidly, and the prices quoted here are on the lowest end of the spectrum. Traveling during peak times or avoiding layovers might cost a few pennies more, but booking 30 days in advance guarantees cheaper rates. If you want to see Paris, London, Prague, Amsterdam, Rome, and 10 other cities for less than the cost of a plane ticket across the US, here's how it's done.
Leg 1: London, UK to Brussels, Belgium
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Start your grand European tour at London's Victoria Coach Station. You'll see the countryside of Southeastern England, traverse the tunnel under the English Channel, skirt the coastline of France, and travel just outside Bruges and Ghent before arriving in Brussels. There's no better city to shelve your diet for the foreseeable future: The street carts beckon with waffles and fries, and there's basically a chocolatier on every corner. After you've had your fill of the best damn beer on the planet, you won't have a problem finding an Airbnb for less than a Benjamin per night.
Don't leave without: Spending time at the Grand Place, the historic central square. It's lined with jaw-dropping Gothic and Baroque buildings with bars and coffee shops on the ground floors. From there you can watch the street performers put on nightly light shows in the summer.
Leg 2: Brussels, Belgium to Luxembourg City
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Hoard some Belgian chocolate in your bag for later and move along. This route takes you through thick German forests, with a three-hour layover to explore the riverside city of Bonn. See the house where Beethoven was born, get a good look at the Rhine, and then head to the old fortressed city of Luxembourg, which is uniquely situated on plateaus amongst deep gorges.
Despite being one of the three unofficial "capitals" of the EU, Luxembourg stays under the radar; you won't find many other tourists here to muck up the experience. There's plenty of historic and politico-geek stuff to see, or just wander through the tunnels, parks, gardens, nooks, and crannies of the medieval old town.
Don't leave without: Checking out the 10.5 miles of underground caves that were once used as transportation and defense for the city's main castle. The ends of the tunnels have spectacular views that are well worth the crawl.
Leg 3: Luxembourg City to Amsterdam, Netherlands
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Arrive at the infamous Dutch capital in just under seven hours. It's ridiculously easy to do Amsterdam on the cheap: People-watch in the red light district, check out the art galleries on Nieuwe Spiegelstraat, wander into one of the city's hidden gardens, or attend an outdoor film festival, all for exactly zero money.
Don't leave without: Joining the 800,000 other bicyclists on the road. Amsterdam is one of the world's most cycle-friendly cities, and it's the ideal way to explore the canals, neighborhoods, and shopping districts. Then stop under the De Gooyer windmill (one of eight in the city) and enjoy a beer from the award-winning Brouwerij 't IJ brewery.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider