Rick Steves' Most Budget-Friendly Way To Enjoy Many European Cities

European travel can be costly, especially to countries like Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Switzerland, home to Europe's two most expensive cities for dining out. However, you don't need a lot of money to enjoy the European continent. With thoughtful planning and a well-organized itinerary, you can power a trip entirely on your own steam without relying on pricy tour guides or other extravagant extras — and there's always Rick Steves' Audio Europe app to take the reins.

Malta, Maderia, and Mallorca are all good warm-weather islands for a budget-friendly vacation. Prague is cheap, too, and so are Krakow, Belgrade, Bucharest, Sofia, and Sarajevo. Europe has no shortage of affordable city breaks and beach escapes. But what if you are looking for something more than a good deal and a well-revised itinerary? Preparation can only go so far. Sometimes, the knowledge of a native or highly experienced traveler can make lasting memories.

Happily, travel guru Rick Steves can help. His company offers free audio tours for cities spanning from Lisbon to London, which are some of the best European destinations to end your summer. You can download guides and interviews online, but the easiest way to access Steves' very generous collection is through the Rick Steves' Audio Europe app, which is available for download on the App Store and Google Play. 

The Rick Steves Audio App has a 4.7-star rating from over 900 reviews on Google Play, and it quickly becomes apparent why. The interface is clean, intuitive, and easy to navigate, while the content — walking tours, guide interviews, expert interviews, author interviews, and book excerpts — is high quality and generously curated by Rick Steves and his team. 

There are three options on the main menu. First is "Find Tours & Interviews," which takes users to a list of 17 European countries and territories such as "Britain (Beyond London)," "General Europe," "Italy (Venice, Florence, Rome)," and over a dozen others. Each category contains hours of content. For example, under "General Europe" is a 39-minute episode titled "Architecture for Travelers," in which architecture professor Kathryn Rogers Merlino guides users through Roman ruins and numerous other artifacts. 

The interview and book excerpt episodes are marked with a small radio microphone logo, and they are best for casual listening in your hotel or transit. For a walking tour, look for the distinctive walking man logo called "Ampelmännchen," which originated in East Germany's traffic light network. There are 60 walking tours available in cities such as Dublin, London, Paris, Prague, Berlin, Salzburg, Milan, Naples, and many others. The Rick Steves Audio App can help you explore the European continent while keeping more money in your pocket.