Rick Steves' Son Shares One Of His Favorite Free Activities To Do While In Europe

Growing up with a global travel guru for a dad likely means you'll naturally become rather travel savvy as well. This is definitely the case for Andy Steves, son of Rick Steves. Andy grew up frequently visiting Europe with his parents as Rick worked on guidebooks for his tour company. Andy has followed in Rick's footsteps and has published a travel guidebook of his own, called "Andy Steves' Europe: City-Hopping on a Budget."

As the title of his book suggests, Andy promotes ways to make travel more budget-friendly, just like Rick has done for decades. This means seeking out ways to get ultra-cheap flights, and even looking for free activities to do. While speaking with Travel + Leisure, Andy explained that one of his favorite free things to do in Europe is to visit public parks or hills that offer views of the city. "Hit the grocery store ahead of time," he suggests, sticking to the budget-friendly theme, "pick up maybe some wine, some bread and cheese, and get very European while you take in a beautiful panorama of whatever city you're in." Getting a broad overview of a city not only puts many of its landmarks into view, but the photographer in all of us will enjoy taking in the sights. Checking out what is going on in the city you are visiting can bring you to some free things to do as well.

Andy Steves specifically mentions Letná Park (Letenské sady) as a place to get picturesque views of Prague at no cost. This park is also popular among locals, giving tourists a taste of every day life in the Czech capital. Its proximity to major landmarks makes Letná Park easy to incorporate into your itinerary, making the free city views that much more perfect. 

Barcelona has postcard-worthy views too. Steves pointed out Montjuïc, a hilly section of the city close to the bustling marina. Among the handful of places to get lovely city views are Mirador Montjuïc and Mirador de l'Alcalde. These lookouts are located at the Jardins del Mirador and allow you to see views of both the city and the coast.

For other free activities, Steves recommends seeking out public events like festivals. Taking local events into account is something too many travelers forget while making a European itinerary. Festivals and the like can bring larger crowds, but they can also be fun, low-cost ways to experience a city's culture. From cities with incredible Christmas markets to music festivals in the summer, Europe has plenty going on, even for budget travelers.