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Broke & Booked: Student City Guides
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items Every city guide online assumes you have unlimited money and zero sense of adventure. This one doesn't. These are the places I actually went, the food I actually ate, and the things I actually did — all on a student budget, most of them free. Real re...
Sections
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Montreal — Poutine, art, and accents I couldn't place
Buenos Aires — Paris of South America, price of a student cafeteria
Basel — Tiny city, massive art energy
Barcelona — Beach, tapas, and zero euros spent on a Tuesday
London — Expensive city, free everything else
New York — The city that never sleeps (or charges entry fees if you're clever)
Montreal — Poutine, art, and accents I couldn't place
The city that surprised me the most. Incredibly walkable, insanely cheap for a North American city, and packed with free culture around every corner. Come hungry.
Hike up for panoramic views of the entire city. Locals just call it "the mountain." Go at sunset and bring a picnic — the view from the top is genuinely one of the best things I've ever seen for free.
Mount Royal Park | Tourisme Montréal
Wander cobblestone streets that feel more European than North American. Completely free, endlessly photogenic, and the kind of place you can spend a whole afternoon just walking and getting lost.
Old Montréal and Old Port
Colorful Victorian houses, spiral iron staircases, street murals, and cozy cafés everywhere. No plan needed — just walk, take photos, and stumble into the best neighborhood in the city.
Plateau-Mont-Royal and Mile End | Tourisme Montréal
An open-air gallery that stretches through the hippest parts of the city. Massive, colorful murals tucked into alleyways and covering entire buildings. Free always.
The Murals on Saint Laurent Boulevard in Montreal - Atlas Obscura
One of the largest domes in the world. Free to enter, peaceful gardens, and stunning panoramic views of the island of Montreal. Stay for sunset.
St Joseph's Oratory
Free every first Sunday of the month — and always free for students under 30. One of the best collections in North America and nobody has to know you didn't pay.
Musee Des Beaux-Arts De Montreal
Free on Wednesdays after 5pm and every first Sunday of the month. Fascinating look at Montreal's social history, past and present.
McCord Museum of Canadian History
A Montreal bagel for under $1. Warm, fresh out of the wood-fired oven, and — sorry New York — genuinely better. Don't leave without trying one.
Fairmount Bagel
Try a steamed Quebec hot dog at Lafleur's or La Belle Province for a true local experience under $5. Cheap, delicious, and deeply unapologetically Montreal.
Casse-Croûte Vendéen
Buenos Aires — Paris of South America, price of a student cafeteria
Steak, tango, bookshops the size of theatres, and a nightlife that doesn't start until midnight. Everything here costs less than you'd expect and delivers more than you'd imagine.
Colorful houses, street murals, tango dancers performing on the street, and the actual birthplace of Buenos Aires culture. Walk it yourself — you don't need a tour for this one.
Caminito La Boca, Melbourne
A stunning outdoor labyrinth of elaborate mausoleums including Evita Perón's vault. Free to enter and genuinely one of the most architecturally beautiful places I've ever walked through.
Recoleta Cemetery - Turismo Buenos Aires
Always free. One of the largest art collections in Latin America with works by Goya, Van Gogh, and Rembrandt. Somehow nobody talks about this enough.
Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes
The entire neighborhood transforms into a massive free outdoor market. Antiques, street food, live music, performers, and real Buenos Aires energy. Don't miss it.
FEIRA DE SAN TELMO - All You SHOULD Know Before You Go (w
The city's green lung. Perfect for a picnic, people-watching, or just sitting with a mate like every porteño does on a Sunday afternoon. Free and completely lovely.
Bosques de Palermo - Turismo Buenos Aires
Free Walks runs daily tip-based tours that are genuinely excellent. Best way to understand the city's complicated, fascinating history in just a few hours.
Free Walking Tour Buenos Aires | Free Online Booking!
Less touristy than Recoleta but equally stunning. Tango legend Carlos Gardel is buried here and the architecture is breathtaking. Go in the morning when it's quiet.
Chacarita Cemetery - Turismo Buenos Aires
Basel — Tiny city, massive art energy
Don't sleep on Basel. It's small, it's quiet, and it has some of the best free museum days in all of Europe. If you time your visit right, you can spend a full weekend surrounded by world-class art without spending a cent.
Completely free to wander. Medieval cobblestone streets, the striking red City Hall (Rathaus) with its beautiful inner courtyard, and the Basel Minster cathedral with twin towers and a colorful tiled roof. Just walk.
Old Town | basel.com - Basel Tourismus
Stroll along both banks of the Rhine for free. In summer, watch locals jump in and swim downstream with the current — it's a beloved Basel tradition and completely wild to witness.
The Rhine | basel.com
A tiny hand-powered ferry that crosses the Rhine using only the river's current. Costs 80 cents. One of the most unique and charming experiences in the entire city.
Rhine river ferries in Basel [Switzerland]
Basel's best-kept secret. Almost every museum opens for free on the first Sunday of each month — including the world-famous Museum Tinguely and Fondation Beyeler. Plan your trip around this.
Museums | basel.com
A leading contemporary art museum that's free every Tuesday. Rotating exhibitions, always interesting, never crowded.
Kunsthaus Baselland
Free to enter and one of the oldest botanical gardens in Switzerland, founded in 1589. Peaceful, beautiful, and completely overlooked by tourists.
Home | Botanical Garden | University of Basel
A free outdoor kinetic fountain sculpture by artist Jean Tinguely in Theaterplatz. It moves, it splashes, and it's impossibly charming. Just go and stare at it for a while.
Tinguely Fountain
A free wildlife park in the city with monkeys, owls, donkeys, goats, and peacocks. Honestly one of the most underrated spots in Basel.
Tierpark Lange Erlen (2026) - All You SHOULD Know (with Reviews)
Pick up local cheese, fresh bread, and seasonal produce straight from the farmers. Cheap, delicious, and the most Swiss experience you can have.
Marktplatz - Basel Tourismus
Migros or Coop + a bench by the river = the most authentic student meal in Basel. Grab some bread, cheese, and a drink and watch the world float by.
Coop Supermarkt Basel Europe | coop.ch
Barcelona — Beach, tapas, and zero euros spent on a Tuesday
Everyone knows Barcelona is beautiful. What they don't tell you is how much of it is completely free — the architecture, the beaches, the markets, the vibe. This is what I actually did between €2 coffees and long walks.
Free, beautiful, and full of life. The Mediterranean does all the work. Just show up, find a spot, and stay for hours.
Barceloneta Beach - Tourism of Barcelona
Getting lost in these medieval streets is one of the best things you can do in Barcelona. No map, no agenda, no money needed. Every turn is a photo.
The Gothic Quarter, the old town of Barcelona | Epepa Travel Blog
The best panoramic view of the entire city — and barely on the tourist radar. Free to visit, perfect at sunset, and genuinely one of my favorite spots in any city I've ever been to.
Bunkers del Carmel - Barcelonas bestem Aussichtspunkt
Barcelona's beloved green park. Free to enter, perfect for picnics, and the place where locals actually relax on weekends. The waterfall inside was designed with help from a young Gaudí.
Parc de la Ciutadella in Barcelona
Free to browse and a full sensory experience. Buy your snacks from the stalls at the edges of the market where locals shop — avoid the tourist-priced center stalls.
Boqueria Market Barcelona - Mercat de la Boqueria
A free water and light show that runs on weekend evenings. Worth timing your visit around — it's genuinely spectacular and costs absolutely nothing.
Magic Fountain | Barcelona.cat | Barcelona City Council
Walk or skate the entire length of Barcelona's seafront boardwalk for free. Sea breeze, people watching, and skyline views the whole way.
Passeig Maritim (2026) - All You SHOULD Know Before Going (with ...
Head to Mercat de l'Abaceria in Gràcia or any local market and eat like a local. Fresh fruit, cheese, and olives for a fraction of tourist-area prices.
Abaceria Central Market - Tourism of Barcelona
London — Expensive city, free everything else
London has a reputation for destroying your bank account. And yes, it can. But it also has more free world-class museums, parks, and galleries than almost any city on earth. You just have to know where to look.
Free always, forever, no exceptions. One of the greatest museums in the world. The Rosetta Stone, the Elgin Marbles, Egyptian mummies — all free. Give yourself a full day.
Visit | British Museum
Free permanent collection, stunning building, and right on the Thames. The Turbine Hall always has something massive and unexpected inside.
Tate Modern
Van Gogh, Monet, da Vinci, Vermeer — all free in Trafalgar Square. The fact that this is free still makes me a little emotional honestly.
The National Gallery, London
Free. The architecture outside is as stunning as everything inside. The giant blue whale suspended from the ceiling alone is worth the trip.
Natural History Museum: Home
London's highest public garden, 155 metres above the city. Completely free but you must book a timed slot online in advance — don't forget or you won't get in.
Booking your visit - Sky Garden - London
London has extraordinary green spaces and all of them are free. Richmond Park has actual wild deer wandering around. Hampstead Heath has panoramic city views from Parliament Hill.
London's Royal Parks
Free to browse for hours. Even if you buy nothing you'll spend a full afternoon there. The sample game at Borough Market is very strong.
Portobello Road Market
Free, happens every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday at 10:45a
Changing the Guard Dates and Times
A salt beef or smoked salmon bagel for under £5. Open all night. A London institution that every student needs to experience at least once.
Brick Lane Beigel Bake | London's 24/7 Bagel Shop | Order Now!
Show up hungry and graze. A proper lunch from the stalls won't break the bank and the quality is unreal.
Stalls, shops and restaurants | Borough Market
New York — The city that never sleeps (or charges entry fees if you're clever)
New York feels intimidating on a budget but it's actually more doable than people think. Between pay-what-you-wish museums, free skyline views, legendary cheap eats, and neighbourhoods that are worth hours of just wandering — you don't need much mone...
An elevated park built on an old railway line above the city streets. Free, beautifully designed, and one of the best walks in all of New York. Start at Gansevoort Street and walk north.
High Line Art
Walk across it from the Brooklyn side for the most iconic Manhattan skyline view you'll ever see. Completely free and completely unmissable.
The Brooklyn Bridge
The most filmed public park in the world and entirely free. Shakespeare in the Park runs free lottery performances every summer. The Conservatory Garden is a hidden gem inside the park.
Central Park Conservancy: Your Official Guide to Central Park I…
One of the world's greatest museums. You can technically pay $1. Spend the whole day and don't miss the rooftop garden views over Central Park.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
A completely free 25-minute ferry with stunning views of the Manhattan skyline and the Statue of Liberty. Genuinely better than most paid boat tours and it costs nothing.
NYC DOT - Staten Island Ferry Schedule
Free to access on weekends. Green spaces, breathtaking city skyline views, and a lavender farm in summer. Takes 10 minutes to get there by ferry.
Governors Island (en-US)
Free live music, theatre, and workshops every Thursday night at the David Rubenstein Atrium. First come, first served — get there a little early.
Summer for the City series - Lincoln Center
18 miles of books. You don't have to buy anything — just browsing is an experience. The sale carts outside always have something interesting.
Strand Books
Walk through at rush hour and let the architecture stop you in your tracks. Free, always open, and one of the most beautiful buildings in America.
Grand Central Terminal - Make Everyday Grand
Dollar slices are a New York institution. Joe's Pizza and 2 Bros are the classics. Grab one and eat it walking — that's the only correct way.
$1 Pizza NYC | A map of every $1 slice in NYC
Under $8, enormous portions, and the cart on 53rd and 6th Avenue is genuinely legendary. The white sauce is non-negotiable.
The Halal Chicken and Rice Company
Brooklyn's famous open-air food market. Free to enter, food is affordable, and the variety is incredible. One of the best Saturday morning activities in the city.
Smorgasburg