How to travel cheaply: save money on attractions, tours and restaurants, from New York to Amsterdam

In the last of our three-part series, we bring you the best ways to keep your break on budget

Walking in a city like New York will help you get the lie of the land - and save a few dollars (Myrna Suarez/nycgo.com)

You might have found cheap flights and a discounted - or even free - place to stay, but once that's sorted the costs of even a short city break can add up. But with a bit of careful planning there are plenty of ways you can save money on everything from museum entry to eating out.

Free tours

Why pay for a tour when you’ll can find free ones in almost every major city? Donations or tips are usually expected, but you're (usually) getting a bargain, especially in a place you might not feel confident in striking out alone. After spotting a flyer in my hostel, I got a great overview of Old Jerusalem in return for a few shekels thrown in a bucket, but you could also explore Reykjavik with a stand-up comedian (freewalkingtour.is), or take one of many themed walks around Krakow (freewalkingtour.com), whether your interest lies in street art or the Second World War.

Take a free tour of Krakow's Old Town (Jan Kucharzyk/Getty Images)

Alternatively, a new website, OrderTrip (ordertrip.com) lets you post your dates, budget and interests, and locals can respond offering to guide you. You set the price range between you. While anyone can sign up to be a guide, meaning there's no quality guarantee, users can review and rate guides, creating incentive for them to give you a good tour.

City passes

Combined passes can offer significant discounts if you plan to stick to the top tourist attractions. City Pass (citypass.com) is available in 12 North American destinations; the San Francisco version, for example, costs $94 (£70) and includes seven days' cable car and bus transport, a Bay cruise and entry to three attractions including the De Young Museum. For families there’s also a Southern California pass that covers the major theme parks - including the all-important queue jump.

Get discounted entry to theme parks including Disneyland with a combined pass (Scott Nelson/AFP/Getty Images)

Many cities also have their own version, such as the Barcelona Card (barcelonacard.org; €45 for three days) the Berlin WelcomeCard (visitberlin.de; from €19.50 for two days) and the Roma Pass (€28 for 48 hours).

Live like a local

If you've done the tourist trail and want a more local experience, Couchsurfing.com isn’t just for those who want a place to stay (check our cheap accommodation guide, though, for more on that). Many users offer to show visitors around instead of hosting at their homes; it's a great way to scratch beneath the surface. In Sydney I had brunch with one Couchsurfer, before she showed me the highlights of the lovely Paddington neighbourhood, while in Atlanta another local I met online took me out for the night – to restaurants and bars that made it into a 48 Hours feature.

A free night at the museum

We’re spoilt in the UK to have so many free, world-class museums, but that’s not the case in many other countries, where entry can be extortionate (I'm looking at you, America). However, many museums offer free or discounted entry on certain days, so you just need to do your research. In New York, for example, MoMA (moma.org) is free on Friday evenings, while the Guggenheim (guggenheim.org) and the Whitney (whitney.org) both have pay-what-you-want nights (Saturdays and Fridays respectively).

The Whitney Museum (Julienne Schaer/nycgo.com)

In Paris, dozens of institutions including the Musee d’Orsay (musee-orsay.fr) are free on the first Sunday of the month, though for some this is only true at certain times of year: the Louvre (louvre.fr) for example (1 October-31 March).

Dine out

Websites such as VizEat (vizeat.com) and EatWith (eatwith.com) are great for sourcing cheap meals in the company of locals. In Amsterdam, for example, €10 will get you the not-very-Dutch, but delicious-sounding, Korean fried chicken and waffles with an American ex-pat called Marlon, while in Rio, Cicah will whip up a Carioca dinner of Brazilian dumplings and marinated beef, washed down with caipirinhas and wine, for £24 a head.

One final tip

Walk everywhere. Well, within reason. It's free, and will help you get your bearings in a new place. I always screen-grab a series of maps on my phone before I leave the hotel, so I don't have to use data if I get lost.