Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
GET YOUR DRINK ON
Yumm. Beer.
A big night out drinking on the town can quickly bust your budget if you're not careful. The
key is finding the best places to go and maybe having a little self-restraint.
Ask hostel workers.
The people working at the hostel will usually have their favorite bars,
pubs, and cafés so it makes sense to ask them. Ask them where they go after work.
Many hostels organize pub-crawls. However, it would be naive to think that a lot of these
hostel workers aren't getting kickbacks from these bars. It may not always be true, but keep in
mind that you could find better deals elsewhere.
Grocery stores.
It's no surprise that the cheapest alcohol is found at the grocery store.
Nearly every store will have a wide selection of wine (especially in regions that make a lot
of the stuff) and a variety of beer will also be available. If you want a greater beer selection,
you will probably have to go to smaller specialty shops. Also, it is fairly rare to find cold beer
in grocery stores, but smaller convenience stores will sell individual bottles that have been
chilled.
Student areas.
European students enjoying drinking cheaply just as much as you do, so
find out where the local students hang out. Almost any major city will have websites dedicated
to finding the best drink deals in town—which are often the places that students frequent.
Drink in public.
Europe has fairly lax laws (or at least lax enforcement) about drinking in
public. This doesn't mean you can walk around the street chugging a beer, but it is often per-
fectly acceptable to enjoy a beer or a bottle of wine in a park or other spaces. The police won't
bother you if you're respectable and don't make a scene.
