Summer Plans Under €30

There’s something about summer that just seems to burn a hole in our pockets. I can come up with many generic summer plans, like going to a summer movie screening, visiting a winery and attending a wine tasting, doing a cycling tour anywhere in the world, having a picnic in a park, camping and any other outdoor activities, having a BBQ, or watching the sunset. However, in this post I’ll suggest some very specific plans- everyday plans under 30 euros to have the best time this summer.

Outdoor Movie Screenings in Madrid

Outdoor movie screenings never fail to take me back to my childhood. And in the Spanish capital there are many options when it comes to outdoors movie screenings. Here are some of our picks: the terrace of the Doré Cinema (Filmoteca Española), the popular Parque de la Bombilla, also at La Casa Encendida, in the Cybele Palace, or below the night sky of the Conde Duque Cultural Center. If you are taking the kids along, I can recommend the outdoor screenings at Parque Lineal del Manzanares and, it goes without saying that you can’t miss out on the Noches de Verano (summer nights) of the Olivar de Castillejos Foundation.

Free Tours throughout Europe

Sandeman’s New Europe is an agency that offers free tours where its young guides give you the best of their knowledge in exchange for a tip. The tipping amount is solely up to you. Sandeman’s tours are ideal when first arriving in a city for that first contact with the grounds so you can orient yourself better later on. Their guides are story-tellers, and their work is essential in the tourist sector of any city. They have some very interesting and highly specific tours for all tastes. You’ll find them in Madrid, Barcelona, Amsterdam, Berlin, Brussels, Copenhagen, Dublin, Edinburgh, Hamburg, Jerusalem, Lisbon, Liverpool, London, Munich, New York, Paris, Prague, and Tel Aviv. The tours are high-quality, and more so when taking into account that Sandeman’s New Europe’s personnel relies solely on tips. Highly recommendable.

Camp at the Hoces del Río Duratón National Park in Segovia

This, to me, is one of the prettiest landscapes in Segovia. The river is literally embedded at the bottom of a 100 meter tall gorge, over which peregrine falcons, golden eagles, and griffon vultures soar; all of them endangered species that have made this canyon their home. And the experience comes cheap. All you need is a good tent and little more for an amazing weekend. You can camp at any of the numerous campsites of Hoces del Duratón, and visit the area’s historic heritage (caves with Bronze Age engravings, the Romanesque chapel of San Frutos and Sepulveda), do some hiking, and even go canoeing down the Duratón River. Pure adventure.

Descent of the Sella River, Asturias

From Arriondas to Ribadesella, the descent of the Sella River is one of the main celebrations in Asturias. The Canoe Festival is an activity for young and old, and even for those with disabilities. There are no barriers and no limits. The price is 25 euros per person, 17 euros if you are part of a group, and 10 euros per child.