Shopping & Service

1. Tip wisely. Americans are famously generous, but in Europe a ten percent tip is perfectly acceptable for waiters. If a service charge is included (check your bill carefully), don't leave anything more.

2. Shop tax-free. Some stores participate in a program called Global Refund. It's a better value on more expensive purchases: Spend $161 in the United Kingdom, for example, and get $13 back; spend $1,612 and get $208 back. See www.globalrefund.com for details.

Hotels & Transportation

3. Walk. Many cities—notably Amsterdam, Florence, Madrid, Paris, Rome, Venice, and Vienna—are easy to navigate on foot, so you can save on transportation costs.

4. Buy a travel pass. Some are a good value—the 24-hour Vienna transport card (www.vci.oeaw.ac.at/circ13.html) costs $6 while single tickets are $2. In Paris, however, avoid the special prices posted for tourists: One, the Paris Visite card, which allows travel in the city, costs between $9 and $27 for one day (depending on zones), but you can buy a carnet of 10 single tickets for just $11. For multiple days, a weekly Orange card, which the locals use, provides better value than a multiday Visite card, although the former has more restrictions (see www.ratp.com for prices).

5. Buy a city/sightseeing pass. Most offer admission to or discounts on museums, sights, restaurants, shops, etc., and some throw in free transport. The Amsterdam Pass costs $30 for a day and includes free admission to 26 major sights and museums as well as travel on public transport (www.amsterdam.nl). In Rome, an Itinere card costs $15 and covers 16 major points of interest over 7 days (www.romacaputmundi.it).

6. Buy a rail pass. These can offer substantial savings over normal fares, but be sure to select the best one for your needs—in France, for instance, travelers over the age of 60 receive considerable discounts (www.raileurope.com).

7. Travel by bus. If you're intrepid enough to try long-distance bus trips, you'll generally pay less than you would for trains (www.eurolines.com).

8. Request a diesel rental car. In continental Europe, diesel fuel is significantly cheaper than regular gasoline—in France, for example, diesel averages 91 cents per liter compared with $1.37 for regular—and a tank can last nearly twice as long.

9. Fuel up at supermarket gas stations. They usually have much lower prices than freeway stations, but keep in mind that some are unmanned after hours and some don't accept American credit cards.