THE first few months of the year are usually filled with cold, wet weather and strained New Year's resolutions, which unsurprisingly makes it the perfect time to get away and recharge the batteries.
With Europe just a short plane journey away and weekend breaks available on the cheap, a visit to a culture capital makes for a tempting tonic to those winter blues.
Budget breaks can be equally as appealing as more expensive trips; it's just a matter of substituting your wants for your needs. Swap hotels for cosy hostels, exchange restaurants for picturesque picnics and avoid expensive attractions in favour of the culture to be found off the beaten track.
Paris is the city of light and a destination filled with budget fun to more than match its pricey institutions. Both The Louvre and the view from the top of the Eiffel Tower are undoubtedly worth seeing, but with long queues and high admission charges it is both time and money that they will cost you. Why not explore the alternatives?
The adventurous will find the charming, yet grisly, appeal of the city's Catacombs a match for Notre Dame and if the tunnels of bones aren't your thing then how about the majesty of the Pére Lachaise graveyard near the Phillipe Auguste Metro Station? Explore the winding paths and pay your respects at the famous graves of Oscar Wilde and Jim Morrison.
If that's all a little too macabre then why not head to Le Marais, home to Paris' Jewish quarter. Relatively inexpensive patisseries, cafés and bars line the cobbled streets, which offer a different side of Paris.
Amsterdam may have a slightly seedy reputation due to its infamous red light district but its warm welcome and vast canal system are much more interesting to focus on. It is in part thanks to the attraction of its red light district that Amsterdam has such a healthy number of great quality hostels and guesthouses ready to offer a cheap stay.
The Heineken Brewery tour is often high on the list of places to visit but Amsterdam holidays also offer a whole world of weird and wonderful museums to visitors. The Houseboat Museum, the Sex Museum and the Kitten Cabinet (a museum dedicated to the cat's place in history) are all popular and highly affordable alternative fun. And after a visit to those three, a spot of relaxation in Vondelpark or one of Amsterdam's urban beaches might be in order.
A list of Europe's cultural capitals would not be complete without Rome and its ancient splendour. The city has a reputation for its expense and while luxury is available, holidays to Rome don't have to break the bank. Cosy hostels or inexpensive hotels can be found and once you have a base from which to explore the city it's up to you what you spend.
Try to visit restaurants and bars recommended by the locals to sample the delicious and inexpensive cuisine. Picnic at Villa Borghese, where you can enjoy the gardens of the fantastic 17th Century structure complete with breathtaking sculptures and a boating lake. Rome is a city filled with incredible architecture like St. Peter's Basilica and Trajan's Column, so just strolling with open eyes is a cheap treat.
For a long time Berlin has been a city on the up and as if in confirmation, the price of a visit has risen too. However, a city with so much culture quickly cultivates new forms of entertainment to wow its guests. Berlin is rumoured to have over 1000 theatres and stages, multiple opera houses and nearly 300 galleries, including the Museum Für Gegenwart. Formerly the Hamburger train station, the monument is now a Mecca of modern art and creativity and a place at which any visitor could spend hours.
Add to the galleries, exhibitions and museums Berlin's history and there is almost too much to see. A visit to Checkpoint Charlie and a tracing of the Berlin Wall is an experience and picnics in Grunewald Forest are all the rage (as well as being cheap).
Europe may be one of the world's most expensive continents but the savvy traveler can always find a way to experience its rich culture on the cheap.
