Travellers informed of 'world's best free stuff'

Travel & Leisure magazine has offered a guide to the world's best free attractions, activities and sights to help people hoping to take holidays on a budget.

One good way to save money, according to the magazine, is to take advantage of free sightseeing tours in destinations such as New York, Toronto, Paris and Melbourne, which are often led by local volunteers.

Many cities, including Copenhagen, Helsinki and Zurich, also provide bicycle lending services that only require a nominal deposit.

Internet surfers can plan for their holiday in advance by downloading podcast guides to attractions such as Paris' Louvre museum and Rome's Sistine Chapel, which will cut the cost of hiring a museum wand.

Many destinations also offer free public transportation, including New York, where the Staten Island ferry offers excellent views of the city's skyline, the Statue of Liberty and New York harbour.

There are also plenty of attractions around the world that are free to enter, the best of which, according to Travel & Leisure, are the National Gallery, the British Museum and the Tate galleries in London and Washington DC's Smithsonian museums and National Zoo.

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