This Weekend: Last-minute Kentucky Derby plans

Free—and nearly free—bike rentals are a great way to save in European cities. I've written about these programs recently: "Rent a Bike in Europe for Nearly Nothing" and "Free Bikes in Spain." At a Swiss press event last week, I found out about even more cities that offer free bike rentals to the public. Both Bern and Zürich now run similar programs at designated locations from May through October. Here's how it works. You can leave your ID and some money (CHF 20) as collateral. Then you pick up your ride—a kid's bike, a scooter, or a skateboard!—for a day's use. You get your ID and money back when you return the bike before closing time (generally 9:30 p.m.). In Bern, the three rental sites are Station Square, and spots along Hirschengraben and Zeughausgasse (for more details, including a map of the three rental spots, click here) In Zürich, the five rental sites are the Globus City shopping center, Oerlikon–Swissôtel hotel, the opera house, Enge station, and the Zürich HB station. (That last spot offers rentals year-round). For more info, click here.

Save in Paris on Seine River cruises. It's not a trip to Paris if you don't take a Bateau Mouche, an open-air sightseeing boat up and down the meandering Seine. The boats move slowly enough to take in breathtaking views—Notre Dame, the Louvre, and the Eiffel Tower. Vedettes du Pont Neuf is the best company for bargain-hunters. There are no obligatory meals or drinks on board. Bring your own instead, stopping at a grocery store in advance. (And know that, this being Paris, alcoholic beverages are permitted on board). Since there are twenty departures a day between 10:30 am and 10:30 pm, you can swing by whenever it's convenient. Best of all for penny-pinchers (or should I say "eurocent-pinchers"?), you can get a four-euro discount off the 11-euro price by buying your ticket in advance online at the Vedettes du Pont Neuf website. —Laurie Pike, a blogger in Paris, is writing for our Affordable Europe series.

Here are four ways to save on trains in Britain. Forget Britrail.com. It's the main US travel agency website, and it charges a "one size fits all" fare for any given journey. Its rates rarely seem to bear any relation to real U.K. fares. For example, London-York is always $198 return at Britrail.com when the cheap Advance fares start at about $22 each way on U.K. websites, which you can use just like Britons do. For example, you can check train schedules and buy fares at www.nationalrail.co.uk. [UPDATE 5/13] National Rail's site (note it has a .co.uk ending, not a .com ending) won't sell tickets. But once you've planned your trip, go to www.raileasy.co.uk, which charges a small booking fee (of about $2 to $6, varying by what you buy). I recommend the site because it will accept U.S. credit cards (unlike many other British booking sites). The site will also let American visitors collect tickets at stations, either from the ticket office or self-service machines. RailEasy is just fixing their site so that overseas visitors are specifically prompted to select the ‘collect at station’ option. Rail passes aren't a good deal for the typical traveler's agenda. Consider buying point-to-point tickets instead. Here are examples of non-refundable Advance fares bought from www.raileasy.co.uk. London-York from about $22 each way. London-Bath starts at about $19. London-Edinburgh starts at about $28. Book ahead. As a rule, you can book up to three months in advance. Overnight it. Yes, you can do London and the Highlands of Scotland in the same trip without stress or high cost. Take the traditional Caledonian Sleeper from central London to Edinburgh, Inverness, or Aberdeen. A bed in a two-berth compartment starts at about $156 one-way, including breakfast. It'll save a hotel bill. Learn more at seat61.com/CaledonianSleepers.htm. Take the scenic route. You can travel direct from London to Edinburgh in four-and-a-half hours. But changing at Leeds and Glasgow takes you over the wild and remote Settle & Carlisle Line, one of Britain's most scenic. That route will take you 7-8 hours to Scotland, but costs no more than the direct route—if you buy an Open or Saver ticket (instead of a so-called Advance ticket). Get your bearings at the National Rail website *(Rates quoted in this blog post may change at the time of your booking because of the shifting exchange rate.) Mark Smith, blogging from the UK, for our Affordable Europe series.

There's an interesting item in Travel Weekly about a woman in California who is suing NCL (Norwegian Cruise Line) because she couldn't get into the premium specialty restaurants "due to upscale passengers taking all the seats." NCL markets Freestyle Dining as the ability to eat anywhere you choose, but the woman found that priority seating went to passengers who had paid higher fares. The lawyer is trying for class-action status, and the woman wants all her costs reimbursed (which seems a bit outrageous), but I think maybe there's a legitimate beef here. Cruise lines are creating a multi-class system, and that usually leads to the lower classes feeling disenfranchised.