Europe’s public-transportation systems are so good that many urban Europeans go through life never learning to drive. Their wheels are trains, subways, trams, and buses (plus the occasional taxi). By riding with the locals, you too can take advantage of Europe’s convenient network of buses and rails.

Learning how to use the public transportation system while traveling is a great way to save time and money. Instead of sitting in a taxi in Paris’ morning traffic, you can ride the Metro to the Eiffel Tower, leaving all of that chaos overhead, and be among the first in line to climb to the top. In Verona, Italy, I recently saved several euros by catching the bus to my hotel from the train station, rather than taking a cab. And it didn’t even take much longer, since most cities coordinate their train and bus systems pretty efficiently.

In bigger European cities, the subway is often the quickest way to get around. Paris and London have the most extensive subway systems. In contrast, Rome, which has ancient ruins nearly everywhere you dig, has just two subway lines, and many areas are better served by bus.