With inflation, bills and fuel prices all rising at astonishing rates around the world, plenty of us are feeling the pinch. And if you’re hoping to try and book an autumn getaway despite all that, then cheaper destinations might be looking much, much more attractive than usual.
So check out this study from currency exchange service Post Office Travel Money, which has looked at travel costs in 20 popular European cities to find out. The report examined a dozen factors, ranging from the cost of two nights in a hotel to attraction tickets and the price of local public transport.
We can reveal that the cheapest European city break right now is… Athens! The full cost of a two-day trip in the Greek capital came to just £207 ($238) per person. Prices in Athens have apparently fallen by a whopping 15 percent in the last year.
Next in the list came Lisbon, where a two-day trip costs just £218 ($251) right now, followed by Krakow in Poland (£219, $252). According to Post Office Travel Money, Athens and Lisbon being up top marks the first time in 15 years that western European cities are cheaper than their eastern counterparts.
Down the other end of the ranking, the most expensive cities were Amsterdam and Venice. The average cost of two nights in ‘Dam was a £593 ($682) – nearly triple the cost of Athens – while in Venice it was £457 ($525).
It’s worth mentioning that the study does not include the price of actually getting to your city-break destination – just how much you’ll spend while you’re there.
Here are the full top ten cheapest European city break destinations right now, according to Post Office Travel Money, plus the average cost of a two-day trip.
- Athens, Greece (£207)
- Lisbon, Portugal (£218)
- Krakow, Poland (£219)
- Riga, Latvia (£220, $253)
- Budapest, Hungary (£221, $254)
- Prague, Czech Republic (£249, $286)
- Madrid, Spain (£299, $344)
- Berlin, Germany (£317, $364)
- Dubrovnik, Croatia (£318, $365)
- Rome, Italy (£347, $399)
If you’d like to read Post Office Travel Money’s full study of 20 European city breaks, you’ll find that here. And if you’ve decided to go ahead and book a trip to Athens, make sure to swing by Kolokotroni, which we just named as one of the world’s coolest streets.
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