As a girl whose happiness levels rather heavily depend on whether or not she has her next holiday booked; I’m always on the lookout for desirable destinations that I can escape to without breaking the bank. And so it’s pretty darn convenient that the Post Office has just published this year’s City Costs Barometer. The recently-released report has revealed the cheapest (and more expensive) city breaks to take in Europe this year – and we’re now going to point you in their very direction.
Having rummaged through the data (analysing the cost of 12 everyday tourist items across 50 popular European cities as they did so), the Post Office’s travel-afficionados crunched the numbers like a bag of Lays eaten on a hotel balcony to reveal the most (and least) budget-friendly locations. They took into account the cost of accommodation, meals, drinks, airport transfers, sightseeing tours, travel, and attractions to uncover the spots that offer the most bang for your buck. And topping the list as the cheapest city break on the continent is (drum roll, please)… Sarajevo.
Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina
The Balkan capital of Sarajevo topped the cheap and cheerful charts this year. Once all costs were taken into account, the City Costs Barometer calculated that a weekend in Sarajevo will set a pair of visits back just £248. With a plethora of pretty streets to stroll, plenty of cultural landmarks to admire, and an impressive food and drink offering; it seems as though Sarajevo should be immediately catapulted to the top of your must-visit list. Flights from London to Sarajevo, of course, vary depending on when you wish to visit, but a quick trawl through Skyscanner will find you flights for less than £40 over the next few months. Count me in.
The cheapest city breaks in Europe:
- Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina
- Bucharest, Romania
- Tirana, Albania
- Belgrade, Serbia
- Trenčín, Slovakia
- Riga, Latvia
- Lille, France
- Vilnius, Lithuania
- Strasbourg, France
- Podgorica, Montenegro
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Oslo was named the most expensive city break in Europe. A weekend in the Norwegian capital will cost a couple on average £734. Yes, that’s almost triple the price of a trip to Sarajevo. Blimey!
You can peruse the Post Office’s full City Costs Barometer here.
