by It feels increasingly difficult to find a really cheap city to travel to. In a time when exchange rates were more favorable, and parts of Europe much less explored, holidays abroad could be relatively affordable. Coffees were cheap; food was cheap. Tapas and a jug of sangria was an indulgence not because of the inevitable financial blow, but because of eating patatas bravas in the sunlight felt eminently luxurious.
While affordable accommodation and restaurants unaware of their ability to overcharge tourists seem to have disappeared, they have not disappeared entirely. Telegraph Travel examined average prices for popular holiday destinations such as taxi fares, meal costs, cappuccinos and beers, to find five of the most affordable holiday destinations – they’re also exceptional cities to visit.
Bucharest, Romania
Bucharest, the capital of Romania, has all the elements needed for a good city break: think wide, tree-lined avenues, lively bars and characteristic museums. Belleēpoque architecture contrasts with Communist-era housing, says travel expert Monica Suma, “best seen on Calea Victoriei, the main thoroughfare, which comes alive on summer weekends during the pedestrian Open Streets event only”.
All this is, very importantly, very affordable. According to the cost of living aggregator Numbeo, a three-course meal for two, in a mid-range restaurant, is around £43; a bottle of wine will set you back just over £5. An average cappuccino costs £2.46. Try Caru’ cu bere, a traditional restaurant with stained glass and dark wood paneling – beef stew costs around £5.
It’s also easy to get around. Bucharest is incredibly walkable, although transport is so cheap it feels unfair not to use it. A typical single journey on the tram and subway network costs just over 50p. Numbeo has the price per kilometer for a taxi journey at 52p, which equates to an average of £1.95 in London.
If you decide to explore on foot, however, a walking tour – usually free – is a great way to explore the city’s history. The bloody rule of Nicolae Ceausescu, and the revolution that followed, should be covered along with Bucharest’s transformation into a place far removed from its vampiric neighbors.
Bucharest’s budget resolutions are less and less secret. The city has taken TikTok by storm. Follow the collider’s itinerary, and tourists will find themselves in the Van Gogh cafe – a place with a good reputation – and the Therme Spa, a beautiful modern hammam complex that costs £17.50 for a full day’s entry. In this case, social media stars have found a real bargain – but expect prices to rise as a result.
How to do it
Return flights to Bucharest start at £50 from London Stansted with Ryanair. Stay at the Cismigiu Hotel, located in the heart of the old town – rooms start at £120 per night. Read our review here.
Gdańsk, Poland
Gdańsk is not alone among Polish cities that could make this list: Warsaw and Krakow are similarly reasonably priced. Gdańsk, however, is still relatively unknown, with its terracotta-topped terraces and wide boulevards.
Many pair a visit to the city with a trip to the nearby beach resort of Sopot, and further down the coast to Gdynia. A train ticket averages around £4.50, so turning a city break into an extended seaside holiday is definitely a viable option.
But there is plenty to do just in the city itself. Danzig, as it was known to the Germans during the Second World War, was largely destroyed by 1945, so the Dutch Revival architecture is a modern replica – albeit less impressive. To explore the city’s many museums, invest in a £11 tourist card which allows free entry; on Mondays, most cultural sites are free anyway.
The main attraction is the European Solidarity Center: a walking, rust-colored monolith that houses a permanent exhibition about the Solidarnoć movement, the Polish trade union founded in 1980 that was, at the time, the only free mass social organization in free in the Communist Bloc. After you’ve had your fill, follow the history of the Commons to milk bars such as Bar Turystyczny – a canteen-style meal will cost around £2.50.
How to do it
Ryanair flies from Bristol, Manchester and London to Gdańsk, starting at £30. Nights at the stylish PURO Gdańsk Stare Miasto start at £69.
Porto, Portugal
In data shared exclusively with The Telegraph, Porto comes 13th in its biannual cost of living survey. That craftsmanship, however, comes with no trade-offs: think elegant restaurants and a variety of attractions to rival the best on the Continent. And the weather is great, too. With an average of 2,667 hours of sunshine each year, it’s a great destination for a vitamin D fix.
There is no doubt that Porto is very pretty, too – leaning towards the Douro river, the visitor bounces between sardine tinned shops and dodging yellow custard trams, until the narrow streets open onto the waterfront bright In most cities, this would be a permanent, if very beautiful, place to stop for a drink. Not so in Porto: a glass of wine at the beautiful bar Esplanada do Teleférico costs just £3.43. In the city in general, a meal for two averages £34; a pint of beer around £2.14.
As for things to do? It is free to walk across the Dom Luís I Bridge. As is admiring the ornate tiles in São Bento train station. In fact, an affordable train ride to Pinhão in the Douro Valley can be an escape from the city, where vineyard tours start at around £20.
How to do it
EasyJet flights from London to Porto start at around £30. Read our guide to the best hotels in Porto, such as the trendy M.Ou.Co (nights from £66).
Kaunas, Lithuania
As Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, celebrated its 700th birthday last year, the rest of the country was beaming. Among the loud fellow cities was Kaunas, a cool, lively place with great cafes and incredibly low prices.
The city is built around a 14th-century castle complex, but for something a little more whimsical, head to the Devil’s Museum (admission costs £3.40), an exhibition, naturally, of Devil exhibits. Created from a private collection, a plinth displays folk art paintings and ancient stone deities from around the world – it’s sure to be a place to remember.
If you prefer to navigate your city breaks, Lithuania-based travel writer Kristina Stalnionyte recommends Urmo Bazė, an open-air market where locals browse for antiques. By combining shops and stalls, you are likely to find a quaint souvenir without breaking the bank.
While Vilnius prices are still cheap, Kaunas is even cheaper – lunch is usually between €5 and €7, or £4.30 to £6. Kristina warns that the penny-pinching visitor might be hesitant to enter the more mainstream restaurants, but says the exterior doesn’t necessarily reflect high prices.
“The best restaurants, coffee shops and bars are usually very cozy and look very good, because Lithuanians don’t like to go to places that don’t look attractive. I think this is a national characteristic.” A three-course meal for two costs, according to Numbeo, around £34. As the country increases its tourist offer, now is the time to take advantage of it.
How to do it
Ryanair return flights from London Luton to Kaunas start at £31. Hotel KAUNAS, a large hotel in the center of the city, is equipped with a swimming pool and gym facilities. Nights from £56.
Valencia, Spain
“You can keep your spending down in Valencia without even trying,” says Telegraph Travel destination expert Annie Bennett. This year, the Spanish city is the European Green Capital, although it has long been praised for its extensive network of parks.
“Walk or cycle through the Turia park that surrounds the city before heading down to the miles of beach,” she says. Then grab a coffee – the average price for a cappuccino at Numbeo is £1.57 – or, later in the day, a bottle of wine, which should be around £4.30.
Green space aside, Valencia is full of cultural attractions. Go to the Museo de Bellas Artes for Velázquez, Goya and El Greco; entry is free, so escape the heat in the airy galleries. For more culture, the cathedral is a great place to stop: it was once a Roman temple, then a mosque, and now the glorious relic of centuries of extensions and reworking. It’s a reflection of the vibrant city as a whole, and, of course, an entirely affordable place to spend an evening.
Staying overnight shouldn’t break the bank either. There is a wide range of reasonably priced hotels across Valencia, from the boutique Beachside Hotel Balandret (£81 per night) to the more traditional Ayre Hotel Astoria (£51 per night), in the heart of the old town.
How to do it
Return flights from London to Valencia start at £37 with Ryanair, or £45 with Vueling. Explore places to stay by reading our guide to the best hotels in Valencia.
Cost of living data provided by Numbeo
