The Best European Cities To Visit If You’re On a Budget

A European vacation doesn’t sound like a particularly cheap travel option if you’re American, Canadian, or from anywhere outside of Europe. There are, however, some European cities where tourists can still get a lot of bang for their buck, especially if your idea of traveling involves living like the locals because the locals still tend to enjoy a fairly good quality of life for a reasonable price, in many parts of Europe.

You’ll find that life in Europe is much cheaper if you shop, eat, and drink at the less touristy stores, markets, restaurants, and bars. You’ll also find the most reasonable accommodations, whether you go for an Airbnb, a guest house, or a small hotel, are in the less touristy areas. I recently stayed in the business district of Paris, a 15-minute metro ride from the top tourist spots, for a fraction of the price of the hotels actually in those tourist spots.

However, we’re not talking about Paris here. It’s pretty hard to tick off everything on the typical trip-to-Paris bucket list without spending the big bucks (or Euros).  But, if you want an affordable European vacation there are a lot cheaper and arguably just as beautiful cities to hit (don’t tell the Parisians I said that – they’ll never agree). To make life easy, I’ll quote prices mainly in Euros, but at the time of writing, the exchange rate was almost par with the US dollar.

Budapest

Hungary’s capital is known for its therapeutic thermal baths and spas, underground caves, and riverside dining along the Danube river, which you’ll enjoy at a much lower cost than you’d pay to eat out in some other cities the Danube runs through, like Vienna. Food and drink is amazing value, and you’re outside the Eurozone (Hungary uses the Forint) so may find the exchange rate works in your favor too. Go out of season and you’ll find AirBnB options starting from around $25 a night.

Riga, Latvia

Riga is a beautiful city and a great jumping-off point to explore the rest of Latvia (cheaply because train fares are super low even by European standards). Eating out can easily cost €10 or less per person and alcohol tends to be available at rock-bottom prices too. There’s plenty of culture to soak up here and most museums are free, often requesting a (very) small donation.

Vilnius, Lithuania

Lithuania is not a country that’s on most tourist itineraries, but Vilnius is totally worth a visit and has been awarded the honor of being named the cheapest European city break destination by The Independent. You can get overnight accommodation as cheap as €20 out of season, and again the main part of the city is fairly compact, so if you like to explore on foot, this is a great destination for you.

Bratislava, Slovakia

Slovakia is one of the cheapest countries to visit in Europe, and as the smallest capital city in central Europe, Bratislava is small enough that you can cover a lot of it on foot (though public transport is also cheap if you need or want to use it). Eating out is very affordable and you can get budget accommodation for less than €25 a night.

Istanbul, Turkey

While most people certainly think of Turkey as a European destination, Istanbul actually straddles the Bosporus strait, technically lying in both Europe and Asia, and that’s certainly reflected in the culture, feel, and cuisine of the city. Another city that made the top five cheapest city break destinations list, you’ll find delicious Turkish street food for just a few dollars and Airbnb options from $25 per person per night. Again you’re outside the Eurozone, so you’ll be using the Turkish Lira and again, you may well find that means the exchange rate works better for you.

Girona, Spain

Most of the cities on this list are in Central and Eastern Europe (though many Latvians and Lithuanians would argue that they’re in Northern Europe) and there’s a reason for that. Things get more expensive in Europe as you head west. Spain can still be of excellent value though, especially if you stay out of the main tourist cities like Barcelona and Madrid. Girona is an easy day trip from Barcelona (and from the French border, if you want to include another country in your itinerary), but everything from food to accommodation to public transport is significantly cheaper. In the summer of 2022, Spain announced that to help with rising inflation, the country will temporarily offer free train travel between popular tourism destinations from September 1st, so it’s a good time to visit if you want to do a little touring.

Porto, Portugal

While the west of the continent isn’t as cheap as the east, Portugal is the cheapest country in Western Europe and Porto is significantly cheaper than the capital city of Lisbon or the typical ‘tourist trap’ resorts in the far south of the country. Out of season, you’ll find Airbnbs from just €25 per person per night, and out of season is a great time to travel, as even though Porto is in the north of the country, it’s still far enough south that the weather stays fairly mild in the spring and fall, and even through the winter, compared to northern Europe.

Traveling on a budget in Europe really is possible, but you will need to shop around and travel at quieter times if you possibly can. Try and stay out of the tourist hot spots as much as possible if your budget is tight. On the plus side, you’ll meet more of the locals and get more of a feel for the city that way as well.

Karen Banes is a freelance writer specializing in entrepreneurship, parenting and lifestyle. She writes articles, website content, ebooks and the occasional award winning short story. Her work has appeared in a range of publications both online and off, including The Washington Post, Life Info Magazine, Transitions Abroad, Brave New Traveler, Natural Parenting Group, and Copia Magazine. Learn More About Karen