VIL YOUR BOOTS
The best value city break in Europe for 2024 revealed – and beer is just £2.77
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THE Lithuanian city of Vilnius has been crowned the cheapest-value city in Europe.
In the 2024 Post Office Travel Money City Costs Barometer, it overtook last year’s winner Lisbon to come top, one of seven East European cities to dominate the top ten.
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With sterling stronger than last year against every European currency except Poland’s zloty, prices are down across the board.
Vilnius came in cheap- est when the survey — now in its 17th year — compared the cost of 12 typical items including a range of drinks, an evening meal for two with wine, two nights’ 3* weekend accommodation, sightseeing charges and transport.
At £237 in total, it was more than ten per cent cheaper than runner-up Lisbon and less than half the price of 18 other cities including Amsterdam, the most expensive in the survey at £669.
Accommodation costs rose 26 per cent in Lisbon — at £152 for two nights compared to £121 in June 2023 — meaning the Portuguese capital came in at a total of £264 in the Barometer.
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However, prices for meals, drinks and tourist attractions remain good value and Lisbon is cheapest in Western Europe, one of three to reach the top five cities.
And it was a 30 per cent fall in the cost of accommodation — from £186 to £131 — that helped Lille leap seven places up the best-value top ten into third place.
Less than 90 minutes from London, and France’s fourth largest city, Lille saw a fall of 16.5 per cent to £278 while Athens took fifth place in the survey at £289.
Aside from Vilnius, the research found Brits can bag a city break bargain by choosing from six other Eastern European cities including Krakow — fourth in the table at £279 — as well as Riga and Warsaw.
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Boosted by the Pound’s strength against the Hungarian forint, Budapest moved up to seventh place, with weekend breaks costing £311.
And it was that improved performance by sterling that has seen prices fall in 60 per cent of the 35 cities surveyed, compared to a year ago.
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Prices have dropped by more than ten per cent in traditional favourites including Venice, Paris and Madrid.
Falling accommodation prices in 21 cities surveyed mean city stays are cheaper than last year, with even Paris — hosting the Olympics this summer — recording drops of nearly 25 per cent compared to a year ago.
Win-win situation
Eating out is the second biggest cost after accommodation for tourists and the Post Office survey found wide variations in the price of a three-course meal with wine for two.
These ranged from just £37 in Lisbon to more than four times as much in Oslo (£150) and Copenhagen (£147).
At around £50 for two, Athens also delivers great value.
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Laura Plunkett, Head of Travel Money at the Post Office, said: “It’s important to remember that the cost of meals and drinks needs to be added to the spending budget as city break packages rarely include them.
“Over the course of two or three days, these can make a big difference to holiday costs and the low prices we found for meals and drinks in Lisbon and Athens make these cities strong contenders for a bargain break.
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“Generally, it’s a win-win situation for British holidaymakers this year because prices are down in many European cities thanks to the strength of sterling and some very welcome falls in accommodation costs.
“However, prices vary significantly across Europe so it will make sense to do some holiday homeworking before booking a city break.”
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