Lisbon revealed as best-value location for a European city break
In an annual travel survey which analysed typical tourist costs in 35 European cities, Lisbon has emerged as the best-value location for a city break on the continent – beating traditional budget-friendly eastern European destinations.
The Post Office Travel Money City Costs Barometer found the Portuguese capital won the top spot ahead of runner-up Vilnius, Lithuania’s capital. Two other past winners – Krakow (third) and Athens (fourth) – complete the top four cities.
The barometer’s ranking is produced by an analysis of 12 typical tourist costs, including an evening meal for two with wine, drinks, two nights’ three-star accommodation, sightseeing and city transport.
It is the second time in the survey’s history that a city in western Europe has beaten an eastern European city to first place.
At £225, Lisbon’s barometer cost was just 2% higher than last summer. Two nights in a three-star hotel averaged £121, only 5.2% up on 2022, compared with rises of over 30% in every other city surveyed. As a result, prices in the Portuguese capital were less than one-third of those in Venice (£687) and Amsterdam (£727), Europe’s most expensive cities.
Vilnius (£226), rated top city by the Post Office in 2019 and 2020, was a close runner-up to Lisbon – just 25p more expensive for the barometer items. Two other past winners – Krakow (£251) and Athens (£262) – were also singled out for good value.
The research found that British tourists can also bag a city break bargain by choosing Riga (£285), Zagreb (£330), Budapest (£331) or Warsaw (£331) in eastern Europe, or Portugal’s second city Porto (£325) or Lille (£332) in western Europe.
However, the cost comparison found that the weaker pound and surging hotel prices mean tourists will need to
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