Europe's cheapest winter city breaks in 2019

Over 4.7 million Brits travelled abroad during Christmas and New Year in 2018.

With that in mind, a new survey has revealed how much you’re likely to pay on a budget-conscious trip to Europe’s most popular city destinations this year.

So, which of Europe’s most popular city breaks gives the most for your money?

Lisbon takes the top spot for the best-value winter getaway. A two-day trip to Lisbon could cost you just £371 – that includes two return flights, accommodation, food, public transport and a trip to a top attraction.

With the most reasonable food, attractions that don’t break the bank and some of the cheapest public transport on the list, it has plenty going for it as a winter weekend away. Plus, it’s a milder stay than others on the list with an average temperature of 12°C from December through February.

Budapest (£372) and Prague (£379) come in as a close second and third, rounding out a cost-cutting top three that spans Portugal, Hungary and the Czech Republic, according to the survey by Ocean Finance .

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At the opposite end of the scale sits Amsterdam and Paris, both of which top £500 even with a cost-cutting itinerary.

Best value food and drink

If you’re careful on your travels, you can save a lot of money by not splashing out on food. The research looked at budget meal pricing from three top travel advice sites with 2018/2019 price data to average out the cost of three meals for two people over two days.

This revealed that the top locations for affordable eating abroad were Budapest at £48, Prague at £64 and Athens at £76.

For the ultimate budget food destination, you’d be hard pushed to beat Budapest. With an average daily cost of £12 per person to have breakfast, lunch and dinner if you’re careful with your cash – the capital of Hungary is number one for value.

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Flights and transport

Averaging direct return flight costs from UK airports over the winter months via Skyscanner the most affordable destinations were Lisbon at £49 per person, Budapest at £51 per person and Vienna at £53 per person.

When it comes to getting around internally, there are usually tourist-focused tickets available for two days upwards to help you save while using public transport. The best value examples of this are Athens and Prague, where a two-day travel ticket will cost you just £8 per person.

At the opposite end of the scale, you might be able to save some money by getting your walking boots on in Amsterdam which charges £40 for a pair of 48-hour travel passes.

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Accomodation

To help give you an idea of the accommodation prices in Europe’s most popular city break destinations, the most reasonable rates for an average two-night weekend stay are £130 in Athens, £135 in Lisbon, and £140 in Rome.