European city breaks can be quite costly when you factor in flights, hotels, food, and tourist attractions. However, there is one destination which has been named the most budget-friendly and it's less than three hours from London.
According to the annual Post Office City Costs Barometer, Lisbon is the most cost-effective city break in Europe. The Portuguese city works out cheapest based on a two-night weekend stay in a three-star hotel, including a visit to a museum, gallery, sightseeing bus tour, and public transport for the day.
What's more, just an hour's journey away are the biggest waves in the world - perfect for a day of surfing - and, you can even swim with dolphins, making it the perfect mixture of culture and beachy relaxation few city breaks have. Lisbon is also home to delicious cuisine and independent boutiques.
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The Post Office’s research found Lisbon was the cheapest of 35 of the most popular European city breaks. Food and drink costs factored in the price of a cup of coffee and a three-course meal.
In Lisbon, you'll spend, on average, just £39.01 and a gallery ticket price is £4.52. Alcohol is much cheaper in Portugal than in London, costing just £2.26 for a 330ml bottle of beer in a bar.
The city is well-known for traditional pastel de nata. Why not also head to Time Out Market where you can choose from 26 restaurants, eight bars, and fresh meat, fish, fruit and flowers?
Top rated attractions for Lisbon on TripAdvisor include the Alfama neighbourhood and Oceanário de Lisboa aquarium. Just an hour's drive from the city, you'll find the biggest surfing waves in the world in Nazaré.
The Tow Surfing Challenge, held on Praia do Norte or North Beach, has seen waves that are eight storeys tall entering Guinness World Records. Garrett McNamara, a 52-year-old Hawaiian, rode a wave measuring 23.77m (78ft) in 2011 that entered the record book.
Brazilian Rodrigo Koxa later broke the record after surfing a 24.38m (80ft) wave on the same beach in 2017. There are thousands of miles of stunning coastline to explore, and you can even swim with dolphins.
Operating from Lisbon, Albufeira, Cascais, or Portimão, you can go on a boat tour to see the animals up close. Choose between a half-day or a full-day tour with an on-board lunch and time to snorkel in the clear blue waters.
The top 10 European cities if you're on a budget in 2023
- Lisbon, Portugal
- Vilnius, Lithuania
- Krakow, Poland
- Athens, Greece
- Riga, Latvia
- Porto, Portugal
- Zagreb, Croatia
- Budapest, Hungary
- Warsaw, Poland
- Lille, France
How to get there
Hop on a flight with Ryanair or Wizz Air to Lisbon - it should take just under three hours. You can drive to Portugal but it'll take almost a whole day at 22 hours You can also book flights through Lastminute.com. See accommodation options on Booking.com and Hotels.com. You can book UK and European trains - including cheap Eurostar tickets - on Trainline.
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