A study by NoDeposit.Guide study, analysed a variety of affordability and enjoyability variables in cities throughout Europe to find the greatest weekend holiday experience in 2024.
The study also looked at the average number of hotels, tourist attractions, restaurants, bars, and pubs as well as their visitor ratings.
The average cost of hotel stays, meal costs, the price of public transport around the city, and the average cost of domestic and imported beer were also taken into consideration.
The best low-cost cities for a weekend getaway:
1. Prague, Czech Republic
According to the study, Prague, which is the capital of the Czech Republic, has been named the top spot European city for a low-cost weekend away.
The city achieved an overall index ranking of 81.19 out of 100 and ranked highly across most categories including the number of hotels, the average cost of a two-night hotel stay and the average price of a meal out.
There are a whopping 2,469 hotels available in Prague on TripAdvisor which equates to 9.15 out of 10 when compared to the other cities in the study.
And staying in a hotel for the night won’t cost you the Earth either. The average cost of a two-night hotel stay is estimated at only £184 per person.
The average price of a meal with a pint of beer only equates to £10.60 which means your money can be spent on visiting some of Prague’s amazing attractions.
The city has also proven popular with visitors with Jonny Lee describing Prague as “amazingly beautiful” on Quora.
2. Budapest, Hungary
Budapest came in second place on the list with an impressive index ranking of 78.69 out of 100, according to the study.
The capital of Hungary is stunning and is a great place for those who like to party late into the night as it has the highest average bar ratings across Europe.
The average bar rating scored 10 out of 10 equating to 4.54 out of five in TripAdvisor reviews across the 159 bars available.
Budapest also has plenty to do with 1,711 tourist attractions to explore. One of the city’s most popular attractions is the Széchenyi Baths within City Park.
The baths are a fantastic place to relax and unwind with dry saunas, a terrace and a whirlpool also on site.
3. Rome, Italy
Rome came in third place in the study with an index score of 77.05 out of 100.
The city scored a perfect 10 out of 10 for number of hotels available, topping every other city in the study.
Hotels scored an average of 4.02 stars across the city’s 8,192 hotels on TripAdvisor.
The city’s architecture is breathtaking making it the perfect place to explore, socialise and soak in the culture.
The number of bars in the city scored an index rating of 9.46 out of 10 and the number of attractions scored 9.27 out of 10 putting Rome in second and third place on these factors respectively.
The best low-cost cities for a weekend getaway:
- Prague, Czech Republic
- Budapest, Hungary
- Rome, Italy
- Barcelona, Spain
- Madrid, Spain
- Bucharest, Romania
- Warsaw, Poland
- Paris, France