Five emerging Eastern European cities have ranked as the cheapest short breaks on the continent, according to new research by the Post Office.
Post Office Travel Money’s “City Costs Barometer” report surveyed a record 50 destinations to find the most cost-effective city break in 2026.
The new research considered factors including the average price of a weekend in three-star accommodation, a three-course meal for two with a bottle of house wine, a cup of coffee, a bottle of beer and Coca Cola, a glass of wine, return airport transfers, a 48-hour travel card, a sightseeing bus tour and entry to top heritage attractions, museums and galleries.
Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, topped the report, costing just £248 for a weekend away.
The value city break offers free entry to its top tourist heritage attraction and art gallery. Coffee was priced at £1.72 cups of coffee, bus tickets are £2.46 and a 48-hour travel card costs under £6.
Eight of the top 10 affordable cities sit in Eastern Europe, with Romania’s Bucharest (£258), Tirana, Albania’s capital (£263), Belgrade in Serbia (£265) and Trenĉin in Slovakia (£272) in the first five places.
According to the Post Office report, the destinations are the “next generation” of city break options, with all five now accessible via direct flights to the UK.
In western Europe, Lille (£289) and Strasbourg (£319) – both accessible by Eurostar and train – were named best value, scoring seventh and ninth place over Lisbon and Athens.
The 2026 City Costs Barometer revealed a price rise of 22 per cent in Lisbon compared to last year (£358), meaning the Portuguese capital dropped from fifth to 16th place.
According to thw research, the price of tourist items has risen by more 20 per cent in seven of the 38 cities compared to 2025.
Increasing hotel prices accounted for more expensive trips in Gdansk, Helsinki, Lisbon, Ljubljana, Porto, Prague and Warsaw.
Of the UK’s four capitals, Cardiff (£378) was easily found to have the best value in 21st place, with Edinburgh (£668) one of Europe’s most expensive cities in 48th due to “high hotel prices”.
At the other end of the scale, Scandinavian cities Oslo (£734) and Copenhagen (£671) were the most costly of the 50 cities surveyed – almost triple the price of the best value, Sarajevo.
Across Europe, prices for a three-course meal with wine varied dramatically from under £68 in Sarajevo, Bucharest, Tirana, Belgrade and Trenĉin to more than £180 in Geneva and Oslo.
Laura Plunkett, head of Travel Money at Post Office, the UK’s largest provider of foreign currency, said: “The low prices we found in Lille and Strasbourg make them compelling choices for British holidaymakers who want to take a short break in Europe but prefer the idea of surface rather than air travel this year.
“There are excellent direct Eurostar options to Lille, Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam, while several other cities can be reached by a combination of Eurostar and high-speed local services. Interestingly, our research found that Lille and Strasbourg are now less expensive than past champions Athens and Lisbon.”
10 lowest-priced cities City Costs Barometer 2026
- Sarajevo – £248.27
- Bucharest – £258.07
- Tirana – £262.85
- Belgrade – £265.13
- Trenĉin – £271.64
- Riga – £278.19
- Lille – £289.33
- Vilnius – £289.39
- Strasbourg – £319.13
- Podgorica – £332.45
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