TravelSupermarket reveals best value city-break destinations
Krakow in Poland has leap-frogged Amsterdam to become Britain’s favourite city-break destination as travellers look to save costs, according to price comparison site TravelSupermarket.
Its latest Best Value Index found that Krakow was the third cheapest city-break destination, with the Lithuanian captital Vilnius, which gained world-wide attention earlier this month with a sexy marketing campaign aimed at attracting more visitors, the cheapest.
The second cheapest city, according to TravelSupermarket, was the Slovak capital Bratislava.
The price comparison site claimed that the median price of a two-night flight-inclusive package to both Vilnius and Bratislava was less than £100, while a two-night break to Dubrovnik and Helsinki, the two most expensive cities in its index, would cost £293 and £290 respectively.
Budapest and Prague, which are traditionally thought of as good options for a cheap break, have been bounced out of the top 20 Best Value Index by cheaper, up and coming eastern European neighbours. The median autumn/winter package price for Prague has risen by 11% to £170 pp and to Budapest by 13% to £191.94 compared to £81 to Vilnius and £89 to Bratislava.
As a result, TravelSupermarket said there has been a 55% drop in interest in city-breaks to Prague and a 42.15% fall in demand for Budapest this autumn/winter compared to last year.
Also, a 70% rise in the median cost of a two-night package to Sofia to £139 has seen it fall to seventh place in the Good Value Index, but the city remains in the top 10 due to its low cost of living.
After Krakow, Istanbul has seen the second biggest increase in demand, up 102% year on year. "Consumer prices are their lowest in Istanbul (out of all of the 60 cities studied), with the lira having plunged by as much as 45% in value just this year," said TravelSupermarket spokeswoman Emma Coulthurst, "however, the fairly high median package price means it is still at the southern end of the Index. It is, currently, pretty much the cheapest mini break destination in Europe for eating out and drinks. You just need to try and find a low-priced package deal to get you out there."
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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