For the third consecutive year, DiscoverCars.com has ranked the best budget-friendly winter getaway destinations. They did this to explore the top European cities for a cheap but memorable trip this winter.
To complete the ranking, they analyzed a wealth of factors such as the number of cheap restaurants, the cost of the city’s biggest attraction and the average cost of a week-long hotel stay.
So firstly, let’s remind ourselves of 2022’s ranking, the top five destinations for a budget-friendly winter getaway last year were:
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Krakow
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Berlin
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Brussels
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Paris
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Prague
Speaking on the rankings, Aleksandrs Buraks at DiscoverCars.com said:
‘’Our latest exploration into the best winter getaway destinations that are budget-friendly proved extremely interesting, producing some intriguing results. Overall, it was extremely impressive to see Krakow retain the top spot for the third year running. With the cheapest car rental and hotel prices, it’s easy to see why it remains a go-to option for travelers.
‘’Additionally, it was reassuring to see the price of renting a vehicle had decreased in nine cities in comparison to last year's data. We welcome the return to more normal pricing after an unprecedented peak in car rental costs throughout 2022.’’
Now that we’ve familiarized ourselves with the previous ranking, it’s time to see how the top five have altered over the past twelve months.
The top five destinations for a budget-friendly winter getaway were:
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Krakow, Poland
In first place is the Polish city of Krakow for the third year in a row. Krakow received a score of 38 out of 50 points and proved a great budget-friendly option due to its low car rental (£100.61) and hotel costs for a week-long stay (£441.40).
Flights from Heathrow to Krakow are priced at £134.80 on average while there are also 665 cheap restaurants dotted throughout the city.
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Prague, Czech Republic
Next, the Czech capital city, Prague ranked in second place scoring 37 out of 50 points. The city is home to 1,206 cheap restaurants giving visitors plenty to choose from, flights from Heathrow to Prague Airport are priced at £129.50 on average.
Travelers looking to rent a vehicle can expect to pay £184.86 for a week-long hire period while a hotel stay for the same length of time costs £480.60 in the city.
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Brussels, Belgium
Moving on, the Belgian capital, Brussels placed third in the ranking and scored 36 out of 50 points. The city is full of iconic landmarks including the Grand Palace - which is free of charge to visitors.
Overall, there are 660 cheap food establishments throughout Brussels and the cost of a flight from Heathrow is £98.30 on average - the cheapest in the entire ranking.
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Paris, France
In fourth place is the ‘City of Love’, France’s capital city - Paris. The city received a score of 33 out of 50 points and is a great budget-friendly option throughout winter due to its cheap flight costs (£102.90).
Paris is also home to a staggering 2,546 cheap eateries meaning visitors can experience the popular French cuisine for less.
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Budapest, Hungary
Finally, rounding off the top five is the Hungarian city of Budapest. Overall, Budapest received a score of 29 out of 50 with fairly cheap car rental costs (£174.43) in comparison to other cities in the ranking.
Furthermore, Budapest has a total of 807 cheap restaurants and its biggest attraction, the Hungarian Parliament Building, is available to experience for a fee of £22.34.
