Athens and Thessaloniki Among Most Affordable City Break Destinations in Europe

View from Anafiotika, Athens. Photo source: @Visit Greece

The Greek cities of Athens and Thessaloniki are among the most affordable city break destinations in Europe, according to a new study by financial comparison company money.co.uk.

The northern Greek city of Thessaloniki is the second cheapest city break for tourists to visit in the whole of Europe with a total cost of 78.72 pounds per trip.

Meanwhile, Greece’s capital city Athens ranks sixth on the list, with a total cost of 102.60 pounds.

Money.co.uk found the cheapest destinations by analysing the average costs that make up a typical city break, including the average cost of one night in an Airbnb, a glass of wine, a main meal at the top-rated restaurant, entry to the top attraction, and a 24-hour transportation pass.

Thessaloniki, northern Greece. Photo Source: @Thessaloniki Travel

The study comes at a time when Greece is promoting destinations ideal for weekend getaways.

The Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO) in February launched its “greekend” campaign with Athens and Thessaloniki as the first destinations being “re-introduced” to the world as two major cities ideal for lively city break holidays.

Cheapest city break destinations – List

money.co.uk’s list shows Istanbul as the most affordable city break destination, followed by Thessaloniki, Berlin and Porto.

Italy is also home to five of the top 20 most affordable city breaks, with the southern city of Naples being the fifth cheapest break costing travelers just over 99 pounds in total for a break.

Other cities among the most affordable include Bologna, Milan and Florence where a break will set travelers back between 116 -135 pounds.

Cheapest European city break destinations

Photo source: Money.co.uk

The most expensive European city breaks

Dublin tops the list as the most expensive city break, with an average night’s stay at 252.88 pounds.

Meanwhile, in the UK, Edinburgh is taking the top spot for UK cities – with a visit costing an average of over 229 pounds followed by Manchester coming in at an average of 208.45 pounds

Making up the rest of the top ten most expensive city breaks are Zurich, London, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Oslo and Geneva.

Most expensive European city break destinations

Source: Money.co.uk