Vilnius crowned cheapest city break destination in Europe

A two-night break costs under £150

Vilnius came top in a Post Office report (Getty)

Vilnius is the cheapest European city break destination, according to new research.

The Lithuanian capital came top in the Post Office’s 2019 City Costs Barometer report, which adds up the cost of a weekend away in 48 cities across the continent.

It included the price of two nights’ accommodation in a three-star hotel, along with living costs such as the price of a glass of wine, three-course dinner and art gallery entry.

Vilnius’s total spend was £147.35 – down 11 per cent since last year’s report.

The city was followed by Serbian capital Belgrade (£151.57), Polish capital Warsaw (£160.35) and Istanbul in Turkey (£166.83).

Romanian capital Bucharest rounded off the top five (£167.74).

Just missing out on a spot in the five cheapest destinations was Porto, Portugal’s increasingly popular second city, which swung into sixth place.

London came in at a pricey £364.07, ranking 40th. It narrowly beat Dublin on price, with the Republic of Ireland capital coming in at number 41 with a cost of £385.07.

The most expensive city in the study was Icelandic capital Reykjavik (£462.61), which beat expensive contenders Amsterdam (£444.29), Oslo (£444.10) and Helsinki (£439.95).

“There is good news for bargain hunters because prices have fallen since last spring in two-thirds of the cities surveyed, with the biggest fall of over 23 per cent in Venice,” said the Post Office.

“The Post Office found big price variations across the 48 cities included in this year’s report, so it will pay to compare costs before booking.”

The cheapest European cities

1. Vilnius, Lithuania
2. Belgrade, Serbia
3. Warsaw, Poland
4. Istanbul, Turkey
5. Bucharest, Romania
6. Porto, Portugal
7. Riga, Latvia
8. Bratislava, Slovakia
9. Moscow, Russia
10. Prague, Czech Republic

The most expensive European cities

1. Reykjavik, Iceland
2. Amsterdam, the Netherlands
3. Oslo, Norway
4. Helsinki, Finland
5. Copenhagen, Denmark
6. Zurich, Switzerland
7. Stockholm, Sweden
8. Dublin, Ireland
9. London, UK
10. Bruges, Belgium