Looking for somewhere beautiful but seriously cheap, a la Prague...

d93c2inhxfok4y

Honestly; beautiful food, lovely people, tremendous weather and ridiculously cheap. Is there anywhere else like Prague?!

I went there with my girlfriend last summer, and we're looking for somewhere similar. We were looking at 8 nights in Barcelona, but its going to set us back about 350e for flights and accomodation, where as Prague cost about 210e for flights and accomodation in a 4 star hotel!

Essentially what we're looking for is lovely hot weather, really nice cheap food, and somewhere nice to stay, that's about it really. The jump in price as you go west in Europe is a killer! Dubrovnik, Riga, Talinn, Budapest and Bratislava have all been mentioned... anyone have any advice, experience etc?

Would love some help on this, thanks all

undo

Sloane Breezy Repellent wrote: »

Dubrovnik, Riga, Talinn, Budapest and Bratislava have all been mentioned...

Of all the ones above, I have only been to Budapest and Riga. I loved Budapest myself but people here on Boards have had a mixed experience. Also, it tends to get just ridiculously hot in the summer.

Bratislava is smaller than Prague but said to be very charming. Dubrovnik I also heard only good things about. Riga, I would avoid. It is a hot spot for rich Russian tourists where they go to show off. The architecture is stunning but everything is priced with wealthy Russians in mind and the people are not as friendly as say in Lithuania. This is also why I would add one more city to the list, my personal favorite: Vilnius. Absolutely beautiful town, lots of charming restaurants and music venues around, nice vibe. There are huge lawns along the riverbanks where you can just lie and chill when it gets too warm. Actually, I would add one more city: Kraków. Very similar story to Vilnius - pretty architecture, lawns along the river, nice food.

dory

How about southern Europe? Romania, Albania, I'd say there'll be some bargains to be had in Greece! I'm in Kosovo, very cheap but expensive to get here.

undo

I think I posted before about a road trip I did around Romania. It is a very interesting country with some absolute bargains to be had. But it is an adventure. It is not as easy as "Romania is great". Tourism is underdeveloped, there are many pitfalls and areas to avoid. If you put in enough effort and go for the right areas (mostly Transylvania - though you will not get any sea there), it can be a trip of a lifetime. To throw in another place most people would not think of - how about St Petersburg? White nights in the summer, 24 hour sunlight...

spank_inferno

Or even a bit closer to home..... Germany?

The missus & I are going to be staying self catering in a 3 bed cottage, 4 nights in beautiful german countryside, flights & car hire (BMW) for €500 for the 2 of us.

P. Breathnach

I'm one of those who have had only good experiences in Budapest. It's a cheap enough destination, but I wouldn't say ridiculously cheap (neither do I think Prague is ridiculously cheap).

Bratislava is ridiculously cheap, but I think the consensus is that there is not a lot to see there. I think it is worth a day trip, but probably not more.

Don't rule out spank_inferno's suggestion of Germany. It's not an expensive place. Both Berlin and Munich have plenty of interesting things for you to see and do.

If you are thinking of a summer trip, all these places get very hot, hotter than I like, temperatures like 35C -- but it might suit you.

In a completely different direction, Lisbon is a good value destination, and near to the sea, which is good if it gets very hot. I thought it a very interesting city.

rossie1977

i found malta quite cheap. seems to tick all the boxes you are looking for op. weather is great, lovely scenery on the coast

budapest is a lovely city if you do decide on that, wonderful architecture

croatia particularly the north west coast is a stunning part of the world, for natural beauty that part of the world is hard beat

Unshelved

Tallinn is a seriously beautiful, very cheap city. Check out accommodation listings in the Tallinn guide in www.inyourpocket.com - we rented an apartment just overlooking the old city and it was brilliant. Weather can be cold and the locals aren't friendly, but it's well worth a visit.

Wouldn't recommend Riga at all - they're not too fond of English-speaking visitors because of British stag-party invasions at weekend. The city is nice enough but you can see everything in a day.

Have you thought of Lisbon? It's one of the cheapest cities in Europe, close to the sea and beaches, there's loads to see and has fantastic nightlife in the Bairro Alto area. Again, check out apartments in www.travellingtolisbon.com .

schemingbohemia

As P Breathnach says Germany is worth a look.

I was in Berlin last summer for a few days and it was brilliant, loads to see and do, you can chill out in the englischgarten - just be aware of the nudist sections! the weather was lovely and it's really really good value.

we got a great deal on the park hotel in alexanderplatz, very handy as it's on top of a train/metro/bus interchange and there's a great bus service that goes by all the sites but you just use your day bus/train pass on it.

bills

Krakow- very similar to prague but cheaper & not as busy. Loads to see & do there.

undo

schemingbohemia wrote: »

I was in Berlin last summer [...] you can chill out in the englischgarten

I think you got your German cities confused there. Englischer Garten is in Munich. Tiergarten is in Berlin.

P. Breathnach

undo wrote: »

I think you got your German cities confused there. Englischer Garten is in Munich. Tiergarten is in Berlin.

Which is better for the voyeurs amongst us?

undo

P. Breathnach wrote: »

Which is better for the voyeurs amongst us?

Englischer Garten has an official nude area. In Tiergarten, you can get finded if caught nude.