REVEALED: 5 Awesome Cheap City Breaks From The UK

One of the best things about living in Europe is that you are surrounded by so many diverse and beautiful countries. If you drive for just one day you can cross three or four borders. The travel possibilities in Europe are endless and because many countries are so close together this means that travelling between them is reasonably affordable. However, which cities are cheap city breaks from the UK?

Five cheap city breaks from the UK

Berlin

One of the best places to find a cheap city break from the UK is to head to Skypicker and select from ‘United Kingdom’ and to ‘anywhere’.

Almost every time I have used this option, Germany has offered some of the cheapest city breaks from the UK. This surprises me because cities such as Berlin are full of things to do. The city offers tons of museums to explore, and when I visited for four days, I couldn’t fit everything in.

Budget stay:

Pullman Berlin Scheizerhof – a steal at £94 for a stunning hotel with a sleek swimming pool and gorgeous looking rooms. (Note, all prices are for dates in October.)

Splurge stay:

Rocco Forte Hotel De Rome Berlin – with a great rooftop terrace and sultry indoor pool, this hotel might just be worth the £321 price tag.

Paris

Paris is a great city for a cheap city break from the UK as it is so easily accessible. You can look for cheap flights but you can also keep an eye out for reduced train fares. Getting the train to Paris is really popular and many people prefer to catch the train than to fly. If you include checking in and boarding time at the airport then it is actually quicker to ride the train from London than it is to fly. The train journey is only approximately 2 hours and 20 minutes.

If you want to watch two people race to Paris from London with one person taking the train and one person flying then I also recommend watching Race To DIsneyland Paris.

Budget stay:

Hotel F1 Villepinte Parc Des Expositions £31

Splurge stay:

Hôtel Plaza Athénée – Dorchester Collection – a mere £1,080 although it does look very nice indeed!! Might not be such a cheap city break if you opt for this hotel however. Still, after saving all that money on your flights, maybe you can afford to splurge!!

Krakow

Krakow is a city on a lot of people’s bucket lists for a very important reason. It is the closest city to the world-famous concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau. Everyone should visit Auschwitz at least once in their life to acknowledge what happened there. It is also an opportunity to pay your respects to all the people that lost their lives due to anti-semitism.

Furthermore, aside from visiting Auschwitz, there is so much more to see in Krakow. Think about all the history that this city has witnessed, not to mention the amazing salt mines. Deep underground you can visit a church carved out of the salt mine!! It is hugely impressive.

Budget stay:

The Dom Turystyczny Indigo admittedly does look like a cross between a prison and a communist throwback, but at £22 a night can you really complain?

Splurge stay:

The Sheraton Grand Krakow offers spacious rooms, a luxury pool and great views over the city for around £280 a night.

Barcelona

Barcelona is one of the most popular places in Spain. What makes Barcelona different to many other popular city breaks in Europe is that it is by the beach. If you’re looking for a city break where you can both explore and relax on the beach then Barcelona is a good place to visit.

Barcelona is also a favourite for football fans. It is home to the third biggest football stadium in the world, Camp Nou. Every year it attracts fans of Barcelona FC to support the team and visit the stadium.

Budget stay:

The easyHotel Barcelona Fira offers fun and fresh rooms for around £40.

Splurge stay:

The Casagrand Luxury Suites offers decadent spacious suites and a bijou terrace pool in a great location for a mere snip at just over £600.

Amsterdam

Last but not least, one of the most popular city breaks in Europe, particularly for young people (I wonder why), is Amsterdam. The liberal capital of the world, Amsterdam is famous for its tulips, Van Gogh museum and of course, legalised cannabis.

You can find cheap flights to Amsterdam from London or if flying isn’t an option, you can always take the ferry. From Harwich, you can take an overnight ferry and at 6 am you wake up in the Hook of Holland. From there it is a short train ride to Amsterdam.

Amsterdam has something for everyone. It has plenty of history and also has some rather fun museums to explore. When I was in Amsterdam, one day I visited the Anne Frank Museum. The next day, I spent €3 to enter the sex museum and came across some very explicit artefacts. Whether you’re visiting on a party weekend, or exploring the culture of this amazing city, Amsterdam has something for everyone.

Budget stay:

The easyHotel Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is a short ride into the city and at £49 a night is a bargain. I have stayed at one of these hotels in Leeds and although basic they are well designed and functional.

Splurge stay:

The Canal House Suites at Sofitel Legend The Grand Amsterdam are opulent with a regal ambience and a great location but £858 a night is a lot of cocktails to sacrifice!

About the author

Today’s post comes from Connie who is from Essex in the United Kingdom. She is a recent graduate from the University of Manchester and is slowly, but surely, making her way around the world. She uses her blog to write about her adventures and keep them fresh forever.

She writes new travel advice and travel diary content every day for you to read (OMG, how the hell do you find the time Connie?). Follow her adventures on Earth To Connie or on Twitter,  Facebook or Instagram. In the meantime however, why not have your say and share with us your favourite European destinations for a cheap city break from the UK? Just pop your thoughts in the comments as we would love to chat.