Brits’ top European city break choice has £1.50 beer, great food and £25 flights
Krakow and Valencia have beat out dozens of popular European hotspots to be jointly named the UK’s favourite European city break in a new Which? survey. The cities, in Poland and Spain, were ranked highly on a number of different criteria including value for money and you might be tempted to make them your next destinations to visit.
The consumer champion asked more than 1,600 Which? members to rate their experiences of cities across Europe to create a list of the best destinations for a city break. Locations were rated on seven criteria, including food and drink, accommodation, cultural sights and attractions, shopping, ease of getting around, lack of crowds and value for money.
They were then assigned an overall score which were compared to discover the top city breaks for Brits. At the top of the list of 31 popular destinations was Krakow in Poland and Valencia in Spain, with sky high scores of 92%.
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Krakow has proven enduringly popular in the survey, marking its fourth time in the top spot, while Valencia was previously named the UK’s favourite European coastal destination in a separate survey. It's fairly easy to see why both cities are so highly praised.
Krakow scored a full five stars for its cultural sites and attractions – it has plenty of historic gems, from the famous Wawel Royal Castle to its town hall tower and the Krakow Barbican. Holidaymakers can sip on coffee, or wine, in the city’s medieval square the largest of its kind in Europe.
Alternatively, the city’s vibrant Jewish quarter is filled with quirky shops and indie galleries while history lovers will also enjoy the aviation museum and the underground museum. Just outside of the city, the Wieliczka salt mine was popular with survey respondents – some said that they were "amazed" at the enormous scale of the mine.
Krakow also scored five stars for food and drink, and was among the three highest scoring destinations for value for money, receiving four stars. Data from Kayak revealed that on average, it has the cheapest average hotel room rate of any destination in the survey at just £65 per night – £143 less than Paris.
As for getting there? When we took a look on Skyscanner, we found fares from £25 each way with budget airlines like Wizz Air.
Some traditional foods in Krakow include pierogies a type of cheese dumpling often served with sour cream. Plus, kielbasa sausages are popular and the area has fantastic vodka for those who like a tipple. PintPrice puts the cost of a beer as low as £1.50.
Also in the number one spot was Valencia, in Spain, which achieved five stars for attractions. The city boasts a charming old town alongside its "futuristic" City of Arts and Sciences. The latter is home to attractions including an open air oceanographic park, opera house, museum of science and planetarium.
Valencia also scored five stars for food and drink, with one traveller claiming it to be a "foodie's paradise". It's little wonder when the city is home to lots of paella, seafood dishes and Fideuà – a bit like paella but with noodles instead of rice. Of course, the wine in Spain is delicious and a pint in Valencia will only set you back £3.64.
The Spanish city also bagged four stars for ease of getting around as its so walkable with both beach and city centre easily accessible. It also scored four stars for accommodation and value for money, with a hotel room costing £113 a night on average.
Close behind the two gorgeous cities was cool hotspot Stockholm, in Sweden, with a destination score of 91%. The Swedish capital scored five stars for ease of getting around, and four stars for food and drink, accommodation and cultural sites and attractions.
Visitors praised the ABBA museum as ‘great fun’ while the Vasa museum also proved popular, offering an opportunity to see a salvaged 17th century warship. However, the city lost points on its value for money – a pint will cost you a whopping £6! Tied in third place with a score of 89% were Berlin, Funchal and Seville.
Top 10 cities for breaks from the UK:
- Kraków, Poland
- Valencia, Spain
- Stockholm, Sweden
- Berlin, Germany
- Funchal, Portugal
- Seville, Spain
- Barcelona, Spain
- Bordeaux, France
- Bruges, Belgium
- Nice, France
Rory Boland, Editor of Which? Travel said: "The weak pound has made holidays to most European countries more expensive for British holidaymakers, but our survey shows that looking beyond the most famous destinations for your next city break pays off. Whether you’re after a getaway packed with cultural sights or a foodie escape, the top-rated destinations in our survey this year all have something unique to offer, from the medieval charm of Krakow, to the sun-soaked beaches of Valencia."
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