With prices continuously rising, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find a truly cheap city to travel to and explore.
However, for those willing to look closely enough, Europe is still home to several cheap offerings, with one city where you can enjoy a three-course meal for two for under £45.
Bucharest, Romania’s capital city, has all the elements needed for a good city break, with tree-lined avenues, characterful museums, stunning architecture and lively bars, where a pint can be bought for as little as £2.41 and a bottle of wine for £5.16.
By comparison, the average London pint now costs an eye-watering £6.30, while a good-value bottle of wine ranging between £9 and £15.
To save even more money, getting around Bucharest is easy as well, with the city being among the most walkable in the continent. Yet, transport is also so cheap it would feel wrong not to take advantage of it.
The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița in southeastern Romania and is home to an estimated 1.76 million residents, making it the eighth most-populous city in the European Union.
The city area measures around 93 square miles and comprises six districts, or “Sectoares”, and is a beta global city, a major cultural, political and economic hub.
Bucharest was first mentioned in documents in 1459. The city became the capital in 1862 and is the centre of Romanian media, culture, and art. Its architecture is a mix of historical (Neoclassical and Art Nouveau), interbellum (Bauhaus, Art Deco), socialist and modern.
In the period between the two World Wars, the city’s elegant architecture and the sophistication of its elite earned Bucharest the nicknames of Little Paris, or Paris of the East.
According to the cost of living aggregator Numbeo, a three-course meal for two, at a mid-range restaurant, averages around £43, while a regular-sized cappuccino averages £2.46.
The city is also home to lots of green spaces and water features for those craving some nature. The city is situated on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, which flows into the Argeș River, a tributary of the Danube. Several lakes – the most important of which are Lake Herăstrău, Lake Floreasca, Lake Tei, and Lake Colentina – stretch across the northern parts of the city.
In addition, in the centre of the capital is a small artificial lake – Lake Cișmigiu – surrounded by the Cișmigiu Gardens, opened in 1847 and is the main recreational facility of the centre.
Lake Văcărești is located in the southern part of the city and is host to 97 species of bird, half of them protected by law, and at least seven species of mammal. The lake is surrounded by buildings of flats and is an odd result of human intervention and nature taking its course.
Bucharest has a humid continental climate, marked by hot, humid summers and cold, snowy winters. Winter temperatures often dip below 0C, sometimes even to −10C. In summer, the average high temperature is 29.8C, the average for July and August, but they frequently reach 35 to 40C in midsummer in the city centre.
Bucharest’s public transport system is the largest in Romania and one of the largest in Europe. There is a metro and surface transport system, which consists of buses, trams, trolleybuses and light rail. The main railway station provides connections to all major cities in Romania including Belgrade and Sofia and to international destinations including Thessaloniki, Vienna and Budapest.
Many airlines also fly to Bucharest from London, including British Airways, Ryanair and Wizz Air, departing from London Heathrow, Luton and Stansted airports.
Many visitors to Bucharest’s Old Town have taken to Tripadvisor to express their delight at exploring the city. One said: “Impressive city centre! Huge, full of things to see and absolutely interesting”.
Another said: “Old Town was architecturally beautiful with an array of shops, restaurants, music, etc. A short stay for our centrally located hotel we spent several long, tasty afternoons eating, relaxing & people watching. Loved having so much so close before we went to castles and countryside”.