DiscoverCars.com have created a ranking of the best summer budget destinations for the second year in a row.
With so many beginning to think about summer holidays, DiscoverCars.com have ranked the best destinations for a budget summer trip. This is the second year they have completed this ranking, they used the same eleven cities to visualise how the results have altered over the past twelve months.
To do this, they explored factors such as the average cost of a week-long hotel stay and the number of ‘cheap’ restaurants in each city, the destinations were then scored out of 77 and ranked accordingly.
As DiscoverCars.com ranked these cities last year, we are able to make comparisons between the two rankings.
First, let’s remind ourselves of 2022’s results, the top five locations for a budget summer holiday were:
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Prague
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Rome
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Istanbul
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Ljubljana
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Plovdiv
Speaking on the rankings, Aleksandrs Buraks at DiscoverCars.com said: “We found our investigation into the best budget summer holiday destinations very valuable, with so many people feeling the financial pressure of inflation and the cost of living crisis, we found it appropriate to examine the best locations for those on a budget.
“Overall, it was interesting to see no changes in our top three over the last twelve months with Prague remaining the go-to city for a budget holiday. However, with so many excellent options, there is bound to be somewhere that suits everybody’s needs this summer.
Now that we’ve familiarised ourselves with the previous ranking, it’s time to see how the top five have altered over the past twelve months.
The top five destinations for a budget-friendly summer holiday were:
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Prague, Czech Republic
For the second year running, Prague has been revealed as the best city for a budget summer holiday, the Czech capital scored an impressive 65 out of 77 points. With over 1,000 cheap food establishments and 440 budget hotels, the city is the perfect place for those travelling on a strict budget.
The city is also home to 4,131 attractions including their most popular attraction; Staromestske Namesti which visitors can experience for free.
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Rome, Italy
In second place is Rome, the Italian capital scored 57 out of 77 points and is a solid choice due to its cheap average flight costs from Heathrow (£181) and the exceptional amount of cheap restaurants (2,542) in the city.
With over 6,000 attractions in Rome, there is bound to be something for everyone. Furthermore, the average price of a week-long hotel stay is £866.
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Istanbul, Turkey
Next, Istanbul ranked as the third-best city for the second year in a row. The Turkish city scored 57 out of 77 points and offers travellers a choice of 1,056 budget hotels to keep costs down.
Istanbul also has 1,566 cheap restaurants and the average price of a rental car is £265, the cheap costs make the location a hotspot for visitors aiming to keep spending low.
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Vienna, Austria
Placing fourth in the ranking is Vienna, an improvement from 2022’s findings where the city ranked in sixth place. Vienna scored 49 out of 77 points and is home to 2,233 attractions including Schonbrunn Palace, where tickets are priced at £35.45.
Flights from Heathrow to Vienna Airport cost £179 on average while the average cost of a week-long hotel stay is priced at £806.
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Plovdiv, Bulgaria
Rounding off the top five is Plovdiv, the Bulgarian city scored 48 out of 77 points. The location is much more remote than others on this list and therefore only offers 48 budget hotels and 76 cheap restaurants.
Plovdiv is home to 218 attractions in total, its most popular, Plovdiv Old Town, is available to see for no additional cost.
Completing the full ranking, the remaining cities in order were; Athens, Ljubljana, Marbella, Graz, Lahti and Oradea.
