Lille and Strasbourg: Top Value Short-Break Destinations in Western Europe

Two French cities with direct train links from London have been named the best-value city-break destinations in western Europe. Lille and Strasbourg offer the lowest prices for a dozen tourist expenses, including accommodation, meals, public transport, and attraction entrance fees, according to a report by Post Office Travel Money.

Affordable French Getaways

The report highlights that a two-night stay in three-star accommodation for two adults in Lille costs just £140, while Strasbourg offers free entry to a top tourist heritage attraction. Both cities are easily reachable from the UK by train. Eurostar operates direct services between London and Lille, from where Strasbourg can be reached via a connecting service.

Laura Plunkett, head of travel money at Post Office, said: "The low prices we found in Lille and Strasbourg make them compelling choices for British holidaymakers who want to take a short break in Europe but prefer the idea of surface rather than air travel this year. There are excellent direct Eurostar options to Lille, Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam, while several other cities can be reached by a combination of Eurostar and high-speed local services."

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She added: "Interestingly, our research found that Lille and Strasbourg are now less expensive than past champions Athens and Lisbon."

Eastern Europe Leads Overall

The study, which analysed 50 cities across Europe, found that five destinations in Eastern Europe are the cheapest overall for UK holidaymakers. Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, ranked first, followed by Bucharest, Romania; Tirana, Albania; Belgrade, Serbia; and Trencin, Slovakia.

At the other end of the scale, Oslo in Norway was the most expensive, ahead of Copenhagen in Denmark and Edinburgh. The analysis does not account for travel costs to reach the destinations.

Price Trends

The report found that costs for tourist items have risen by more than a fifth in seven of the 38 cities also surveyed last year, largely driven by higher hotel prices as demand outstrips supply. These cities include Gdansk and Warsaw in Poland; Helsinki, Finland; Lisbon and Porto in Portugal; Ljubljana, Slovenia; and Prague, Czech Republic.

Conversely, seven destinations saw year-on-year price falls: Florence, Rome, and Venice in Italy; Lille and Nice in France; Salzburg, Austria; and Stockholm, Sweden.

Ms Plunkett said: "Despite concerns about rising prices abroad, there are many European cities offering great value for money. Sterling has remained fairly strong but, in these challenging times, it will pay holidaymakers to do their homework before booking to see where their pounds are likely to stretch furthest, even for short breaks."