Best Destinations for a Weekend on a Budget
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Here at Skyscanner, we love to get creative in the way that we travel, and we firmly believe that discovering the world should be accessible to all – no matter their budget. We’ve taken a look at some of our most-searched-for city break destinations, and used our expert insights to suggest some better value-for-money alternatives. Here’s to keeping your bank balance happy without scrimping on holiday bliss.
1. Swap New York for Hamburg
Sure, there’s nowhere on Earth quite like the Big Apple. But if musical theatre is your bag, you’ll find it much closer to home than on Broadway. Head to Hamburg instead, which is starting to compete with New York and London as the world’s greatest city for watching musicals. The iconic production of Der König der Löwen (the Lion King) has been showing at the Theatre im Hafen for 21 years (just a smidge under the original Broadway production’s 25 years), and over one in eight people who have seen it worldwide did so at the German theatre, set in a luminescent, domed building on the Norderelbe River.
In downtown Hamburg, there’s also the flamboyant, 1920s Theater Neue Flora on the Reeperbahn party street, as well as the bawdy Heiße Ecke production that takes you on a theatrical tour of the colourful neighbourhood. Then, Hamburg’s restaurant scene can hold its own even compared to New York’s, thanks in part to its excellent seafood (this is Germany’s largest port, after all). And while America might claim to be the world capital of the hamburger, where do you think the meaty sandwich originated?
You can even get a dose of Brooklyn chic by staying in one of Hamburg’s industrial factories turned boutique hotels, such as Gastwerk – a red-brick, repurposed former gasworks.
How much does a long weekend in Hamburg cost, compared to New York?
The cost of living in Hamburg is roughly half of that in New York; the average low-cost meal in the German city costs about £10 compared to £20 in the Big Apple. Hotel accommodation is also less than 50 per cent cheaper in Hamburg per night. So, you’re looking at an average cost of £300 per person for 72 hours in Hamburg, which could easily cost £600 in New York city (and that’s without flight costs).
2. Swap Barcelona for Santander
Don’t get us wrong, we’ll always love Barca. But as its residents struggle with the negative affects of overtourism and prices keep going up, we recommend casting a wider net on a northern Spanish holiday. Fly to cheaper and much-less-visited Santander, and you’ll find just about everything you were looking for in Barcelona, but without the crowds – and often at a discount.
Don’t be disappointed if you were hoping to nerd out over Antoni Gaudí’s surrealist architectural gems in Catalonia. One of his lesser-known buildings awaits you in Comillas, a small coastal town that’s a 40-minute drive out of Santander. El Capricho was built between 1883 and 1885, and bears a striking resemblance to the popular Casa Vicens – his former home and a Gaudí museum in Barcelona, which is always heaving with architecture pilgrims.
And – dare we say it – the beach at Comillas could run circles around Barceloneta Beach. The Blue Flag-certified stretch of biscuit-crumb sand is one of Cantabria’s most beautiful, and you’re never more than a five-minute walk from an authentic tapas bar.
How much does a long weekend in Santander cost, compared to Barcelona?
Overall, Barcelona is roughly 21 per cent more expensive than Santander when it comes to the cost of living. So you can expect to knock around a fifth of the price of your total holiday there, compared with the Catalan capital. That extends to your hotel stay, which costs around £118 per night in Barcelona, but cost around £104 in Santander. Overall, 72 hours in Santander could cost as little as £220 per person, which would cost more like £315 per person in Barcelona, not including flights.
3. Swap Dubai for Milan
Many people go to Dubai with one word on their mind: shopping. We’re not going to dispute the fact that the UAE’s touristic heart is one of the world’s best shopping destinations, thanks to its vast, all-consuming malls where you could easily lose a long weekend. But when it comes to designer labels and boutiques, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better shopping destination than Milan: northern Italy’s fashion capital, which invented ‘Prêt-à-Porter’ fashion (ready-to-wear, high-quality, factory-made clothes).
Start your three-day weekend right by browsing the high-end, designer boutiques that line Via Montenapoleone and Via della Spiga. Then, when your credit cards are approaching max-out, find the indie boutiques that make this city a shop-til-you-drop destination for every visitor’s budget.
The other reason people love Dubai is for its epic, luxurious hotels. While the buildings in Milan don’t generally meet ‘skyscraper’ criteria, they can happy reach the same luxurious heights as their UAE counterparts. Many have sophisticated hotel bars and even rooftop swimming pools – check out the skyline views at VIU Milan.
How much does a long weekend in Milan cost, compared to Dubai?
Some things can actually be slightly cheaper in Dubai than in Milan. For example, an inexpensive meal in Milan will cost around £15, compared to around £9 in Dubai. However, prices double when it comes to alcohol, and Dubai is 33 per cent more expensive than Milan for shopping. As for hotel accommodation, prices aren’t dissimilar in the two cities, but when you consider that your flight to Dubai will cost up to six times the amount it costs to fly to Milan – with five hours longer in the air – picking Milan is a budget travel no-brainer.
Flights aside, you’ll want to budget around £490 for a 72-hour stay in Dubai, compared to £340 in Milan.
