WE all know rail travel across the UK is expensive – but did you know you can go on these five city breaks for less than the price of a train ticket?
TravelSupermarket has found five two-night holidays – including flights and hotels – that all cost less than the £193 single walk-up train fare from London to Manchester.
Krakow, Poland
Starting with Poland’s southern city of Krakow, two nights at the 4-star Q Hotel Plus Krakow costs just £129pp.
This includes flights departing London Stansted on March 7.
The hotel sits in the heart of Krakow City Centre, from there you can walk to some of the most famous attractions like Wawel Castle and the Old Town.
It’s also just a 15-minute walk to the buzzing Kazimierz district with plenty of pubs, cafes, museums and art galleries.
Krakow is nicknamed the ‘jewel of the Baltic’ and one Sun writer who took a city break there late last year described the city as a “medieval fairytale”.
To make it even better, they also discovered the average price of beers was just £1.50.
Budapest, Hungary
The capital of Hungary is just two and a half hours away from the UK.
And two nights departing from London Stansted on March 2, with a stay at the 3-star ibis Budapest Heroes Square Hotel, starts from £129pp.
The modern hotel is close to the Museum of Fine Arts, Hungarian Art Gallery, Zoo and the famous Heroes Square – so you can see it all.
Budapest is known for having quirky ruin bars, Neo-Gothic architecture and thermal spas – the grandest being Szechenyi.
The spa has multiple swimming pools, saunas, steam rooms, a restaurant and even a beer spa where guests can pour themselves as many pints as they like from the side of the hot tub.
A day ticket to Szechenyi start from €36 (£31.33) a full-day ticket at the spa with a 45-minute Beer Spa session is £79.
Prague, Czech Republic
Prague has always been a great choice for a city break thanks to having plenty to do and flights taking less than two hours.
You can spend two nights at the 3-star Ibis Praha Wenceslas Square departing Manchester on March 2 from £129pp.
The hotel is minutes away from the city centre where you’ll find Prague Castle which happens to be right next to the world’s poshest Starbucks.
Other must-sees across the city is Charles Bridge, Prague’s Retro Museum, and of course take a beer tour.
Czechia is the birthplace of Budweiser, Pilsner – you can learn all about it and have a taste at The Original Beer Experience which starts from €24 (£20.89).
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Two nights at the 4-star XO Hotels Blue Tower found in Amsterdam West with flights leaving Manchester on March 3 starts from just £149pp.
From here you can explore all aspects of the canal-lined city. Take a 20-minute tram ride and you can get to the Anne Frank House, Rijksmuseum and dig into a stroopwafels along the way.
Travel Writer Helen Wright revealed how she would spend a day in Amsterdam.
She said: “Start in Runstraat, known as the ‘9 Streets’. As well as picturesque canals and bridges, there are lots of cute boutiques and shops to browse.
“I could spend all day here just grabbing coffee and nipping in and out of the stores, soaking up the laid-back Ditch vibe. If you want a beer, there are lots of fun pubs too.
“It’s here you will find the viral Fabel Friet chip shop – chucky fries topped with truffle and garlic mayo.”
Barcelona, Spain
Barcelona is the best of both worlds when it comes to beaches and city.
You can spend two nights in the 3-star NH Barcelona Diagonal Center with flights departing Edinburgh on March 10 starting from £189pp.
Make sure to check out Gaudí’s masterpiece at Park Güell, tapas bars, and the beach that’s a 15-minute walk away from the hotel.
When it comes to shopping, the Sun’s Assistant Travel Editor Sophie Swietochowski said: “I’ve never understood why Barcelona’s Las Ramblas gets more attention than the Gothic Quarter when it comes to shopping.
“The maze of narrow streets that make up the Gothic Quarter, however, are so much fun to explore, flanked by pokey antique stores and one-of-a-kind boutiques.
“You’ll find lots of little tapas joints and bars, too. Nevermind Bar has outrageously cheap drinks and nibbles – beers will set you back €3.50 while a hefty portion of chips costs €1.50”.
For more on city breaks, these are the 39 best European city break destinations – and the no.1 is VERY cheap.
And here are five European cities with lesser-known tours that let you explore like a local.