The Post Office has named Sarajevo the best-value destination in its City Costs Barometer 2026, which ranks 50 European cities on the cost of key tourist items.
Focussing on short breaks – identified as the most popular holiday type among UK travellers in Post Office data – the research highlights strong value in a number of emerging destinations.
The Bosnian capital tops the rankings at £248 for 12 tourist items. Bucharest, Romania (£258), Tirana, Albania (£263), Belgrade, Serbia (£265) and Trenčín, Slovakia (£272) follow Sarajevo on the list, with all five Eastern European destinations featuring in the research for the first time.
The basket of goods used to compare destinations includes a regular filter coffee in a café or bar, a bottle of local beer or lager, a can of soft drink, a 175ml glass of house wine, and a three-course evening meal for two including house wine.
It also factors in transport and sightseeing costs, including a return airport bus or train transfer, a 48-hour travel card, a sightseeing city bus tour, entry to a top tourist heritage attraction, a top museum and a top art gallery, as well as a two-night weekend stay in three-star accommodation for two people.
In sixth place, Riga, Latvia (£278) is the highest-ranked of the more established cities and continues to benefit from competitively priced accommodation, with two nights’ three-star hotel stay costing £140 – the second cheapest in the survey after Tirana (£128).
Vilnius, Lithuania (7th, £289) and Podgorica, Montenegro (10th, £332) also feature in the top 10, although the report notes that prices have risen by more than 10% in all three capitals.
Another key trend highlighted in the report is the growing appeal of non-flying city breaks. The analysis includes destinations accessible by train, car or ferry, with Lille and Strasbourg, France both featuring in the top 10 best-value cities.
Post Office Head of Travel Money Laura Plunkett 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. Interestingly, our research found that Lille and Strasbourg are now less expensive than past champions Athens and Lisbon.”
