Are You In Need Of A Cheap City Break?

If you’re on the look out to save money on a cheap city break there are a number of capitals around the world that could fit the bill.

Research from M&S Money studied a number of city break hotspots to determine which offer the best value, taking into account both cost and travel time.

The Turkish capital, Istanbul, hits one of the prime spots. And amazingly the average cost of a break to it has fallen in the last year and now costs less than £700 on average, including flights, hotel, activities and dining out.

Travel time to Istanbul though averages 6 hours and if you’re looking for a little less than that, Prague tops the list in the 4-6 hour travel time category. Cost wise it comes in a little less as you might expect being closer, at just under £600.

Dublin though mustn’t be forgotten, always a favourite and even closer and what’s more comes in at an average cost of less than £500.

Paul Stokes, Head of Travel Money, M&S Money, said: “Autumn is always a popular time for city breaks and right now, there are some great value destinations to take advantage of, thanks to lower inflation and favourable exchange rates.

“To get the best possible value it’s important to plan in advance – remember it’s not just the cost of your holiday that will effect your budget, the rate you get on your travel money can have a big impact on how much money you have to spend when you get there.”

As Paul adds “Plan your holiday budget so you know how much your holiday is going to cost and how much currency you need.”

Don’t leave getting you holiday money to the last minute either – it will invariably be more expensive if you leave it until you get to the airport.

MoneyHighStreet comments: “If you want cash and use a bureau de changes, be clear on the exchange rate you are getting and that you understand the implications of any ’0% commission offers’ – some may offer poorer exchange rates to ‘hide’ the company charges, rather than charge a clear commission amount.

Holidaymakers are in fact increasingly turning to plastic cards for their holiday travel money, instead of or as well as the currency. Using a credit card can be expensive but there are some cards that can be advantageous – you might like to check out the ‘Rewards for Abroad’ feature for example from Nationwide – see more on their website.

Finally, wherever you decide to go, do make sure you have appropriate travel insurance in place – otherwise you could end up with a bigger bill than you bargain for should something go wrong, your suitcases go missing for example or you need medical attention whilst away.