If you’ve spent any time this year daydreaming about far-flung escapes only to close the tab after checking flight prices, you’re not alone. The travel world has been turned upside down by soaring jet fuel costs, and suddenly that romantic idea of a long-haul adventure to Southeast Asia or the West Coast feels less like a spontaneous splurge and more like a second mortgage. But here’s the thing: international travel isn’t off the table. It’s just getting smarter, closer, and a whole lot more affordable. For anyone still committed to wandering abroad this September, the smart money is on Europe—specifically, the kind of city break that used to fly under the radar but is now having a serious moment. Thomas Cook, the travel agency with a history as long as your arm, crunched the numbers across more than 50 popular European destinations to find the best-value breaks under €100 per night. And by “value,” they mean the real stuff: the average cost of a decent three-star hotel, a meal at an inexpensive restaurant, a coffee to keep you going, a daily bus pass to get you around, and tickets to the paid attractions actually worth seeing. The result is a delightful mix of old-world charm, emerging hotspots, and a few surprises that prove you don’t have to empty your savings account to have a proper adventure. So if you’re ready for September travel that doesn’t come with a side of financial anxiety, take a look at these 13 cities—they might just change the way you think about value.
At the top of the list, and practically begging for a spotlight, is Tirana, Albania’s gloriously colorful capital. With a daily approximate cost of just €59 per person, it’s the undisputed champion of affordable city breaks this September. Let’s put that in perspective: you can find three-star accommodation for an average of €32 per person per night, which is less than what many people spend on a single dinner in London. Dinner at an affordable restaurant? Around €8.50. A local beer? A laughable €1.50. Tirana is the kind of city that rewards you for simply walking around—its pastel-painted buildings, chaotic-but-charming streets, and buzzing café culture make it feel like a place that hasn’t yet been overrun by tourists. You can sip a coffee on a sunny piazza, wander through the colorful neighborhood of Blloku, and still have plenty of change left for a museum or two. Hot on Tirana’s heels is Bucharest, Romania, where the daily cost comes in at around €66. Bucharest has long been Europe’s best-kept secret: grand Belle Époque boulevards, quirky museums, a nightlife scene that runs until dawn, and meals that cost just over €12 on average. A daily bus pass is around €1.50, which basically means you can explore the entire city for the price of a vending machine snack. Bucharest isn’t just affordable—it’s genuinely fascinating, with layers of history and a youthful energy that makes it feel alive in a way more polished capitals often aren’t.
Then there’s Türkiye, which absolutely dominates the middle of the list and proves that the country is no longer just an exotic long-haul destination—it’s a budget-friendly European city-break powerhouse. Antalya, the Mediterranean beach gateway, ties for third place with Warsaw at around €78 per day. It’s the kind of place where you can wake up, swim in the sea, explore ancient ruins, and still have money left for a long dinner overlooking the marina. Istanbul, meanwhile, takes fifth place with a daily cost of about €82, and it’s here that the hotel prices are some of the most impressive on the entire list—averaging just €28 per person per night. For a city that straddles two continents, packs in centuries of history, and serves up some of the best street food in the world, that’s almost absurdly good value. An inexpensive meal in Istanbul will run you between €8 and €9, which means you can eat like a sultan without actually paying like one. Muğla, the Turkish province that encompasses beautiful coastal towns like Bodrum and Marmaris, also makes the list at a shared €87 per day, giving you that Aegean resort vibe without the usual resort pricing. What makes Türkiye’s presence on this list so significant is that it’s not just cheap—it’s genuinely spectacular. As Nicholas Smith, dynamic packages director at Thomas Cook, put it: “Eastern European and Turkish city destinations consistently deliver affordability and with growing tourism numbers, they won’t remain a secret for long.” In other words, now is the time to go, before everyone else catches on and the secret spots turn into crowded clichés.
Poland and the Baltics are also having a well-deserved moment on this list. Warsaw ties with Antalya at €78 per day, and that feels almost too good to be true for a capital city that’s rebuilt itself into a modern, vibrant hub with a deep and moving history. You can spend your morning exploring the Old Town—a UNESCO World Heritage site that was painstakingly reconstructed after the war—and your afternoon enjoying pierogi and craft beer for a fraction of what you’d pay in Western Europe. Krakow is right behind at €87 per day, and for my money, it’s one of Europe’s most atmospheric cities, with its medieval market square, royal castle, and a certain old-world magic that makes you want to linger. It’s also a city that wears its history on its sleeve, making it as meaningful as it is beautiful. Vilnius, Lithuania’s charming baroque capital, comes in at €90 per day, offering a laid-back vibe, a hilltop castle, and a bohemian neighborhood called Užupis that declares itself an independent republic—complete with its own constitution and philosophy. Tallinn, Estonia, also lands at €93 per day, and it’s a fairytale come to life with its cobblestone streets, medieval towers, and a digital-savvy culture that feels both ancient and futuristic at the same time. These cities share a certain resilience and warmth, and their affordability isn’t a sign of less to offer—it’s just that they haven’t yet been inflated by mass tourism. They’re authentic, walkable, and deeply memorable, and the fact that they cost so little just feels like a gift.
Of course, the list isn’t only about Eastern Europe and Türkiye—there are a few Western European surprises that prove you don’t have to fly to the edge of the continent to find value. Frankfurt, Germany, ties with Vilnius at €90 per day, which is genuinely unexpected for a city often associated with business travel and sky-high prices. But Frankfurt is more than just a financial district and an airport hub; it has a charming old town, a riverside promenade, and a surprisingly lively food scene. You can stay in a comfortable hotel, enjoy a proper German meal, and still have money left over for a museum or a long walk along the Main River. Lyon, France, comes in at €91 per day, and for a city that’s widely considered the gastronomic capital of the world, that’s a bargain. You don’t have to eat at Michelin-starred restaurants to eat well in Lyon—the city’s legendary bouchons serve up hearty, soul-warming local cuisine at prices that won’t make you wince. Then there’s Heraklion, Greece, at €99 per day, which feels like a steal for a gateway to Crete’s ancient wonders like the Palace of Knossos. Sure, it’s not the prettiest Greek town on a postcard, but it’s real, it’s lively, and it’s the perfect base for exploring one of Europe’s most myth-soaked islands. Rounding out the list is Porto, Portugal, at exactly €100 per day—a city of tiled facades, port wine cellars, and a dramatic riverfront that somehow still feels affordable despite its growing popularity. The fact that these Western European cities can compete with Eastern Europe on price is a reminder that value isn’t about geography—it’s about knowing where to look.
What’s the takeaway from all this? Travel is changing, but not for the worse. The era of assuming you need a huge budget for a meaningful international trip is over, and this list is proof that some of Europe’s most magical cities are also its most accessible. The data from Thomas Cook is more than just a ranking—it’s an invitation to reconsider where you think “value” lives. You don’t have to sacrifice comfort, beauty, or culture to stay under €100 a day. In fact, you might find that the cities offering the most reasonable prices are the ones with the most authentic experiences, the ones where you’ll actually rub shoulders with locals rather than fellow tourists, and the ones where your money goes further in ways that matter—like staying longer, eating better, and seeing more. The quote from Nicholas Smith says it all: these destinations won’t remain a secret for long. Tourism is already growing, and as more people discover just how much Tirana, Bucharest, Istanbul, and Krakow have to offer, prices will inevitably rise. So if you’ve been waiting for a sign to book that September city break, this is it. Your passport is ready, your wallet can breathe, and Europe’s most underrated cities are waiting. The only question left is which one you’ll fall in love with first—and honestly, with prices like these, you could probably afford to visit a few.
