Europe is easier to plan when you start from what you want out of a trip: lower prices, famous heritage, beaches, mountains, food, castles or smaller towns. This page lists places for each style, with an official page to start from: a UNESCO listing, a national tourism site or the place’s own site.
It gives no prices and ranks nothing. Listing a place is not a recommendation, and we earn nothing from these links.
What “budget” and “expensive” mean here
These labels come from one official comparison of whole countries, not cities. Eurostat, the EU’s statistical office, compares price levels for consumer goods and services across 36 European countries. In 2025, Denmark had the highest price level among EU countries, at 40% above the EU average, while Bulgaria had the lowest, at 37% below.
| Country | Price level, 2025 (EU average = 100) |
|---|---|
| Iceland | 174 |
| Switzerland | 171 |
| Denmark | 140 |
| Norway | 129 |
| Netherlands | 116 |
| Hungary | 78 |
| Poland | 73 |
| Albania | 73 |
| Serbia | 68 |
| Romania | 65 |
| Bulgaria | 62 |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 59 |
| North Macedonia | 55 |
So 171 means prices about 71% above the EU average, and 55 means about 45% below. The comparison covers the 27 EU countries, Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and six candidate countries. The United Kingdom and Monaco are not in it, so this page makes no cost claim about London or Monaco. For London, start at visitbritain.com, the official website for UK tourism. A country’s figure is an average for the whole country and says nothing about one city.
For example, if two cities look equally appealing, the country figure gives you a rough first idea of how far a day’s spending may go.
The page's own starting points and tips, one per style.
Cities in lower-price countries
These cities are in countries whose 2025 price level sat well below the EU average.
- Belgrade, Serbia (price level 68). Start at serbia.travel, from the National Tourism Organisation of Serbia.
- Bucharest, Romania (65).
- Budapest, Hungary (78). Its riverside and castle district are on the UNESCO World Heritage List as Budapest, including the Banks of the Danube, the Buda Castle Quarter and Andrássy Avenue. Start at visithungary.com, from the Hungarian Tourism Agency.
- Tirana, Albania (73).
- Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina (59).
- Kraków, Poland (73). Its old town is listed as the Historic Centre of Kraków. Start at poland.travel, from the Polish Tourism Organisation.
- Sofia, Bulgaria (62). Start at visitbulgaria.com, which calls itself the official tourism portal of Bulgaria.
- Skopje, North Macedonia (55).
Try this: compare two cities on the same three things, such as a coffee, a museum ticket and a bus fare.
Pricier destinations
These places are in countries whose 2025 price level sat above the EU average.
- Zurich, Switzerland (price level 171).
- Oslo, Norway (129).
- Copenhagen, Denmark (140). Start at visitdenmark.com, from Denmark’s national tourism organisation.
- Reykjavík, Iceland (174). Start at visiticeland.com, which calls itself the official travel guide to Iceland.
- Amsterdam, the Netherlands (116). Its canal ring is listed by UNESCO as the Seventeenth-Century Canal Ring Area of Amsterdam inside the Singelgracht. Start at holland.com, the official website for the Netherlands as a tourist destination.
Try this: in a pricier country, look at what the national tourism site lists as free to do.
Famous heritage sites
UNESCO’s World Heritage List gives each site an exact name and a page explaining why it was listed.
| Place | Name on the World Heritage List |
|---|---|
| Rome, Italy | Historic Centre of Rome, the Properties of the Holy See in that City Enjoying Extraterritorial Rights and San Paolo Fuori le Mura |
| Venice, Italy | Venice and its Lagoon |
| Paris, France | Paris, Banks of the Seine |
| Dubrovnik, Croatia | Old City of Dubrovnik |
| Kotor, Montenegro | Natural and Culturo-Historical Region of Kotor |
| Toledo, Spain | Historic City of Toledo |
| Athens, Greece | Acropolis, Athens |
Each UNESCO page has a description of the site and maps of the listed area.
Try this: read the “Description” on a site’s UNESCO page before you go; it tells you what to look for once you are there.
Beaches and coasts
Several of these coasts are on the World Heritage List, as towns or cultural landscapes.
- Santorini and Milos, Greece. Start at visitgreece.gr, the official website of the Greek National Tourism Organisation.
- Positano, Italy, on the Amalfi Coast, listed by UNESCO as Costiera Amalfitana.
- Mallorca, Spain. The mountain range along its north-western coast is listed as the Cultural Landscape of the Serra de Tramuntana.
- Nice, France, listed as Nice, Winter Resort Town of the Riviera.
- Hvar, Croatia. The island’s Stari Grad Plain is on the list as a cultural landscape.
- The Algarve, Portugal.
Try this: check whether a beach town’s listing is about the coast, the old town or the farmland behind it; it changes what a day there looks like.
Mountains and lakes
Three of these mountain areas are on the World Heritage List; for the others, a national tourism site is a good place to start.
- The Dolomites, Italy, listed as The Dolomites.
- Hallstatt, Austria, part of the Hallstatt-Dachstein / Salzkammergut Cultural Landscape. Start at austria.info, which calls itself Austria’s official travel portal.
- Andorra, where the Madriu-Perafita-Claror Valley lies in the south-east of the country, in the Pyrenees.
- Bled, Slovenia. Start at slovenia.info, the official travel guide to Slovenia.
- Chamonix, France. Start at france.fr, France’s official tourism board website.
- Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland, and the Lofoten Islands, Norway.
Try this: for any mountain trip, check the local weather and trail conditions on the day, not only the forecast you saw at home.
Food cities
Food is personal, so we add one sourced note and leave the rest to you.
- Naples, Italy. UNESCO lists the Art of Neapolitan ‘Pizzaiuolo’ on its intangible heritage list (inscribed in 2017). It describes it as a culinary practice with four phases, from preparing the dough to baking it in a wood-fired oven. Naples’ old town is also listed as the Historic Centre of Naples.
- Lyon, France, whose old centre is listed as the Historic Site of Lyon.
- Porto, Portugal, listed as the Historic Centre of Oporto, Luiz I Bridge and Monastery of Serra do Pilar.
- Istanbul, Türkiye, listed as the Historic Areas of Istanbul.
- Munich, Germany. Start at germany.travel, from the German National Tourist Board.
- San Sebastián, Spain, and Athens, Greece.
Try this: eat one meal where people who live there eat, and one dish you have never heard of.
Castles
Some castles are on the World Heritage List; others run official sites of their own.
- Neuschwanstein, Germany, listed as part of The Palaces of King Ludwig II of Bavaria: Neuschwanstein, Linderhof, Schachen and Herrenchiemsee.
- Carcassonne, France, listed as the Historic Fortified City of Carcassonne.
- Spiš Castle, Slovakia, listed as part of Levoča, Spišský Hrad and the Associated Cultural Monuments. Start at slovakia.travel, the tourism portal of Slovakia’s Ministry of Tourism and Sports.
- Chillon, Switzerland: the castle’s own site, chillon.ch, calls it Switzerland’s most visited historical monument.
- Karlštejn, Czechia: the castle’s official site has opening hours and tours.
- Cochem, Germany: the Reichsburg Cochem has its own site, in German.
- Bran, Romania.
Try this: check opening days on a castle’s own site before you plan a day around it.
Smaller towns
These are smaller places, several of them on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.
- Matera, Italy, listed as The Sassi and the Park of the Rupestrian Churches of Matera.
- Amboise, France, one of the towns in The Loire Valley between Sully-sur-Loire and Chalonnes.
- Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, listed as the Old Bridge Area of the Old City of Mostar.
- Sintra, Portugal, listed as the Cultural Landscape of Sintra.
- Piran, Slovenia, listed among the sights on slovenia.info.
- Sibiu, Romania, and Tartu, Estonia.
Try this: stay one night in a smaller town near a big city, and visit the city as a day trip.
Where to look for official information
National tourism sites are the official starting point, and UNESCO’s list is the place to check a heritage claim.
- National tourism sites we could confirm as official: Italy, France, Greece, Montenegro, Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland, Serbia, Bulgaria, Denmark, Iceland, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.
- UNESCO’s World Heritage List lets you search any site by name or country.
- Our directory of where to find travel deals covers flight search, rail passes such as Interrail, and city cards.
- Our guide to travel refunds and compensation links the official pages for the EU, UK, US and Australia.
| UNESCO's World Heritage List | The place to check a heritage claim: each site's exact name, a description and maps of the listed area. |
| A national tourism site | The official starting point for a country. |
| A castle's own site | Opening days, hours and tours. |
Quick answers
Which European countries had the lowest price levels?
In Eurostat's 2025 comparison of price levels, Bulgaria had the lowest among EU countries, at 37% below the EU average. Among the other countries compared, North Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina were lower still. The figures are for whole countries, not cities.
Which European countries had the highest price levels?
In the same comparison, Iceland and Switzerland had the highest price levels, and Denmark was highest among EU countries, at 40% above the EU average.
How do I check if a place is a UNESCO World Heritage Site?
Search UNESCO's World Heritage List by name or country. Each site has its own page with an exact name, a description and maps of the listed area.
Is Neuschwanstein a UNESCO site?
Yes. It is part of the listing "The Palaces of King Ludwig II of Bavaria: Neuschwanstein, Linderhof, Schachen and Herrenchiemsee".
Use this
Pick the style of trip first, then check each place on its official page.
Where does this claim about a place come from, and can I see it on an official page?
Quick quiz
Nothing is scored or saved. Recalling it once now is what makes it last.
1. Which EU country had the highest price level in Eurostat's 2025 comparison?
Answer: Denmark.Read it again ↑
2. Why does this page make no cost claim about London?
Answer: The United Kingdom is not in Eurostat's comparison.Read it again ↑
3. What did UNESCO inscribe on its intangible heritage list in 2017?
Answer: The Art of Neapolitan 'Pizzaiuolo'.Read it again ↑
How we checked this · Last checked November 2026
- Price levels come from Eurostat's comparison of 2025 price levels for household consumer goods and services (data from 17 June 2026). They describe whole countries, not cities.
- Every UNESCO name is copied from the site's own World Heritage List page, opened on 3 November 2026.
- We linked a national tourism site only where its own page says it is official or names the national body behind it. Several could not be opened by script and are not linked.
- This page gives no prices and ranks nothing. Listing a place is not a recommendation, and we earn nothing from these links.