Almost half of British travellers are avoiding costly eurozone countries in favour of eastern Europe and Scandinavia, a new poll claims.
London is the most popular European city, followed by Manchester, with Rome lagging in third place and short break favourite Paris not even making the top 20.
The research, based on the most popular searches within online price comparison service PriceRunner’s travel category between January and May, shows other popular cities in the UK to include Edinburgh, Glasgow and Birmingham, which appeals to the British more than the French capital.
A quarter of the top 20 most popular cities in Europe are in the UK.
The poor exchange rate against the euro means that more people are escaping eurozone countries.
Cities such as Stockholm, Copenhagen or Dalaman in Turkey are the most popular destinations outside the eurozone and are all listed within the company’s top 20 European cities league table.
The most popular cities in eastern Europe include Sofia and Burgas in Bulgaria or Prague.
Poland, estimated to be 23% cheaper than the international average, is in vogue with both Warsaw and Krakow making it into the top 100 most popular cities.
But Dublin is the sixth most expensive city with two pints of Guinness costing visitors £8 (€10).
Despite using the euro, Spanish cities account for 40% of the top 20 European destinations, thanks to prices being three per cent lower than the international average, according to the research
Malaga is the second most popular city in continental Europe while other Spanish favourites include Tenerife, Alicante and Barcelona.
With the pound faring better against the US dollar than the euro, travel to North America, where the favoured cities are New York, Los Angeles and Miami, is a popular option.
Thailand, China and Australia are also destinations of choice outside Europe.
PriceRunner managing director Mattias Berg said: “With the poor exchange rate on the Euro we’re seeing an increase in the popularity of travel within the UK or least outside of the eurozone.
“It’s encouraging to see that we’re taking the time to enjoy our own country and not being put off by European travel altogether.
“By doing your research before travelling you’ll discover which currencies offer the best exchange rates if appropriate and, more importantly, which countries and cities offer the best value for money.
“Heading to eastern Europe may seem like the obvious answer when it comes to budget travel but let’s not forget that there are cities within the eurozone that offer good value for money too – you just need to shop around.â€
Top 20 European cities (source: PriceRunner)
1 London
2 Manchester
3 Rome
4 Malaga
5 Alicante
6 Stockholm
7 Faro
8 Tenerife
9 Barcelona
10 Larnaca
11 Amsterdam
12 Majorca
13 Copenhagen
14 Dalaman
15 Dublin
16 Nice
17 Lanzarote
18 Edinburgh
19 Glasgow
20 Birmingham
Top 20 cities in the eurozone
1 Rome
2 Malaga
3 Alicante
4 Stockholm
5 Faro
6 Tenerife
7 Barcelona
8 Larnaca
9 Amsterdam
10 Majorca
11 Dublin
12 Nice
13 Lanzarote
14 Murcia
15 Athens
16 Paris
17 Lisbon
18 Venice
19 Selonica
20 Siena
by Phil Davies
