European travel doesn't have to mean Paris prices. These cities all sit well below the European median on mid-range daily cost in shoulder season, while offering the architecture, food and pace travellers actually come to Europe for. Ranked from cheapest mid-range daily cost upward.
Mid-range $171/day · accommodation $88. Belle-époque arcades next to Soviet monoliths.
Mid-range $194/day · accommodation $99. Thermal baths under a city of pale, gilded stone.
Mid-range $194/day · accommodation $99. Medieval square, Jewish quarter, vodka and pierogi.
Mid-range $236/day · accommodation $121. Gothic spires above cobbled, beer-warm streets.
Mid-range $257/day · accommodation $132. Acropolis light over a creative, sun-bleached capital.
Mid-range $279/day · accommodation $143. Azulejo-tiled banks of the Douro, port cellars at sunset.
Mid-range $300/day · accommodation $154. Pastel hills, ocean light, fado at midnight.
Mid-range $322/day · accommodation $165. Brutalist past, electronic present, generous green lungs.
Mid-range $342/day · accommodation $176. Walled stone glowing above the Adriatic.
Mid-range $342/day · accommodation $176. Late dinners, golden plazas, world-class collections.
Mid-range $365/day · accommodation $187. Modernist façades meeting Mediterranean beaches.
Mid-range $365/day · accommodation $187. Art-nouveau corridors and quiet, well-fed afternoons.