What do Seville, Marrakech and Budapest have in common? They all cost less to fly to than a train ticket from Glasgow to London.
It sounds too good to be true, but in an era where air travel is more accessible than ever and UK rail fares continue to skyrocket, the cheapest weekend breaks are no longer staycations in quaint British seaside towns.
Bite-sized 48-hour getaways are trending and extreme day trips – where travellers catch early morning flights to short-haul destinations and return within the same day – are becoming increasingly popular.
But where to go? Metro has compared train journeys between some of the UK’s busiest stations with budget airline flights to find out which trips come out cheaper.
From Mediterranean beaches to cities bursting with culture, plenty of destinations can be reached for less than a train ticket — here are our top picks.
Budapest, Hungary
Hungary has been named as one of the world’s top 10 destinations for 2025, and the capital of Budapest has no shortage of activities to keep travellers busy — including those on a budget.
A visit to the Hungarian Parliament, with its dramatic neo-Gothic architecture, should be top of any hit list (be sure to book in advance as tickets sell out quickly). Buda Castle and St Stephen’s Basilica are also well worth a visit.
Another must is a night cruise along the Danube River, which separates the Buda part of the city from Pest, and a dip in the iconic Szechenyi baths, one of the largest thermal spas in Europe.
If that sounds like your ideal getaway, you can book return flights from £27 with Ryanair, who fly direct to Budapest from airports across the UK.
How much does a long weekend in Budapest cost?
Metro‘s Alice Murphy turned her back on a staycation in Cornwall after discovering she could fly to Budapest and back for less than the £137 train fare.
Alice broke down the cost of her entire trip below:
- Flights: £59 per person with Wizz Air
- Airbnb: £43.50 per person for three nights
- Bus from Budapest Airport: £1.40 per person, single
- Stansted Airport Express: £23 return
- Budapest historical sights, bridges, castles and galleries: Free
- Day pass for Szecheyni Thermal Bath: £25
- Unlimited prosecco night river cruise: £22
- Average dinner: £10 – £13
- Average pint: £2.50 – £3.50
Tirana, Albania
Tirana is a hidden gem for travellers on a budget.
Hotel rooms in the Albanian capital cost as little as £20 a night, while it’s not unusual for restaurants to serve main courses for £6.
Chelsea Dickenson, aka Cheap Holiday Expert on Instagram, challenged herself to spend under £100 on a getaway to Tirana — and came back with change.
But there’s more to this Balkan metropolis than cheap prices.
One of the city’s top attractions is Bunk’Art, a former Cold War bunker that has been transformed into a history and contemporary art museum embedded in a hillside.
The fusion of Albania’s chequered history with modern art encapsulates the city’s transformation from isolated Communist state to funky European holiday spot.
Wizz Air fly direct to Tirana from London Luton for as little as £25 for a return — that’s cheaper than a single train ticket from London to Cardiff, which starts from £31 for an advance fair.
Poznan, Poland
Poznan is a great choice for travellers looking to avoid the crowds of Warsaw and Krakow.
There’s plenty to do, but the standout is definitely the food. This place does Polish cuisine at its finest. Don’t miss the famous St Martin’s croissant (a pastry with a white poppy-seed filling), it’s well worth a try.
Poznan city centre has a real buzz about it with a variety of restaurants, pubs and clubs to choose from, as well as multiple museums and Art Nouveau architecture to admire.
Travellers on a budget can bag return flights from £27 with Ryanair, who fly direct from airports across the UK.
That makes a round trip to the Polish city cheaper than a single journey from Cardiff to Manchester via train, with fares starting from £29.
Ostrava, Czechia
Metro‘s Steve Charnock recently picked Ostrava for our annual round-up of unmissable destinations to visit in 2025.
This Czechia city is a great destination for travellers in search of vibrant nightlife, with a modest mix of old-school Czech taverns, hipster breweries and value-for-money restaurants serving up hunks of meat.
Stodolní Street is full of late-night drinking dens which come alive in July for Colours of Ostrava, a music festival that will see Iggy Pop and Justice headline this year.
The event takes place at Dolní Vítkovice, an industrial heritage site that’s been turned into a cultural hub.
Ryanair runs return flights to Ostrava from London Stansted for as little as £31. That’s cheaper than a train ticket from London to Newquay, which costs from £44 for an advance single.
Antalya, Turkey
While flights to Turkey can be expensive during the summer, the Turkish Riviera is an affordable off-season paradise, with temperatures as high as 22°C by the time April rolls around.
The history of this region dates back to the Roman Empire and, centuries ago, Antalya was a bustling trading port.
Look out for a well-preserved, second-century arched gate named for Emperor Hadrian (of Hadrian’s Wall fame), as well as the circular Hidirlik Tower from the same period.
Those after a relaxing escape are in luck, because Turkey was recently ranked one of the cheapest destinations for an all-inclusive holiday in 2025.
Return flights to Antalya cost as little £50 with Wizz Air, which flies direct from London Gatwick and London Luton.
That makes the journey cheaper than a single advance train ticket from Brighton to Liverpool, which starts from £52.
Seville, Spain
Metro recently ranked Seville as one of the best European cities to visit in spring, thanks to the flowers that bloom in the Alcázar Palace Gardens and the fragrant orange blossom in the Parque de María Luisa.
This is a city with distinctive architecture, with styles ranging from Gothic to Baroque, Renaissance and Mudejár. It’s also a hotbed of delicious tapas and award-winning local wine.
Return flights to the Spanish city cost as little as £35 with Vueling, which flies from London Gatwick. That’s cheaper than a single train ticket from Glasgow to London, which starts from £37.
Marrakech, Morocco
Another great choice for sun-seekers, Marrakech sees highs of 24°C in March, with temperatures gradually increasing up to 38°C in peak summer.
There’s plenty to keep tourists busy, from the bustling medina brimming with colourful ceramics, woven rugs and chunky Berber jewellery, to Bahia Palace, a sprawling complex of vibrant mosaics and intricate wood ceilings.
Metro recently ranked Marrakech as one of the best romantic destinations to visit, and there’s nowhere more intimate to unwind than in one of city’s many hammams.
Hammam Rosa Bonheur is one of the world’s top spots for therma tourism, offering a 45-minute massage with 45 minutes bathing time for £30.
Metro‘s Alice Murphy is a seasoned hammam fan, and she says her two-hour experience at Rosa Bonheur in 2017 remains the best she’s ever had.
Ryanair offers return flights from airports across the UK to Marrakech from as little as £28, which works out cheaper than an advance single train ticket from London to Durham, which costs from £31.
How to spend 72 hours in Marrakech
Metro‘s Gergana Krasteva recently spent three days in Marrakech investigating the sober tourism trend.
‘Morocco is not known for its champagne lifestyle; it’s a Muslim country where alcohol is permitted only under strict regulation in licensed bars and hotels. But this is a place that doesn’t need booze to be interesting.
‘Opulent palaces, ancient architecture and atmospheric souks with aromatic cuisine are all making the city known as the ‘Jewel of the South’ an increasingly popular choice for sober travellers.’
Vilnius, Lithuania
Vilnius remains off the beaten path for most British travellers, but it’s not to be overlooked. The city boasts winding cobbled alleyways, Baroque architecture and a UNESCO-listed old town.
Lithuania’s capital was recently crowned Europe’s most affordable city in a survey by Post Office Travel Money, with the cost of a city break in Vilnius (including an evening meal for two and two nights in three-star accommodation) estimated to be just £236.51.
And splashing out on luxury offerings in this charming destination is accessible even for those on a budget.
Michelin-starred restaurant Dziaugsmas, with its industrial-style dining rooms, offers a tasting menu for €67 (£57), while farm-to-table restaurant 14 Horses, another highly rated establishment, serves four courses for €55 (£46.50) per person.
Even cheaper is the cost of return flights to the city, which start from £34 with Wizz Air, which flies from London Luton.
That works out less than a train ticket from London to Aberdeen, which starts from £49 for an advance single.
Win a week in a dreamy ski chalet in the French Alps
Metro have teamed up with Ski Beat to give one lucky winner and their even luckier travel companion a chance to experience the ultimate winter getaway from the UK’s leading ski chalet provider in France.
Simply enter our prize draw and you could be jetting off to the French Alps to spend a week in Ski Beat’s stylish Chalet Perdrix in the pretty, high-altitude resort of La Rosière, staying in a private, ensuite, double or twin room.
Sound like a dream? This amazing holiday can be taken on the 5th or 12th of April 2025 or 13th Dec 2025, so you can pick the perfect ski time to suit your preference.
To enter, simply share your name and contact details below for a chance to win. Entries close at 23:59 on 21 February 2025. Good luck!
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Full T&Cs apply, see here.
Open to UK (excluding Northern Ireland) residents aged 18 or over. Promotion opens at 00:01 on 24/01/2025 and closes at 23:59 on 21/02/2025. 1 prize available: The prize includes 7 nights’ accommodation, with a chalet host to prepare breakfast, afternoon tea with home-made cakes, three course evening meals with wine (6 nights), return flights from Manchester or London Gatwick to Lyon Saint-Exupéry and transfers to La Rosière.The prize does not include ski passes, ski equipment hire and the winner is solely responsible for obtaining mandatory winter sports travel insurance. 1 entry per person or email address.
Naples, Italy
Naples has a reputation as a dark and dirty city, associated with the Mafia, high crime rates, and a notorious toxic waste problem.
It doesn’t sound enticing, but look beneath the surface and you’ll find a city bursting with energy, from gritty laneways to perpetually fired-up pizza ovens.
In fact, the city was recently crowned the world’s best city for food and Pizzeria Brandi, where pizza’s origins are said to have begun in 1889, still exists today.
But perhaps Naples’ most famous piece of history is Mount Vesuvius and the ancient city of Pompeii, a UNESCO World Heritage Site reachable by train in under an hour from the city’s main station.
Return flights to Naples start from £37 with Ryanair, which flies from airports in London, Manchester and Edinburgh.
At that price, the journey costs less than a train ticket from Edinburgh to Bristol, which starts at £43 for a single advance fare.
Hamburg, Germany
Germany’s second-biggest city is often overlooked by tourists who opt for Berlin’s clubs or Munich’s beer halls instead, but Hamburg deserves its moment in the sun.
The Reeperbahn – also known as ‘The Most Sinful Mile’ – is a stretch of neon-lit streets that has evolved from a red-light district to a mix of underground clubs and trendy dive bars.
Tourists can catch a performance at the Elbphilharmonie concert hall (an imposing glassy construction perched atop a 1960s brick warehouse), stroll along tree-lined paths by Binnenalster Lake and sample delicious treats at Chocoversum, an interactive chocolate museum.
All this and more can be reached via flights with Ryanair, which runs return flights from London Stansted and Edinburgh for as little as £33 – considerably less than the train from Edinburgh to Plymouth, which costs £57 per ticket.
How to spend 48 hours in Hamburg
Metro‘s Jed Bradley recently paid Hamburg a fleeting visit and discovered rich history, culinary delights and thumping nightlife that rival more famous European cities.
‘I traipsed through venues like Große Freiheit 36 and Molotow, where The Beatles played in the early 1960s before they became a household name, before perching myself at Le Lion, a famous speakeasy that serves expertly crafted drinks.
‘If you want to dance until dawn, check out one of the district’s iconic nightclubs like Dollhouse or Übel & Gefährlich, housed in a sprawling war bunker.’
Riga, Latvia
The fairytale city of Riga was ranked as one of Europe’s best-value city breaks last year by the Post Office’s City Costs Barometer, with a weekend trip coming in at just £297.20.
This makes Latvia’s capital an ideal destination for travellers on a budget, especially those who are keen to sample the city’s flourishing culinary scene.
Metro‘s Eleanor Noyce spent a weekend in Riga last year and recommends Black Garlic, a restaurant that serves traditional Latvian food with a twist.
She loved the potato pancakes – ‘like a flat hash brown with extra crisp’ – and fresh smoked salmon on the side.
Meanwhile, luxury hotels in Riga cost a fraction of the price you’ll pay in Western Europe.
The five-star Grand Poet Hotel has double rooms from £127 a night (spa access included), while the Grand Palace Hotel, another top-rated property, has superior doubles with sauna access from £120.
Ryanair flies direct to Riga from airports across the UK for as little as £31 return – cheaper than a train ticket from Bristol to Newcastle, which starts from £38 for an advance single.
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