Each year, many people flock to major European cities. While Paris, London, and Barcelona have incredible things to offer, several other cities in Europe have incredible sights and adventures for you to experience.
That’s why Prime Casino has compiled a list of the best alternative cities for your next city break. We’ve considered things to do, luxury hotels and restaurants, sights and landmarks, and more to reveal the best alternative city breaks for your next adventure.
Porto Is The Best Alternative City: Score Of 7.21/10
We’ve looked at sights and landmarks, fine-dining restaurants, safety, cost of living, things to do, average temperature, and air quality to reveal the best alternative cities for your next city break.
1) Porto, Portugal - 7.21 city break score
Porto takes the top spot, with a city break score of 7.21 out of 10. Located in North Portugal, the city sits on the shores of the Douro River, which is a UNESCO Heritage Site as of 1996. Porto is a city brimming with culture and history, with the Livraria Lello Bookshop, the Sao Bento Railway station and the Mercado do Bolhao markets all must-see experiences.
With 3.2% of restaurants being deemed luxury, Porto is also a great place for foodies, plentiful in local cuisines and delicacies. Make sure to try the francesinha, which is described as a heavier croque monsieur. Other local dishes include a cachorrinho, a Porto-style hotdog, and a Tripas à Moda do Porto, which is a traditional pork stew in Porto. Finally, you need to try the port wine, which has been produced exclusively on the Douro Shores for over two thousand years.
2) Zagreb, Croatia - 7.17 city break score
If you love Prague and Budapest, Zagreb is a great alternative. The Croatian Capital sits along the Sava River, South of the Medvednica Mountains. It is split into two main areas: the Upper Town and the Lower Town. The Lower Town has the main square, Ban Jelačić, as well as shops, museums, and parks, whereas the Upper Town is more historic and mediaeval, with several outdoor cafes. Connecting the two areas is the Zagreb Funicular, a 120-year-old blue train that takes 750,000 passengers a year.
Zagreb is an underrated city to visit, ranking highly for things to do, sights and landmarks, luxury hotels, and safety. Its Austro-Hungarian architecture is Instagram-able and will take your breath away. A great example of this is St Mark’s Church, a 13th-century Gothic cathedral located in Upper Town. It’s no surprise that Zagreb takes second place with a city break score of 7.17 out of 10.
3) Tirana, Albania - 6.71 city break score
In third place is Tirana, with a city break score of 6.71 out of 10. In addition to a comfortable Mediterranean climate of a 14.8°C average temperature, Tirana is a colourful, historic city with stunning architecture and luscious parks. One of the most notable landmarks in Tirana is the Skanderbeg Square in the heart of the city, surrounded by gorgeous pastel buildings. Other historical landmarks include the Tirana Pyramid, Tirana Castle, and Et’hem Bej Mosque, which are all worth seeing with your own eyes.
Another must-visit in Albania’s capital city is the BUNK’ART museum, which is placed in former Cold War bunkers. The bunkers are made up of five floors and an assembly hall, and the ticket office is even next to a military base which is still in operation.
The City With The Most Luxury Hotels
1) Zagreb, Croatia - 6.2% of hotels are luxury
Zagreb has the most luxury hotels, with 6.2% of hotels classed as luxury. The Croatian capital has more than 700 hotels, including 45 luxury hotels. The Esplanade Zagreb Hotel is the highest-rated luxury hotel on Tripadvisor, with customers raving about its “old-style elegance.” Having been built in 1925 for passengers of the old Orient Express, it’s also got plenty of history.
The City With The Most Things To Do
1) Porto, Portugal - 738.7 things to do per 100,000 people
Porto has the most things to do, with 738.7 per 100,000 people. There are just over 1,000 things to do in Porto in total, which is the 11th highest on our list. Porto is a wonderful city to explore, packed with historic sites, museums, and gardens. Some of the most popular things to do in Porto include Jardins do Palácio de Cristal and Museu Serralves.
The City With The Most Fine-Dining Restaurants
1) Reykjavik, Iceland - 6.3% of restaurants are fine-dining
Reykjavik takes the top spot, with 6.3% of restaurants classified as fine dining, with Kopar, Fiskfelagid, and Apotek Restaurant among the best. Iceland's national dish is hákari, which is fermented shark meat. The sharks used for this meat are Greenland sharks, whose meat is actually poisonous unless it’s been fermented. Another delicacy enjoyed by locals is harðfiskur, which translates to hard fish. Harðfiskur is dried fish, usually cod but wolffish and haddock are also occasionally used.
If fish isn’t your thing, then a staple in an Icelandic diet is skyr yoghurt, a creamy dairy product packed with protein and usually combined with sweet treats such as chocolate and fruit.
The City With The Most Sights And Landmarks
1) Porto, Portugal - 106.9 sights and landmarks per 100,000 people
Porto is packed with historic sights and landmarks, taking the top spot with just over 100 per 100,000 people. The most popular landmark on Tripadvisor is the Luís I Bridge, which offers an incredible view of the city and the river. The Catedral do Porto, Torre dos Clérigos, and Palacio da Bolsa are also beautiful historic sites you simply must see for yourself.
The Most Affordable Alternative City Break
1) Skopje, North Macedonia - 34.6 cost of living score
North Macedonia’s capital city is the most affordable on our list, with a cost of living score of 34.6. In Skopje, you can get a cappuccino and Coke/Pepsi for less than €2 each. Local transport is also incredibly affordable, meaning you can explore the beautiful city for just 65¢ per one-way ticket.
The Safest Alternative City Break
1) The Hague, Netherlands - 79.7 safety score
The safest city on our list is The Hague in the Netherlands, with a safety score of 79.7 out of 10. Zagreb and Ljubljana follow behind in second and third place, with a safety score of 78.7 and 78.5, respectively. The least safe city on our list is Gent in Belgium, with a score of just 36.6.
The City With The Best Weather
1) Bari, Italy - 17°C average temperature
Bari has the best weather, with an average temperature of 17°C. Precipitation levels are also low, at an average of just 575mm. If you’re looking for some great weather, then June to September offer the hottest weather, with a minimum temperature of 19°C between these months. In the summer months, temperatures can reach just over 28°C.
The City With The Best Air Quality
1) Reykjavik, Iceland - 10 air quality score
The city with the best air quality is Reykjavik, with an air quality score of 10. Being located in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, Iceland is a remote and windy island, mostly unaffected by outside pollution.
Methodology
We used Allianz Assistance, Pack the Suitcases, and Wander Lush to create a seeding list of the best alternative cities to visit. We then removed any cities with missing data.
We used Tripadvisor to find the number of things to do, the number of sights and landmarks, the number of luxury hotels, and the number of fine-dining restaurants. We also used Tripadvisor to find the total number of hotels and restaurants to calculate the percentage of luxury and fine-dining hotels and restaurants, respectively. This data was collected on 26.09.2024.
We then used City Population to find the population of each of our cities. We then used the population to work out the number of things to do and the number of sights and landmarks per 100,000 people.
We used Numbeo to find the cost of living and safety scores for each city. The data was collected on 26.09.2024.
We used IQAir to find the air quality of each city. This data was collected on 26.09.2024.
We used Climate Data to find the average temperature for each city. This data was collected on 26.09.2024.
We combined this data into a weighted table, normalising each factor with a score out of 10. We then took an average of these scores to get our overall ‘city break score’ for each cit
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