Would you choose a weekend break for the price of a bus ticket? If that’s the case, then the birthplace of democracy is a value-for-money option. In fact, Athens made it to the list of the ten most affordable EU cities, according to the UK’s eighth annual City Costs Barometer from Post Office Travel Money.

The data ranked 35 of the continent’s short break hotspots according to the price of weekend accommodation at a three-star hotel. The cost of food, drink, transport and sightseeing were also calculated. The UK Post Office Holidays offers a useful search engine of price comparisons of items that tourists would ordinarily purchase.

For weekend breaks with cheap cabs and coffee and plenty of history thrown in, British tourists were advised to head east to the Balkans. If compared to western European cities, Athens, along with Lisbon, was listed as the most reasonably priced place. On the other end of the spectrum, it was found that Stockholm was the most expensive European city with a weekend break costing 325.44 pounds (411 euros), more than twice the cost of a city break in Athens at 149 pounds (188.5) and much higher than the 113 pounds (143 euros) required for a weekend in Warsaw.

Cheap wine and low admission fees mean that British tourists, as well as other visitors from Europe, can increase their spending power in the city. The real satisfaction, however, comes from all that Athens has to offer in terms of culture, civilization and, of course, cuisine.

PRICIEST CITY BREAKS

Stockholm, Sweden (325.44 pounds-435 euros)

Reykjavik, Iceland (321 pounds-406 euros)

Oslo, Norway (320 pounds -404 euros)

Dublin, Ireland (306 pounds-387 euros)

Geneva, Switzerland (305 pounds-385 euros)

Amsterdam, Netherlands (301 pounds-381 euros)

London, UK (300 pounds-379.5 euros)

Copenhagen, Denmark (292 pounds-369.5 euros)

Venice, Italy (282 pounds-357 euros)

Barcelona, Spain (280 pounds-354 euros