European travel may evoke a sense of glamour and luxury, but that doesn't mean it has to be pricey.
In fact, according to the latest U.S. News & World Report's best vacations rankings, you can visit some of Europe's best vacation spots on a budget.
To determine its list, U.S. News calculated an overall score for more than 300 destinations based on the following:
- A score given by U.S. News editors between one (worst) and five (best) in 10 categories — sights, culture, people, food, shopping, family, nightlife, adventure, romance, and accessibility — for each destination.
- The percentage of travelers who voted "yes" to whether the destination belongs on the list of best places.
U.S. News then deemed a destination affordable if the average nightly rate for hotels with three-stars and above is $150 or less, based on data sourced from Expedia. Read more about the methodology here.
Below, check out the list of the 17 best and most affordable destinations in Europe, which includes Mediterranean beach towns and bustling cities alike, and several hot spots in Spain and Italy.
Note that cities with ties were broken by scores from U.S. News editors. All scores are out of a possible five points.
17. St. Petersburg, Russia
Overall score: 3.39
Sights score: 4.33
Food score: 3.33
16. Sicily, Italy
Overall score: 3.39
Sights score: 4.00
Food score: 4.33
15. Budapest, Hungary
Overall score: 3.40
Sights score: 4.17
Food score: 3.38
14. Lisbon, Portugal
Overall score: 3.53
Sights score: 4.17
Food score: 3.50
13. Berlin, Germany
Overall score: 3.54
Sights score: 4.33
Food score: 3.50
12. Corfu, Greece
Overall score: 3.56
Sights score: 3.33
Food score: 3.50
11. Istanbul, Turkey
Overall score: 3.56
Sights score: 4.33
Food score: 4.00
10. Brussels, Belgium
Overall score: 3.63
Sights score: 4.17
Food score: 4.00
9. Valencia, Spain
Overall score: 3.75
Sights score: 3.83
Food score: 3.67
8. Seville, Spain
Overall score: 3.78
Sights score: 4.33
Food score: 4.00
7. Madrid, Spain
Overall score: 3.78
Sights score: 4.67
Food score: 4.67
6. Vienna, Austria
Overall score: 3.90
Sights score: 4.33
Food score: 4.00
5. Athens, Greece
Overall score: 3.94
Sights score: 4.50
Food score: 3.83
4. Prague, Czech Republic
Overall score: 4.01
Sights score: 4.67
Food score: 4.17
3. Florence, Italy
Overall score: 4.02
Sights score: 4.83
Food score: 4.67
2. Porto, Portugal
Overall score: 4.12
Sights score: 4.17
Food score: 3.67
1. Rome, Italy
Overall score: 4.22
Sights score: 5.00
Food score: 4.83
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