Bucharest has been revealed as the fifth-best destination for British backpackers in 2023 by Cotswold Outdoor. Budapest ranks top and Warsaw, Prague, Lisbon and Madrid (joint fifth) complete the top five.
Romanian Capital ranks as the fifth best destination for British backpackers largely due to flight prices being as low as £10 and its cheap average hostel stays (£16 p/night). The average cost of a trip on public transport is 51p and the city ranks as the 21st safest capital city in the world.
As for a basic grocery list costs, Bucharest ranks mid-range, costing £14 for a list of basics
and if you’re after free attractions, the city manages to offer a respectable 139. Lastly, Bucharest
scores the poorest for its choice of couch surfing hosts (14) and hostels (70) along with its mobile internet speeds (60mbps).
In comparison, Budapest places top with one-way flights as low as £10, 64 couch surf hosts, and
reasonably priced hostels (avg. £20.50). The city is home to 275 free tourist attractions and
public transport costs an average 71p per trip.
Crime rates and mobile internet speeds are mid-range, being the 33rd safest capital and average mobile internet speeds hover around the 60mbps mark. But, Budapest ranks poorest for its basic grocery shop, costing an average of £18 (zł85) for essentials like fruit, rice, eggs, bread, and milk.
As for the remaining top five destinations, Europe continues to monopolise the list as Warsaw
(Poland), Prague (Czech Republic), Lisbon (Portugal) and Madrid (Spain) the joint fifth, follow
With approximately 44 million backpacking trips being taken each year, research estimates the
average spend per trip is £3,350 (2017).
