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These three European cities have the most free tourist attractions

Save on sightseeing with these city break destinations

Helen Coffey
Monday 21 November 2022 10:36 GMT
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Rome has top number of free attractions
Rome has top number of free attractions (Getty Images)

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The European cities with the highest number of free tourist attractions have been revealed.

Rome, London and Paris came top of the class, according to new research from travel booking company Omio.

The Italian capital was number one when it comes to complimentary sightseeing, offering access to 553 attractions and 34 museums for free.

These include the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain and St Peter’s Basilica.

The British capital was up next, thanks to its 95 free museums and 487 free sightseeing attractions.

Visitors can explore the Tate Modern, National Gallery, V&A, British Museum and Natural History Museum - all without spending a penny.

Tourists in the French capital, meanwhile, can enjoy 27 free museums and 394 free attractions.

The famed Père Lachaise cemetery, Musée d’Art Moderne and Basilique du Sacré-Coeur are just a few of the sights travellers can experience free of charge.

Attractions aren’t the only element of a trip that can put a strain on travellers’ wallets.

Omio looked at 12 different criteria to determine which European cities were best for budget-conscious tourists, including activities, food and drink, and infrastructure.

The price of a beer, local transport fares, the cost of dinner for two and the number of free public drinking fountains were all taken into consideration when grading destinations.

The research determined that Granada in Spain was the best city for those looking to save money, with an average beer costing €2.19 and a 24-hour travel card priced at €1.23.

It was followed by Bruges in Belgium, Venice, Italy and Valencia, Spain.

The UK’s best-value city was named Edinburgh, in at number five.

Although London held its own when it came to free activities - boasting 1,394 alongside the aforementioned free museums and attractions - it only ranked 93rd overall due to expensive food, drink and transport.

Europe’s best cities for budget-conscious travellers

  1. Granada, Spain
  2. Bruges, Belgium
  3. Venice, Italy
  4. Valencia, Spain
  5. Edinburgh, UK
  6. Innsbruck, Austria
  7. Cambridge, UK
  8. Seville, Spain
  9. Malaga, Spain
  10. Florence, Italy

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