Warsaw ranked best European interrailing stop

A study by Forbes Advisor, the financial guidance and price comparison platform, compared 33 European cities to see which was most worthy of a stop during an interrailing trip. The research ranked Warsaw (Poland) at the top, followed by Bucharest (Romania), Prague (Czech Republic), Tallinn (Estonia) and Vilnius (Lithuania). 

Cheap meals, bars and hotel accommodation were the main reasons for Eastern Europe’s high rankings. Warsaw’s restaurants have the cheapest average cost for a meal for one (£7.55), Bucharest has the second cheapest three-day hotel stay (£120.00), with Warsaw third (£121.65) and Vilnius fourth (£123.95). 

When it comes to drinks, a half-litre of beer will only cost on average €2.30 in Bratislava (Slovakia), and £2.11 in Bucharest. 

As far as public transport is concerned, Bucharest’s 24-hour travel card  (£1.40) is second cheapest behind Luxembourg’s free-to-use transit system, and Sofia’s (Bulgaria) is second (£1.78). In contrast, Amsterdam’s (The Netherlands) public transport is the costliest at £18.30, nearly 15 times more expensive than that of Bucharest.

For those who prefer to walk instead of using public transport, Barcelona (Spain), Paris (France), and Stockholm (Sweden) are the most pedestrian-friendly cities. When it comes to cycling, all cities offer some form of bike for hire service, with the Polish capital offering the cheapest rate at £0.19 per hour.

The safest destination for travellers is Tallinn, followed by Prague, Warsaw, Copenhagen (Denmark), and Vilnius. These high safety scores make these Eastern European cities a great pick for solo travellers.

While London and Dublin’s (Ireland) cultural attractions make them popular cities for tourists, their combined low safety index and high costs for bars and restaurants push them to the bottom of the ranking. In a restaurant, an average meal for one in both cities costs £17.43, the joint most expensive. Paris is the least safe city in the index (42.7%). Dublin placed 18th (47.2%) and London 19th (45.9%).

While high safety scores can be reassuring when visiting a new city, it is still highly recommended to take out travel insurancebefore travelling, no matter your destination. 

City	Average cost of a hotel room for three days (£)	Average cost of a restaurant for one (£)	Average Price of a Pint (£)	Day Travel Pass cost (£)	Safety Index Score	Total Score
Warsaw	121.65	7.55	2.83	2.82	74.4	90
Bucharest	120.00	8.77	2.11	1.40	72	83
Prague	156.88	8.95	2.14	6.01	75.4	78
Tallinn	155.20	10.46	4.36	4.79	76.7	75
Vilnius	123.95	8.71	3.92	4.36	72.6	74

Source: Forbes Advisor

Laura Howard, travel insurance expert at Forbes Advisor said:

“Interrailing can be one of the most culturally-enriching ways to explore popular cities across Europe and it needn’t be expensive either. As our study shows, the average cost of a three-night stay in Warsaw, Poland’s capital, comes in at around £122, while a meal and beer out costs less than £9.

“One area interrailers should not be looking to cut costs on, however, is travel insurance. Being on the move with a backpack may be brilliant fun but it can also lend itself to things going wrong – becoming ill, or losing or having your belongings stolen, for example. It might be that the trip is cancelled entirely due to unforeseen events such as illness or a bereavement.

“In any of these scenarios, the right travel insurance policy will ensure you are not left out of pocket. However, if you are away for longer than a month as may well be the case, a regular policy won’t do. You’ll special long-stay travel insurance which also factors in multiple destinations. 

“There’s little doubt that interrailing will be a life-changing experience during which travellers can make great friends from all walks of life – but if things go wrong, their best one could still be a watertight travel insurance policy.”