Vilnius offers the best value for Brits on a spring city break in Europe

elevated view of Vilnius with St John's Church

Sterling is up to 22 per cent stronger year-on-year against European currencies making a city break to Europe a must this spring and now Post Office has revealed that the Baltic states offer the best bargains, with Vilnius, capital of Lithuania the cheapest city to visit in 2015.

The annual Post Office Travel Money City Costs Barometer has found that the powerful pound means city breakers have an extra £90 on a £500 transaction than a year ago in three-quarters of the cities surveyed.

Eastern European cities offer the best value and in Lithuania, a three-course evening meal for two with wine, drinks, two nights' accommodation, airport transfers, sightseeing attractions and city transport costs just £100.04, compared to £288.66 in Amsterdam.

Budapest comes in second in the chart with prices falling 18.8 per cent from last year at £119.77 in 2015. Riga is the third most affordable city break with costs at £120.39 and Estonian capital Tallinn is in fourth places with £131.28.

But Eastern Europe is not the only place to bag a bargain short break. Athens is a new destination in the City Costs Barometer and has emerged as the cheapest capital in Western Europe at £131.35. Prices in Athens are almost 55 per cent lower than in Amsterdam, the most expensive eurozone city.

Prague (£141.24) has fallen to seventh place because accommodation and sightseeing costs are higher than in other top performing cities. However, the Czech capital is still cheapest for meals and drinks. Eating out costs just £23.94 for two, while a bottle of beer is £1.13 and a coffee or Coca-Cola are each £1.08.

Europe's most expensive city is Stockholm (£311.01) for the third consecutive year. Among UK cities, a 14.7 per cent price fall has enabled Belfast (£198.10) to move ahead of Edinburgh (£210.75), while barometer prices are down 8.5 per cent in London (£266.65).

Andrew Brown of Post Office Travel Money said: "It's a win/win situation for UK holidaymakers this year in European cities because prices are down in the majority of cities we surveyed, thanks to the soaring value of sterling. However, prices continue to vary significantly in different cities so it makes sense to do some holiday homework before taking the plunge and booking a capital break.

"Remember that the cost of meals and drinks will need to be added into the spending budget as city breaks are never all-inclusive holidays. Over the course of a two or three-night break, these can make a big difference to the cost of a city break and the low prices in Prague, Athens and Budapest will make these cities strong contenders for a bargain break to rival the Baltic States."