Sofia Labelled Cheapest Tourist City in Europe

The BackPacker Index ranking of the PriceOfTravel online portal lists average daily expenditure in 40 major European cities.The survey takes into account accommodation, transportation, attraction, food and drinking costs.

In its presentation of Sofia for 2011, the online portal notes that Bulgaria's capital is growing more popular each year "due to the low prices of almost everything."

The trip advisor warns, however, that the remote location of the city may be a problem for most casual travellers.

According to calculations on the website, backpackers need around BGN 30 per day for their stay in Sofia, including BGN 14 in accommodation costs at a "cheap/good hostel", BGN 10 for meals, "not including breakfast", BGN 2 for transport and BGN 5 for extra costs.

Second place in the Backpacker Index goes to Poland's Krakow, followed by Romania's Bucharest.

The ten final entries in the ranking include cities like Vienna, Rome, Venice, Brussels and Paris.

The online portal estimates Zurich as the most expensive tourist destination, noting that it "is a serious business city, so most things are geared to those with lavish expense accounts, and backpackers are barely an afterthought.

According to the Backpacker Index for 2011, a casual traveller visiting Switzerland's largest city will need around CHF 116 per day.