20 guides, written by hand
Destinations
One page per city, short and factual: month-by-month temperatures measured over three years, price level published by the World Bank, today’s exchange rate, entry requirements, public holidays and verifiable places to visit. None is mass-produced.
Lisbon
PortugalA capital you can cross on foot despite the hills, where the cost of living stays well below the Western European average.
Photo: Diego Delso · CC BY-SA 3.0 Porto
PortugalDenser and more vertical than Lisbon, set against the Douro and the cellars on the opposite bank.
Photo: Ingo Mehling · CC BY-SA 4.0 Seville
SpainMonumental Andalusia, provided you avoid high summer: July readings regularly exceed 36 °C.
Photo: Richard Nevell · CC BY-SA 4.0 Naples
ItalyItaly’s most intense city, and a natural base for Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast.
Photo: Andrew Parlette · CC BY 4.0 Athens
GreeceA compact archaeological centre, and a starting point for the islands from Piraeus.
Photo: Donar Reiskoffer · CC BY 3.0 Marrakesh
MoroccoA dense medina and secluded riads, three hours’ flight away, with a mild winter that makes it an off-season destination.
Photo: Aldg692VX · CC BY-SA 4.0 Lyon
FranceTwo rivers, two hills and a dining tradition you visit as much as you eat.
Photo: Olga Ernst · CC BY-SA 4.0 Reykjavík
IcelandAn urban base for a country best explored by car, with the highest price level on this list.
Photo: Moyan Brenn from Italy · CC BY 2.0 Prague
CzechiaAn intact medieval centre, still affordable, though its summer crowds now rival those of the major capitals.
Photo: Visions of Domino · CC BY 2.0 Budapest
HungaryThermal baths in the heart of the city and Austro-Hungarian architecture, for a stay costing a third less than in Western Europe.
Photo: Andrzej Otrębski · CC BY-SA 4.0 Kraków
PolandEurope’s largest medieval square, and value for money that remains among the best on the continent.
Photo: Nina R from Africa · CC BY 2.0 Kyoto
JapanSeventeen hundred temples and a strict rhythm of seasons: your departure date matters as much as the length of your stay.
Photo: Morio · CC BY-SA 3.0 Tokyo
JapanA capital explored by neighbourhood rather than by monument, whose real cost is lower than you might expect.
Photo: Ninara from Helsinki, Finland · CC BY 2.0 Bangkok
ThailandThe lowest price level in this selection, and a gateway to the rest of Southeast Asia.
Photo: Dllu · CC BY-SA 4.0 New York
United StatesThe city where accommodation weighs most heavily on the budget, and where walking replaces most transport.
Photo: Gobierno CDMX · CC0 Mexico City
MexicoA high-altitude capital with first-rate museums, still little visited by European travellers.
Buenos Aires
ArgentinaEuropean architecture at South American prices, with seasons the reverse of France’s.
