Here Are the 10 Cheapest Beer Cities in Europe (And the Most Expensive One)
Food and drink provide an essential sense of place. It's not just about having a great meal on vacation (let's be honest, that's possible almost everywhere). It's about the history and culture that brought that dish or brew to the table. It's about the trade routes and foreign conquests that layered cuisines and elixirs on top of each other.
In many countries, beer can tell quite a story. In fact ask the right historians and they'll tell you that all of human civilization is about beer. At the very least, the cost of a pint of fermented brew could help in planning your next vacation and making more economical choices.
Until recently, Europe had the lock on beer -- and still does well even with a little American competition. It can be a pricy slice of life to explore, though. A trip to the bar is rarely cheap, even with the euro down against the dollar. So for travelers heading out across the Atlantic this summer, or for those who are just curious, here are the top ten places where you can have a pint without spending your last dime along with the No. 1 location to avoid where the average brewski goes for $17.60.
Average price at the bar: $4.61
Average price at the market: $0.61
Average price overall: $2.61
It's borderline inspiring to see Munich on a list of cheapest drinks in Europe. The home of Oktoberfest and one of the most roaring beer scenes in the world, "made in Munich" is for many people shorthand for "a great brew."
Happily, it's apparently also shorthand for "a cheap date." The cost of a beer in Munich averages out to just $2.61 between bars and supermarkets. It's also a perfect test case for how these prices can affect travelers.
"The purpose of our study was to use beer as a barometer to compare common holiday consumables," said Katherine Shanahan, marketing manager with GoEuro Travel, the agency who founded the study. "Our aim was to illustrate how strongly different countries vary when it comes to purchasing certain items... In essence, we wanted to show travelers where their money can go further."
As far as holiday consumables go, beer is certainly a common one in Munich and a example of how much that trip will cost you.
Average price at the bar: $4.21
Average price at the market: $0.96
Average price overall: $2.59
Spain, on the other hand, is not known for its beer, which is a bit of a shame because the Iberian Peninsula is quietly turning into something of a hidden gem.
With breweries such as Cibeles, Moska, Naparbier and Seville's own Albero, Spain is starting to bust out of the local lager scene that dominates so much of the world. Even better is Seville's $2.59 average price per drink.
In a city dominated by a tapas culture that encourages spending long nights at the bar over small dishes of outstanding Andalucian food, keeping those drinks cheap is the way to go.
Average price at the bar: $4.37
Average price at the market: $0.72
Average price overall: $2.55
In recent years, Americans have begun discovering the no-longer-hidden corners of Eastern Europe. Destinations such as the Croatian coast and Macedonia have started popping up as must-sees, and indeed for very good reason.
Add Romania to that list. This haunted country richly owns its history of vampires and folklore, especially if you look past the kitschy Dracula decorations vomited all over Transylvanian cities like Brasov and pay attention to the rocky hills and dark churches. It's the kind of country where you can imagine running into a werewolf and where most of the towns have carvings of old city fathers who could frankly stand in for Ned Stark.
At the end of the day, then, it's good that the drinks are cheap. Find a friend and a bar and settle in for a few rounds of good ghost stories. The landscape practically demands it.
Average price at the bar: $4.53
Average price at the market: $0.41
Average price overall: $2.47
"Food and drink is tied very strongly with culture," Shanahan emphasized. "When on holiday, it's not just sights and landmarks that people associate a new destination with. Other senses -- such as taste -- are also very important too."
"Dabbling in local food and beverages help travelers to gain a deeper understanding of a culture. I would say that beer has a big influence in Central European food culture."
Hungarian food may go long overlooked, but its often spicy, pepper-laden dishes shouldn't. A Central European staple, the food scene that comes out of Budapest is not to be missed. Neither is the city's unique sense of style, in fact two cities split by a river that have eventually spilled over into one great capital. So grab a beer then sit back and enjoy the view, one made better by knowing that it didn't cost that much.
Average price at the bar: $3.82
Average price at the market: $1.09
Average price overall: $2.45
There are many reasons to visit Slovenia.
Beer is not one of them.
Like many countries, Slovenia's beer market is dominated by a couple of major, local lager brands. In Greece, it's Mythos. In America, it used to be Bud and Miller. In Slovenia it's Union and Zlatorog.
They're functional. No one will be scheduling his next vacation around the chance to heft a Union at a Ljubljana bar, but on the other hand, at least it's cheap.
Average price at the bar: $4.02
Average price at the market: $0.82
Average price overall: $2.45
Poland loves its beer. It is one of the top-producing countries in all of Europe, coming in only behind Germany, Britain and Russian in terms of output, and brewing more than 3.9 million kiloleters of beer in 2014.
Poles also love to drink it. According to World Atlas, this is the fifth highest beer consuming nation in the world. So for the sake of the Polish people, it's probably a good thing that this is one of the cheapest countries in Europe to drink. Much like the rest of its neighborhood, beer is in Poland's cultural DNA.
"I think what is unique about Central Europe especially," Shanahan said, "is that they have an incredibly rich beer tradition going back hundreds of years. At the same time, the growth of craft beers and the microbrewing scene is also noticeable."
It's "a fusion of the old and new."
Average price at the bar: $3.95
Average price at the market: $0.44
Average price overall: $2.19
In Serbia, you can buy a beer for less than the cost of 15 minutes at a Chicago parking meter.
Of course, cheap drinks aren't reason alone to visit Serbia. For that, look to the region's history. Belgrade has been fought over by the Romans, the Ottomans, the Austrians and many more over thousands of years. The result is a series of monuments such as the Kalemegdan Citadel and the Sveti Sava that make Belgrade one of Europe's historical landmarks (if not necessarily an aesthetic leader).
As socialism and the Balkan Crisis fade, Belgrade has begun to pick up as a tourist destination. So head over, and enjoy a bit of a price break at the same time.
Average price at the bar: $2.92
Average price at the market: $0.82
Average price overall: $1.87
Poland is just cheap.
As Shanahan explained, one of the most useful parts of measuring the price of consumables (like beer) is what the results tell you about visiting a country overall. The price of a pint might be interesting trivia, but the lessons about costs of living and touring a country are actually far broader than just one drink.
Case in point, Krakow. Some estimates put a daily budget for this Polish destination as low as $20 to $30 per day, not an unreasonable estimate either. The Polish Zloty trades 4-to-1 against the dollar, and even a five star hotel in Krakow might cost no more than $200 for the night.
Like many countries in Eastern Europe, it won't necessarily be cheap getting to Poland, but once you do the bargains are there. Just look at the bar tab.
Average price at the bar: $2.63
Average price at the market: $0.69
Average price overall: $1.66
It is possible to travel to Ukraine.
Here is a section from the U.S. State Department's warning:
The Department of State warns U.S. citizens to defer all travel to Crimea and the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, and recommends those U.S. citizens currently living in or visiting those regions to depart... There have been multiple casualties due to land mines in areas previously controlled by separatists, and separatist leaders have made statements indicating their desire to push the front line to the administrative borders of the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts.
So there are parts of Ukraine you absolutely should not visit, no matter the Tom Clancy narrative running around in your head. However Kiev, the central capital, is an inviting, historic city that remains available despite the ongoing conflict. According to the United Kingdom's foreign office, roughly 55,000 British nationals along visited in 2015.
In other words, by all means consider the Ukraine and its startlingly cheap beer. Just do your homework first.
Average price at the bar: $2.80
Average price at the market: $0.51
Average price overall: $1.65
Here it is, the cheapest beer scene in Europe: Bratislava.
Now, there's something you should know before writing off Bratislava as a backwater, brunt of the joke city with a name that sounds like it should come with a side of sauerkraut. It. Can. Be. Gorgeous.
Like the rest of Slovakia, Bratislava is generally ignored and overlooked, especially when Americans make their travel plans. It's our loss. This smallish country in Central Europe is gorgeous and heavily defined by the nature that makes up much of a trip there. Spend some time in Bratislava's car-free old city to soak in a trip that few of your friends will have had, and enjoy Europe's statistically cheapest pint while you're at it.
Average price at the bar: $17.60
Average price at the market: $1.42
Average price overall: $9.51
Lausanne, Switzerland is one of the most expensive cities in the world. Situated high in the Alps, this small city consistently dominates lists of the most expensive places to call home, like Swiss cities tend to do, and no wonder. Everything has to come in here by arduous rail or road networks, snaking their way high up into the mountains.
It's a beautiful town, to be sure, but probably one better suited to the original small community that grew around the shores of Lake Geneva, not the 150,000 person town that lives there now.
Still, for those brave enough to choke down a $20 bar tab along with their beer, at least you'll have a lovely view. Enjoy it; you'll want to linger.