Sometimes we all feel that burning urge to get away from it all – to book a flight and embrace a new culture – but stumble back to reality when we realise that our bank balances won’t quite allow it. However, never fear – here we bring you some destinations which allow you a weekend away for less than £150 all in. And no we didn’t miscalculate, if you budget carefully you can have a weekend away (including flights, transfers, somewhere to stay, and food and drink) for no more than £150 per person.

Riga

Why visit: The colourful city of Riga in Latvia is something of a hidden gem – the tourist trade is picking up here year on year but friends and tinder dates will still be impressed at the mention of a trip here. With pretty wooden house fronts and green leafy parks, spring and summer weekends here can be particularly idyllic.
Flights: We’ve managed to find return flights from London to Riga (Friday to Sunday) in May for a bargainous £54.
Where to stay: In terms of places to stay in Riga there are a number of fun and affordable hostels on offer. The Cinnamon Sally Backpackers Hostel has great reviews and costs in at just under £9 a night – with a central location this is a great spot from which to explore the city.
Getting to and from the airport: The bus to and from the city only costs €2 (£1.60) each way.
Food and drink: That leaves you with almost half of your budget left and eating out here is not expensive! The Folkklubs Ala Pagrabs pub has rave reviews and a TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence and main meals from as little as €3.90 (£3.13).
This is a city where £150 allows you to live like something of a King!

Oslo

Why visit: The Scandinavian countries are having a bit of a moment this year with thousands of Brits jetting off in the hope of soaking up some Scandi-chic. Oslo in Norway is an unusual choice for a cheap break with prices in Norway being famously high but there are a number of free activities on offer – we recommend checking out the Oslo City Museum, the Vigelandsparken and the Akershus Fortress.
Flights: Flights to Oslo are what make this viable as a bargainous city break. We found weekend flights in May from Ryanair for as little as £26.
Where to stay: As always when on a budget, hostels are your friend. The Anker Apartment hostel offers a bed in a dorm for around £20 a night.
Getting to and from the airport: Travelling to and from the airport by bus will take you back around £24.
Food and drink: Eating and drinking out in Norway is pretty pricey so you may want to think about utilising the cooking facilities at your hostel. This can be a great way to get chatting with other visitors too. If you are looking to eat out, Restaurant Schroder is pretty affordable and is frequented by the crime fiction writer Jo Nesbo.

Budapest

Why visit: Budapest, quite simply, has so much to offer a visitor – it has grand baths to splash about in, a vast river to walk along, impressive architecture and incredible nightlife. A tour of the imposing Hungarian Parliament costs just over £5 and is worth every penny!
Flights: We’ve found flights from London to Budapest (Friday to Sunday) for £90.
Where to stay: The Carpe Noctem Vitae has prices starting at £10 a night and puts on dinners at the cost of the ingredients offering cheap cheap meals for those staying there.
Getting to and from the airport: The bus to and from the airport costs around £1 each way.
Food and drink: The nightlife in Budapest centres upon the ruin bars that are situated at its heart – these are bars whose interiors look like a cross between a junk yard and your Grandma’s front room but are filled with Budapest’s hippest revellers. One of these such bars, Bobek, offers 4/5ths of a pint of beer for little more than £1.20 which is pretty damn cheap!

Bratislava

Why visit: Slovakia’s capital is often overlooked for the better known cities of Prague and Budapest. However, a trip to this pretty city on the banks of the Danube will reward you with intricate palaces, and the juxtaposition between urban and natural scenes. The forested Little Carpathians are only a half an hour walk from the centre of the city giving you the opportunity to escape from it all should you want to.
Flights: We found return flights from London to Bratislava in May (Friday to Sunday) for as little as £40.
Where to stay: There are a number of cheap hostels on offer including Hostel Brickyard which is centrally located and has beds starting at £10 a night. They offer bike hire to their guests (at an additional cost) and cycling around Bratislava is a great way to see the city.
Getting to and from the airport: There is a bus service to and from the airport which costs around €7 (£5.60) for a return.
Food and drink: If you look carefully, there are lots of restaurants in Bratislava offering dinners for less than €10 (£7.99). There is the Mytny Domcek restaurant which is located in a former toll booth on the riverbank where the Starý most bridge once ended or for something smaller head to Chez Amélie where a savoury pancake can set you back as little as €4.50 (£3.60).

Ghent

Why visit: The university city of Ghent has the atmosphere that students everywhere bring with them, of optimism and youth and of a willingness to try new foods and drinks. As such the city rivals Bruges with its scenery but has an entirely different vibe – it’s not yet been discovered by the masses. Ghent is a city in which to kick back with a beer and relax beside the river.
Travel: Cheap flights have revolutionised travel but often they sometimes mean that we overlook simpler forms of travel. Megabus are currently offering a return to Ghent in May (Friday to Sunday) for around £25. They take you right in to the city centre too meaning that you don’t have to splash your cash on transfers.
Where to stay: For a hostel with a difference head to the Ecohostel Andromeda – this eco hostel on a boat is close to the centre and offers up fresh vegetarian breakfasts for those staying there. You can stay for as little as £44 for two nights in a dorm here.
Food and drink: With a budget of £80 left after travel and board, you don’t need to be especially frugal on a weekend in Ghent. However, that’s not to say that there aren’t lots of cheap eats. Paul’s Boutique has burgers for €5.50 (£4.39) and vegetarians will love the all you can eat lunch buffet at Komkommertijd for €14 (£11.18).