Further on the same money

Kind to a budget

Destinations we grade as budget: eating, sleeping and moving around cost little by the standards of their region.

33 destinations

A temple complex in Bangkok on a clear day: the gilded Loha Prasat and traditional Thai temple roofs

ThailandBest November–February

The neo-Gothic Hungarian Parliament building on the Danube in Budapest under a dramatic pink evening sky, seen from the Buda side

HungaryBest April–June, September–October

The Pyramid of Khafre at Giza under a bright sky, with horses and their handler standing on the sand below

EgyptBest October–April

Close-up row of street tacos in corn tortillas piled with meat, cilantro and onion, served with lime wedges, radish and cucumber slices

MexicoBest November–April (dry season)

The main facade of Angkor Wat with its three lotus-bud towers under a bright blue sky, seen along the palm-lined stone causeway with scattered visitors

CambodiaBest November to February — dry, relatively cool, and green from the receding rains

Overhead close-up of a bowl of Vietnamese beef pho: flat rice noodles in clear broth topped with minced beef, fresh herbs, spring onion and chopped scallions in a white bowl

VietnamBest October–December, March–April

A bowl of Vietnamese-style rice noodle soup with sliced meat, fresh greens and carrots, chopsticks resting on the rim, surrounded by lime wedges and star anise

Ho Chi Minh City

VietnamBest The dry season, roughly December to April

A classic Neapolitan margherita with melted mozzarella, tomato sauce and fresh basil leaves on a marble table

ItalyBest April–June, September–October

A white plate of golden pan-finished pierogi topped with crispy bacon bits and chives, arranged around a small bowl of herbed sour cream dip

PolandBest May–September

The glass-and-stone dome of the CEC Palace rising at the end of a cobbled Old Town street in Bucharest, framed by ornate facades and a cast-iron lamppost.

RomaniaBest May–June & September–October

A generous platter of charcoal-grilled meats — skewers, chicken wings, sausages and chops — served over flatbread with roasted peppers, potatoes and bowls of dipping sauces.

SerbiaBest April–June & September–October

The ochre and red-brick facade of Sofia's Central Mineral Baths rising behind its green-tiled fountain, jets of water arcing into the pool under a clear blue sky.

BulgariaBest May–June & September–October

The twin royal pagodas of Doi Inthanon standing on a forested ridge above layered mountains at sunset, Chiang Mai province

ThailandBest November–February (cool season)

The ancient riverside buildings and ghats of Varanasi rising above the wide Ganges, with rowboats moored along the steps

IndiaBest October to March

The white dome and painted Buddha eyes of Swayambhunath stupa in Kathmandu, strung with colourful prayer flags at dusk

NepalBest October to November and March to April

Colorful umbrellas suspended over a street in the George Town heritage quarter, Penang, Malaysia

MalaysiaBest December to March, typically the driest stretch on Penang's calendar

A monk in saffron robes standing before the gilded gable and tiered roof of a Lao temple hall in Vientiane, the low evening sun setting the gold leaf alight against a clear blue sky

LaosBest November to February, the dry season's coolest months

A bowl of Egyptian koshari — macaroni, rice and lentils under tomato sauce and a heap of crisp fried onions — set on a wooden board.

EgyptBest Winter

Moroccan couscous topped with caramelized onions, carrots, and vegetables served in a traditional patterned ceramic dish

MoroccoBest Spring and autumn, April to June and September to October

A cobbled alley of whitewashed walls and blue doors and window grilles in Sidi Bou Said, on the coast just outside Tunis, Tunisia

TunisiaBest Spring and autumn

Brick houses of Medellín's Comuna 13 climbing the green hillside, Colombia

ColombiaBest December to March (drier months)

A pink 1950s American convertible parked on a narrow Havana street lined with weathered colonial buildings, with a Cuban flag hanging overhead

CubaBest November to April (dry season)

Two soft corn-tortilla tacos piled with vegetables, herbs and salsa on a white plate at a turquoise wooden table

MexicoBest October to March (dry, mild)

The Leaning Tower of Pisa tilting over the Piazza dei Miracoli under a deep blue sky with scattered clouds, visitors crossing the square below

ItalyBest Spring and early autumn

The Torre di Scopello and sea stacks at golden hour on Sicily's north-west coast

ItalyBest Spring and autumn

Catania's Pescheria fish market seen through the dark stone arch that leads into it, with wet lava paving, orange parasols and strings of bunting, trestles of iced fish and aproned fishmongers below a peeling baroque palazzo.

ItalyBest Spring and autumn

A narrow cobbled lane climbing through Granada's Albaicin quarter between a brick and river-stone wall and whitewashed houses, a cascade of magenta bougainvillea spilling across the gap above.

SpainBest spring

Visitors photographing the turquoise-tiled mausoleum facades of the Shah-i-Zinda necropolis in Samarkand, Uzbekistan

UzbekistanBest Spring and autumn

A festive platter of long-grain rice pilaf cooked with pieces of meat, garnished with cucumber slices and berries, served on a red cloth

UzbekistanBest Spring and autumn

The blue-tiled facade and tall minaret of the Zangiota mosque complex, framed by trees, in the Tashkent region of Uzbekistan

UzbekistanBest Spring and autumn

Sunset panorama over Tbilisi's rooftops with a church dome in the foreground and the curved glass canopy of the Bridge of Peace by the river

GeorgiaBest Late spring and early autumn

The Matenadaran in Yerevan at the top of its long flight of steps, a monumental grey basalt facade with a tall arched stained-glass window, statues of Armenian scholars seated in niches and carved Armenian inscription across the wall, the upper stonework catching late sun

ArmeniaBest Late spring and early autumn

Strings of colourful prayer flags fluttering before the snow-capped fishtail summit of Machhapuchhre in the Annapurna range

NepalBest October to November and March to April

Every destination here qualifies on the basis stated above, and each one is somewhere we have published guides for. Back to the full atlas.