The 10 Cheapest Stag Do Destinations in Europe

A stag weekend abroad costs whatever the city charges for rounds, dinners, taxis and beds, multiplied by the size of the group and the number of nights. So the cheapest destination is the one where those 4 things cost least. We've ranked 10 European stag cities on Eurostat's official 2025 price levels, then added the scheduled flight time from London and the currency each one runs on.

The cheapest stag do destinations at a glance

The list runs from cheapest to dearest on going-out prices, Eurostat's index for restaurants and accommodation. 100 is the EU average, so anything under 100 is cheaper than a typical EU country and anything over it is dearer.

The last 3 rows are there for scale. Berlin, Amsterdam and Dublin rank among the best stag do destinations in Europe for nightlife, and going out in their countries costs roughly double what it does in Bulgaria. For groups set on a beach resort rather than a city, Cyprus (85.2), Greece (86.1) and Croatia (89.6) also come in under the EU average on the same going-out measure.

How we ranked the cheapest cities

Every index figure in this post comes from Eurostat's 2025 price level indices (dataset prc_ppp_ind_1), which compare what the same goods and services cost in each country. 100 is the EU average: Bulgaria's 55.7 for restaurants and accommodation means eating out, drinking in bars and sleeping in hotels cost about 44% less there than in a typical EU country.

The ranking covers cities in EU countries with an established stag scene and direct flights from London. Outside the EU, North Macedonia (48.3) and Albania (53.3) score lower still on the same index.

We ranked on restaurants and accommodation because that is where a stag group's money goes once it lands: the bar tab, the long dinner, the hotel. Eurostat's index for everything households buy is the second opinion, and each city entry below gives it; Poland and Hungary look better on it than on going out. Both are national averages, so expect a capital's old town to run above its country's figure, Sofia's included.

The cheapest country also depends on what the group spends on. Bulgaria leads the EU on going out, on transport and on household prices overall, but its shop prices for alcohol are above the EU average, so supermarket pre-drinks cost relatively more there than in Germany or Czechia.

1. Sofia, Bulgaria

Bulgaria is the EU's cheapest country on the 3 costs a stag group feels most: restaurants and accommodation (55.7), passenger transport (55.6) and household prices overall (62.5). Eurostat's June 2026 price level release put Bulgarian household prices at 63% of the EU average, the lowest of the 27, with Denmark top at 140%. Against the UK, whose household index is 123.3, Bulgaria comes out at about half.

Sofia is also our home patch. Our Cheap-Ass package covers a weekend's activities and airport transfers for €134 a head, and hotels sit outside the packages: we quote central Sofia hotels per group, from budget rooms to 5-star.

The catch is the flight: Ryanair schedules Stansted to Sofia at 3 hours in its October 2026 timetable, with 51 flights in the first 24 days of the month, so there's a departure every day. Bulgaria has used the euro since 1 January 2026, the same money as Lisbon, Riga or Bratislava, and has been a full member of the Schengen area since 1 January 2025. The UK isn't in Schengen, so a UK group queues at passport control on landing, as it does at every one of the 10 cities.

2. Bucharest, Romania

Romania is the EU's 2nd cheapest country for restaurants and accommodation (59.4) and for household prices overall (65.1), and the cheapest of all 27 for recreation, sport and culture (63.4). That last index covers days out and admissions, so the daytime is where Bucharest's prices stand out. The old town's bar streets carry the nights, and the Palace of the Parliament is the sight worth seeing sober.

It's the longest flight on the list, 3 hours 10 minutes from Stansted to Otopeni, though with 79 flights in the first 24 days of October 2026 there's more choice of departure time than for Sofia. Romania became a full Schengen member alongside Bulgaria on 1 January 2025 but is not in the euro, so the group pays in leu.

3. Prague, Czech Republic

Czechia's going-out index of 69.5 is the 3rd lowest in the EU, but its household index jumps to 89.4, which puts everyday prices close to Spain's. Its shop alcohol index (91.8) is the 2nd lowest of the 10 countries here, after Spain's. The index is a national average, so expect the old town squares to run above it.

Prague's big advantage is the flight. At 1 hour 50 minutes from Stansted it's the shortest trip of the 10, with 65 flights in the first 24 days of October 2026. The currency is the Czech koruna, and Czechia is in Schengen.

4. Lisbon, Portugal

Portugal's going-out index is 73.6, lower than Poland's or Hungary's, which surprises groups who think of cheap stag dos as an eastern European thing. Its household index is higher at 86.6. The Bairro Alto packs its bars into a few steep streets, so a crawl rarely needs a taxi, and Lisbon runs on UK time, so nobody loses an hour.

The flight is long for western Europe: 2 hours 50 minutes from Stansted, with 83 flights in the first 24 days of October 2026. Portugal is on the euro and in Schengen.

5. Krakow, Poland

Poland ranks 5th here on going out (80.5) but has the EU's 3rd lowest household prices (73.3) and 3rd lowest passenger transport prices (69.2). The main square and the bars of Kazimierz are close enough to walk between, and the Wieliczka salt mine makes a slow day trip for the morning after.

Ryanair flies to Krakow from 2 London airports: 76 flights from Stansted and 27 from Luton in the first 24 days of October 2026, each taking 2 hours 20 minutes. Poland uses the zloty.

6. Budapest, Hungary

Hungary's going-out index of 82.4 is only just below Lithuania's, but its household index (77.5) is the 4th lowest in the EU and its passenger transport index (60.5) the 2nd lowest, after Bulgaria. The thermal baths fill the recovery mornings, and the ruin bars of the old Jewish quarter take care of the nights.

Stansted to Budapest takes 2 hours 25 minutes, with 89 Ryanair flights in the first 24 days of October 2026, more from Stansted than any of the 10 bar Barcelona. The currency is the forint.

7. Vilnius, Lithuania

Lithuania sits at 82.6 for going out, a shade behind Hungary, and 82.8 for household prices. Shop alcohol is dear at 130.9, so the saving is in bars and restaurants rather than pre-drinks. The old town is compact, with baroque churches and bars within a short walk of each other.

Flights take about 2 hours 40 minutes from Stansted or Luton, with 45 between the 2 airports in the first 24 days of October 2026. Lithuania is on the euro and runs 2 hours ahead of the UK.

8. Bratislava, Slovakia

Slovakia scores 84.6 on going out and 85.2 on household prices. It has the EU's 2nd lowest prices for alcohol and tobacco combined (84.7), after Bulgaria, and shop alcohol just under the EU average at 97.6.

The old town below the castle is small enough to cover on foot in a night, and that matters here: Slovakia's passenger transport index, taxis included, is the dearest of the 10 at 93.7. At 2 hours 10 minutes from Stansted it's a short flight, but only 27 flights ran in the first 24 days of October 2026, about 1 a day, so there's little choice of time. Bratislava is on the euro.

9. Barcelona, Spain

Spain's going-out index is 85.4, but its household index of 91.6 is the highest of the 10, so Barcelona is cheap for a night out rather than cheap all round. Shop alcohol is where it wins: Spain's 90.1 is the lowest of the 10 countries here and 4th lowest in the EU, so supermarket pre-drinks cost less than in Bulgaria or Czechia. Barceloneta puts a city beach within walking distance of the old town's bars.

Ryanair runs more London flights to Barcelona than to any other city of the 10: 99 from Stansted in the first 24 days of October 2026, about 4 a day at 2 hours 15 minutes each, plus 28 from Luton. Spain is on the euro and in Schengen, and Barcelona runs 1 hour ahead of the UK.

10. Riga, Latvia

Latvia's going-out index is 87.4 and its household index 83.2. Shop alcohol is the dearest of the 10 countries at 137.0, so supermarket pre-drinks cost more here than anywhere else on the list. The medieval old town holds most of the bars, and it's all walkable.

Stansted to Riga is 2 hours 30 minutes, with 36 flights in the first 24 days of October 2026. Riga uses the euro and runs 2 hours ahead of the UK.

How to choose a cheap stag destination

The ranking tells you where the money goes furthest once you land. The 3 checks below decide whether that saving survives the trip.

Price the whole weekend, not the pint

A pint is the smallest line on the bill. For a group of 10, the money goes on the hotel, the dinners, the activities and the transfers, and those are the costs the going-out index tracks. Price those 4 for the whole group before anyone quotes a pint price in the group chat.

Weigh the flight against the saving

The 2 cheapest cities on the list, Sofia and Bucharest, are also the 2 longest flights. Check the fare for the whole group on one flight, not for a single seat, because low-cost fares climb as a flight fills, so the price of 1 seat says little about the price of 10.

Frequency matters as much as length. In the first 24 days of October 2026, Barcelona, Budapest, Lisbon, Bucharest and Krakow averaged more than 3 Ryanair departures a day from Stansted, Sofia about 2 and Bratislava about 1. Tallinn, which misses the list on Estonia's going-out index of 88.2, had no flight at all on 10 of the 24 days.

Sort the currency before you land

6 of the 10 cities are in countries that use the euro, Bulgaria among them. Prague, Krakow, Budapest and Bucharest still run on koruna, zloty, forint and leu. When a card machine or cash machine offers to charge you in pounds, say no and pay in the local currency, because that conversion rate is set by the machine's operator, not your bank.