12 Finest Budget-Friendly Countries Near Milan, Italy You Can Visit

If you are thinking of the cheapest countries near Milan to visit during the holidays, without the need to break the bank, I have put together this blog on countries near Milan for your benefit.

One of the perks of living in Milan as a non-European citizen is the agreement between European Union countries to allow the free movement of residents and even tourists within the Schengen Area without the need for a Visa when visiting other European countries in the Schengen Area.

Most of the flight prices are quoted from mid-December, using Google Flights. As you may know, flight prices are more hiked during the holidays and festive seasons. Making your travel plans well in advance will land you better price offers. Another option is to travel by bus, as they are often cheaper.

Seat back, grab a glass of wine, and let’s discuss the 12 countries from Milan possible to visit on a low budget. These countries have been ranked from the most to the least expensive based on their travel cost in December, and these prices are similar for all year-round trips as well.

Here are the countries near Milan:

12. Switzerland (Zurich)

The ticket costs about 150 euros for a round trip. Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zürich. It is located in north-central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zürich. It is one of the countries near Milan that takes 1 hour by road.

11. Luxembourg (Luxembourg City)

The ticket costs about 140 Euros for a round trip. Luxembourg is the capital of a small European nation of the same name. Built amid deep gorges cut by the Alzette and Pétrusse rivers, it’s famed for its ruins of medieval fortifications. The vast Bock Casemates tunnel network encompasses a dungeon, prison, and the Archaeological Crypt considered the city’s birthplace. Along ramparts above, the Chemin de la Corniche promenade offers dramatic viewpoints.

10. Stockholm (Sweden) 

The ticket costs about 120 Euros for a round trip. Sweden is a Scandinavian nation with thousands of coastal islands and inland lakes, along with vast boreal forests and glaciated mountains. 

9. Hungary (Budapest)

The ticket costs about 110 Euros for a round trip. Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Its capital, Budapest, is bisected by the Danube River. Its cityscape is studded with architectural landmarks from Buda’s medieval Castle Hill and grand neoclassical buildings along Pest’s Andrássy Avenue to the 19th-century Chain Bridge. 

8. Denmark (Copenhagen)

The ticket costs about 90 Euros for a round trip. Copenhagen is the capital and most populous city of Denmark. Copenhagen is a unique city, characterized by its canals, cycling culture, strong economy, and happy locals. It is actually known as being the happiest city in the world, due to its shorter workdays, free college tuition, more vacation days, and levels of personal interaction.

7. Spain (Barcelona)

The ticket costs about 80 Euros for a round trip. Barcelona is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. The cosmopolitan capital of Spain’s Catalonia region is known for its art and architecture. The fantastical Sagrada Família church and other modernist landmarks designed by Antoni Gaudí dot the city. Museu Picasso and Fundació Joan Miró feature modern art by their namesakes. City history museum MUHBA, includes several Roman archaeological sites. Spain is one of the countries near Milan during summer.

6. United Kingdom (London)

The ticket costs about 80 Euros for a round trip. London, the capital of England and the United Kingdom is a 21st-century city with a history stretching back to Roman times. At its centre stands the imposing Houses of Parliament, the iconic ‘Big Ben’ clock tower, and Westminster Abbey – the site of British monarch coronations. Across the Thames River, the London Eye observation wheel provides panoramic views of the South Bank cultural complex and the entire city.

5. France (Paris) 

The ticket costs about 70 Euros for a round trip. Paris, France’s capital, is a major European city and a global center for art, fashion, gastronomy, and culture. Its 19th-century cityscape is crisscrossed by wide boulevards and the River Seine. Beyond such landmarks as the Eiffel Tower and the 12th-century, Gothic Notre Dame Cathedral, the city is known for its cafe culture and designer boutiques along the Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré. Paris is another top destination for people who want to visit countries near Milan.

Last Christmas, I visited Paris and spent about the same amount on purchasing a flight ticket. You can read about my trip to Paris here: My Paris Adventures.

4. Poland (Warsaw) 

The ticket costs about 60 Euros for a round trip. Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. Warsaw Old Town is included on the UNESCO World Heritage List – it is where the city’s heart has been beating for centuries. However, when you cross the Vistula River and look at the Old Town from a distance, you are struck by how unusual the panorama of the city is – skyscrapers rise above the red roofs of the Old Town. Historical buildings blend in harmoniously with modern architecture, and the city surprises you by revealing its second face.

Poland (Krakow)

The ticket costs about 100 Euros for a round trip. Kraków, a southern Poland city near the border of the Czech Republic, is known for its well-preserved medieval core and Jewish quarter. Its old town – ringed by Planty Park and remnants of the city’s medieval walls – is centered on the stately, expansive Rynek Glówny (market square). This plaza is the site of the Cloth Hall, a Renaissance-era trading outpost, and St. Mary’s Basilica, a 14th-century Gothic church.

3. Belgium (City of Brussels)

The ticket costs about 60 Euros for a round trip. Belgium, a country in Western Europe, is known for its medieval towns, renaissance architecture, and as the headquarters of the European Union and NATO. The country has distinctive regions including Dutch-speaking Flanders to the north, French-speaking Wallonia to the south, and a German-speaking community to the east. The bilingual capital, Brussels, has ornate guildhalls at Grand-Place and elegant art-nouveau buildings.

2. Romania (Bucharest)

The ticket costs about 55 Euros for a round trip. Bucharest, in southern Romania, is the country’s capital and commercial center. Its iconic landmark is the massive, communist-era Palace of Parliament (Palatul Parlamentului) government building, which has 1,100 rooms. Nearby, the historic Lipscani district is home to an energetic nightlife scene as well as the tiny Eastern Orthodox Stavropoleos Church and 15th-century Curtea Veche Palace, where Prince Vlad III (“The Impaler”) once ruled.

Romania (Timisoara)

The ticket costs about 40 Euros for a round trip. Timișoara is a city in western Romania, known for Secessionist architecture. The central square, Piața Victoriei, is surrounded by baroque buildings and the Metropolitan Orthodox Cathedral, with its mosaic-patterned roof tiles and icon gallery. Nearby is the Habsburg-era square Piața Unirii and the Memorial Museum of the 1989 Revolution. The museum houses uniforms, documents, and a film on the Ceaușescu dictatorship.

1. Germany (Nuremberg)

The ticket costs about 40 Euros for a round trip. Nuremberg is the second largest city in Bavaria and one of the region’s most popular tourist destinations for its pleasant climate, architectural beauty, lively nightlife, and rich culinary tradition. Do not miss the famous Nuremberg sausages and, during the Christmas period – the Lebkuchen (gingerbread).

Germany (Berlin)

The ticket costs about 60 Euros for a round trip. Berlin, Germany’s capital, dates to the 13th century. Reminders of the city’s turbulent 20th-century history include its Holocaust memorial and the Berlin Wall’s graffitied remains. Divided during the Cold War, its 18th-century Brandenburg Gate has become a symbol of reunification. The city’s also known for its art scene and modern landmarks like the gold-colored, swoop-roofed Berliner Philharmonie, built in 1963.

Germany (Frankfurt)

The ticket costs about 80 Euros for a round trip. Frankfurt, a central German city on the river Main, is a major financial hub that’s home to the European Central Bank. It’s the birthplace of famed writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, whose former home is now the Goethe House Museum. Like much of the city, it was damaged during World War II and later rebuilt. The reconstructed Altstadt (Old Town) is the site of Römerberg, a square that hosts an annual Christmas market.