1. Saint Petersburg, Russia

The former Russian imperial capital founded at the beginning of the 18th century by Tsar Peter the Great, has one of the largest and best equipped art museums in the world in the Hermitage.

In the architectural landscape of the city that the Soviets renamed Leningrad in 1924 and that resumed its old name after the end of communism, monuments such as the Winter Palace, the Fortress of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, the Church of Christ the Savior also stand out. of Spilled Blood and the Smolny Convent.

In Saint Petersburg it is possible to find apartments for rent and hotel rooms well located between 25 and 30 Euros per day.

2. Sofia, Bulgaria

Sofia was modernized during the last quarter of the 19th century with an architecture that mixes Neoclassical, Neo-Renaissance and Rococo styles.

Among the most outstanding buildings from this period are the National Art Gallery and National Ethnographic Museum, the Ivan Vazov National Theatre, the National Assembly and the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences.

The much older religious buildings are presided over by the Church of Saint Sofia, the Church of Saint George and the Cathedral-monument of Saint Alexander Nevski, the world’s greatest exponent of Orthodox religious architecture.

Good hotels in Sofia, such as the Diana, the Galant and the Bon Bon, have prices in the order of 30 Euros.

3. Belgrade, Serbia

Belgrade was one of the hardest hit cities during the war on the Balkan Peninsula and has risen from its ashes.

Belgrade has a charm that it shares only with two other European capitals, Vienna and Budapest. These are the only three main cities in Europe on the banks of the legendary Danube.

The architecture of the capital of Serbia, in which the National Museum, the Church of San Marcos and the Temple of San Sava stand out, has been recovered to such an extent that Belgrade is compared to Berlin.

A good Belgrade hotel, like House 46, costs 26 Euros and there are cheaper ones

4. Sarajevo, Bosnia Herzegovina

The Bosnian capital was also devastated by the Balkan War but was able to recover to continue being the “Jerusalem of Europe”, so called because of the different religious faiths it houses.

Architectural symbols of the above are the Catholic Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, the Orthodox Cathedral, the Ferhadija Mosque and the Madrasa.

Other places of particular interest in Sarajevo are the War Tunnel, the Sebilj, the Veliki Park, the Saraci and the old town.

In Sarajevo you can stay in a hotel or a pension for rates ranging between 25 and 40 Euros.