The 10 Best Places For A Hen Party On A Budget (& 3 Are In The UK)

It doesn't take more than a cursory glance through Instagram or the Facebook newsfeed to work out that wedding season is well and truly underway, and in 2018 the pre-wedding festivities are almost as momentous as the big day.

Hen and stag parties have spiralled out of control in recent years, with the industry worth a reported £275m in the UK in 2013 – a figure that can only have further ballooned in the interim years. Guests are expected to partake in an increasingly demanding and expensive range of activities, which is all very well if you can afford it.

However, if you can't – or simply don't want to – spend a few hundred pounds white-water rafting with a group of people you barely know, you can still hope the the bride will try to enjoy her last few days of singledom while also keeping costs down. Not always possible when they decide to throw the hen do abroad. Four nights in Vegas anyone?

However, according to a new survey of 42 of the most popular hen and stag party destinations, the Portuguese holiday hotspot of Lisbon is the best place to throw one on a budget. Website Builder Expert investigated the associated costs in each place based on a range of important metrics, including the cost of a cocktail and pint of beer, the price of public transport and taxi journeys, the cost of a three-star hotel, the density of pubs, bars and cheap eateries, and the average temperature between April and August.

Lisbon topped the list for its climate throughout peak wedding season (with temperatures ranging from 21 to 27 degrees), its affordable cocktails and spirits (at approximately £6.39 each), and its high concentrations of bars and clubs (3.67 per square km) and affordable eateries (9.95 per square km).

Tamar Riley organised a five-day hen party in Lisbon for 12 women in 2016 and the whole holiday came to less than £300 each. "Our bride-to-be wanted a super low-key hen party – no sashes or straws to be seen – but wanted to soak up some sun and have a foodie weekend with her closest friends.

"We chose Lisbon given the culture, sunshine and never-ending supply of pastel de nata and the cost was extremely reasonable with budget flights and an amazing Airbnb in the old town," she added. The flights and accommodation came to £190, while a boat trip cost £20, a meal with unlimited wine cost another £40, and then it was £20 for personal trainer (each to their own) and whatever else people wanted to spend on.

Other popular European holiday destinations also made it into the top 10: Bucharest, Prague, Krakow, Madrid, Dubrovnik and Bratislava, as well as three popular UK cities: Liverpool, Manchester and Brighton, which is great news if you'd rather not go through the hassle of an early-morning budget flight. Liverpool scored highly for its cheap accommodation, with a lower end three-star hotel starting at £39 per night.

1. Lisbon
2. Bucharest
3. Liverpool
4. Manchester
5. Prague
6. Krakow
7. Madrid
8. Dubrovnik
9. Brighton
10. Bratislava