By clicking a retailer link you consent to third-party cookies that track your onward journey. This enables W? to receive an affiliate commission if you make a purchase, which supports our mission to be the UK's consumer champion.
Best city break providers in 2026 – and the worst
The UK’s biggest, best and worst city break package providers –as rated by thousands of their customers in our survey of nearly 20,000 holidays
There are hundreds of companies that will put together a city break package for you, but only three that have been made a Which? Recommended Provider (WRP).
For complex, tailored or long-haul city breaks, Trailfinders is your best option. Those on a budget will find Jet2CityBreaks to be both affordable and excellent, while Saga is a great option for the over-50s.
Steer clear of the cheap city break providers at the bottom of our table. Lastminute.com and Loveholidays offer some of the cheapest breaks on the market but, despite this, both received a poor two-star value-for-money rating.
You can compare customer scores and prices in our table. And, for extra peace of mind, all the companies that are a WRP guarantee they won't apply surcharges in 2026, so the price won't go up after you book.
For more expertly researched destination ideas and unbiased travel advice and recommendations,subscribe to Which? Travel
Your ticket to a better holiday
Inspiring destination ideas from the experts for only £49 for the year. Plus, get £100 off holidays with Trailfinders, the Which? Travel Brand of the Year
Using the table Based on a survey of 19,958 holidays taken in the past two years from 12,119 Which? Connect members and members of the public in August/September 2024. Sample sizes in brackets. Star ratings are based on one to five stars. The more stars the better. n/a indicates we did not receive enough responses to report on a company in that category. Average price based on the median price per day of holidays taken by survey respondents with the company named in ALL categories of holiday. Short-haul destinations are defined as anywhere less than a five-hour flight from London. Customer score based on a combination of overall satisfaction and how likely people are to recommend the company.
The city break providers that Which? recommends
Trailfinders – 83%
Trailfinders is consistently one of the UK’s top tour operators, and in 2025 it was named Which? Travel Brand of the Year. It specialises in adding tailor-made touches to your holiday.
It’s the only city break provider to score four stars or above for customer service, and it's also highly rated for how well organised its holidays are.
It's a great option for long-haul city breaks, but it also offers lots of holidays in your favourite spots in Europe.
Which? verdict: If you’re looking for a tailor-made city break, Trailfinders is the best-rated package provider in our survey.
Jet2holidays has gone from strength to strength and, despite growing to be the UK’s biggest package tour operator, it has maintained a personal touch.
Customers were impressed with its city breaks brand, Jet2CityBreaks, which includes 22kg of luggage at no extra cost and, crucially, uses Jet2, our top-scoring airline (also a WRP) one of only two airlines to be rated the full five stars for customer service.
Jet2 runs regular discounts, which are worth looking out for if you're planning to book.
Which? verdict: Well-rated city breaks with an excellent airline.
Get expert advice for your holiday with our free monthly Travel newsletter.
Our free Travel newsletter delivers travel-related content, along with other information about Which? Group products and services. We won't keep sending you the newsletter if you don't want it – unsubscribe whenever you want. Your data will be processed in accordance with our privacy notice.
The biggest city break providers
British Airways City Breaks – 79%
BA was one of the top five city break providers in our survey. But the problem is that you have to fly with British Airways too, which is a thoroughly mediocre airline that gets just two stars out of five for value for money. (See our ratings of the best and worst airlines.)
Which? verdict: Worth a look, but Jet2 city breaks are better, according to our survey.
There’s nothing wrong with Tui city breaks. It gets average three-star ratings across the board. It’s just that there are better operators out there that cost the same price or less.
Which? verdict: For the same rate (£119 per person per day), you can nab a short-haul city break on a better airline with a better-rated provider – Jet2 city breaks.
EasyJet city breaks are affordable, but its customer service received a poor two-star rating and holidaymakers found their experiences a bit hit and miss.
Which? verdict: There are cheaper and better-rated companies in our table.
You would expect top-rated city breaks to come at a premium. In fact, for breaks within Europe, WRP Jet2 city breaks is towards the lower end of the scale at just £119 per person per day, on average.
For budget options that don’t compromise too much on quality, it’s also worth trying the recently revived Thomas Cook. This comes in at £102 per person per night, on average, according to our survey. It received a respectable customer score of 77%.
Why you should book your city break as a package
Guy Hobbs, Which? package holiday expert, says:
'It’s tempting to book flights when you see a great deal to a city that’s on your bucket list and then worry about the hotel later. You might even get a better price doing it this way. But what you won’t get is the legal and financial protection that a city break package offers.
'Package holiday protection kicks in if you bought your flights and another part of your holiday, such as accommodation, from a single company with one payment. You’re then financially protected, under Atol, if your provider goes bust. And if your holiday proves to be a letdown, or if things go wrong, you're protected under the Package Travel Regulations.
'All of the providers in our table sell Atol-protected packages. And all of our WRPs have promised to refund you if the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office changes its advice about your destination before you go.'
How we researched city break providers
In August and September 2024, we asked 12,119 Which? Connect panel members and members of the public to complete an online survey about their experiences of booking and going on holiday in the past two years. Our results are based on 19,958 holidays. We only reported on companies in any given category when we received at least 30 relevant responses.