Autumn is quietly the smartest time for a European city break. Once the summer crowds thin out, flights and hotel rates drop noticeably — and according to Laura Carden-Lovell, head of operations at travel resale marketplace Transfer Travel, October is prime time to bag a bargain. Her one caveat: budget for getting around once you land. Walkable cities cost you nothing, and car hire is usually cheaper outside peak season anyway.

Here are her five picks, all in or around the Balkans and the Baltics, where social media buzz is driving a surge of interest.

Tirana, Albania. Bright, colourful and layered with Ottoman and communist history, Tirana is booming as Albania becomes one of Europe's fastest-growing tourism markets. Start at Skanderbeg Square — free to wander — then move on to Blloku, a lively neighbourhood made for café hopping. For views, ride the Dajti Ekspres cable car, the longest leisure cable car in the Balkans at roughly £15 return, up to the edge of Dajti Mountain National Park, which costs nothing to explore.

Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. A small city packed with history, Sarajevo suits travellers who like to mooch. The Old Town has traditional market stalls, local crafts, food shops and historic mosques, all clustered around Pigeon Square (Baščaršija) and its iconic wooden Sebilj fountain. Free walking tours, bookable online, are an easy way to get oriented.

Sofia, Bulgaria. Bulgaria remains one of the continent's best-value destinations, and its capital rewards a slow look. Carden-Lovell highlights the cathedrals, Roman ruins, churches and the historic Roman thermal baths. If your feet give out, Sofia's tram system is famously cheap, so you can cover plenty of ground without the walking-tour blister tax.

Tallinn, Estonia. A TikTok favourite, Tallinn's UNESCO-listed old town delivers fairytale streets and colourful buildings in autumn light. Balance the medieval with the modern at Telliskivi Creative City, home to independent cafés, street art, local artists and bars. And with saunas central to Estonian culture, a public sauna session makes particular sense when the temperature drops.

Riga, Latvia. The medieval old town is easily explored on foot, public transport is cheap, and independent coffee shops are everywhere. St Peter's Church is the landmark to prioritise: entry is about €3, while the observation tower — with its 360-degree city view — costs around €9. Stay for the food scene and, on Carden-Lovell's recommendation, a slice of Latvian honey cake.

Who is this for? Anyone after a low-cost, low-crowd getaway booked at short notice. The common thread across all five cities is that the headline sights are cheap or free, food and transport cost pennies compared to Western Europe, and October's thinner crowds mean you actually get to enjoy the old towns rather than shuffle through them. Just do the maths on local transport before you commit — a cheap flight to a sprawling city can be less of a deal than it looks.