Cheap Honeymoon Destinations: 12 Romantic Budget Trips

Here’s what nobody tells you at the wedding expo: the honeymoon doesn’t have to cost as much as the wedding. Some of the most romantic places I’ve ever been were also the cheapest — and the secret isn’t suffering through a bad trip to save money. It’s picking places where your money simply goes further.

I’ve done the budget honeymoon thing myself, and I’ve watched friends blow $15,000 on trips that were less fun than my $3,000 ones. The difference was never the budget. It was the destination choice. Here are twelve places where romance comes cheap.

Table of Contents

• The Budget Honeymoon Mindset
• 1. Ubud, Bali — Indonesia
• 2. Lisbon & the Algarve — Portugal
• 3. Split & the Dalmatian Coast — Croatia
• 4. Budapest — Hungary
• 5. Chiang Mai & the Thai Islands — Thailand
• 6. Marrakech — Morocco
• 7. Buenos Aires — Argentina
• 8. Tulum & the Yucatán — Mexico
• 9. Crete — Greece
• 10. Cape Town — South Africa
• 11. Zanzibar — Tanzania
• 12. Hội An — Vietnam
• When to Go Cheap: The Shoulder-Season Cheat Sheet
• 8 Money-Saving Honeymoon Rules (Learned the Hard Way)
• Cheap Honeymoon Destinations FAQ

The Budget Honeymoon Mindset

The one idea that makes all of this work: go where the exchange rate and local prices are in your favor. A $25 candlelit dinner in Hoi An costs $150 in Paris — the romance is identical, arguably better.

The other half: travel in shoulder season — same sunsets, half the crowds, prices 30–40% lower. Every destination below includes when to go cheap.

1. Ubud, Bali — Indonesia

Skip Seminyak’s overpriced beach clubs — Ubud, Bali’s cultural heart, has jungle valleys, rice terraces, temples, and private pool villas at a fraction of the price.

Real costs: A beautiful private villa with a pool: $50–80/night. A romantic dinner for two with drinks: $25–35. A full-day private driver: $40.

My take: Get a villa slightly outside town and split your days between waterfalls and rice terraces — and don’t skip the $30 couples massage.

Go: April–June or September–October.

2. Lisbon & the Algarve — Portugal

Europe’s best honeymoon value. Lisbon gives you old-world romance — tiled streets, trams, miradouros at golden hour — at prices that feel like 1990s Europe.

Real costs: A charming boutique hotel: $80–120/night. Dinner for two with wine: $40–60. Day trip to the Algarve’s beaches: a $20 train ride.

My take: Spend 3–4 days in Lisbon, then base yourself in Lagos or Tavira — the cliffs and coves are just as beautiful at half the resort-strip price. Sunset at Ponta da Piedade is one of my all-time travel memories.

My guide to the best honeymoon destinations covers the premium picks — but honestly, Portugal barely needs the upgrade.

3. Split & the Dalmatian Coast — Croatia

Smart honeymooners skip Dubrovnik for Split: the same Adriatic blue, the same ancient stone streets, the same island-hopping — at noticeably lower prices.

Real costs: A seafront apartment: $70–100/night. Ferry to Hvar or Brač: $10–20. Seafood dinner for two: $45–65.

My take: Base in Split, day-trip to the islands, and spend one evening on the Riva promenade watching the light change. Visit Dubrovnik as a day trip — your wallet will thank you.

Go: May–June or September. July–August is peak price and peak crowds.

4. Budapest — Hungary

Budapest earns its “Paris of the East” nickname at a third of the price: thermal baths, a castle on a hill, ruin bars, and the Danube glittering at night.

Real costs: A stylish apartment in the center: $60–90/night. A river cruise at sunset: $15–25. A multi-course dinner: $40–60 for two.

My take: Book one evening at the Széchenyi thermal baths — soaking in 100-year-old outdoor pools as steam rises costs about $25. Walk the Chain Bridge at night.

5. Chiang Mai & the Thai Islands — Thailand

Chiang Mai gives you temples, night markets, cooking classes, and ethical elephant sanctuaries at prices that feel like a glitch — then hop to Koh Lanta for the beach half.

Real costs: A lovely boutique hotel: $40–70/night. Street food dinner for two: $10–15. A Thai cooking class for two: $50 total.

My take: Take a cooking class on day one. The night markets are made for honeymooners: wandering hand-in-hand, grazing on everything, spending almost nothing.

Go: November–February for the cool, dry season.

6. Marrakech — Morocco

Exotic, intoxicating, and shockingly affordable. Riads — traditional courtyard houses turned boutique hotels — give you private plunge pools and rooftop breakfasts for chain-hotel prices.

Real costs: A beautiful riad: $60–100/night. Dinner on a rooftop overlooking the medina: $30–50 for two. A day trip to the Atlas Mountains: $40–60.

My take: Get lost in the souks, take a cooking class, and spend one night in an Agafay Desert luxury-tented camp.

7. Buenos Aires — Argentina

Passionate, gorgeous, and one of the best-value cities in the world for visitors: European-style boulevards, tango in San Telmo, steak dinners that cost less than a sandwich back home.

Real costs: A great hotel in Palermo: $60–90/night. A world-class steak dinner with Malbec for two: $30–45. A tango show with dinner: $50–80 for two.

My take: Take a beginner tango lesson together, then walk La Boca and take the ferry to Colonia, Uruguay.

8. Tulum & the Yucatán — Mexico

Tulum has gotten pricier but is still a fraction of a Caribbean resort — and the Yucatán beyond it (Valladolid, Bacalar, Mérida) is a bargain: cenotes, Mayan ruins, jungle, great food.

Real costs: A beach cabana or jungle hotel: $70–120/night. Cenote entry: $5–15. Tacos al pastor dinner for two: $15–25.

My take: Rent a car and base yourself between Tulum and Valladolid — cenotes, ruins, and colonial towns without the beach-strip prices. Swim in a cenote at 8 a.m. before anyone else arrives.

Go: November–April (dry season). Avoid spring break weeks.

9. Crete — Greece

Skip Santorini’s $500-a-night prices: Crete gives you the same whitewashed villages, better beaches, incredible food, and Venetian harbors at half to a third of the price.

Real costs: A sea-view apartment: $60–100/night. A taverna dinner for two: $35–50. Car rental: $30–40/day.

My take: Drive the island: Chania’s old harbor at sunset, the pink sand of Elafonissi, mountain villages where the taverna owner insists you try the raki.

10. Cape Town — South Africa

Table Mountain, penguins, wine country, and a coastline that rivals California — where fine dining costs what fast food costs elsewhere.

Real costs: A boutique hotel: $70–110/night. A tasting-menu dinner: $50–70 for two. A wine tram day in Stellenbosch: $30–40.

My take: Drive Chapman’s Peak, visit Boulders Beach for the penguins, and spend a day in the Winelands on the Franschhoek wine tram.

Go: November–March for summer.

11. Zanzibar — Tanzania

Barefoot-on-white-sand for a fraction of the Maldives: Spice Island history in Stone Town, then beach time.

Real costs: A beachfront bungalow: $50–90/night. A seafood barbecue on the beach: $20–30 for two. A spice farm tour: $15–25.

My take: Two nights in Stone Town, then the beach. The north coast (Nungwi, Kendwa) has the most swimmable water.

12. Hội An — Vietnam

My pick for the single best-value honeymoon on this list: a UNESCO old town of lantern-lit streets, a beach 10 minutes away, 48-hour tailors, and food you’ll dream about.

Real costs: A riverside boutique hotel: $40–70/night. A lantern-lit dinner for two: $20–30. Custom-tailored suit or dress: $80–150.

My take: Get clothes made — a rite of passage. Take the basket boat ride, eat cao lầu noodles (only made here), and walk the old town after dark when the lanterns light up.

When to Go Cheap: The Shoulder-Season Cheat Sheet

Timing is the biggest lever on honeymoon cost:

• Europe (Portugal, Croatia, Greece, Hungary): May–June and September — warm, cheaper, fewer crowds.
• Southeast Asia (Bali, Thailand, Vietnam): April–June and September–October — dodging peak dry season.
• Mexico & Caribbean-adjacent: May–June and November — after spring break, before the holidays.
• Morocco, South Africa, Argentina: Their shoulder seasons vary by hemisphere — check before booking.

Flying is usually the biggest single expense — read my guides to finding cheap flights and the best time to book flights before committing to dates.

8 Money-Saving Honeymoon Rules (Learned the Hard Way)

1. Book flights first, then build around them — the cheapest flight deal often picks your destination.
2. Stay slightly outside the center — a 15-minute walk or short tram ride cuts hotel prices ~30%.
3. Eat one great meal a day. Splurge on dinner; do breakfast at the hotel and lunch from markets.
4. Travel midweek — Tuesday–Thursday flights and check-ins are consistently cheaper.
5. Use local transport — trams, ferries, and shared vans are part of the adventure at a tenth of the price.
6. Skip the “honeymoon package” — marked up 20–40% over booking the same hotel and activities yourself.
7. Tell hotels it’s your honeymoon. Upgrades, better rooms, and small treats genuinely happen.
8. Get travel insurance. A $100 policy protects a $3,000 trip.

And once you’ve picked your spot, pack smart — my checklist of what to pack for international travel will keep you from overpacking for two.

One final rule I broke once and never again: don’t book the cheapest room at the farthest hotel to save $20 a night — the taxi fares and lost mornings cost more than the savings, and honeymoons are short.

Cheap Honeymoon Destinations FAQ