Paris and Rome are glamorous vacation destinations that everyone wants to visit, but few can afford, especially in sour economic times such as these. If you're still set on walking through the hallways of a European palace or seeing Roman ruins, you should know that vacation hotspots have alternatives in less expensive cities. Check out these cities off the beaten path.

All prices converted to U.S. Dollars ($).

Both New York City and Chicago have skyscrapers, restaurants, and parks all bustling with life, but the less exorbitant prices of the "Windy City" make a difference.

8.25 million inhabitants
Currency: U.S. Dollar (USD)
Hotel price range per night: $55-$350
Attractions: The Empire State Building, Central Park, Times Square, the United Nations Headquarters, and Grand Central Station

2.8 million inhabitants
Currency: U.S. Dollar (USD)
Hotel price range per night: $45-$215
Attractions: Sears Tower, The Magnificent Mile, Navy Pier, Grant Park, The Art Institute of Chicago, and Wrigley Field

Both Paris and Bucharest have universities, art, politics, restaurants, theatres, cafes, and streets worth exploring. In fact, Bucharest was nicknamed "Little Paris" during the early 1900s.

2.1 million inhabitants
Currency: Euro (EUR)
Hotel price range per night: $60-$500
Attractions: the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, Notre-Dame Cathedral, the Panthéon, the Luxembourg Palace, and Montmartre

2.6 million inhabitants
Currency: Leu (RON)
Hotel price range per night: $32-$230
Attractions: Parliament Palace, the Arch of Triumph, Cantacuzino Palace, the Romanian Athenaeum, and Lipscani District

Rome has many ruins, but Coimbra, one of the best preserved cities of the Roman Empire, reminds us of the amazing extent to which the Romans spread their culture and civilization.

2.8 million inhabitants
Currency: Euro (EUR)
Hotel price range per night: $84-$300
Attractions: the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, Markets of Trajan and Trajan's Forum, and Baths of Caracalla

140,000 inhabitants
Currency: Euro (EUR)
Hotel price range per night: $47-$243
Attractions: the Roman Ruins of Conimbriga, which includes a nobleman's villa built with intricate tiles, baths and a heating system. The grounds also have several temples, an early church, a forum and a theater.

Lose track of time absorbing the history of Venice, or become mesmerized by the splendor of medieval and Renaissance buildings in Prague, which closely resembles a fairytale land.

271,663 inhabitants
Currency: Euro (EUR)
Hotel price range per night: $50-$275
Attractions: Basilica di San Marco and its Campanile, Saint Mark's Square, and Rialto Bridge

1.2 million inhabitants
Currency: Czech Koruna (CZK)
Hotel price range per night: $50-$155
Attractions: St. Nicholas Church at Malostranske Namesti, Old Town Bridge Tower, Old Town Square, Prague Castle, and Golden Lane

These cities witnessed the rise and fall of civilizations and offer the exotic allure of North Africa. Tunis encompasses the ruins of Carthage, whose people were one of ancient Rome's most feared enemies and home to the Phoenicians and the legendary Queen Dido.

7.78 million inhabitants
Currency: Egyptian Pound (EGP)
Hotel price range per night: $30-$950
Attractions: the Egyptian Museum, the Sphinx, and the Pyramid of Cheops (Khufu)

1.2 million inhabitants
Currency: Tunisian Dinar (TND)
Hotel price range per night: $35-$251
Attractions: Carthage, Bardo Museum, and the Roman settlement Dougga

Sources: paris.fr; wordtravels.com; orbitz.com; montmartre-paris-france.com; romaniatourism.com; nyc.gov; nyctourist.com; boston.com; aviewoncities.com; louvre.fr; paris-tourisme.com; krakow.pl; greenwichmeantime.com; cyfronet.pl; esec.pt; vivatravelguides.com; rome.info; romaturismo.it; travel2venezia.com; prague-info.cz; myczechrepublic.com; pragueexperience.com; britannica.com; gocurrency.com; realtravel.com; ins.nat.tn; wordtravels.com; aspectsoftunisia.co.uk; tinet.ita.doc.gov; wsu.edu