The best-value destination for package summer holidays has been unveiled as a Greek island, while Spain, Turkey and Itlay all make up the list of credit card-friendly getaways
Greece is the word when it comes to bagging a cheap package holiday this summer.
Consumer group Which? analysed more than 4,500 package holidays still available to book in the first week of August in 70 regions of 15 European countries in order to find the cheapest destinations for a getaway. And the Southern European country, known for its ancient history, stunning beaches and delicious food including kebabs and feta cheese made up the top three.
Taking first place was the picturesque Greek island of Kalymnos, with a week’s stay costing £847 per person on average. Travellers fly into the island’s busier neighbour Kos, before departing for Kalymnos by boat – a journey that takes just 40 minutes, and is included in the price of the package.
In second place was Thassos, at £862, followed by Lefkada where a week’s package break would set British tourists back an average of £935 per person. Coming fourth was Spain’s Costa Brava, the stretch of coast north of Barcelona that includes resorts such as Girona and Tossa de Mar.
In the region a week’s break would set holidaymakers back £952 on average. Rounding off the top five was the Venetian Riviera, at £965 per person.
- Kalymnos, Greece £847
- Thassos, Greece, £862
- Lefkada, Greece, £935
- Costa Brava, Spain, £952.
- The Venetian Riviera, Italy, at £965
- Amalfi Coast, Italy, £977.
- Skopelos, Greece, £985
- Costa de Luz, Spain, £994
- Campania, Italy, £998
- Malta, £1,006
Surprise locations that made the top 10 included Italy’s upmarket Amalfi Coast and Malta. Meanwhile historically cheaper destinations such as the Canary Islands, Turkey, which includes the resort of Antalya which recently took over from Tenerife as Britons’ new favourite holiday location, and Bulgaria did not make the top 10.
Which? put this down to the fact that the top 10 destinations had a wider range of packages currently available as well as a lot of budget flights to the region. However it did caution that British travellers should still consider the cost of eating out and activities when choosing their next holiday.
Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel, said: “Travelling in the summer holidays is notoriously expensive, and demand is again high this year – but our latest price analysis shows that by being flexible on your destination, you can potentially save hundreds of pounds.
“Many of the locations we found aren’t those you’d necessarily assume would be the cheapest – but from tiny, traditional Greek islands to the glitzy Amalfi coast, there are bargains to be found this summer.” Meanwhile, separate research by holiday firm On The Beach has revealed that the recent spate of bad weather in the UK has encouraged Britons to book trips to sunnier climes.
It said on Monday it saw a 10% increase in travel bookings compared to the same time the previous week.
