Bulgaria and Turkey shore are cheap for beach Brits
UK families should head east to pay least for their summer sunshine breaks.
Good value favourites Bulgaria and Turkey are best for bargain hunters hoping to keep holiday spending down – but sliding sterling will mean price rises for Brits in most European hotspots.
Researchers at Post Office Travel Money’s annual Family Holiday Report also found the Algarve is the prime choice for travellers on a strict budget in Eurozone destinations.
The study’s Beach Barometer, produced for the first time in partnership with TUI, looked at the cost of 12 typical tourist items, including a family meal, drinks, suncream, insect repellent, lilos and ice-creams, and compiled a total “basket” price.
Sunny Beach in Bulgaria is the cheapest resort with a total of £85.63, though Marmaris, Turkey, is just 44p behind.
Despite local prices rising compared to pre-pandemic in both destinations, they are still least 20% lower than the Algarve (£108.47) and around half the price of the two most expensive destinations in the survey, with Puglia, Italy, weighing in at £185.81 and Ibiza the biggest wallet walloper at £186.47.
However, along with Majorca (£138.81, 3.3% down on 2019), Ibiza and Puglia were the only destinations to show price falls (-4.9% and -5.2%).
The biggest pre-covid increase of 37.7% was in Crete (£161.86).
But there have also been double-digit percentage rises in the Algarve
(11.9%), Costa del Sol (£127.33, 22.6%) and Porec, Croatia (£154.75, 10.5%).
Post Office Travel Money’s Nick Boden urged holidaymakers to ‘’do their homework and budget carefully to cover costs in the holiday resort they are visiting’’. TUI’S Richard Sofer added: “We’re seeing strong demand, especially for holidays in these more affordable destinations, with Turkey bookings up 60% versus 2019. The Algarve remains a firm family favourite, with bookings up a third on 2019, indicating that budget-conscious Brits still want to enjoy an overseas trip.’’
The report also found that three in five (59%) families are planning trips abroad this year but three-quarters (76%) of them bust their budget by more than a third (38%) on their last holiday.
They spent £243 extra on the average budget of £644 they had set, with food and drink being the key reason.
More info: postoffice.co.uk/familyholidays
city’s Barton Springs pool as a five-yearold. Covering an area the size of two football pitches, it is fed from underground springs and the water maintains an average temperature of about 21C.
Fellow Hollywood A-lister Matthew Mcconaughey lives in them thar hills and even co-owns Austin FC.
Country icon Willie Nelson, who was born about two hours north in Abbott, lives near Austin. In the city there’s a statue of the legendary musician who wrote Crazy, made famous by Patsy Cline, and Funny How Time Slips Away, covered by Elvis.
While you’re in this sun-baked city make sure you eat at a trailer or bungalow barbecue. But be prepared to queue!
Aaron Franklin’s on 11th Street has become a state institution. It’s so popular that President Barack Obama called in during his visit in 2014.
One of the best taco trucks is Taqueria El Trompo Mayor, or stop off at Rainey Street which boasts renovated 1930s cattle baron bungalows turned into music bars and restaurants.
To get some historical context, we took a guided mini-bus tour ( from $39.99, aotoursaustin.com) – there are bike trips too with mikesbikesandtours. com – to see the city founded in 1835 in honour of Stephen Austin, the settler known as the Father of Texas, spotting shacks worth $1million and the array of renowned street art murals.
Top tip: there are great views from the public library and its rooftop terrace.
Be sure to visit the State Capitol building, where tours are free. Built in 1888 and set in a 22-acre park, its dome is nearly
300ft high.
There are portraits of King of the Wild Frontier, Davy Crockett, plus a tableau of the 1836 Battle of the Alamo depicting Jim Bowie, who died alongside Crockett.
After all that sightseeing, chill out in the Sixth Street area, or “Dirty Sixth” as the locals call it, with live music and a drink. Try the Speakeasy off Congress Avenue for dinner and cocktails, or the Broken Spoke honky-tonk where legends such Dolly Parton, Garth Brooks and Willie Nelson have performed. Mick Jagger paid a secret visit when the Rolling Stones played in Austin last year.
Want to follow in his footsteps? You’ll be in good company. Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson met us off the inaugural flight and said: “This is the most successful new route we have ever launched. Austin is an amazing
The hotel was opened by a cowboy in 1886 with cash from cattle drives