Read on for the top cheap holiday hotspots for 2025, as we give you the best money-saving places to head.
According to Easyjet's Great British Holiday Audit survey, we Brits plan to take three holidays this year, spending an average of £3051.90 on our main holiday and visiting two new countries.
The classic beach break (61%) is the most popular type of holiday booking, with around half the nation (47%) opting for at least one city break in 2025. Four in five (79%) will pursue a holiday that includes seeing the earth's natural phenomena, like the Northern Lights.
Country-ticking is a growing trend in which people are keen to visit at least two new countries that aren't on their usual list of holiday destinations.
Yet, most people's overwhelming desire when planning holidays remains to find cheap holiday spots and save money while there.
With that in mind, we've found the best cheap holiday locations for 2025, offering everything from inexpensive city breaks to cheap family beach getaways.
Here are the places to head on your next trip.
1. Albania
If you love the Greek islands, Turkey, and all those sun-kissed golden beaches, the Albanian Riviera is the place for you. Located in southeastern Europe, it has an Adriatic and Ionian coastline. The Albanian Riviera (between Vlora and Saranda) has over 250 miles of coastline, white sandy beaches and clear water.
2025 is also a great year to visit Albania because it won't be a budget destination for long. From 2010 to 2019, the number of tourists visiting this Balkan country tripled annually, peaking at 3.3 million, with 120,000 visitors coming from the UK.
The surge in tourists is due to the Instagram effect and the fact that summer temperatures reach an average of 33 °C.
Regarding your budget, Albania provides fantastic value for money and is easily one of Europe's cheapest countries. You can travel here for a fraction of the price for packages to Greece and Portugal, making it a great alternative to Mediterranean hotspots.
For example, during the May half-term holiday, the Albanian Riviera costs just £270 pp, while ten nights in August with Expedia will cost as little as £400 pp.
If you fly in February, British Airways offers flights for £56, and Booking.com offers four-star hotels for £200 for four nights.
Once here, the best way to get value for money is to:
Use public transportation. Furgons (minibuses) and buses are cheaper than taxis, cover most major routes, and can be flagged down from the side of the road. When you get on, tell the driver where you want to go, but be aware that there's no set timetable. Instead, ask locals where and when you can get one. Price-wise, travelling this way is very cheap, around the 20p mark.
Remember that cash is king in Albania. Albanian currency is the lek, while the Euro is commonly used to pay for many services. However, not all places will take euros or cards, so carrying an adequate amount of local money is a good idea. Money can be changed at most banks and ATMs, though usually with an extra fee or less-than-favourable rate.
Eat the local food. Food is cheaper than most of Europe, so you can eat at a good restaurant for a bargain if you eat where the locals are. Try traditional Albanian dishes like Burek, Gofte (meatballs), and Byrek (savoury pastries) at local eateries for as little as 50p. A three-course meal for two people costs around £25.
Learn to bargain. Bargaining for goods and services is common in Albania. Be polite and it can lead to significant savings on your travel expenses, souvenirs and more especially at markets or when hiring services like tour guides.
2. Budapest, Hungary
Hungary is also considered one of Europe's best-value destinations this year and remains one of the best cities for city breaks.
City breaks to this destination start from as little as £85 pp, making it a fantastic place for a cheap weekend holiday.
Budapest's appeal is that it offers something for everyone, from grand luxury hotels at a fraction of the price you'd pay in Italy and France to more quirky boutique hotels.
The city boasts the famous Szechenyi Baths, one of Europe's best and largest thermal spas. It has 15 indoor baths, three grand outdoor pools, saunas, and steam rooms.
It also has the river Danube, heaps of neo-Gothic architecture, and one of the biggest indoor market halls in the world.
Best of all, Budapest is cheap for accommodation, food, flights, and more. To book a 4-day city break, look at Booking.com, where you can stay at the grand Corinthia Budapest for just £414 in February. Flights are as cheap at £58 return with Ryanair. Making a luxury city break, just £265pp.
Alternatively, you can book a budget city break deal with Expedia for the same days in February. The three-star Classic Hotel offers a stay for just £90 pp, including flights.
To get value for money while there, buy one of the following cards.
Buy a Budapest card. Every pass includes 30+ free attractions, sightseeing tours, free entry to the thermal bath (tickets start from £25 a day), and 50+ local discounts. There are three types of cards to choose from.
The Tourist Pass (42 Euro for a two-day pass) is a basic card with discounts, a free sightseeing walking tour, free entry to the thermal baths and a free cruise on the river.
The Budapest Card (53 Euro for two days) is the same as a tourist card and offers free public transport.
The e_XPLORER pass (87 Euro for a two-day pass) offers much of the same (no free public transport) but adds hop-on-hop-off sightseeing buses and cruises. All passes are available in one-day, two-day, three-day, four-day, and five-day options.
Visit the Lukács Baths, Which are cheaper and less crowded than the Szechenyi Baths. The Lukács baths are also more relaxing, so you can lie back without feeling overwhelmed by large crowds. Better still, the ticket is only 4400 Hungarian Forint (HUF) (£9 compared to Szechenyl's £25 ticket).
Always pay in local currency. When choosing a restaurant, always look for one with prices in HUF rather than Euro. One HUF equals 0.0020 pounds, so you can't go wrong. Even an expensive three-course meal in Budapest for 6000 HUF is only £12.
Eat the street food. The outdoor markets in Budapest serve everything but opt for Hungarian dishes, which cost between £1.50 and £2. Try goulash, the traditional Central and Eastern European stew, Lángos (fried bread with sour cream and cheese), or pastries such as Kürtoskalacs (spiral cylinders coated with chocolate).
3. Brittany & the South of France
France may not seem like one of the cheapest places to go on holiday, but if you're smart about your location and travel habits, you can have a very budget-friendly beach holiday here.
To find a cheap beach location in the South of France, skip the celebrity haunts of Nice, Cannes, and St Tropez and look further down the coast at Antibes and Menton.
Both locations offer cheap accommodation, great beaches, and laid-back places to eat, making them very budget-friendly escapes on the Cote d'Azur.
Try Eurostar's lowest fare finder to get there. You can find fares to Paris for £88 return in June and July. From there, you can get a ticket to Antibes with Trainline for 29 Euro one-way, making a return trip around £138.
Brittany is another excellent location. Its cost of living is lower than the average in France. It also has every kind of beach, from delicate white sands to family-friendly shores.
Flights to Brittany in July start from £107 return with Easyjet, Hotels on Booking.com can be as low as £500 for two weeks in July and August on the Brittany coast.
To make your trip even more budget-friendly:
Take advantage of free French events. All summer long, free events promote culture and local heritage in France. The La Fête de la Musique, which happens every June 21, hosts free concerts and events nationwide. La Nuit des Musées offers free nighttime visits to museums. Plus, museums and municipal sights in many cities offer free admission on the first Sunday of the month.
Have an outdoor apéro: Alcohol is allowed in public spaces in France, and you'll see lots of locals having an outdoor apéro (pay €5-7 for a decent bottle of wine in a local wine shop), which costs much less than drinking in a bar.
Embrace the Prix Fixe menu: Also known as the Menu du Jour, this is a two- or three-course meal at a fixed price and the best value in dining in most bistros and restaurants for lunch or dinner. It's usually on a chalkboard at the restaurant.
Use Velib to get around Paris. Four Velib passes have been designed specifically for visitors who plan to visit for a few days: the ticket-V pass, the 24-hour classic pass, the 24-hour electric pass, and the 3-day pass.
You pay €3 for a single-use pass, between €5-€10 for a 24-hour pass, and €20 for a 3-day pass. Passes can be purchased on the Velib website or at a docking station.
4. Ljubljana, Slovenia
Slovenia offers one of the best cheap city breaks in its capital, Ljubljana. This city has ancient castles, a gorgeous old town, and magnificent snow-capped mountains and rivers you can kayak on. It's a mixture of Prague, Vienna, and Paris and one of the most underrated cities in Europe.
May and September are the best times to visit before the crowds arrive. If you're a foodie, this will also be your dream location, as you can eat fantastic food cheaply.
One good tip is to ensure you splurge on lunch, not dinner. Many restaurants offer multi-course, set-price lunches that are much cheaper than standard dinner menus.
City breaks to Ljubljana start at £200 pp with Expedia. For accommodation, stay in the old town with its narrow cobblestone streets and winding alleyways, or Trnovo, a trendy neighbourhood just south of Ljubljana's city centre brimming with bars and restaurants for the best deals.
As for saving money while you're there. Make sure you:
Visit the free Ljubljana Festival 2025. The Summer Festival of Ljubljana runs from mid-June to mid-September. The ancient city centre's church buildings, patios, and squares are the stages for the classical musical concerts played every evening.
Walk everywhere: Ljubljana is made for walking and being outdoors. It is the perfect location for anyone looking for fresh air in Europe. It boasts the highest percentage of pedestrianised streets of any European capital, so it's made for walking.
Go green with free transport: If you need a ride in the centre, look for what looks like a green golf cart. This electric taxi, known as the Kavalir, will shuttle you for free anywhere you need to go.
Head to the open kitchen: Every Friday from mid-March until the end of October, the central market in Ljubljana features an outdoor food fair called Odprta Kuhna (open kitchen). It is the best and cheapest way to sample various local specialities, such as pulled duck, red cabbage sandwiches, and sausage, served with a pot of mustard and a warm roll.
Get a Ljubljana Card. This is sold at tourist information centres or downloadable to your phone and includes free entry to many museums, unlimited travel on city buses, a free funicular to Ljubljana Castle, and a bus transfer to Ljubljana Airport. Choose one of three options: 24, 48, or 72 hours from 36 Euros.
Finally, if you're looking for more ideas and deals on where to go this year, check out the following travel companies for regular sales, deals, and discount codes to help make your holidays cheaper.
