Haven’t made your vacation reservation yet? Or have you already returned, but are already thinking about the next departure? Here are a few ideas for your next adventure: the cheapest tourist destinations in Europe.
A seaside meal, a hotel room, or a glass of wine can have different prices, depending on where you choose to spend your summer vacation. An analysis conducted by Euronews, based on last year’s Eurostat data, compares the costs for food, drinks, accommodation, and transportation in seven of the most popular tourist destinations in Europe.
The figures do not indicate a specific cost of a vacation but reflect national averages. Prices in popular tourist areas can be considerably higher. For example, a hotel room in Athens and one in Kos would have different prices, but both contribute to the national average of Greece, as mentioned by the cited source.
The cheapest country to vacation in
According to the analysis, Turkey is the cheapest country overall. A basket that costs 100 euros in the EU costs only 59.6 euros in Turkey, which is 40.4% less.
On the other hand, France is the most expensive of the seven countries, with a cost of 100.3 euros, being the only one of the seven analyzed countries that exceeds the EU average. The other five countries are below this level.
Overall price ranking:
- Turkey – 59.6 euros
- Croatia – 78.4 euros
- Portugal – 86.6 euros
- Greece – 87.4 euros
- Spain – 91.6 euros
- Italy – 97.1 euros
- France – 100.3 euros
Where are the lowest prices for accommodation and meals
Comparing prices at restaurants and accommodation services, the analysis shows that France is the most expensive of the seven countries, with a price level index of 116, followed by Italy, with 110.8.
Portugal is the cheapest, with an index of 73.6 euros, meaning that prices there are 26.4% below the EU average. Turkey also records a value below 80.
Countries with the cheapest hotels and restaurants:
- Portugal – index 73.6
- Turkey – 78.3
- Spain – 85.4
- Greece – 86.1
- Croatia – 89.6
- Italy – 110.8
- France – 116
Alcohol is very expensive in Turkey
The largest price discrepancies in the analysis are recorded in alcohol. Turkey is by far the most expensive destination in this category: alcoholic beverages cost more than double the EU average, with a price level index of 210.2.
Greece ranks second, at a considerable distance, with an index of 154, followed by Croatia, with 133.9.
On the other hand, alcohol is cheapest in Italy (index 81.9), while Spain also falls below the EU average, at 90.1.
Prices in France and Portugal are much closer to the European reference level, with an index of 100.9 and 107.1, respectively.
Turkey has the cheapest cigarettes
The prices of tobacco vary enormously, from 25.4 euros in Turkey to 191.1 euros in France.
All other countries are also below the EU average, but none come close to Turkey. The next country with the lowest prices is Croatia, at 68.3 euros.
Regarding public transportation, Turkey is the cheapest destination, with a cost of 68.3 euros, compared to the EU average of 100 euros. Only France exceeds the EU average, with a cost of 112.8 euros.
Portugal, Spain, and Croatia have fares of around 80 euros, while Greece is just below the EU average.
These comparisons exclusively reflect average price levels and do not take into account the population's incomes or purchasing power in each country. Therefore, although some destinations are considerably cheaper than others, the actual cost of a vacation will also depend on each tourist's budget, the chosen period, the type of accommodation, and how they organize their trip, as mentioned by Euronews.
T.D.