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Looking for fun in the sun on a budget? We've crunched the numbers...

With the sun shining across Ireland, and holiday season getting into full swing, we looked throug...
Newstalk
Newstalk

16.53 10 Jun 2015


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Looking for fun in the sun on...

Looking for fun in the sun on a budget? We've crunched the numbers...

Newstalk
Newstalk

16.53 10 Jun 2015


Share this article


With the sun shining across Ireland, and holiday season getting into full swing, we looked through some European stats to find the ultimate destination guide for the Irish holidaymaker in 2015.
 
We want fun in the sun - but also somewhere that's not too pricey, so we're made our NT.com holiday index - weighing the cost of travel against the price of entertainment and sunshine levels to find the best places to go.
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It's probably not too surprising that eastern Europe comes up trumps – Czech Republic, Poland, Bulgaria and Croatia took the top four spots, while Spain also squeezed into the top five.
 

Here's our top 10:

1. Czech Republic
2. Poland
3. Bulgaria
4. Spain
5. Croatia
6. Malta
7. Germany
8. Cyprus
9. Italy
10. France

FLIGHTS

Getting there is pretty important - for our numbers we've used the example of one week away in August. Unsurprisingly the UK is the cheapest destination to get to - with flights to London starting at €40.

On the other end of the spectrum Malta, Bulgaria and Cyprus are the most expensive to fly to, with a trip to Malta coming in at €350 and the most expensive, Cyprus costing €460.

This graph quotes the cheapest flights for a return journey, leaving on August 12th.

TEMPERATURE

The temperature can play a key role in how enjoyable your holiday is. If you are living in Ireland, chances are you're chasing some sun.

Cyprus' average temperature tops the list in August with a sweltering 28 degrees celsius while the UK, the Czech Republic and Poland all languish alongside Ireland in the high teens.

 

HOTEL PRICES

Once you're in the country, you'll need somewhere to stay. There's a lot of options out there, from five star hotels to cosy AirBnB apartments. These statistics compiled by Numbeo.com show the average hotel costs in each country.

UK prices are bumped up by London - making them the most expensive in the survey. Adding in the strength of the Sterling against the Euro - summer 2015 isn't the best time to holiday North of the boarder, or across the Irish Sea.

At the bottom end of the scale it appears that there are some bargains to be found in Bulgaria and Poland, the average night in a hotel in both these countries is below €50.

 

PRICE OF A PINT AND MCDONALD'S

We're not saying that you are heading away for a booze-up, but the price of a pint works as a good measure of consumer prices - the same goes for McDonald's.

France is the only country that's more expensive than Ireland and the UK when it comes to getting a pint - and Bulgaria and the Czech Republic offer the cheapest hooch.

The average price of a McDonald's meal falls along the same lines. Bulgaria, Czech Republic and Poland all offer the lowest prices while France, Malta and Ireland are the most costly.

 

LOCAL TRANSPORT

What's the point of travelling away if you don't get around? London has its infamous tube system, which may be the key to the UK's high prices - yet again, Bulgaria, Poland and Czech Republic's costs are the lowest. 


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