Head east to the Ukraine to discover a country characterised by broad grassy plains and lingering Soviet influences. The host of this year’s Eurovision is drawing in increasing numbers of tourists thanks to the low cost of visiting. Tasting glasses of local beers can cost as little as 50p.
Kiev offers plenty of interesting architecture, but if you want to explore further afield you could opt to take a tour of Chernobyl and Pripyat, the site of a nuclear disaster in 1986.
Flights: from £49 return | Accommodation: from £182 for seven nights | Price of beer: 50p | Average cost of dinner for two: £15 | Activities: visit Kiev’s ‘Monastery of the Caves’ for £2.50
Get a tropical holiday on a shoestring with a trip to Indonesia. This is an affordable long-haul destination with sandy beaches, photogenic temples, beautiful islands and cheap scuba diving.
The fact it is a backpacking Mecca means there is plenty of cheap accommodation with hostel beds for as little as £5 and you can eat the national dish, nasi goreng (fried rice), for as little as £2.50.
Flights: from £401 return | Accommodation: from £182 for seven nights | Price of beer: £1.30 | Average cost of dinner for two: £17 | Activities: surfing lesson in Kuta for £21
Just three hours from the UK and with some of the cheapest average flights last year, Algeria offers safaris in the Sahara as well as Roman ruins and beautiful beaches. The capital, Algiers, is beautiful, perched on a hillside overlooking the Mediterranean.
You may find yourself exploring ruins without another tourist in sight, and the locals offer a friendly welcome.
Flights: from £130 return | Accommodation: from £469 for seven nights | Price of beer: £1.10 | Average cost of dinner for two: £10 | Activities: the time-capsule Roman town of Djemila costs 60p to enter.
A great exchange rate means this holiday hotspot remains affordable once you get there. Bangkok offers world-famous street food costing less than £1 for a meal.
Chiang Mai in the north of the country boasts nearly a hundred temples that you can explore and the biggest night market (3km) in Asia.
Flights: from £463 return | Accommodation: from £133 for seven nights | Price of beer: £1.39 | Average cost of dinner for two: £16 | Activities: entry to the Grand Palace in Bangkok costs £11.
No matter where you go in this vast country you’ll find the prices low. Eating out is especially good value – opt for vegetarian to keep your costs really low – in cities such as Chennai, two of you can eat out for as little as 600 rupees (less than £8).
To spot tigers and elephants, head to Periyar National Park or relax on a coconut-palm beach in Cherai.
Flights: from £178 return to Kochi airport | Accommodation: from £192 for seven nights | Price of beer: £1.20 | Average cost of dinner for two: £6.50 | Cost of activities: adult entry to Periyar National Park £3.70
Well-known destinations such as Dubrovnik don’t offer great value for money, but head off the beaten track and you can still enjoy a low-cost holiday in this beautiful country.
Split is a charming coastal alternative with Roman ruins (pictured), or just up the coast lies Sibenik, an often overlooked picturesque port town with beautiful churches and streets, but without the inflated tourist prices.
Flights: from £50 return to Split | Accommodation: From £217 for seven nights | Price of beer: £1.60 | Average cost of dinner for two: £23 | Activities: entry to a Split nightclub with live music is between £3.50 and £6
Visitor numbers dropped in the wake of 2015’s terrorist attacks and you won’t find as many package holidays here anymore but flights are cheap and the Government’s efforts to boost tourism have led to favourable deals on accommodation.
Why visit? Beautiful historic sites, snorkel-friendly waters and a warm climate.
Flights: from £158 return | Accommodation: from £147 for seven nights | Price of beer: £1 | Average cost of dinner for two: £12 | Activities: scuba diving lessons cost £60 in Djerba
Moscow offers more architectural gems than you can shake a stick at including the Kremlin and Red Square. For a weird, but free, sight you can visit Lenin’s embalmed body.
The metro system offers beautiful stations and trips from as little as 70p.
Flights: from £120 return to Moscow | Accommodation: from £227 for seven nights | Price of beer: £1 | Average cost of dinner for two: £35 | Activities: visit the iconic St Basil’s Cathedral for less than £5.
It’s been rising in popularity and the prices have gone up too but Budapest still offers good value. A warming bowl of goulash costs as little as 950 forints (£2.50) and you can get a round in the pub for less than £5.
Stay on the Pest side of the river to keep your costs down. A day-long visit to the ornate Sźechenyi spa (pictured) costs around £15.
Flights: from £37 return | Accommodation: from £210 for seven nights | Price of beer: £1.08 | Average cost of dinner for two: £22 | Activities: visit Buda Castle for free with a return ticket on the funicular to get there costing £5
Faro offers some of the best bargains, and the town is more than just a gateway to the Algarve. It has an attractive old town, plus salt pans, lagoon islands and beaches right next door.
Head inland to keep your costs down with the fortress town of Silves (pictured) offering al fresco cafes and more of an authentic experience than the beach resorts.
Flights: from £36 return to Faro | Accommodation: from £336 | Price of beer: £1.65 | Average cost of dinner for two: £25 | Activities: a guided nature tour of the Algarve’s Ria Formosa coastal park costs £25
The gorgeous Aegean shoreline remains a popular holiday destination for Brits, with value for money as much an attraction as the Turquoise coast itself.
There are miles and miles of free sandy beaches to relax on plus cheap mezze to eat and accommodation starting from £10 a night for a three-star hotel.
Flights: from £95 return | Accommodation: from £70 for seven nights | Price of beer: £1.70 | Average cost of dinner for two: £13 | Activities: the ancient stadium of Ephesus costs £8.90 to enter, many other sites are free
A five-star hotel here costs under £60 a night, according to Skyscanner. Rabat is an interesting alternative to Marrakech offering the best of both sides of Morocco – get lost in the smells of shisha and mint tea in the Kasbah of the Oudaoas or relax on the beach around the corner.
Fewer tourists visit here so you’ll find your money goes a little further with cheaper souvenirs in the souks and a curry for as little as £2.50.
Flights: from £47 return to Rabat | Accommodation: from £329 for seven nights | Price of beer: £2 | Average cost of dinner for two: £11 | Activities: camel safaris from £29 for half a day
This remains a popular and astonishingly cheap holiday destination. You can fly direct to Gran Canaria for just £22.
The dunes on the island are part of a protected nature reserve so you can bird-watch or spot dolphins at Palmitos Park before you sunbathe.
Flights: from £22 to Gran Canaria | Accommodation: from £399 | Price of beer: £1.70 | Average cost of dinner for two: £25 | Activities: entry to Aqualand Maspalomas is £24
A wealth of gorgeous beaches and ancient ruins are just a £15 flight away. You’ll find your euros stretch much further here, especially as you can get around on the bus for £1.70 and head to the neighbouring island of Gozo for well under £5.
Flights: from £30 return | Accommodation: from £315 for seven nights | Price of beer: £2 | Average cost of dinner for two: £40 | Activities: a boat trip to the Blue Lagoon and caves of Comino starts from £8.50.
Bucharest has some of the lowest average flight prices form the UK and you can feast in the city for less than £10 a day. The city’s streets are beautiful and give you a sense of the centuries of history from the old town of Lipscani up to the Communist monuments such as the Palace of Parliament (pictured).
Flights: from £32 return | Accommodation: from £155 for seven nights | Price of beer: £1.10 | Average cost of dinner for two: £20 | Activities: A tour of the Palace of Parliament costs £6
This remains a budget traveller’s dream with cheap flights and accommodation.
Avoid the big resorts in order to keep your costs down. For example, you can try Paleochora in Crete rather than Elounda.
At dinnertime try gyros, an authentic kebab available across the country for around £2.50.
Flights: from £71 return to Crete | Accommodation: from £252 for seven nights | Price of beer: £2.50 | Average cost of dinner for two: £23 | Activities: the Palace of Knossos on Crete costs £12.70 to visit.