Going on holiday is an exciting time but it can also be expensive so you might be wondering which places you can fly to that won’t mean breaking the bank.

To help you decide on your next destination, Manchester Airport has shared nine countries where your pound will go further.

From Albania to Poland, there are lots of options with flights available from multiple airlines.

A recent study by the European Travel Commission showed that almost three quarters of Brits were planning to travel over the coming six months, despite the ongoing financial pressures of the cost of living crisis.

Whether you’re looking for some sun or somewhere to learn some history, there are plenty of places to choose from – let’s take a look.

9 budget-friendly holiday destinations with flights from Manchester Airport

Price data for the following destinations is sourced from Numbeo – Cost of Living Index.

You can find out more about the flights and book yours via the Manchester Airport website.

Albania

Prices:

  • Restaurant meals – typically around £5 per person
  • Pint of draft beer – 60-70p

Sometimes dubbed as ‘the next Croatia’, Albania shares the same Adriatic coasts and enjoys some of the same attractive qualities for holidaymakers including white sand beaches and turquoise waters with dramatic mountains and cliffs.

It hasn’t seen the same rise in prices like destinations such as Dubrovnik, Croatia and remains one of the most affordable places to visit in Europe.

Sarande and Ksamil beach resorts are among the most popular and although they’re more than 170 miles from the capital Tirana, which has flights from Manchester, they are only half an hour by ferry from the Greek island of Corfu – which also has direct flights from Manchester.

Tunisia

Prices:

  • Rooms – often found for under £100 per night (even during school summer holidays)
  • Three course meal for two – As little as £15 in total

Tunisia can be enjoyed by those looking for some sun all year round and there’s lots to see with the capital Tunis boasting impressive archaeological sites including the ancient city of Carthage.

To the south, you can see almost 70 miles of white sand coastline between Hammamet and Monastir which is dotted with luxury hotels. 

easyJet and TUI offer flights to Enfidha–Hammamet International Airport year-round.

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Portugal

Portugal has long been one of the cheapest places you can visit in western Europe, according to Manchester Airport.

The airport recommends the Algarve for a relaxed beach holiday with great local food but if you want something a little livelier, Albufeira has a growing party scene.

In the north of Portugal, the Douro Valley near Porto is renowned as the home of Port wine and you can expect breathtaking scenery vineyard tours and river cruises.

You can fly to Porto, Lisbon or Faro (on the Algarve) directly from Manchester, year-round.

Romania

Prices:

  • Family hotel rooms – Under £100 per night (even in school holidays)
  • Local beer on draught – From £1.50
  • Restaurant meals – From under £7 per head
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From Manchester, you can fly to Bucharest with Ryanair and in a little over two hours you can be Constanta which is Romania’s best-loved beach resort, according to the airport.

It has an Old Town plus five miles of white sand on Mamaia Beach, a water park for families and a thriving live music and festival scene.

If you leave Bucharest in the opposite direction, you can explore the Carpathian Mountains, including Bran Castle, the reputed hideout of Dracula.

Bulgaria

Prices:

  • Pint – Average price is a little over £1

Bulgaria’s Black Sea beach resorts are among the most popular and most affordable in Eastern Europe, Manchester Airport says.

You can enjoy Sunny Beach where there are beach bars, nightclubs and amusement parks along the seafront. 

If you prefer to take in the culture, head down the coast to Nessebar which also has beaches but combines them with a UNESCO World Heritage listed Old Town, where winding medieval streets hide small family-run restaurants serving locally caught seafood and Bulgarian wine.

Flights are available from Manchester to Burgas Airport (less than 30 miles from Sunny Beach and Nessebar) with four airlines – BH Air, easyJet, Jet2.com and TUI.

Montenegro

Prices:

  • Restaurant meals – under £5 per head

Montenegro is located between Croatia and Albania on the Adriatic Coast and it’s a common stopping point for Mediterranean cruises (specifically the port city of Kotor).

Budva is around 30 minutes south of Kotor and boasts sandy beaches and a quaint café culture.

Further inland, you’ll find “jaw-dropping” scenery in Biogradska Gora National Park, the airport explains.

With easyJet or Jet2.com, you can fly to Tivat from Manchester.

Turkey

Prices:

  • Entire villas – From as little as £500 per week
  • Three course restaurant meals – Under £10 

Antalya and Dalaman airports will both be served by six airlines from Manchester this summer – none of the airport’s other 200 or so destinations are served by more than four.

Both areas offer beaches, crystal-clear seas and impressive scenery but each presents a slightly different mix of attractions away from the beach.

Dalaman is good for adventure enthusiasts and thrill-seekers who will love experiences like paragliding from Babadag mountain over the Oludeniz Blue Lagoon, whereas those with an interest in history can look forward to Antalya’s ruined Ancient Greek cities of Side and Termessos.

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Poland

While Poland might not jump out when you think of a summer holiday with sun and beaches, temperatures around the country’s Baltic coast regularly hit the mid-twenties at the height of summer.

More often that not at that time of year, the weather is sunny and the strip of coast between Gdynia and Gdansk has been dubbed the ‘Polish Riviera’.

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Along this shoreline, you’ll see the bustling playground of Sopot, which has the longest wooden pier in Europe and was a favoured retreat of Hollywood star Greta Garbo, Manchester Airport explains.

Prices are much lower here than in many places on the Med too, it adds.

Jet2.com or Ryanair flights will get you to Gdansk from Manchester.

North Macedonia

Prices:

  • Pint of local beer on draught – Around £1.40

Sit down meal at a restaurant – Typically costs between £3 and £7 per head, depending where you go.

While North Macedonia is land-locked and lacking access to the sea, it’s a lake that entices visitors.

Ohrid is a town with pebbled streets and an abundance of colourful flowers in the early summer which is perched on a steep hillside which tumbles down into Lake Ohrid.

Together the town and lake form a UNESCO World Heritage site and Biosphere Reserve.

Lake Ohrid’s shale beaches give way to crystalline waters which are said to make a great spot for a dip on a hot summer day.

Visitors can also marvel at the City Walls, its old fortress and its 2,300-year-old ruined amphitheatre plus the Bay of the Bones Museum which is a reconstruction of a typical local Bronze Age village with wooden huts suspended on stilts over the lake – it costs around £1.40 per ticket.

In the summer, TUI offers seasonal flights from Manchester to Ohrid.