This was published 5 years ago
Bulgaria revealed as Europe's cheapest summer holiday destination
By Oliver Smith
Spending summer in Europe but on a budget? Why not try Sunny Beach, Bulgaria.Credit: Alamy
Travellers on a budget should head to Sunny Beach, Bulgaria, new research has shown, with the resort topping a holiday cost survey of popular destinations across Europe – for the sixth year in a row.
The study, carried out by the UK's Post Office, compared the cost of a basket of holiday essentials, including a bottle of beer, a coffee and a three-course evening meal for two with a bottle of wine, in 20 European beach holiday resorts.
Sunny Beach, the summer favourite on Bulgaria's Black Sea Coast, was found to be the best bet for sunseekers on a shoestring, with the total bill for nine items coming in at $A72.
The same shopping list in the most expensive destination to feature, Sorrento, is likely to set you back $A264.
But besides low prices, what can one expect from the Bulgarian Riviera? Is it worth the potential savings?
See also: The eight things you need to know before travelling in Europe
"It's cheap and cheerful, with some fairly rough-and-ready communist-era concrete constructions," said The Telegraph, London's Adrian Bridge, following a visit to the resort of Varna, just north of Sunny Beach.
"But there are some nice cafés and restaurants. We drank a couple of beers ($2.40 for the two) and ordered fish fresh from the Black Sea. Over a shopska salad (tomatoes, cucumbers, olives and feta-style cheese), I was introduced to the pleasures of rakia, a fruit-based schnapps."
Varna's other attractions include the beautiful Sea Gardens, modelled on the Baroque palace gardens of Schönbrunn and Belvedere in Vienna, the lavish Cathedral of the Assumption, an open-air theatre, an aquarium, a zoo, a planetarium, a "bizarre" little naval museum, a well-preserved old town, and, of course, the sea itself: "I took a dip and experienced the strange sweetness of the Black Sea," recalled Bridge. "It has barely any salt."
He adds: "It's still a working port and in addition to a sea of cranes I spotted cargo ships. It lends the beach itself a certain hardness that may not appeal to all holidaymakers (most of whom anyway head further north to the purpose-built resorts of Sunny Beach and Albena). But for an afternoon – or a day or two – it is fun."
Robert Nurnden, meanwhile, a former resident of Bulgaria, recommends another Black Sea resort: Sozopol. "It manages to cater for the young, party-going set from Sofia as well as those seeking something more sedate," he says. "The classy old town offers shoreline restaurants and bars where you can watch the sun slide down over Asia. To the south, miles of sandy beaches stretch as far as Turkey. To the north, Sunny Beach pulsates to the beat of 24-hour parties."
Europe's cheapest (and costliest) holiday spots
In the Post Office's latest survey of Europe's holiday spots, prices were down in 14 of the 20 destinations surveyed.
Just behind Sunny Beach at the cheaper end of the table you'll find The Algarve.
Next up is Marmaris in Turkey.
Joining Sorrento at the costlier end are the likes of Nice and Ibiza.
The basket of items includes a cup of coffee, a bottle of beer, a can of coca-cola, a glass of wine, a bottle of mineral water, suncream, insect repellent, a three-couse evening meal for two, including bottle of wine, and a two-course for lunch for two.
The Telegraph, London
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