9 holiday destinations you can fly to for less than a UK train ticket

What bash Seville, Marrakech and Budapest person successful common? They each outgo little to alert to than a bid summons from Glasgow to London.

It sounds excessively bully to beryllium true, but successful an epoch wherever aerial question is much accessible than ever and UK obstruction fares proceed to skyrocket, the cheapest play breaks are nary longer staycations successful quaint British seaside towns.

Bite-sized 48-hour getaways are trending and extreme time trips – wherever travellers drawback aboriginal greeting flights to short-haul destinations and instrumentality wrong the aforesaid time – are becoming progressively popular.

But wherever to go? Metro has compared bid journeys betwixt immoderate of the UK’s busiest stations with fund hose flights to find retired which trips travel retired cheaper.

From Mediterranean beaches to cities bursting with culture, plentifulness of destinations tin beryllium reached for little than a bid summons — present are our apical picks.

Budapest, Hungary

Hungary has been named arsenic 1 of the world’s apical 10 destinations for 2025, and the superior of Budapest has nary shortage of activities to support travellers engaged — including those connected a budget.

A sojourn to the Hungarian Parliament, with its melodramatic neo-Gothic architecture, should beryllium apical of immoderate deed database (be definite to publication successful beforehand arsenic tickets merchantability retired quickly). Buda Castle and St Stephen’s Basilica are besides good worthy a visit.

Another indispensable is simply a nighttime cruise on the Danube River, which separates the Buda portion of the metropolis from Pest, and a dip successful the iconic Szechenyi baths, 1 of the largest thermal spas successful Europe.

If that sounds similar your perfect getaway, you tin publication instrumentality flights from £27 with Ryanair, who alert nonstop to Budapest from airports crossed the UK.

Tirana, Albania

Tirana is simply a hidden gem for travellers connected a budget.

Hotel rooms successful the Albanian superior outgo arsenic small arsenic £20 a night, portion it’s not antithetic for restaurants to service main courses for £6.

Chelsea Dickenson, aka Cheap Holiday Expert connected Instagram, challenged herself to walk nether £100 connected a getaway to Tirana — and came backmost with change.

But there’s much to this Balkan metropolis than inexpensive prices.

One of the city’s apical attractions is Bunk’Art, a erstwhile Cold War bunker that has been transformed into a past and modern creation depository embedded successful a hillside.

The fusion of Albania’s chequered past with modern creation encapsulates the city’s translation from isolated Communist authorities to funky European vacation spot.

Wizz Air alert nonstop to Tirana from London Luton for arsenic small arsenic £25 for a instrumentality — that’s cheaper than a azygous bid summons from London to Cardiff, which starts from £31 for an beforehand fair.

Poznan, Poland

Poznan is simply a large prime for travellers looking to debar the crowds of Warsaw and Krakow.

There’s plentifulness to do, but the standout is decidedly the food. This spot does Polish cuisine astatine its finest. Don’t miss the celebrated St Martin’s croissant (a pastry with a achromatic poppy-seed filling), it’s good worthy a try.

Poznan metropolis centre has a existent buzz astir it with a assortment of restaurants, pubs and clubs to take from, arsenic good arsenic aggregate museums and Art Nouveau architecture to admire.

Travellers connected a fund tin container instrumentality flights from £27 with Ryanair, who alert nonstop from airports crossed the UK.

That makes a circular travel to the Polish metropolis cheaper than a azygous travel from Cardiff to Manchester via train, with fares starting from £29.

Ostrava, Czechia

Metro‘s Steve Charnock precocious picked Ostrava for our yearly round-up of unmissable destinations to sojourn successful 2025.

This Czechia metropolis is simply a large destination for travellers successful hunt of vibrant nightlife, with a humble premix of old-school Czech taverns, hipster breweries and value-for-money restaurants serving up hunks of meat.

Stodolní Street is afloat of late-night drinking dens which travel live successful July for Colours of Ostrava, a euphony festival that volition see Iggy Pop and Justice header this year.  

The lawsuit takes spot astatine Dolní Vítkovice, an concern practice tract that’s been turned into a taste hub.

Ryanair runs instrumentality flights to Ostrava from London Stansted for arsenic small arsenic £31. That’s cheaper than a bid summons from London to Newquay, which costs from £44 for an beforehand single.

Antalya, Turkey

While flights to Turkey tin beryllium costly during the summer, the Turkish Riviera is an affordable off-season paradise, with temperatures arsenic precocious arsenic 22°C by the clip April rolls around.

The past of this portion dates backmost to the Roman Empire and, centuries ago, Antalya was a bustling trading port.

Look retired for a well-preserved, second-century arched gross named for Emperor Hadrian (of Hadrian’s Wall fame), arsenic good arsenic the circular Hidirlik Tower from the aforesaid period.

Those aft a relaxing flight are successful luck, because Turkey was precocious ranked 1 of the cheapest destinations for an all-inclusive holiday in 2025.

Return flights to Antalya outgo arsenic small £50 with Wizz Air, which flies nonstop from London Gatwick and London Luton.

That makes the travel cheaper than a azygous beforehand bid summons from Brighton to Liverpool, which starts from £52.

Seville, Spain

Metro recently ranked Seville arsenic 1 of the champion European cities to sojourn successful spring, acknowledgment to the flowers that bloom successful the Alcázar Palace Gardens and the fragrant orangish blossom successful the Parque de María Luisa.

This is simply a metropolis with distinctive architecture, with styles ranging from Gothic to Baroque, Renaissance and Mudejár. It’s besides a hotbed of delicious tapas and award-winning section wine.

Return flights to the Spanish metropolis outgo arsenic small arsenic £35 with Vueling, which flies from London Gatwick. That’s cheaper than a azygous bid summons from Glasgow to London, which starts from £37.

Marrakech, Morocco

Another large prime for sun-seekers, Marrakech sees highs of 24°C successful March, with temperatures gradually expanding up to 38°C successful highest summer.

There’s plentifulness to support tourists busy, from the bustling medina brimming with colourful ceramics, woven rugs and chunky Berber jewellery, to Bahia Palace, a sprawling analyzable of vibrant mosaics and intricate wood ceilings.

Metro recently ranked Marrakech arsenic 1 of the best romanticist destinations to visit, and there’s obscurity much intimate to unwind than successful 1 of city’s galore hammams.

Hammam Rosa Bonheur is 1 of the world’s apical spots for therma tourism, offering a 45-minute massage with 45 minutes bathing clip for £30.

Metro‘s Alice Murphy is a seasoned hammam fan, and she says her two-hour acquisition astatine Rosa Bonheur successful 2017 remains the champion she’s ever had.

Ryanair offers instrumentality flights from airports crossed the UK to Marrakech from arsenic small arsenic £28, which works retired cheaper than an beforehand azygous bid summons from London to Durham, which costs from £31.

Vilnius, Lithuania

Vilnius remains disconnected the beaten way for astir British travellers, but it’s not to beryllium overlooked. The metropolis boasts winding cobbled alleyways, Baroque architecture and a UNESCO-listed aged town.

Lithuania’s superior was precocious crowned Europe’s astir affordable city in a survey by Post Office Travel Money, with the outgo of a metropolis interruption successful Vilnius (including an evening repast for 2 and 2 nights successful three-star accommodation) estimated to beryllium conscionable £236.51.

And splashing retired connected luxury offerings successful this charming destination is accessible adjacent for those connected a budget.

Michelin-starred edifice Dziaugsmas, with its industrial-style eating rooms, offers a tasting paper for €67 (£57), portion farm-to-table edifice 14 Horses, different highly rated establishment, serves 4 courses for €55 (£46.50) per person.

Even cheaper is the outgo of instrumentality flights to the city, which commencement from £34 with Wizz Air, which flies from London Luton.

That works retired little than a bid summons from London to Aberdeen, which starts from £49 for an beforehand single.

Naples, Italy

Naples has a estimation arsenic a acheronian and soiled city, associated with the Mafia, high crime rates, and a notorious toxic discarded problem.

It doesn’t dependable enticing, but look beneath the aboveground and you’ll find a metropolis bursting with energy, from gritty laneways to perpetually fired-up pizza ovens.

In fact, the metropolis was precocious crowned the world’s champion metropolis for food and Pizzeria Brandi, wherever pizza’s origins are said to person begun successful 1889, inactive exists today.

But possibly Naples’ astir celebrated portion of past is Mount Vesuvius and the past metropolis of Pompeii, a UNESCO World Heritage Site reachable by bid successful nether an hr from the city’s main station.

Return flights to Naples commencement from £37 with Ryanair, which flies from airports successful London, Manchester and Edinburgh.

At that price, the travel costs little than a bid summons from Edinburgh to Bristol, which starts astatine £43 for a azygous beforehand fare.

Hamburg, Germany

Germany’s second-biggest metropolis is often overlooked by tourists who opt for Berlin’s clubs oregon Munich’s brew halls instead, but Hamburg deserves its infinitesimal successful the sun.

The Reeperbahn – besides known arsenic ‘The Most Sinful Mile’ – is simply a agelong of neon-lit streets that has evolved from a red-light territory to a premix of underground clubs and trendy dive bars.

Tourists tin drawback a show astatine the Elbphilharmonie performance hallway (an imposing glassy operation perched atop a 1960s ceramic warehouse), stroll on tree-lined paths by Binnenalster Lake and illustration delicious treats astatine Chocoversum, an interactive cocoa museum.

All this and much tin beryllium reached via flights with Ryanair, which runs instrumentality flights from London Stansted and Edinburgh for arsenic small arsenic £33 – considerably little than the bid from Edinburgh to Plymouth, which costs £57 per ticket.

Riga, Latvia

The fairytale metropolis of Riga was ranked arsenic 1 of Europe’s best-value metropolis breaks past twelvemonth by the Post Office’s City Costs Barometer, with a play travel coming successful astatine conscionable £297.20.

This makes Latvia’s superior an perfect destination for travellers connected a budget, particularly those who are keen to illustration the city’s flourishing culinary scene.

Metro‘s Eleanor Noyce spent a play successful Riga past twelvemonth and recommends Black Garlic, a edifice that serves accepted Latvian nutrient with a twist.

She loved the murphy pancakes – ‘like a level hash brownish with other crisp’ – and caller smoked salmon connected the side.

Meanwhile, luxury hotels successful Riga outgo a fraction of the terms you’ll wage successful Western Europe.

The five-star Grand Poet Hotel has treble rooms from £127 a nighttime (spa entree included), portion the Grand Palace Hotel, different top-rated property, has superior doubles with sauna entree from £120.

Ryanair flies nonstop to Riga from airports crossed the UK for arsenic small arsenic £31 instrumentality – cheaper than a bid summons from Bristol to Newcastle, which starts from £38 for an beforehand single.

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