Nine cheap travel destinations you can fly to from Manchester Airport

The cost-of-living crisis has never been far from the headlines over the past 18 months, but that hasn’t dissuaded British holidaymakers from planning their next adventure.

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. But, taking a holiday doesn't have to be a bank-breaking expense.

That can be achieved by travelling off-season to take advantage of cheaper air fares and hotel rates or by broadening your horizons and passing over their regular destinations in favour of somewhere that offers better value for money. Travellers that can fly from Manchester Airport have plenty of choice.

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Here we look at some of the up-and-coming destinations served directly from Manchester that are hoping to usurp old favourites like Spain, France and Greece...

Albania:

Sometimes billed as ‘the next Croatia’, Albania shares the same Adriatic coasts as its northerly neighbour and enjoys many of the same allures for holidaymakers – white sand beaches and turquoise waters nestled under dramatic mountains and cliffs. Better still, it hasn’t yet been subject to the same rise in prices that has befallen popular Croatian resorts like Dubrovnik, and remains one of the most affordable places to visit in Europe.

The beach resorts of Sarande and Ksamil are among the most popular, and while they are over 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:

Tunisia has long been a family favourite for winter sun, but it offers plenty to keep visitors busy all year round. Holidaymakers can often find rooms at under £100 a night in the capital, Tunis, even at the height of the school summer holidays. A three-course meal for two people can set you back as little as £15 in total. Both easyJet and TUI offer year-round flights to Enfidha–Hammamet International Airport.

Portugal:

If you love Spain but are struggling to justify the cost of a visit to holiday favourites like Marbella and Mallorca, why not try its nearby neighbour? Portugal has long been one of the cheapest places you can visit in western Europe and offers a myriad of holiday experiences.

If you want a relaxed beach holiday with great local food, the Algarve has you covered – 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 boasts some of the country’s most breathtaking scenery, with vineyard tours and river cruises available.

Romania:

Fly into Bucharest from Manchester with Ryanair, and in a little over two hours you can be in Constanta – Romania’s best-loved beach resort. It has everything from a charming Old Town and five miles of white sand on Mamaia Beach to a huge water park for families and a thriving live music and festival scene.

It is also remarkably inexpensive, with family hotel rooms available for under £100 a night even in the school holidays, local beer on draught from £1.50 and restaurant meals from under £7 per head. More adventurous travellers might be tempted to leave Bucharest in the opposite direction and explore the stunning Carpathian Mountains, including Bran Castle, the reputed hideout of Dracula.

Bulgaria:

Bulgaria’s Black Sea beach resorts are among the most popular in Eastern Europe, and among the most affordable, too. The average price of a pint is still only a little over £1 and that has drawn a young crowd to destinations like Sunny Beach, where a string of beach bars, nightclubs and amusement parks line the seafront.

For a more cultural experience, head down the coast to Nessebar, which also has great beaches but combines these with a UNESCO World Heritage listed Old Town, where winding medieval streets hide small family-run restaurants serving locally caught seafood and Bulgarian wine. Travellers from Manchester can fly to Burgas Airport, which is less than 30 miles from Sunny Beach and Nessebar, with their choice of four airlines this summer – BH Air, easyJet, Jet2.com and TUI.

Montenegro:

Situated between Croatia and Albania on the Adriatic coast, Montenegro (specifically the maze-like port city of Kotor) is a common stopping point on the itineraries of Mediterranean cruises. Increasingly, though, tourists are coming here for more than just a passing visit, and are taking in more of what this tiny country has to offer.

Budva, around half an hour south of Kotor, boasts sandy beaches, a quaint café culture and jaw-dropping scenery in Biogradska Gora National Park. And best of all, a trip to Montenegro won’t break the bank – you’ll find restaurant meals in some of its most picturesque tourist hotspots at under £5 a head.

Turkey:

Turkey has long been a popular spot for a getaway among Brits, but demand has soared to new heights in the past couple of years. Most are taking trips to its picture-perfect Aegean coast.

Both the Antalya and Dalaman areas offer outstanding beaches, crystal-clear seas and gorgeous scenery, but each presents a slightly different mix of attractions away from the beach. Dalaman is a great spot 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 will be hooked by Antalya’s ruined Ancient Greek cities of Side and Termessos.

Better still for British holidaymakers, the strength of the Pound Sterling against the Turkish Lira has surged in the last five years, which means you can find entire villas available from as little as £500 per week and enjoy a three-course restaurant meal for under £10.

Poland:

You might not think of Poland as a sun, sea and sand destination, but temperatures along the country’s Baltic coast regularly hit the mid-twenties at the height of summer, with the weather clear and sunny more often than not, and the strip of coast between Gdynia and Gdansk has been dubbed the ‘Polish Riviera’. Along this shoreline, the biggest draw is the bustling playground of Sopot, which has the longest wooden pier in Europe and was a favoured retreat of Hollywood star Greta Garbo.

North Macedonia:

Another surprising candidate for a beach break, North Macedonia, is a landlocked country – but it’s a lake, not the sea, that pulls in the visitors. The pretty town of Ohrid, its pebbled streets brought to life with an abundance of colourful flowers in the early summer, 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 make a great spot for a dip on a hot summer day, but visitors can also marvel at the City Walls, its old fortress and its 2,300-year-old ruined amphitheatre.

The Bay of the Bones Museum is a fascinating reconstruction of a typical local Bronze Age village, with wooden huts suspended on stilts over the lake – and it only costs around £1.40 per ticket. A pint of local beer on draft will set you back a similar amount, and a sit-down meal at a restaurant typically costs between £3 and £7 per head, depending on where you go.

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