Bulgaria offers 'best bargain beach break in Europe'

Bulgaria offers the best bargain beach break in Europe, a new study has shown.

Sunny Beach on the Black Sea coast offers the lowest priced tourist staples for UK travellers, according to Post Office Travel Money.

Researchers looked at the price of 10 goods at resorts, including bottled water, suncream and restaurant bills. An evening meal for two with wine will set UK visitors to Sunny Beach back £20, while a bottle of local beer is only 70p.

Portugal's Algarve was the second cheapest of the 19 destinations featured, followed by Spain's Costa del Sol, Turkey's Marmaris and Cyprus' Paphos.

The Algarve in Portugal was the second cheapest destination. Credit: PA

Andrew Brown, of Post Office Travel Money, said: "Tour operators have already reported that holidays to Bulgaria are selling like hot cakes and our research makes it clear that Sunny Beach will offer cash-strapped holidaymakers unbeatable value this year.

"Meal costs are really the deciding factor in Bulgaria's favour. Over the course of a week's holiday, lunch and evening meals for two will cost less than £200 in Sunny Beach but this could mushroom to over £600 in more expensive resorts in France or Italy.

The most expensive resort in the study was the Spanish island of Ibiza, at more than three times the cost of Sunny Beach.

The 10 cheapest European beach holiday destinations, according to Post Office Travel Money:

  • 1: Sunny Beach, Bulgaria

  • 2: Algarve, Portugal

  • 3: Costa del Sol, Spain

  • 4: Marmaris, Turkey

  • 5: Paphos, Cyprus

  • 6: Costa Blanca, Spain

  • 7: Porec, Croatia

  • 8: Limassol, Cyprus

  • 9: Crete, Greece

  • 10: Zante, Greece