London -- From the caves of Slovenia to Latvian microbreweries, Europe has plenty to surprise even the most well-travelled - and despite the pound's recent fall against the euro you don't have to spend much to enjoy some of the continent's best cities and beaches, if you get off the beaten track.
The Post Office's Holiday Costs Barometer, which ranks destinations annually by expenses like a bottle of beer, has shown a consistent drop across many parts of the EU.
This year the Algarve, Portugal's southernmost stretch of white sand and little fishing villages, is rated the cheapest of the 20 European destinations surveyed, closely followed by Bulgaria's Sunny Beach resort, on the Black Sea.
Yet, the cost of a plate of mezze is incidental if transport is astronomical, so if you want to save in that respect, avoid the school summer holidays (23 July-28 August in most cases) if you can.
Shoulder season - May to mid-June and September to early October - sees a marked reduction in flight costs and accommodation, and holiday resorts should still be in business, if a little quieter.
You can use a flight comparison site like Skyscanner (skyscanner.net) to find the cheapest dates by location, or the cheapest destination by date, though you'll need to click through to the airline for the most accurate price. No-frills airlines usually offer the cheapest flights, and we've picked out a few examples of low-cost routes below, with prices valid for June unless otherwise specified.
Camping and hostelling are often the cheapest options for accommodation, but Europe has plenty of alternatives. For the brave, couchsurfing (couchsurfing.com) promises a free night on the sofa of a stranger; renting out a room on Airbnb (airbnb.co.uk) is often key to finding somewhere central - and affordable - to sleep; and monasteries, convents and farmstays offer novelty at low cost.
City breaks
The Bulgarian capital, Sofia, has preserved its heritage despite an influx of tech companies and their young workforces. The centre boasts spectacular churches such as Sveti Aleksandar Nevski and excellent local restaurants. The city is also well placed for excursions like snowboarding at Vitosha mountain resort and sunbathing by the Black Sea, a three-hour drive away. Flights from Stansted start at £50 (about R1 000) return with Ryanair (ryanair.com), and you can find a double room in the city centre for as little as €30 including breakfast at the Orient Express Hostel (orientexpresshostel.com).
On the Baltic Coast, Riga, the capital of Latvia, is an architectural feast, known for its medieval Old Town, Art Nouveau buildings and 18th-century wooden houses. But it's also in the middle of a craft beer Renaissance: try a tipple from Latvian microbreweries at trendy Labietis (labietis.lv).
Return flights from Doncaster with Wizz Air (wizzair.com) cost from £80, and a night at the Firefighter Hostel (firefighter.lv) in the Old Town is €9 per person in a three-bed dorm, room only.
Beach holidays
Soak up the sun away from the crowds of neighbouring Croatia on Montenegro's pristine beaches.
eastJet (easyjet.com) flies from Manchester to Tivat from about £110 return. The seaside town has smartened up in recent years since its naval base was turned into the grand Porto Montenegro marina, and if you look beyond the five-star hotels you can find bargains. The Hotel Anderba (hotelanderba.com) in Krasici sits across the bay from Tivat, has a private beach and charges from €79 for a double room, including breakfast.
Santillana del Mar, in Cantabria, northern Spain, is a little-known gem. Perched between the sea and the mountains, the medieval town is a short trip from the Cave of Altamira and its worldfamous palaeolithic paintings (sadly, only available to view in a replica cave at the National Museum and Research Centre of Altamira). The beaches of Cantabria are quieter than those in the busy south, but there's plenty of life in the coves around Santander, 30km away. The Old Town is pedestrianised - hotel guests are allowed to drive into the city to unload - and is dotted with goodvalue posadas (hotels in historic buildings). Posada de la Abadia (posadadelabadia.com), a restored Cantabrian-style home, has doubles for €55, B&B. Fly from Edinburgh to Santander with Ryanair for about £100 return.
Active escapes
Head west from Lithuania's capital, Vilnius, to the coastal town of Klaipeda and rent a bike (duratai.com) for around €9 a day to explore the otherworldly Curonian Spit, an inhabited sand dune that runs down to Kaliningrad. The riding is easy: a 35-mile route south along empty roads with the odd, gentle dune and forest pub. There's cheap camping at the southernmost point, the fishing village of Nida, and boats back. Flights from Luton to Vilnius start at £60 return with Ryanair and a pitch at Nidos Kempingas (kempingas.lt) costs €6.50.
In Slovenia the 5km cave network at Postojna will take your breath away (postojnska-jama.eu; €23.90 entry). There's another park at Skocjan (tours €21) and experienced speleologists can arrange visits to Logatec caves. Return flights to Ljubljana start at £50 from Stansted with easyJet and a night in the three star Hotel Centre Ljubljana costs €75 for a double, room only (hotelcenter.si).
Family trips
Istria, the Croatian peninsula that juts into the Adriatic Sea, boasts beaches, castles and Roman amphitheatres as well as rural peace and truffle hunting (karlictartufi.hr). Children under four can stay for free at beachside campsite Bijela Uvala (lagunaporec.com), 5km to the south of Porec, on the western coast, which also offers kids' clubs and a children's beach. Pitches from €17.41 per night, minimum seven-night stay. Fly from Stansted to Zadar with Ryanair from £160 return in the school holidays.
Today in Buje! Istrart competition 👍🎨🌇
A photo posted by Buje, Istria, Croatia (@buje_istria) on May 29, 2016 at 5:44am PDT
Outdoorsy types should head to Marseille, in southern France, for snorkelling in and kayaking on the Med. France's oldest city is surrounded by Provençal countryside. Take advantage by staying on a farm like Domaine du Bas Chalus (baschalus.fr), in Forcalquier, which has rooms in the farmhouse and the mill from €96 for four people, and camping for €8 per person per night. Fly to Marseille from Bristol during the summer holidays from £80 return with easyJet.
Old favourites
Travelling on a budget shouldn't mean skipping big cities - they'll have the widest range of cheap flights, and there's plenty of scope to make further savings if you get creative with accommodation. European countries are dotted with monasteries and convents that offer cheap rooms: the website Monastery Stays (monasterystays.com) lists options across Europe and in Rome, for example, you can stay on the doorstep of the Vatican for €85 in a double at Casa di Accoglienza Paolo VI, room only.
Or stay under canvas: you can camp for free in Oslo's fjords on Langøyene island for up to two nights (visitoslo.com) or on the banks of the Seine in the French capital for €24 at Indigo Paris (camping-indigo.com).
The Independent