Tuscany among top 10 cheapest summer holiday destinations for 2025
January is the best month to book a summer holiday – and this year there is a surprise budget option: Tuscany. According to Which?, the central Italian region is among the cheapest package holiday destinations for 2025.
Researchers analysed almost 6,000 package holidays from three of the UK’s biggest tour operators, Jet2holidays, Tui and easyJet Holidays. Tuscany, more usually associated with luxury villa holidays amid rolling hills and vineyards and the expensive hotels of Florence, made it into the top 10 cheapest package destinations, behind better-known budget areas such as Costa Brava in Spain and Corfu in Greece.
Coming in as the eighth cheapest destination, a week’s holiday in Tuscany in early August costs an average of £1,034 a person, including flights, based on two people sharing a double or twin room.
Which? said prices were lower than expected as the region had plenty of packages still available with cheap flights for room-only, self-catering and bed and breakfast accommodation, either in Tuscan coastal towns or around Florence.
Naomi Leach, the deputy editor of Which? Travel, said: “Holidaying when the kids are off school can be painfully expensive, but our latest price analysis shows there are a variety of destinations still available to book at a good price for an August getaway.
“Among favourite budget destinations such as Spain and Turkey, we found some real surprises.”
Tuscany was one of two Italian regions in the top 10. The Venetian riviera – a purpose-built beach resort on the edge of the Venice Lagoon – secured fourth spot on the list, with an average cost of £965 a head.
The three cheapest destinations for a standard package holiday were the Dalaman area of Turkey (£859pp), Agadir in Morocco (£889pp), and the Bourgas area of Bulgaria (£904pp). Which? said prices may be lower in Turkey owing to recent heatwaves – the average daily August temperature in Dalaman is 33C.
For all-inclusive holidays, Spain has five of the 10 cheapest spots: Costa Blanca, Fuerteventura, Tenerife, Mallorca and Gran Canaria. The Canaries are generally cooler than mainland Europe in August, with Atlantic breezes contributing to milder temperatures.
Zante, the Greek island also known as Zakynthos, and Cyprus also made it into the top 10 cheapest destinations for all-inclusive packages. And the Portuguese island of Madeira, where Keir Starmer and his family spent the new year, sneaked in as the 10th cheapest.
Barrhead Travel, one of the UK’s biggest retail travel agencies, said January remained one of the best times to book a summer break. “Most operators offer significant savings and added value,” said Jacqueline Dobson, the company’s president. “With demand for travel at an all-time high, booking early also means that you’re more likely to get your first choice of accommodation, as well as being able to pay a deposit and spread the cost of the trip.”
Cheapest package destinations (excluding all-inclusives and full board)
Dalaman area, Turkey £859 (Average price pp for seven nights)
Agadir area, Morocco £889
Bourgas area, Bulgaria £904
Venetian riviera, Italy £965
Corfu, Greece, £984
Costa Brava, Spain, £986
Antalya area, Turkey, £988
Tuscany, Italy, £1,034
Costa de la Luz, Spain, £1,045
Kalymnos, Greece, £1,051
