Cheap but brilliant holidays you have had…

[StopitSarah]

We love a UK holiday. Two primary age children. But renting a (nice) cottage or staying in a (nice) hotel in school holiday time is not cheap. We really love camping too though!

My dc would like to explore Europe a bit more. They’ve asked to go to Italy and France. We don’t like all- inclusive type holidays.

I’d love recommendations for places in Europe (not just France and Italy!) that are easy/cheap to fly/train/drive to and bonus points of gratitude if anyone can recommend hotels, airbnbs etc too!

I really care about accomodation being clean and quiet.

City/countryside holidays are both equally good!

Ideally is like to find somewhere to stay in Tuscany within an easy train ride in to Florence. That would be my absolute top choice at the moment (both children v keen on art, architecture and pizza 😂)

Budget is as small as possible!! Maybe going in October half term? Can’t cope with summer heat.

Thank you all!

Hi Op, I recently found out that an inter-rail pass is free for under 12s I believe, we are planning on maybe getting one (you can get different levels of journey) for me and my son and doing a couple of weeks or two to three destinations in the summer. I haven't done it yet but it could cut your costs on travel dramatically as well as be fun and give you the ability to visit a few destinations (staying in airbnbs or hotels on the way)!

We flew into Verona in August and spent a couple of nights in Verona and then a few nights near lake Garda (town called Lazise - smallish, lots of nice restaurants in a plaza, beachy bit by lake - in an air b n b apartment right next to a gelato shop!) and did a few day trips (eg there's a water park nearby). Was pretty cheap and enjoyable!

Look for an agriturismo. These are rural usually self catering or b and b places in converted farm or vineyard buildings but have often have access to facilities such as local produce shops, pools, sometimes restaurants.

@greenlychee wow!!! I hadn’t thought of inter railing. That would be a nightmare but also brilliant. Would 100% consider it! (I interrailed as a student - would be a great adventure for the children)

We went to Morocco for very cheap around 5 years ago. The flights to Marrakech with Ryanair were super cheap (flew from Dublin) and we got a nice central hotel for cheap as chips too. Food etc is so cheap there. We spent around €400 for flights and accommodation for 2 people for 6 days.

If you like camping then we have had some brilliant holidays with Eurocamp. We've been to Holland and Italy and going to Spain this summer.

@shivawn that sounds like a bargain!

thank you everyone. I’m working today but will be checking in on the ideas and googling everything tonight ;-)

@ThisIsNotARealAvo we love camping but enormous campsites aren’t really our thing. We prefer small, quiet places. We don’t like/need any facilities other than a loo and shower really!

One of the best family holidays we had was in Split Croatia.

We rented an apartment via booking.com and flew via one of the cheap airlines.

Split has a really shallow beach, is a ferry ride away from various islands, and was at the time we went cheap and cheerful

Netherlands. Easy on Eurostar. Once there they have a national museum card which gives you free entry to everything in a year. We had made our money back in a day.

Plus you can go to Efteling which is magical and amazing and unlike Disney doesn't try to sell you a shitload of merch.

Ive taken a tent to croatia and Italy doing mini backpacking trips with my then six year old (the campsite in Rome had a pool) and also just stayed in family rooms in hostels, travelling round various countries in Europe and Asia if that kind of travel might appeal.

In comparison Florence was not cheap at all. Absolutely everything had a separate entrance fee and it all added up fast.

I also don't think Florence is child friendly even if your kids like museums. We only saw one child genuinely having fun and he clearly had the early Renaissance as his special interest instead of the more usual dinosaurs.

Loving these ideas. Thank you so much. Eurostar always seems to be hundreds of pounds per person when I look. What’s the trick to finding cheaper fares?

Also Florence not good for pizza.

I think you want Rome.

@AnnaMagnani I love Florence and my dc are genuinely keen on renaissance history and art. There are some brilliant guide books for 7-12 ish age with lots of workbooks to complete etc. I thought just a day or two in Florence might be enough and the rest of the time out in the hills in a villa (with a pool?!?) resting and pottering around villages etc

For train holidays you need The Man in Seat 61 website.

We are just back from a Eurostar break, I foolishly looked at the website AFTER we got back.

Fucking hell we wasted a lot of money by not following the tips on there.

@slug Split is nice but I wouldn't say its cheap, I remember being caught off guard by how expensive it was there. Especially for meals and for drinks with meals and they would refuse to serve tap water.

I have very bad memories of split. The city did look pretty but was a giant rave with loud techno music etc, which is not our cup of tea. Better be more organised than I was and check what sort of events are on before going.

One thing to do would be to look at when school holidays are over there. We're in France at the moment and their school holidays haven't started and it's so quiet. It's absolutely lovely!

How about doing the Venice- Slovenia- Croatia area? You'd get a mix of city and nature, two, possibly three different countries, food, cultures. Slovenia and to a certain extent Croatia will be cheaper than Venice too!

Camping in my brother's garden.

Great Post op.

Last Easter in the south of France. One bedroom apartment, me on couch kids in bedroom, freezing cold outdoor pool, 10 minute walk to beach, sea also freezing. Loved it! Had such a good time. Ferry £150, apartment £250, diesel £150, hotel enroute and back £60. I'm actually rounding up quite a lot! Walked along beach every day, loved it!

@StopitSarah I think you can get passes that cover say 3 - 4 journeys, or 5 - 6 journeys, rather than a full on month long pass type thing. So maybe London to Paris (via Eurostar which is included), then Paris to Florence or something could be quite fun (not sure of exact routes). Rather than making it too full on and staying on the move too much. I realise it's a bit difficult with cases etc but not much harder than going through airports necessarily depending on the age of the kids.

We found Croatia cheap.

Cheap flights with Ryanair to zadar and then an Airbnb by the sea.

Italy is also a good bet. Again cheap flights and Airbnb for accommodation

Check out skyscanner for your flights and then book direct with the airline.

@AnnaMagnani that’s a great tip about the man in seat 61. Thank you.
@coodawoodashooda please PM me his address 🤣

You won't get cheap Eurostar at the moment I'm afraid because they are having to operate permanently under capacity because of stupidly having to stamp all the passports.

The way to make holidays cheaper is to go at off times. Or go to a business destination in holiday time (eg go to Frankfurt when the bankers are on holiday). Also consider going for less time if you won't compromise on accommodation quality.

Work your contacts. If you are religious or do a niche hobby sometimes the organisation has exchanges or grace and favour type places.

You could also try a house swap.