The Mediterranean Sea is a vast ol’ place. Spreading from Gibraltar and Spain over to Greece, Turkey, Egypt and Tunisia, a whopping 22 countries (and three continents) have at least one coastline on the Med.
And while some Mediterranean destinations have a bit of a glam rep, they’re not all so expensive. Some, in fact, are rather affordable – and that’s shown by a new study from gambling info site Gambling ‘N Go. Looking at the average price of dinners, hotels, and flights (from London, though likely relevant Europe-wide) for two people, the study came out with the most affordable destinations on the Med.
Top of the pile is Oran. Sitting in northwest Algeria, Oran is known as the country’s partying capital, and for being the birthplace of rai folk music. A busy port city that is also surrounded by beaches, Oran isn’t just cheap: it’s a properly fascinating destination, too.
Next up in the list is Port Said, a city in north-eastern Egypt. At the northern end of the Suez Canal, Port Said was apparently the cheapest for food in the study. Third was another Algerian city: the capital, Algiers, which also got a nod for its 30p-per-kilometre taxis.
All of which, as you can see, are cities on the north African side of the Mediterranean. In fact, none of the top ten cities in the study were in Europe. Here’s the full ranking.
- Oran, Algeria
- Port Said, Egypt
- Algiers, Algeria
- Tunis, Tunisia
- Tangier, Morocco
- Alexandria, Egypt
- Izmir, Turkey
- Mersin, Turkey
- Antalya, Turkey
- Istanbul, Turkey
All of which should give you more than enough inspo for your next Mediterranean getaway! Now check out this recent ranking of the cheapest cities in Europe for a romantic trip right now.
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