cost

This Swiss train route is often listed among the most beautiful in the world, but the ticket price is unaffordable for many travellers. However, there’s a trick that allows you to see the same sights for much less

There are many stunning train journeys across the world, and luckily, many of them can be found in Europe, with views from unspoilt mountain scenery to stunning coastlines.

Unfortunately, many of these bucket list experiences also come with a hefty price tag, especially if you choose to travel on a vintage train or opt for extras such as afternoon tea or fine dining with champagne.

However, on one route, often considered among the most beautiful in the world, you can enjoy the views without maxing out your credit card, thanks to the local train service.

The Glacier Express is an epic eight-hour train journey that connects the Swiss mountain towns of Zermatt and St. Moritz. It starts at the foot of the Matterhorn, an iconic peak in the Alps, then passes through spectacular scenery that includes lakes, mountains, and over 291 bridges.

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The route was high on the list of Conde Nast’s best train trips in the world, and reviews of the train call it a “once in a lifetime experience”. The Glacier Express has huge panoramic windows, comfortable seats with tables, and an audio guide to point out the highlights of the route, making it an incredible way to see the Alps.

Passengers can also upgrade to Excellence Class for extras such as Champagne on departure, a five-course Alpine meal served at their table, and access to an individual iPad which provides interesting facts and figures along the way for an immersive tour. This carriage also features its own exclusive bar, situated under a gold dome, where passengers can enjoy fine wines and cocktails throughout the journey.

As you can imagine, this kind of experience doesn’t come cheap, and tickets often sell out well in advance. A second-class seat costs around CHF 213 in total, just under £200, while a first-class seat costs CHF 326, just over £300. Excellence Class costs around CHF 812, approximately £761, although this does include your meal with wine accompaniments, plus many extras that add to the experience.

However, the Glacier Express isn’t the only train to run on this line. Railway operator Schweizerische Bundesbahnen (SBB), the national railway company of Switzerland, also runs a regular service which is often used by locals.

This means, if you’re willing to forgo the panoramic windows and plush seats and travel on a normal train, you can enjoy the same route for a fraction of the cost. Tickets can be booked on the SBB website, making it easy to view the available dates and times.

Simply search for trains from Zermatt to St. Moritz, or vice versa, and make sure they’re the ones travelling via Brig and Andermatt. This brings the cost of the journey down to CHF 44 for second class, about £41, or CHF 59 for first class which is about £55, and offers larger seats.

Doing this journey on a normal train will mean making a few changes along the route, so it’s not just one journey. However, some tourists prefer to do the route this way, spreading it out into smaller journeys and stopping to explore the towns along the way. It gives you more flexibility to visit sites along the way, for example, you may wish to leave the train at Brig to hike the Aletsch Glacier, the largest glacier in the Alps.

You could also spend some time in Andermatt, a charming Alpine village with traditional wooden homes set among the mountain landscapes. From here, you can also visit Schöllenen Gorge, crossing the famous stone Devil’s Bridge, which gives you spectacular views across the area.

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And while you won’t see butlers serving Champagne on an SBB train, some of the longer routes have buffet cars serving food and drink. You can also bring your own picnic, and alcohol is allowed, so bring your own bottle to enjoy while taking in the scenery.

Have a story you want to share? Email us at webtravel@reachplc.com

Moldova, one of Europe’s least visited countries, offers incredible value for British travellers with restaurant meals from £3.50, flights from London starting at £51, and stunning scenery including underground wineries and historic monasteries without the crowds

A stunning European destination that remains “unnoticed by tourists” serves up dining experiences for just £3.50. Fewer than 150,000 visitors annually are believed to venture to Moldova, tucked between Ukraine and Romania.

Yet this nation presents budget-friendly travel possibilities with flights from London starting at merely £51. Holiday-makers can also savour a restaurant meal for as little as £3.50 (€5) whilst a soft drink costs under £1.

The typical hotel in the capital Chisinau is reported to charge travellers approximately £26 per night, according to El Economista, reports the Express.

This landlocked country showcases breathtaking landscapes including the Nistru River and the ancient cave monasteries of Tipova. It’s also the location of enormous subterranean wineries like Cricova alongside the sprawling Codru National Reserve.

Moldova even houses the globe’s most extensive collection of wine bottles. The nation stores 1,500,000 valuable bottles of wine, including one that once belonged to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

This country, which proclaimed its independence in 1991, has remained torn between its connections to Russia and the European Union.

It submitted its EU membership application in March 2022, receiving candidate status in June that same year. The nation is targeting complete EU membership by 2030.

However, it’s believed the separatist region of Transnistria might prove problematic following Russia’s invasion of neighbouring Ukraine. The UK Government strongly advises against all travel to the Transnistria region.

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office warns: “FCDO advises against all travel to Transnistria. There is widespread military activity in Ukraine, including close to some Moldovan borders. Transnistria is outside the control of the Moldovan government.”

YouTuber Steve Marsh ventured to the nation in 2023, confessing he felt “nervous” during his journey after his return flight was cancelled due to “security” concerns. However, he quickly found himself charmed by the country.

He shared: “As first impressions go, I really like this place, and even with this horrible weather. The fact that nobody comes here just adds to the allure for me.”

Travel blogger Drew Binksy also had words of praise for the small nation. He expressed: “I actually really like Moldova.

“Chisinau is the capital. It’s like the least visited city and country in Europe. No one really knows about it.

“[It is] Very similar to Russia. They speak Russian. They look Russian, they act Russian, but it’s this kind of mix of European, little bit of Ukrainian vibes because it’s kind of sandwiched there on the border.

“They have really good wine in Moldova. There’s a place called Orhei. I’m not pronouncing it right, but I went down there for the winery tour and it was fantastic.”

Iranian president seeks to calm tensions, acknowledging protesters’ ‘legitimate’ grievances over inflation.

At least five people have been killed as demonstrations over the soaring cost of living in Iran spread to more parts of the country.

At least three people were killed and 17 others were injured at protests in the city of Azna in Lorestan province, some 300km (185 miles) southwest of Tehran, Iran’s semiofficial Fars news agency reported on Thursday.

Videos shared online appeared to show objects in the street ablaze and gunfire echoing as people shouted: “Shameless! Shameless!”

Earlier, Fars said two people were killed during protests in the city of Lordegan, about 470km (290 miles) south of the capital Tehran in the Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province.

“Some protesters began throwing stones at the city’s administrative buildings, including the provincial governor’s office, the mosque, the Martyrs’ Foundation, the town hall and banks,” Fars said, adding that police responded with tear gas.

Online videos showed demonstrators gathered on a street, with the sound of gunfire in the background.

Earlier on Thursday, Iranian state television also reported that a member of security forces was killed overnight during protests in the western city of Kouhdasht.

“A 21-year-old member of the Basij from the city of Kouhdasht was killed last night by rioters while defending public order,” the channel said, quoting Said Pourali, the deputy governor of Lorestan province.

The Basij are a volunteer force linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

The reports come days after shopkeepers began protesting on Sunday over the government’s handling of a currency slide and rapidly rising prices.

The unrest comes at a critical moment for Iran as Western sanctions hammer an economy hit by 40 percent inflation, and after air strikes by Israel and the United States in June targeted the country’s nuclear infrastructure and military leadership.

Reporting from Tehran, Al Jazeera’s Tohid Asadi explained that the government has taken a more cautious approach to this week’s protests than it did to previous demonstrations.

“The government says it’s working hard to find a solution, to deal with the economic hardships that people are feeling,” Asadi said.

Iran last saw mass demonstrations in 2022 and 2023 after the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who died in police custody after being arrested for allegedly violating the country’s strict dress code for women.

The latest protests began peacefully in Tehran and spread after students from at least 10 universities joined in on Tuesday.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has sought to calm tensions, acknowledging protesters’ “legitimate demands” and calling on the government to take action to improve the economic situation.

“From an Islamic perspective … if we do not resolve the issue of people’s livelihoods, we will end up in hell,” Pezeshkian said at an event broadcast on state television.

Government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani said on Thursday the authorities would hold a direct dialogue with representatives of trade unions and merchants, without providing details.

Still, the authorities have promised to take a “firm” stance and warned against exploiting the situation to sow chaos.

“Any attempt to turn economic protests into a tool of insecurity, destruction of public property, or implementation of externally designed scenarios will inevitably be met with a legal, proportionate and decisive response,” Iran’s prosecutor general said on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the Tasnim news agency on Wednesday evening reported the arrests of seven people it described as being affiliated with “groups hostile to the Islamic Republic based in the United States and Europe”.

Iran is in the middle of an extended weekend, with the authorities declaring Wednesday a bank holiday at the last minute, citing the need to save energy due to cold weather.

The world’s largest indoor beach can be found inside the Tropical Island Resort in Krausnick, Germany, which is an hour drive from Berlin where Brits can fly to in under two hours

The world’s largest indoor beach is double the length of a Premier League football pitch – and it is 26C all-year-round.

The man-made sandy beach stretches 200 metres and is dotted with palm trees and sunloungers. It is nestled inside the Tropical Island Resort in Krausnick, Germany, which is also home to the largest indoor swimming pool and one of the biggest indoor rainforests.

Brits can book return flights to its nearest airport – Berlin Brandenburg Airport – for as little as £47 from London Stansted Airport.

The mammoth indoor waterpark, once the biggest in Europe, is an hour drive from Berlin, and it was built in 2004.

The 10,000sqm space includes four attractions which are Water Worlds, Tropical Rainforest, the outdoor Amazonia area and the Tropical Village where visitors can buy food, drinks and gifts.

The complex is so large that it can accommodate 6,000 visitors at a time who can even take air balloon rides inside the unique resort that is inside a gigantic dome hangar.

Being a balmy 26C no matter the season, there are 900 sunbeds available, and the giant swimming pool in the Water Worlds section is the size of three Olympic sized ones. There is also Bali-style huts that surround a water lagoon while kids can play in a Jungle Splash water playground.

The resort is also home to a sizable slide tower that stands at 27 metres (equivalent to a four-storey building) and a power turbo slide reaches speeds of 43mph. And if that wasn’t enough excitement, there is a huge twisty water slide that is 149 metres long.

Some 50,000 plants can be found inside the Tropical Rainforest also boasting butterflies, flamingos and turtles. There are also mini golf games and a Balinese-inspired village.

Adults can also take advantage of the spa and sauna complex where there are seven spa areas in total while there are also caves inspired by Cambodia, Australia and Malaysia.

Visitors can choose to stay in rooms inside the resort or there are tents available to hire for overnight stays too.

Last year, the Hawaiian themed Ohana Town was constructed, where visitors can stay overnight in lodges, play bowling, eat in a restaurant and sing their hearts out in karaoke.

Day tickets for adults start from around £30, children between four and 12 from £26 while kids three and younger are free.

In a recent review on TripAdvisor, one person wrote: “Prices rise annually. It’s starting to be quite expensive fun. In winter still good, because you feel like on holiday.”

Another called it “beach paradise for families with children” before adding: “Large, warm pools and several waterslides for those who like it.

“Lots of sunbeds but they get busy very quickly so if you want these you need to come early in the morning, then they dibs all day.”

The world’s longest suspension bridge is currently in Turkey but a new record could be held if the government in Italy gets its way with its hugely ambitious Messina Bridge project

The world’s longest suspension bridge has been given the green light – and it could prove hugely popular with Brits. Just four months ago, the Italian government’s plans to build the longest suspension bridge in the world was approve. It would connect the mainland region of Calabria to Sicily.

However, a lot can happen in that time. The controversial Messina Bridge project, which would cost a staggering £11.7bn, faced a huge stumbling back last month, meaning it is once again on hold. But more on that shortly.

If the bridge ever gets built along the Strait of Messina, as Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni still intends, it would be a hugely ambitious infrastructure challenge that has been talked about in Italy for decades.

The colossal bridge, consisting of two towers stretching 400-metres (1,300 feet), would span an incredible 3.3km (2.05 miles). Three lanes of traffic would sit either side of two railway lines in the middle.

It would be particularly welcomed by Brits travelling in Italy, because it would cut their journey to Sicily to just ten minutes, compared to taking the ferry, which can take a lot longer than the 30 minutes crossing when you factor in the immense queuing at peak times.

Speaking earlier this year, Meloni said: “It is not an easy task but we consider it an investment in Italy’s present and future, and we like difficult challenges when they make sense.”

Transport minister Matteo Salvini spoke in August that the goal was to have it built between 2032 and 2033. He also boasted that 120,000 jobs a year would be created, something he said would bring economic growth to the poor regions of Sicilia and Calabria, which is on the tip of Italy’s boot.

Rome was given the approval for the project in August after years of the plans being scrapped. One of the biggest reasons plans have been halted historically was concerns of mafia fraud, including worries about taxpayers’ money being siphoned off by the Sicilian and Calabrian gangsters.

Other concerns have repeatedly been raised about environmental damage, cost and safety, and given the region is one of the most seismically active areas in the Mediterranean, designers promised the Strait of Messina Bridge would be able to withstand earthquakes.

However, last month, yet another setback was reported, after an Italian court ruled the bridge would go against EU environmental and tender rules.

The Court of Auditors ruling concluded: “The assumptions regarding the various ‘reasons of public interest’ are not validated by technical bodies and are not supported by adequate documentation.”

But the Italian government is refusing to give up and has vowed to review the ruling carefully and continue with its ambitions of making the bridge a reality.

As well as still having to convince the Italian Court of Auditors and both national and EU environmental agencies, there would also be pushback from the 4,000 residents who live either side of the Strait.

Their homes would be at risk of demolition and this could mean legal challenges regarding having to abandon their properties.

As it stands, the current world’s longest suspension bridge is the 915 Canakkale Bridge in Turkey – which connects Asia to Europe and takes six minutes to cross.

Construction across the passage of water (Dardanelles Strait) started in 2017 and it only became open to the public three years ago. Journey times have been cut by up to 93%.

This means 90-minute ferry trips can be avoided by using the bridge that starts in Gelibolu, Turkey, which is based on the European side of the country, to the Asian town of Lapseki.

A YouTube star was left gobsmacked at the cost of a fairly basic dinner in what is reputed to be the continent’s most expensive city when he visited a chain of the 7-Eleven convenience store

There are a number of European cities that have a reputation for being the most expensive cities in Europe. And certainly the prices of some basic items backs up that claim where one particular YouTuber visited.

YouTube content creator Ed Chapman set off for Oslo, Norway to find out for himself, and was stunned to find the huge cost of a basic meal at a 7-Eleven convenience store.

Ed’s fact-finding mission started badly when a train from the airport to the city centre left literally seconds after he bought his £9 ticket. That left him with time to kill, so he went for a pit stop at Danish chain Joe and the Juice.

There, he explained on his YouTube channel, a medium milkshake and a small pot of yogurt and granola set him back just over £13. There was better news when Ed arrived at his £140-a-night three-star hotel, which he said was a good deal plusher than several other three-star establishments he’d stayed in previously.

Admiring his businesslike-looking desk he said: “For a three-star hotel, this is looking pretty good.” While the view out of his hotel room window was nothing to write home about, the “view of a wonderful metallic pipe and some stained glass windows” could have been worse, he added.

The following morning saw another impressive performance from his hotel: “Absolutely smashed breakfast by the way,” he enthused. “Lovely little spread for a three-star.”

But venturing outside, Ed was faced with some dizzying expenses. A hot dog at the city’s Christmas market cost him £7.30. The sausage was, he admitted, a cut above the average but it was undeniably pricey.

Just the chance of a simple bar of chocolate ended up costing him £3.57 when he tried his luck at a roulette game that had a Daim bar as a prize, Sadly, his number didn’t come up and he left the stall empty-handed.

After taking in the sights, including some very impressive ice-skating by the locals, Ed decided to get himself a cocktail. His vodka-and-cranberry concoction, called a woo-woo, set him back just under £11. While not cheap, the drink was “gorgeous,” he said. “Not too tangy on the cranberry.”

While Ed splashed out £23 on a classically Scandinavian sauna, and then just under £12 on a museum visit that included fewer viking artefacts that ne’d hoped for – but made up for it some truly grisly human skulls, most of his holiday budget went on food.

While you might think £21 would be enough to get a decent meal, Ed’s supper from 7-Eleven was a pretty basic affair. Surveying his chicken caesar wrap, pesto salad bottles of water and a Norwegian Kit-Kat, he said: “I’m not quite sure how I spent £21 here.”

He added, though, that Norway’s answer to the Kit-Kat was a cut above, with a “solidity” that gave it an air of quality. He theorised that it was probably healthier than the British equivalent too: everything Scandinavian is healthy. There’s not a single fat person here.”

In conclusion, Ed said, Oslo probably isn’t the most expensive city in Europe. He said it probably came second to Zurich. “However,” he added, “it is expensive. Just not as expensive as Zurich.”

The holidays have arrived once again. You know, that annual festival of goodwill, compulsory spending and the dawning realization that Santa and Satan are anagrams.

Even in the best of years, Americans stagger through this season feeling financially woozy. This year, however, the picture is bleaker. And a growing number of Americans are feeling Grinchy.

Unemployment is at a four-year high, with Heather Long, chief economist at Navy Federal Credit Union, declaring, “The U.S. economy is in a hiring recession.” And a new PBS News/NPR/Marist poll finds that 70% of Americans say “the cost of living in the area where they live is not very affordable or not affordable at all.”

Is help on the way? Not likely. Affordable Care Act subsidies are expiring, and — despite efforts to force a vote in the House — it’s highly likely that nothing will be done about this before the end of the year. This translates to ballooning health insurance bills for millions of Americans. I will be among those hit with a higher monthly premium, which gives me standing to complain.

President Trump, meanwhile, remains firmly committed to policies that will exacerbate the rising cost of getting by. Trump’s tariffs — unless blocked by the Supreme Court — will continue to raise prices. And when it comes to his immigration crackdown, Trump is apparently unmoved by the tiresome fact that when you “disappear” workers, prices tend to go up.

Taken together, the Trump agenda amounts to an ambitious effort to raise the cost of living without the benefit of improved living standards. But if your money comes from crypto or Wall Street investments, you’re doing better than ever!

For the rest of us, the only good news is this: Unlike every other Trump scandal, most voters actually seem to care about what’s happening to their pocketbooks.

Politico recently found that erstwhile Trump voters backed Democrats in the 2025 governor’s races in New Jersey and Virginia for the simple reason that things cost too much.

And Axios reports on a North Carolina focus group in which “11 of the 14 participants, all of whom backed Trump last November, said they now disapprove of his job performance. And 12 of the 14 say they’re more worried about the economy now than they were in January.”

Apparently, inflation is the ultimate reality check — which is horrible news for Republicans.

Trump’s great talent has always been the audacity to employ a “fake it ‘till you make it” con act to project just enough certainty to persuade the rest of us.

His latest (attempted) Jedi mind trick involves claiming prices are “coming down tremendously,” which is not supported by data or the lived experience of anyone who shops.

He also says inflation is “essentially gone,” which is true only if you define “gone” as “slowed its increase.”

Trump may dismiss the affordability crisis as a “hoax” and a “con job,” but voters persist in believing the grocery scanner.

In response, Trump has taken to warning us that falling prices could cause “deflation,” which he now says is even worse than inflation. He’s not wrong about the economic theory, but it hardly seems worth worrying about given that prices are not falling.

Apparently, economic subtlety is something you acquire only after winning the White House.

Naturally, Trump wants to blame Joe Biden, the guy who staggered out of office 11 months ago. And yes, pandemic disruptions and massive stimulus spending helped fuel inflation. But voters elected Trump to fix the problem, which he promised to do “on Day One.”

Lacking tangible results, Trump is reverting to what has always worked for him: the assumption that — if he confidently repeats it enough times — his version of reality will triumph over math.

The difficulty now is that positive thinking doesn’t swipe at the register.

You can lie about the size of your inauguration crowd — no normal person can measure it and nobody cares. But you cannot tell people standing in line at the grocery store that prices are falling when they are actively handing over more money.

Pretending everything is fine goes over even worse when a billionaire president throws Gatsby-themed parties, renovates the Lincoln Bedroom and builds a huge new ballroom at the White House. The optics are horrible, and there’s no doubt they are helping fuel the political backlash.

But the main problem is the main problem.

At the end of the day, the one thing voters really care about is their pocketbooks. No amount of spin or “manifesting” an alternate reality will change that.

Matt K. Lewis is the author of “Filthy Rich Politicians” and “Too Dumb to Fail.”

Folks, who was supposed to be watching grandpa last night? Because he got out, got on TV and … It. Was. Not. Good.

For 18 long minutes Wednesday evening, we were subjected to a rant by President Trump that predictably careened from immigrants (bad) to jobs (good), rarely slowing down for reality. But jumbled between the vitriol and venom was a vision of American healthcare that would have horror villainess M3GAN shaking in her Mary Janes — a vision that we all should be afraid of because it would take us back to a dark era when insurance couldn’t be counted on.

Trump’s remarks offered only a sketchy outline, per usual, in which the costs of health insurance premiums may be lower — but it will be because the coverage is terrible. Yes, you’ll save money. But so what? A cheap car without wheels is not a deal.

“The money should go to the people,” Trump said of his sort-of plan.

The money he vaguely was alluding to is the government subsidies that make insurance under the Affordable Care Act affordable. After antics and a mini-rebellion by four Republicans also on Wednesday, Congress basically failed to do anything meaningful on healthcare — pretty much ensuring those subsidies will disappear with the New Year.

Starting in January, premiums for too many people are going to leap skyward without the subsidies, jumping by an average of $1,016 according to the health policy research group KFF.

That’s bad enough. But Trump would like to make it worse.

The Affordable Care Act is about much more than those subsidies. Before it took effect in 2014, insurance companies in many states could deny coverage for preexisting conditions. This didn’t have to be big-ticket stuff like cancer. A kid with asthma? A mom with colitis? Those were the kind of routine but chronic problems that prevented millions from obtaining insurance — and therefore care.

Obamacare required that policies sold on its exchange did not discriminate. In addition, the ACA required plans to limit out-of-pocket costs and end lifetime dollar caps, and provide a baseline of coverage that included essentials such as maternity care. Those standards put pressure on all plans to include more, even those offered through large employers.

Trump would like to undo much of that. He instead wants to fall back on the stunt he loves the most — send a check!

What he is suggesting by sending subsidy money directly to consumers also most likely would open the market to plans without the regulation of the ACA. So yes, small businesses or even groups of individuals might be able to band together to buy insurance, but there likely would be fewer rules about what — or whom — it has to cover.

Most people aren’t savvy or careful enough to understand the limitations of their insurance before it matters. So it has a $2-million lifetime cap? That sounds like a lot until your kid needs a treatment that eats through that in a couple of months. Then what?

Trump suggested people pay for it themselves, out of health savings accounts funded by that subsidy check sent directly to taxpayers. Because that definitely will work, and people won’t spend the money on groceries or rent, and what they do save certainly will cover any medical expenses.

“You’ll get much better healthcare at a much lower price,” Trump claimed Wednesday. “The only losers will be insurance companies that have gotten rich, and the Democrat Party, which is totally controlled by those same insurance companies. They will not be happy, but that’s OK with me because you, the people, are finally going to be getting great healthcare at a lower cost.”

He then bizarrely tried to blame the expiring subsidies on Democrats.

Democrats “are demanding those increases and it’s their fault,” he said. “It is not the Republicans’ fault. It’s the Democrats’ fault. It’s the Unaffordable Care Act, and everybody knew it.”

It seems like Trump just wants to lower costs at the expense of quality. Here’s where I take issue with the Democrats. I am not here to defend insurance companies or our healthcare system. Both clearly need reform.

But why are the Democrats failing to explain what “The money should go to the people” will mean?

I get that affordability is the message, and as someone who bought both a steak and a carton of milk this week, I understand just how powerful that issue is.

Still, everyone, Democrat or Republican, wants decent healthcare they can afford, and the peace of mind of knowing if something terrible happens, they will have access to help. There is no American who gladly would pay for insurance each month, no matter how low the premium, that is going to leave them without care when they or their loved ones need it most.

Grandpa Trump doesn’t have this worry, since he has the best healthcare our tax dollars can buy.

But when he promises to send a check instead of providing governance and regulation of one of the most critical purchases in our lives, the message is sickening: My victory in exchange for your well-being.

AN ISLAND dubbed the “Caribbean without the jetlag” – where pints cost just £2.20 – could be the perfect escape from the moody British weather.

An index tracking the best winter sun spots, ranking temperature, hours of sunshine, pint and meal for two prices, time difference, and precipitation, revealed its winner.

Sal in Cape Verde was the top spot of the unique index taking into account all things Brits love.

The Atlantic island offers white sandy beaches, subtropical temperatures and just a one-hour time difference with the UK, despite flights taking six hours.

Winter highs average between 24°C and 25°C throughout January to March.

Visitors can enjoy around 10 hours of sunshine each day, according to easyJet’s Winter Sun Index.

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The island also boasts dishes inspired by Portuguese, African and Brazilian cuisines, with a meal for two costing roughly £30.

Close behind in the rankings is Egypt’s Red Sea gem, Hurghada, with winter temperatures sitting between 21°C and 25°C.

Unbelievably pints of beer on average cost under £2.

The resort town offers near-endless sunshine, crystal-clear waters and desert landscapes with activities like quad biking or Jeep safaris.

The Canary Islands also remain firm favourites, with Gran Canaria and Lanzarote claiming third and fourth spots.

Gran Canaria is known for its golden beaches, while Lanzarote stands out with striking black sands and volcanic vistas.

Kevin Doyle, UK country manager for the airline, said: “As temperatures at home begin to drop and the days get darker, now is the perfect time to book an escape to warmer climes.

“Our network and package holidays offer a broad range of winter sun destinations across Europe and beyond – from Sub-Saharan islands to Spanish peninsula cities.”

Other highlights from the index include the likes of Agadir in Morocco, Djerba off Tunisia and Spain’s Seville.

Agadir offers winter highs of 23°C, nearly nine hours of sunshine per day and very little rainfall, while on average, meals for two come in at £26 and a pint just £1.75.

Djerba made the index thanks to a mix of culture and relaxation, with winter temperatures ranging from 16°C to 18°C and up to eight hours of daily sunshine.

The island blends Mediterranean coastline and Saharan influences, plus artisanal market streets, palm trees and sandy beaches, with meals for two costing around £26 and a pint is just £1.30.

Seville, Europe’s warmest city in winter, scores highly for its elegant Moorish architecture and vibrant city life.

Travellers can expect temperatures between 16°C and 22°C, around eight hours of sunshine and a pint for just £2.20.

The city’s plazas, flamenco recitals, and sunny streets make it perfect for those seeking city warmth rather than the sea.