Underrated country is Europe's cheapest for families with bargain meals and hotels

Brits looking for cheap holidays with the kids may want to consider an underrated country that boasts not only cheap stays, but low prices on food and attractions too.

In recent years Romania’s reputation as a travel destination has grown massively. The former Eastern Bloc nation has become a go to country for those seeking sunshine, rugged natural beauty and cheap thrills.

One of the best places to visit in Romania is Cluj-Napoca, the biggest city in the Transylvania region and the second largest settlement in the country. It is a place of cheap plenty. Rent is 80% lower than London, a three course meal for two costs £35, half a litre of draught beer will set you back £2 and a packet of cigarettes is around the £4 mark, according to Numbeo’s cost of living index.

The Cluj skyline

What sets Cluj apart from other sizeable Romanian cities is its student population. It has 11 universities and more than 100,000 students living in the city, meaning there is almost one student for every four people in the city. presence is partly why Cluj has won a reputation as an art and festival hub of Eastern Europe. Electric Castle, which won the best medium-sized festival at the 2019 European Festival Awards, takes place in the shadow of a spectacular, very Transylvanian looking Banffy Castle.

The country is also one that is full of fascinating modern historical episodes, including the great rolling of the churches in the 1980s. Following a huge earthquake that destroyed much of the capital Bucharest, then dictator and widely recognised bad guy decided to raze much of what remained and replace it with a huge palace. In his crosshairs were eight very old, very beautiful churches.

Rear View Of Family Standing At Top Of Hill On Hike Through Countryside

After much noise from the religious community in the country, a team of ingenious engineers were given permission to lift the churches and move them to a safe part of the city. In 1982 the first of the buildings – the Schitul Maicilor – was put on rails and moved 245m. Its resting place was behind the secret service building in the huge, newly built Unirii Boulevard, where it sits largely hidden to this day. The church is one of the fascinating, architecturally jarring parts of Bucharest which can be visited during a trip to Romania.

Deluxe Holiday Homes recently judged the country to be the best place for a family holiday in a study that looked at the cost of flights, how safe places are , family room numbers on booking.com, the average cost of a family room and eat out prices for a family of four. Romania leads the list of the most affordable destinations for safe family travel, with the lowest costs for family rooms from just over £100 a night and the average cost of a meal out for four being approximately £30.

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