The Crunch Bunch

The world economy may have taken a turn for the worst – but forget all that, and read our guide to finding holiday bargains galore, says Mike Peake

The credit crunch may have put a dent in your spending, but that’s no reason to put all retail therapy on hold, as it’s often cheaper to pick up some items abroad than at home. So if you’ve shopping to do, our guide to bargains around the Ryanair network is solid gold.

Hungary
Best for: EVERYTHING (AND A LITTLE ON THE SIDE)
The forint, Hungary’s weedy currency, is so feeble that you need almost 300 of them before you can buy a pound. For the traveller this is good, as it makes the place rather cheap – although we’ll not go into the story we unearthed about prostitutes in Budapest being the least expensive in Europe (€66 an hour). Widely acknowledged as one of the cheapest capital cities in the western world, Budapest is a credit-crunch shopper’s dream. You’ll not only pick up big name brands cheaper than back home, but you’ll find that local specialities are inexpensive, too. Embroidered goods, ceramics, porcelain and painted wooded toys are all good buys, and you’ll find them all at the Great Market in the 9th district. And if you like it so much you want to stay, you’ll be thrilled to hear that Budapest is a top spot for cheap property, with prices averaging €1,300 per m2. In London, it’s nearly €5,000.

Belgium
Best for: RANDOM OLD STUFF
General rule of thumb – if a country’s in the Eurozone, it’s not going to be cheap, especially given today’s miserable exchange rate. Yet this flat little country’s capital dares to buck the trend with its daily flea market (Place du Jeu de Balle), where – if you’re prepared to finger through piles of junk – genuine bargains can be found each mor ning among more than 100 stalls. Neighbouring Rue Haute has antiques at decent prices, too. Another hot tip – get yourself a Brussels Card, for free access to over 25 museums, public transport and a host of shopping discounts. A two-day pass costs just €27.

Czech Republic
Best for: KIDS’ PRESSIES
Prague is no longer dirt-cheap, but a local speciality is wooden toys, and they can be had at a very good price indeed. Probably not a great excuse for a shopping trip – “Just off to Prague, love, for a miniature mahogany monkey” – but you’re sure to find countless inexpensive treats.

Portugal
Best for: EURO-STRETCHING
Euros just seem to go that bit further in Portugal than anywhere else – indeed, in a recent poll by student-friendly website Budgetmonkeytravel.com, the sun-kissed country was reckoned to be the second cheapest place in Europe to stay, where you could live on €12 a day (Andorra was cheapest). We know the site is aimed at cashstrapped gap-yearers, but regardless, Portugal is undoubtedly nicely priced, and obviously the best and cheapest spot on the planet to bag a bottle of top-quality port.

Malta
Best for: PEOPLE WITH REALLY LONG EXTENSION LEADS
Looking for the cheapest electricity in Europe? Low wages combined with minimal profits for local providers, means you can plug in with impunity here. And diesel is quite cheap here, too.

Italy
Best for: THE MOVIE STAR LOOK
Everyone knows Italy is expensive, and if you get a local started on the subject of “have things become a bit dearer since you ditched the lira?”, you’d do well to be carrying a weapon for when things get ugly. But what the Italians do extremely well is make clothes, and if you don’t mind unbranded gear, great quality comes at affordable prices in all of the major cities.

In Turin, check out Via Po, a wonderful street to buy inexpensive shoes and clothes. In Genoa, head for the Via del Campo, where most shoes can be snapped up for less than €40 a pair. And for belts, try Bologna’s Friday/Saturday market in Piazza VIII Agosto. Verona, too, is a top spot for well-priced leather goods. If you’re hell-bent on designer gear, seek out one of the many factory outlets scattered across Italy, like Fox Town (www.foxtown.com) near Milan, with brands like Versace, Gucci and Prada, and the world-famous Castel Romano designer outlet, just outside Rome.

Marrakesh
Best For: HAGGLERS
It’s still true, the Moroccan dustbowl is the best place in the world to buy a rug. Steel yourself for some serious haggling in any of the souks and get ready for a bargain.

France
Best For: BOOZE & SHOES
Wine is still cheap in France, and you’ll not struggle to pick up an exceptional bottle of Bordeaux for half what you’d pay in London. For shoe shopping in Paris, try Rue Meslay in the 3rd arrondissement, a pretty nasty-looking street but nirvana for anyone looking to clad their feet in something decent and cheap. There’s also the famous flea market (Rue des Rosiers, Saint-Ouen) for antiques, while one well-kept secret is Mistigriff, a designer seconds outlet on Rue St Charles in the 15th, where discounts of up to 80% on clothes can be found.

Gothenburg
Best for: INCREDIBLE VINTAGE
Head to one of the trendy flea markets – such as Myrorna at Järntorget, Kvibergs market in the old military stables (weekends) or Emmaus Bjorka at Linnegatan – and you can pick up accessories, clothes and the occasional designer label from as little as €5. If you want to customise your finds then visit Knapp-Carlsson, a treasure trove of buttons, fabric and ribbon. For retro records, hot-step it to Blenda (22 Andra Langgatan), or head to Haga Old Town, which has boutiques and vintage stores to browse and numerous cafés to relax in.

Poland
Best for: CAMERA BITS
If you know what you’re looking for and think you can handle the language, check out the lenses, lamps and filters on offer at Warsaw’s Sunday morning camera market (10 Batorego, inside the Stodola nightclub).

Latvia
Best for: LACE LOVERS
Riga is often called the Paris of Eastern Europe. But that doesn’t mean €7 cups of coffee and lots of strange mime artists – it means chic and classy shopping districts, and some very keen prices. Housed in five former Zeppelin hangars, the Central Market is a good place to take your wallet. You can buy almost anything here, and local specialities most worth picking up include lace and amber. The latter is found on the shores of the Baltic, and often contains a prehistoric fly.

Spain
Best for: CLOTHES & HOMEWARES
The days of a “full English” and a pint for the price of a daily paper back home are long gone, yet prices in Spain are generally decent. You can pick up Zara clothes from last season in a shop called Zara Lefties (30 Calle Gran Via, Madrid and 11 Place de la Universitat, Barcelona), or snap up cheap earthenware dishes and vases in Alicante, pottery and porcelain in Valencia, and antiques in Seville.

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