Photo: SHUTTERSTOCK The price of vacations in Europe continues to rise, but at a relatively moderate pace. This is according to data from Eurostat, the European Union's research body, for August 2026. Vacation package prices in EU countries were 3.2% higher than in August 2025, the same as the EU's general inflation rate. At the same time, flight prices actually fell by 0.4%.
However, beneath the European average figure, there are significant fluctuations between countries, most notably Greece. Flight prices to Greece jumped 16.3% in August compared to the same month last year, the sharpest increase recorded in the European Union. Ireland is in second place, with a 14.4% increase.
Ten EU countries actually saw a decline in flight prices. The most extreme decline was recorded in Slovakia, with a 61.2% drop, while prices fell by 15.8% in Spain and 0.9% in Lithuania.
There were also large gaps in the package holiday sector. Belgium led the increases, with prices up 16.2% in August, followed by Portugal at 14.3%, Sweden at 12.8%, Lithuania at 12.3%, and Romania at 11.9%.
On the other hand, four countries actually recorded a decrease in vacation package prices: in Estonia prices fell by 21.1%, in Spain they fell by 5.2%, in Italy by 4.8%, and in Ireland by 0.4%.
According to Eurostat, the data illustrates how volatile flight and holiday prices continue to be. Flight prices in particular have seen sharp month-on-month changes over the past year, while holiday package prices have stabilized relatively around the rate of inflation.
Changes in holiday prices in Europe. Data: Eurostat