Which are the cheapest days to fly over Christmas?

When can you find cheap holidays over Christmas?

We used our site data to look at the price of seven-night holidays to 15 of the most popular winter sun destinations over the Christmas period and found that the cheapest day to travel overall was New Year’s Day, with the average price of a seven-night holiday coming in at £1,123 per person. This was followed by holidays with departure flights on 18 December where the average price was £1,208 per person (although bear in mind that this involves flying home on Christmas Day) or for only £38 more per person, 19 December – the Saturday after many schools break up – when the average price of a seven-night holiday was £1,246 per person.

On New Year’s Day, the cheapest destinations to jet away to are Mediterranean island-country Malta where the average price of a seven-night holiday is £603 per person, Spanish sun, sea and sand favourite Costa Blanca (£634 per person), and Spain’s popular Costa del Sol (£697 per person).

On 19 December, the cheapest seven-night holiday destination was again Malta with seven-night holiday prices averaging just £1 more than New Year’s Eve at £604 per person, Costa del Sol (£731 per person), Costa Blanca (£736 per person) and Portugal’s sun-filled Algarve (£752 per person).

Is it cheaper to fly on Christmas Day?

Christmas Day is often considered as one of the cheapest days to fly over the festive period as there’s lower demand while people celebrate. However, our data shows that in 2026, it’s actually one of the most expensive days to travel with the average price of a seven-night holiday coming in at £1,700 per person and the majority of the average holiday prices coming in at more than £1,000 per person. We found two exceptions with holidays to Turkey’s Antalya area coming in at £765 per person for departures on Christmas Day and holidays to Spain’s Costa del Sol coming in at £893 per person.

The only day that was more expensive to depart on a holiday was Boxing Day when the average price of a seven-night holiday is £1,728 per person. This is £605 per person more expensive than travelling on the cheapest day – New Year’s Day. And it costs £577 more per person to travel on Christmas Day compared to New Year’s Day.

The cheapest destinations for holidays departing on Christmas Day

If you’d like to travel on Christmas Day itself, the cheapest destination for a holiday is the Antalya area where the average price of a seven-night holiday is £765 per person. This is followed by the Costa del Sol at £893 per person for a week away.

It’s worth bearing temperature in mind, however, for all of the destinations with cheap prices. Over the Christmas period, it will be warm rather than hot in Antalya with maximum daytime temperatures of 16°C. Similarly in the Costa del Sol, maximum daytime temperatures are likely to be 15°C. If you’d like warmer temperatures, the destination with the next cheapest price – the Canary Island’s Gran Canaria (£1,440 per person) – has maximum daytime temperatures of 21°C in December, while neighbour Lanzarote in fourth place (£1,282 per person) will also be around 21°C.

If heat and beach time is your priority, you might want to consider the fifth cheapest holiday destination on Christmas Day, Egypt (£1,499 per person) where December temperatures are around 24°C with nine hours of sunshine per day and rain unlikely.

Is Boxing Day a good day to go on a cheap holiday?

According to TravelSupermarket data, Boxing Day is the most expensive day to travel over Christmas in 2026 with the average price of a seven-night holiday coming in at £1,728 per person. This is £605 per person more expensive than travelling on the cheapest day – New Year’s Day.

However, travelling on Boxing Day will mean that you are away for both New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day and back in the UK in time to return to work on 4 January. Travelling on Boxing Day also means that you’ll only have to book three days off work to enjoy seven nights away, as 28 December and 1 January are bank holidays. In comparison, you’ll have to take five days off for a seven-night break when you travel on New Year’s Day.

The cheapest destinations for holidays departing on Boxing Day

Our site data revealed that the cheapest destination for a holiday departing on Boxing Day is Malta where the average price of a seven-night holiday is £848 per person. This is followed by the Antalya area (£966 per person) and Costa Blanca (£1,064 per person).

All of the destinations in the top five cheapest departures on Boxing Day will enjoy warm temperatures in the teens, whereas from number six onwards it’s likely to be hotter with maximum daytime temperatures of 20°C in Fuerteventura, 21°C in Lanzarote, 24°C in Egypt and 21°C in Gran Canaria. Only number nine (Las Vegas) also has temperatures in the teens with maximum daytime temperatures of 14°C in December and January.

What about flying on Christmas Eve?

According to our data, the average price to go on a seven-night holiday on Christmas Eve is £1,454 per person. This is £79 per person more expensive than travelling the day before on the 23 December (£1,375 per person) and £246 cheaper than travelling the next day on Christmas Day itself (£1,700 per person). It’s £331 per person more expensive than travelling on New Year’s Day – the cheapest day to travel over the festive period.

The cheapest destinations for holidays departing on Christmas Eve

While the average price of holidays departing on Christmas Eve is £1,454 per person according to our data, there are several destinations where holiday prices are much lower. The cheapest place to travel to on Christmas Eve is Portugal’s Algarve at £748 per person, followed by the Costa Blanca at £893 per person and Malta at £905 per person. Sneaking in as the last destination with prices for less than £1,000 per person was the Costa del Sol with average seven-night holiday prices of £980 per person.

Is it cheaper to fly on New Year's Day or New Year's Eve?

Our data revealed that, overall, the average price of a seven-night holiday is cheaper on New Year’s Day than on New Year’s Eve. The average price to fly away on New Year’s Eve is £1,252 per person for a seven-night holiday compared to £1,123 on New Year’s Day. So, although you’ll miss New Year’s Eve celebrations overseas, you’ll pocket a saving of £129 per person – which will pay for a celebratory meal and more the night after.

Cheapest destinations for holidays departing on New Year's Eve

If you’re looking for a bargain break on New Year’s Eve, the cheapest destination to travel to is Portugal’s southernmost region, the Algarve with average seven-night holiday prices of £801 per person. This is followed by Spain’s popular Costa Blanca (£818 per person) and sun and history-filled Egypt (£1,008 per person) where you can start 2027 basking in temperatures of around 23°C.

Cheapest destinations for holidays departing on New Year's Eve

Cheapest destinations for holidays departing on New Year's Day

On New Year’s Day itself, the cheapest destination to travel to is Malta with average holiday prices of £603 per person – a small country that’s offered excellent value throughout 2026 to British holidaymakers. Fun-filled Costa Blanca came second for value with holidays averaging £634 per person and fellow Spanish hotspot Costa del Sol took third place with holiday prices averaging £697 per person.

If you’re after hot January weather to start 2027 in style, Fuerteventura (£761 per person), Egypt (£878 per person), Lanzarote (£923 per person) and Gran Canaria (£958 per person) all still have average prices of less than £1,000 per person.

How do I find a cheap holiday deal this Christmas?

The key to finding a cheap holiday deal this Christmas is to compare prices, destinations and departure days before booking. Our data shows that, if price is your priority, New Year’s Day may be the best day to travel as average prices are low. However, the lowest price might not offer the best value overall so factor in how many days of annual leave you will need to take off to travel, the cost of food and drink (would it be better for your budget to travel on an all-inclusive basis or to self-cater?) and temperatures too as you may want to pay slightly more for guaranteed beach weather.

Please note: The data is based on prices retrieved on TravelSupermarket for 15 of the most popular winter sun destinations for seven-night holidays between 1 January 2026 and 20 October 2026. Prices based on two people travelling between 18 December 2026 and 1 January 2027. All star ratings and board bases were included. Average temperatures are from weather2travel.