The best time to book flights for cheap deals to holiday hotspots - with Spanish cities including Seville and Valencia needing booking further in advance

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Which? has revealed the best time to book your flights this year for a summer holiday depending on which city you are heading to.

The recent study, conducted by Which?, looked at when the cheapest flights could be found for 22 cities, both short and long haul. Some destinations are best to book at short notice if wanting to visit during the August summer holidays.

For example, the cheapest deal for Faro in Portugal was found just five weeks before travelling - meaning booking around July. Similarly, Athens and Budapest were cheapest six weeks out for August, so around late June.

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But if you are wanting to visit some Spanish cities, you will need to be booking much further in advance. For example, the cheapest flights to Seville were found 25 weeks ahead of travel - so you would need to book your August holiday around March. Other Spanish destinations you would need to book around May for the best deal include Valencia (12 weeks ahead), Barcelona (13 weeks ahead) and Majorca (13 weeks ahead).

Which? has revealed the best time to book your flights this year for a summer holiday depending on which city you are heading to. (Photo: Getty Images)Which? has revealed the best time to book your flights this year for a summer holiday depending on which city you are heading to. (Photo: Getty Images)
Which? has revealed the best time to book your flights this year for a summer holiday depending on which city you are heading to. (Photo: Getty Images) | Getty Images

Which? found that the destination you'd need to book furthest in advance is Paris, with a huge 26 weeks ahead of August being the cheapest time (so booking by the end of next month). Listed below is how far in advance you need to book for other popular destinations.

  • Amsterdam - 15 weeks
  • Berlin - 24 weeks
  • Lisbon - 16 weeks
  • Prague - 19 weeks
  • Tenerife - 10 weeks

Naomi Leach, Deputy Editor of Which? Travel, said: "Our research threw up some surprising results and suggests some holidaymakers could save significant sums of money by targeting the right time to book their flights. For those looking for a bargain trip, our findings show January is generally the cheapest time to fly short haul, as long as you don’t mind the cold weather. It is worth setting up flight alerts with Google Flights or Skyscanner to track the best prices for your desired destination to find the best time to book a great deal.”

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