Looking for a bargain city break? Head to Budapest – home to thermal spas, stunning architecture and a restaurant selling goulash on every corner.
The Hungarian capital has been named the cheapest place for a city break in a study of 17 global cities, conducted by Post Office Travel Money.
The researchers compared prices for visits to a museum, gallery and heritage site plus a trip to see an opera, dance and classical music performance at each destination.
Budapest, where the typical total cost to visit all of these attractions was put at around £70, was the cheapest destination for the second year running.
Prague was in second place for value for money, with the typical cost at £102, with Warsaw coming third with an average cost of £105.
At the other end of the scale, Madrid was named the most expensive place for a city break, where the cost of activities came in at £430. It was closely followed by New York at £418 and Milan at £377.
Closer to home, the cost of visiting six attractions in London was calculated at £288 – about a third cheaper than visiting similar attractions in New York.
This was based on free entry to London’s British Museum and National Gallery, as well as paying to visit the Tower of London and to see performances at the Royal Opera House, London Coliseum and Festival Hall.
Dublin was within the cheapest third of the 18 cities looked at, with the typical total cost of the six cultural activities looked at in the study at £173.
In a survey accompanying the research, two in five holidaymakers planning city breaks said that cultural attractions are a “key consideration” when choosing where to go, but more than three-quarters said they are concerned about the costs they will face there.
“Prices fluctuate from year to year, especially for opera, ballet and music concerts, where they can rise or fall dramatically depending on who is performing and the stature of the venue,” commented Nick Boden, Post Office’s head of travel money.
“With the wide variation in prices we found this year, it will really pay to do some homework on the local costs before taking a decision.”