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26 Aug 2014

London is Europe's most expensive city for culture

A visit by two people to an art gallery, a museum, a heritage site, the opera, the ballet and a classical concert in London will cost £256 (US$424, €321), making it the most expensive city for culture in Europe, according to a recent survey.

The survey – conducted by Post Office Travel Money – looked at 12 of the top European travel destinations, with London coming out higher than the likes of of Paris, Rome and Vienna.

Paris and Barcelona were second and third at £251.56 (US$416.90, €315.88) and £241.58 (US$400.36, €303.35) respectively, while Warsaw was by far the cheapest destination, with a culture trip costing a mere £63.40 (US$105, €79.61).

The survey said prices were high in London despite the fact a lot of major museums in the capital are free, though even with this amendment, two tickets for the Royal Ballet in London cost £91 (US$150, €114.26), while a pair of tickets to the opera would set people back £117.50 (US$194.73, €147.54), keeping London in the top four regardless.

By contrast, two tickets to the ballet in Warsaw would cost £20.13 (US$33.36, €25.27), with an opera ticket coming in at the same price.

While London was deemed the most expensive of the 12 European cities surveyed, culture costs have actually seen a drop of 21 per cent since 2009.

Culture prices in Rome and Vienna were also down by 36.1 per cent and 27.3 per cent since 2009 respectively, while costs in Amsterdam have increased by 37.3 per cent – the highest rise among the 12 cities.

Cost for a day of culture in Europe

Warsaw – £63.40
Budapest – £80.35
Prague – £92.59
Dublin – £102.31
Rome – £132.01
Berlin – £158.83
Moscow – £192.50
Vienna – £223.10
Amsterdam – £223.19
Barcelona – £241.58
Paris – £251.65
London – £256.25