Post Office Travel Money issues guide for budget-conscious city tourists

Tourists on a city break looking to save money should head for Copenhagen or Lisbon but avoid New York and Barcelona, according to findings by Post Office Travel Money.

The organisation surveyed the cost of visiting museums, galleries, attractions and popular cultural icons for its annual city breaks barometer and found that tourists spend two thirds less in the Danish and Portuguese capitals than they would in the US or Spain.

It said tourists heading for Lisbon could see its top attractions Jeronimos Monastery, the Belem Tower and Coach Museum for around £21. Istanbul, Warsaw and Bruges also offered bargain cultural sightseeing.

Copenhagen came in the most popuar with tourists looking to do something for nothing with top museums, galleries and its famous Black Diamond library all offering free entry. It’s also free to see the Little Mermaid, visit the Palace Chapel and Parliament in Christiansborg Palace and chill out with the hippies at anarchic Christiania.

Post Office head of Travel Money Sarah Munro:said: “It will pay UK holidaymakers planning a city break this spring to do their homework. Visiting galleries, museums and heritage sites is a staple ingredient of a city break and our research shows that culture lovers can get a great deal more for their money in some cities than in others. Clued-up travellers can even follow a culture-packed itinerary in several of Europe’s historic capitals without paying anything at all.”

Overall Prague emerged as the cheapest city overall for UK holidaymakers, when hotel rates and restaurant prices were taken into account. Despite the weak pound, Prague was the cheapest of 15 cities surveyed by Post Office Travel Money – with prices down 38 per cent on 2009 levels. At £106.17, 11 typical city break items -including drinks, meals, accommodation, sightseeing and transport – cost almost two-thirds less than in New York, the most expensive city surveyed (£307.96).

By Dinah Hatch