Warsaw is the pound-stretching place for culture vultures planning an autumn break

• Polish capital is cheapest of 17 culture capitals
• Top notch arts attractions are a deciding factor for half of city break holidaymakers
• Performance and gallery prices are down in 7 cities including London and New York
• New York remains most expensive – but prices have dropped 38 per cent

Culture vultures who want to save hundreds of pounds on the cost of a high brow city break should head to Warsaw.The Polish capital was cheapest by far of 17 cultural capitals surveyed for this year’s Post Office Travel Money Cost of Culture Report into performance, gallery and museum prices¹.

The report by the Post Office, which accounts for one-in-four of all UK currency transactions, brings good news for the 46 per cent of city break tourists who rate a city’s cultural attractions as the key deciding factor in their destination choice². Research for the report found that Warsaw was among seven cities - including London and New York - where cultural highlights cost less than last year, despite the weaker pound³.

Even though sterling buys nearly 16 per cent fewer Polish zloty than a year ago, Warsaw’s £64.52 price tag – which is based on visits to the city’s top museum, art gallery and heritage site plus nights at the Polish National Opera, National Ballet and a symphony concert – costs 40 per cent less than in 2015.Prices are at their lowest since 2008 when the survey was first conducted.At that time the same six cultural attractions cost 17 per cent more (£75.28).

Warsaw’s total of under £65 was less than a quarter of those in the most expensive cities surveyed – Barcelona (£276.71) and New York (£303.94).Two people could enjoy all six cultural highlights in Warsaw for less than the cost of one opera ticket (£155.91) to see Otello performed by the Madrid Opera at the Teatro Real.

Prices have also fallen in runner-up Budapest, where the six cultural attractions cost £78.06.A year ago those attractions cost 16 per cent more (£92.91).Like Warsaw, prices in Budapest are at their lowest since the Post Office survey started in 2008 but the fall is even more startling at 29 per cent less (£106.95). This year’s bargain prices have been boosted by the low cost of a ticket (£8.54) to see the Hungarian National Ballet perform Kyling It – less than a quarter of the cost for a ballet performance in 2015.

In third place, Dublin (£119.77) is the eurozone’s best value city for a cultural break, although prices for ballet, opera and music performances are significantly higher than those available in

2015.This has made the six cultural attractions 55 per cent pricier than last year.

While New York was again the most expensive city of those surveyed, good seats (category 2) to see La Bohème at the Metropolitan Opera, The Firebird performed by the New York City Ballet and a concert of Beethoven by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra each cost much less than those available 12 months ago.As a result, New York’s total has dropped to £303.94 – £187 (38 per cent) less than a year ago.

Prices are also down nine per cent in Paris (£228.21), 23 per cent in Madrid (£238.66), three per cent in Stockholm (£146.93) and 11 per cent in London (£255.50) – as a result of which London is no longer Europe’s most expensive cultural capital.That dubious honour goes to Barcelona, where the high cost of opera (£120.72 - Macbeth) and ballet (£93.28 - Coppélia) tickets has contributed to a 20 per cent rise in the £276.71 price tag for the cultural highlights.

Andrew Brown of Post Office Travel Money said: “It is encouraging to see that prices have actually fallen in several of the cultural capitals surveyed this year.This means arts lovers can get to see a world-renowned orchestra or a top opera or dance company at very reasonable prices, despite the falling value of sterling. Bear in mind, though, that prices can vary dramatically from one city to another so do some homework before booking a culture break.

“It’s also worth pointing out that what you will pay depends very much on your taste in culture.For example, those people who want to visit European museums and galleries will find that entry is free to many of the most famous ones.”

The survey identified the three cheapest⁴ and most expensive options⁵ for each cultural attraction.It found that visits to see several world-famous heritage sites cost nothing (Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate; the Grand Place, Brussels; The Little Mermaid, Copenhagen; Prague Castle and Warsaw’s Royal Castle).Similarly, entry to Dublin’s National Galleries and Stockholm’s Moderna Museet was also free.But while London’s National Gallery and the British Museum are free to enter, the Tower of London was the most expensive heritage site by far at £25.

New York’s American Museum of Natural History (£17.19) and Metropolitan Museum of Art (£19.53) were the highest-priced museum and gallery overall, while Amsterdam’s Van Gogh Museum (£14.81) and Rijksmuseum (£15.24) charged the highest entry prices in Europe. Berlin was most expensive for a classical music concert (Deutsches Symphony Orchestra, Mahler– £47.91), while Madrid had the highest-priced opera ticket at £155.91 (Otello, Teatro Real) and the New York City Ballet dancing The Firebird was the most expensive ballet (£108.68).

Currencies for cities featured in the Cost of Culture report are available at the Post Office. Over 10,000 branches offer euro over the counter, more than 4,000 stock US dollars and theother European currencies are among 30 available on demand at 1,600 larger Post Office branches.Up to 70 currencies can be pre-ordered at over 11,500 Post Office branches or online at postoffice.co.uk/travel for next day branch or home delivery.

ENDS

For more information, please contact:

Gabrielle O’Gara Post Office Press Office 0207 250 2534 / 07718 977702

Gabrielle.ogara@postoffice.co.uk

Notes to Editors:

¹ The Post Office Cost of Culture Report lists six cultural highlights in each featured city, providing prices researched on official websites. For music, opera and ballet performances, prices relate to category 2 seats for performances taking place between 20 September and 19 October 2016.In the case of Barcelona, Madrid and Dublin where no ballet performances are scheduled within that timeframe, the closest possible performance has been used instead. A table showing the full breakdown of cultural attractions is provided on a separate sheet.

POST OFFICE COST OF CULTURE CITY PRICE GUIDE

Source: Post Office®. Data relates to online exchange rates on 10 August 2016.

² Omnibus research for Post Office Travel Money by Populus (April 2016) among 2,099 UK adults, found that 952 are regular city break holidaymakers.Of these, 44 per cent said that the key reason for visiting a city was for a cultural break.Almost half (46 per cent) said that good museums and galleries were a destination decider.

³ Post Office exchange rates for Cost of Culture currencies, August 2016 compared with August 2015:

⁴ and ⁵ Post Office charts showing the best value and most expensive ones for each category surveyed.

BEST VALUE IN CULTURAL CAPITALS

MOST EXPENSIVE CULTURAL ATTRACTIONS