UK city ranked most expensive in western Europe for city break – and it isn't London

Independent

16-05-2025

Edinburgh has been crowned the most expensive city break destination in western Europe, according to a new report.
Analysis by Post Office Travel Money reveals that the combined cost of accommodation and other typical tourist expenses is higher in the Scottish capital than in any other major city in the region.
A key driver of this high cost is accommodation. The average price for two nights in a three-star city centre hotel reaches £399. This figure, based on data from Hotels.com, represents the average cost of the ten cheapest en-suite rooms available between June 6th and 8th.
The report highlights that these prices escalate further during peak periods like the school summer holidays and the renowned Edinburgh festivals in August.
Adding to the accommodation cost pressures, short-term let platform Airbnb warned last November that new regulations imposed on such properties in Edinburgh are " highly restrictive."
These regulations, which came into effect across Scotland in October 2023, aim to address concerns about the impact of short-term lets on long-term rental prices. However, Airbnb argues that the measures have inadvertently driven up both rents and hotel prices to "record highs."
Other items that are more expensive in Edinburgh than most other tourist destinations are a 48-hour public transport pass (£22), entry to its 'top tourist heritage attraction' – Edinburgh Castle (£19.50) – and a cup of filter coffee in a cafe or bar (£3.50).
Edinburgh was ranked the most expensive western European city despite admission to its 'top museum' and 'top art gallery' – the National Museum of Scotland and National Galleries of Scotland respectively – being free.
The overall basket of goods in Edinburgh was found to cost £601.50.
That is more than double the cost in Lisbon (£292.27), the cheapest western European city analysed.
Travel costs to reach destinations such as flight tickets were not taken into account.
The report looked at prices in 38 cities across the whole of the continent, and found eastern European cities have the best value.
Latvia's Riga was ranked number one with a total cost of £252.63, followed by Lithuania's Vilnius (£254.32).
The most expensive was Norway's Oslo (£636.20).
In the UK, Cardiff (£374.90) was ranked 17th, while London (£523.40) was 26th and Edinburgh was 36th.
Laura Plunkett, head of Travel Money at Post Office, said: 'Although city break holidaymakers need to keep a watchful eye on exchange rates, the real challenge will be the cost of accommodation in the cities Britons are considering.'
She said price analysis often finds 'big swings in hotel costs depending on how many rooms are available in peak months'.
She added: 'Vilnius lost its top spot in the latest chart because the cost of accommodation has risen by over 9% since last year, while it has fallen over 20% in Riga in the same period.'