![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/1_GettyImages-689350688.jpg\")
A city break in Scotland’s capital will hit tourists in the pocket(Image: Getty Images)<\/p>\nDeep pockets are required for the Scottish capital.<\/p>\n
15:09, 17 May 2025Updated 15:10, 17 May 2025<\/p>\n
A city break in Scotland’s capital will hit tourists in the pocket(Image: Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Edinburgh <\/a>has been ranked the most expensive major city break<\/a> destination in western Europe, according to a new report.<\/p>\n Analysis by Post Office Travel Money<\/a> found the total average price of accommodation and other typical tourist expenses is higher in the Scottish capital than other cities in the region.<\/p>\n This included \u00a3399 for two nights staying in three-star city centre accommodation.<\/p>\n The figure was based on the average price of the 10 cheapest ensuite rooms for stays from June 6 to 8, available on booking website Hotels.com.<\/p>\n Accommodation in Edinburgh is even more expensive during the school summer holidays and the August festivals.<\/p>\n Short-term let booking company Airbnb warned in November last year that Edinburgh\u2019s enforcement of new regulations on the accommodation is \u201chighly restrictive\u201d and means rents and hotel prices in the city have \u201csoared to record highs\u201d.<\/p>\n A licensing scheme for short-term let accommodation came into force across Scotland in October 2023 amid concerns about the impact of the accommodation on long-term rent prices.<\/p>\n Other items that are more expensive in Edinburgh than most other tourist destinations are a 48-hour public transport pass (\u00a322), entry to its \u201ctop tourist heritage attraction\u201d \u2013 Edinburgh Castle (\u00a319.50) \u2013 and a cup of filter coffee in a cafe or bar (\u00a33.50).<\/p>\n Edinburgh was ranked the most expensive western European city despite admission to its \u201ctop museum\u201d and \u201ctop art gallery\u201d \u2013 the National Museum of Scotland and National Galleries of Scotland respectively \u2013 being free.<\/p>\n The overall price in Edinburgh was found to cost \u00a3601.50.<\/p>\n That is more than double the cost in Lisbon (\u00a3292.27), the cheapest western European city analysed.<\/p>\n Travel costs to reach destinations such as flight tickets were not taken into account.<\/p>\n The report looked at prices in 38 cities across the whole of the continent, and found eastern European cities have the best value.<\/p>\n Latvia\u2019s Riga was ranked number one with a total cost of \u00a3252.63, followed by Lithuania\u2019s Vilnius (\u00a3254.32).<\/p>\n The most expensive was Norway\u2019s Oslo (\u00a3636.20).<\/p>\n In the UK, Cardiff (\u00a3374.90) was ranked 17th, while London (\u00a3523.40) was 26th and Edinburgh was 36th.<\/p>\n Laura Plunkett, head of Travel Money at Post Office, said: \u201cAlthough 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.\u201d<\/p>\n She said price analysis often finds \u201cbig swings in hotel costs depending on how many rooms are available in peak months\u201d.<\/p>\n She added: \u201cVilnius 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.\u201d<\/p>\n A spokesperson for Scottish Government tourism organisation VisitScotland insisted Edinburgh has \u201ca variety of experiences and accommodation options to suit a range of budgets\u201d.<\/p>\n She said VisitScotland is encouraging the tourism industry to \u201cconsider the importance of providing great quality services and hospitality that offer value for money\u201d.<\/p>\n She added: \u201cWe are currently creating an accommodation monitor using data from tourism and events industry sources.<\/p>\n \u201cThis will help clarify performance and price competitiveness in the accommodation sector going forward.\u201d<\/p>\n Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today.<\/p>\n You’ll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland.<\/p>\n No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team.<\/p>\n![\"Calton](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/0_GettyImages-499729819.jpg\")
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