BIRMINGHAM BEST VALUE FOR BANK HOLIDAY CITY BREAK
The long-awaited and last bank holiday of the year is almost upon us and ahead of this weekend's great getaway, TripAdvisor recently released its UK TripIndex.
A cost comparison of an overnight stay in key cities
around the UK, TripAdvisor’s TripIndex reveals the typical costs during the
month of August for two people on a city break including a pre-meal cocktail, a
meal out, taxis and a night in a hotel.
Birmingham has been crowned the cheapest city, coming
in with a total TripIndex value of £139.54. It’s perhaps not surprising that
having taken centre stage this summer. London is the priciest city on the list,
with a TripIndex value of £264.71 – almost double that of Birmingham.
“With the last bank holiday of the year approaching,
many Brits will be thinking about making the most of it with a short UK break.
The TripAdvisor TripIndex helps travellers to see which UK cities offer the
best value when it comes to core components of a night away,” commented
TripAdvisor spokesperson Emma Shaw.
The Midlands emerged as the most affordable part of
the UK for a city break, clinching first and second place in the best value
list with Birmingham top and Nottingham just behind. At the other end, Scotland
is home to three of the most expensive cities – with Edinburgh in third place,
Aberdeen in fifth and Inverness in sixth.
When it comes to hotel prices across the 20 cities,
although London is the most expensive overall, Edinburgh has the most expensive
average rate for a four-star hotel room, coming in at £160.92. For the price of
one night in a hotel in Edinburgh, travellers can have almost three nights in a
Sheffield hotel.
Top 10 cities to save
| City | Hotel (£) | Taxi (£) | Cocktails for two (£) | Dinner(£) | Total Cost (£) | |
| 1 | Birmingham | 62.69 | 10.00 | 8.50 | 58.35 | 139.54 |
| 2 | Nottingham | 64.85 | 11.60 | 11.00 | 53.93 | 141.38 |
| 3 | Sheffield | 60.49 | 7.90 | 18.80 | 57.45 | 144.64 |
| 4 | Liverpool | 67.95 | 9.94 | 16.00 | 56.73 | 150.62 |
| 5 | Newcastle Upon Tyne | 70.88 | 11.60 | 15.90 | 54.33 | 152.71 |
| 6 | Leeds | 65.34 | 10.00 | 15.00 | 63.10 | 153.44 |
| 7 | Glasgow | 71.00 | 8.60 | 17.40 | 67.40 | 164.40 |
| 8 | Manchester | 74.51 | 8.80 | 15.00 | 68.07 | 166.38 |
| 9 | Cardiff | 87.98 | 10.60 | 17.00 | 51.46 | 167.04 |
| 10 | Bristol | 77.64 | 13.40 | 17.00 | 61.53 | 169.57 |
Top 10 cities to splurge
| City | Hotel (£) | Taxi (£) | Cocktails for two (£) | Dinner(£) | Total Cost (£) | |
| 1 | London | 155.51 | 17.70 | 21.00 | 70.50 | 264.71 |
| 2 | Bath | 154.36 | 13.30 | 27.00 | 69.99 | 264.65 |
| 3 | Edinburgh | 160.92 | 12.00 | 18.20 | 69.53 | 260.65 |
| 4 | Brighton | 112.51 | 13.36 | 14.00 | 65.53 | 205.41 |
| 5 | Aberdeen | 99.99 | 6.80 | 13.90 | 69.23 | 189.92 |
| 6 | Inverness | 120.73 | 6.40 | 8.60 | 52.47 | 188.2 |
| 7 | York | 99.94 | 13.21 | 17.00 | 55.47 | 185.62 |
| 8 | Chester | 79.08 | 7.00 | 27.00 | 66.67 | 179.75 |
| 9 | Belfast | 77.31 | 6.20 | 19.90 | 69.54 | 172.95 |
| 10 | Norwich | 77.68 | 10.00 | 18.00 | 67.07 | 172.75 |
“Recent Olympic fever may well have reignited a love for all the UK has to offer, but on-going economic concerns mean many Brits are still cost-conscious when it comes to travel. By breaking down the common components that make up a UK weekend city break, the TripAdvisor TripIndex allows travellers to smartly compare where their money will go the furthest,” continued TripAdvisor’s Emma Shaw.
TripIndex:
The hotel cost – one of a traveller’s biggest concerns when setting a holiday budget – is based on data from many TripAdvisor partners, including online travel agencies and direct hotel suppliers, for travel between 1 August and 31 August 2012, providing a highly accurate index.
TripIndex prices out the following items in each destination:
· Per night cost a four-star hotel (between 1 August and 31 August 2012)· Cost of two two mile taxi journeys
· Cost of an alcoholic cocktail (dry martini) – for two
· Cost of a meal for two (starter and main – salad and steak and chips with a bottle of house wine)
Prices were collected through a variety of research methods as outlined below. The ‘basket’ of items – one night’s accommodation, two two-mile taxi journeys; salad starter and steak and chips two course meal with a bottle of house wine and a dry martini – are representative of the items many travellers will purchase while on holiday.
Hotels: Hotel prices shown specify the average cost of a four-star hotel found on TripAdvisor (via partner booking sites such as online travel agencies and direct hotel suppliers) in each destination for the period of 1 August – 31 August 2012). On average, 54 hotels were price-checked to identify the average cost of one night’s accommodation in each city.
Dry Martini: Dry Martini prices shown specify the cost of a traditional dry martini in the main/largest bar in a top-rated five-star hotel on TripAdvisor in each destination. In the destinations where a five-star hotel was not listed on TripAdvisor, a top-rated four-star hotel was chosen.
Dinner for two: Dinner prices shown specify the cost of a two course meal of a salad and steak and chips with a house bottle of wine in a mid-range restaurant in each destination. Taxi: Taxi prices shown specify the cost of a two-mile taxi journey (return) in each destination. In most cases, data was obtained from the local council or a large taxi company operating in the area. In the approximately 30% of destinations where such information was not available, data was obtained from destination specialists. Please note taxi prices will vary according to a number of factors, including number of passengers, pick-up/drop-off points, traffic, time of day, method of booking, luggage, etc.
All prices shown are as quoted by source.
