This is the cheapest city for a cultural break in autumn

Budapest has been named as the cheapest destination for a fall cultural break for the second year in a row.

Aerial view of Budapest cityscape and Liberty Statue under a golden sky — Budapest was named as the cheapest city for a cultural break in autumn © Zsolt Hlinka/Getty

The Cost of Culture report, by the Post Office Travel Money, compares the price of ballet, opera and concert tickets in 18 cities, together with entry to each city's top museum, art gallery and heritage attraction. Its aim is to find out which place give you more cultural bang for your buck. Budapest, where entry to the Hungarian National Museum costs £4.68 (€5.30) and entry to Matthias Church (the city's top heritage site) costs £5.27 (€5.96), was revealed as the report's cheapest city overall, with the price of culture (£70/€79.11) less than a fifth of those in the most expensive cities.

An up-close view of the Royal Palace or Palacio Real in Madrid on a cloudless day — Madrid's Royal Palace is the city's top heritage attraction. ©raspu/Getty

For the same number of attractions, visitors pay £430 (€486) in Madrid, £418 (€472) in New York and £377 (€426) in Milan, the top three most expensive cultural cities in the report. Milan and Madrid had the biggest price hikes this year, both increasing by about 30% thanks in part to the rising cost of opera, ballet and classical music in both cities.

The eastern cities of Prague and Warsaw were the second and third cheapest cities, coming in at £102 (€115) and £105 (€119) respectively. Stockholm came in fourth place, boosted by the fact that entry to its top art gallery, Moderna Museet, is free, while the cost of tickets to classical concerts and opera are relatively low.

Where to go in October for culture

Symmetrical rows of bookshelves in the Long Room in the Trinity College Library — Dublin was named as the best value destination for culture in the Eurozone. Pictured is the Long Room in the Trinity College Library ©VanderWolf Images/Shutterstock

London and Dublin are the only cities in the report to offer free entry to both its top museums and art galleries but London was let down by expensive prices for ballet and opera tickets, even in low-season. The UK capital's cultural activities were priced at £288 (€325), while Dublin's was priced at £173 (€195), making it the most budget-friendly destination for culture in the Eurozone.

Some of the best value (under £20) cultural highlights in the report are: Dublin's National Museum of Ireland (free), London's British Museum and National Gallery (free), Stockholm's Moderna Museet (free), Paris' Notre Dame (free), Warsaw's Warsaw Rising Museum (£5.38/€6.08), Budapest's Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra (£12.83/€14.50), Moscow's National Philharmonic Orchestra (£16.15/€18.25) and Budapest's Hungarian Opera (£18.25/€20.62).

The 18 cheapest cities for cultural breaks in the report are:

Budapest (£70/€79)

Prague (£102/€115)

Warsaw (£105/€118)

Stockholm (£159/€179)

Moscow (£161/€182)

Dublin (£173/€195)

Brussels (£174/€196)

Berlin (£214/€241)

Rome (£216/€243)

Paris (£241/€272)

Amsterdam (£253/€285)