Warsaw is cultural capital with the lowest price tag

Culture vultures who want to save hundreds of pounds on the cost of an arts and entertainment-packed short break should head for Warsaw.

The Polish capital was far and away the cheapest city for a cultural weekend away, according to the new Cost of Culture report conducted by Post Office Travel Services.

Even though sterling buys 22 per cent fewer Polish zloty than a year ago, the £75 price tag - which included visits to Warsaw's historic art galleries, museums and heritage sites, together with nights at the renowned Polish National Opera, ballet and a symphony concert - weighed in at less than 25 per cent of the equivalent London cost.

London proved by far the most expensive of the 10 cultural capitals surveyed by the Post Office. Its itinerary of 10 cultural highlights, which included trips to the Royal Opera House, Buckingham Palace and the Victoria & Albert Museum, costs around £308, despite the offer of free entry to its national museums and galleries.

By contrast, while the sliding pound has made Prague up to 25 per cent more expensive than a year ago, the Czech capital rates as great value for lovers of the arts. It was second only to Warsaw, at just under £104 for a culture-filled trip.

The survey of Europe and North America's top cultural centres included six eurozone capitals and, as with other price comparison reports by the Post Office, revealed a huge disparity in costs between these destinations.

Lisbon and Amsterdam emerge as the cheapest euro cities for culture lovers, while Paris and Barcelona were significantly pricier. With its historic art and architectural treasures, the Portuguese capital cost just 42 per cent of the Barcelona total - proving that there are still bargains to be found in the eurozone.

The Cost of Culture survey identifies the five best value choices for each of the six cultural categories researched (allowing one entry per city in each category) and found that Paris was the only city not to feature. However clued-up culture vultures can cut their costs by visiting Paris on the first Sunday of each month, when galleries are free.

The report by the Post Office also names the most expensive city in each category, making London the highest priced for opera, ballet and heritage. Visiting Buckingham Palace compared unfavourably at £28.50 with Rome's Colosseum, Forum & Palentine (£9.15), Prague Castle (£8.80) or the Chateau of Versailles, outside Paris (£16.64).

Amsterdam's Vincent Van Gogh Museum was the most expensive art gallery (£10.40), the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel cost most for museums (£11.65) and Berlin took the prize for top-priced music (Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra - £58.23).

Helen Warburton, Post Office head of travel said: "Visiting galleries, museums and heritage sites has always been a staple ingredient of a city break - but in recent years that trend has extended to booking opera, ballet and music concerts too. We based our report on the idea that culture vultures will want to pack in two gallery visits a day over a three day break and spend evenings out at music-based events.

"Although the best value is in the Eastern Europe in Warsaw and Prague, cities with top notch arts attractions, we also looked at St. Petersburg and found it more expensive. A visit to the Kirov Ballet cost even more than a performance by the UK's Royal Ballet.

"While the eurozone has taken a knocking in recent weeks because of the sliding pound, our survey shows that culture lovers can get a great deal in its cities, if they know the ropes. Many galleries are free on specific days - or cheaper if visited late in the day.

Across the Atlantic, New York proved one of the most expensive cultural capitals - ninth in our Cost of Culture table. However arts lovers who want to benefit from the favourable US dollar exchange rate can halve their costs by substituting New York for Washington DC., which boasts the Smithsonian museums as well as the White House."

The Post Office also examined the cost of popular culture across Europe and in the USA. A Can-Can show at the Moulin Rouge in Paris topped this chart at £82.35 significantly more expensive than a Broadway or West End show. The hit show Hairspray costs just over £54 in New York and £50 in London.

The Post Office Cost of Culture survey is available online for holidaymakers to view at postoffice.co.uk/costofculture