mefhisto1
Traveller
9 comments
Posted 13 years ago
Hi, i'll be touring UK and Ireland this summer for about 25 days. My question is, how much money should that trip cost (excluding the train ticket). I've done some research and most of the hostels are in 15-20 euro range + I'll definitely spend some nights in trains. Ok, since, travel and accommodation costs are predictable ;) .. but what's your opinion .. 3 - 3 1/2 weeks in the UK and Ireland, what would be a rough budget for food, museums and beer ?
Thanks in advance for answers and special Thanks to Peter and Flow for answering my every question in the past year or so :)
Flo
Traveller
10724 comments
Museums are very often free for the permanent exhibitions which is very nice. :)
If you are ok with supermarket stuff (cooking in the hostel and/or preparing sandwiches for the day) it is rather cheap (not remarkably more expensive than in central Europe), maybe think about 10 GBP per day
Beer...humm, well I was lucky the last times I was in the UK as we stayed with friends of us so we didnt really go out but stayed at home instead. In Troon/Scotland, a pint was ~4GBP but this was 2009 and memory is a little dizzy... :D
Flo 8)
PS: Glad if I can help a little - it is nice if we get a little feedback!
ben124
Traveller
6 comments
I'd thought I'd add my little bit... Britain doesnt have to be as expensive as people make it out to be... you could spend three weeks exploring just the free london museums (science museum, natural history museum, tate britain, tate modern, national gallery, imperial war museum and the british museum), only the temporary exhibitions cost. Most local/regional museums are free to visit as well. Dont forget that if your've visiting London you can take the free New Europe tour. And of course all our countryside and beaches are free too!
In terms of food you can go to the supermarkets (Tesco, Sainsburys, Morrisons and Asda are the cheapest: Marks & Spencer and Waitrose are more expensive). If like me you are too lazy to make lunch you can get lunch for £3 (sandwich, snack and drink) from Boots- the pharmacy! They are in almost every town. And of course there are plenty of small cafes and bakers who are quite cheap. If you want to eat out you can go to a Weatherspoons and get a Beer and Burger for £5, although most pubs do some really good deals- just look-out for the good ones and if you're feeling like a particularly fancy traveller there are many places in cities where you can eat in a restaurant and have a drink and meal for under £10.
Prices for Beer vary widely and a good way to judge is to look at the bar/pub you can usualy tell which ones are more expensive/cheap- although some not very nice ones can be quite expensive. Look out for deals in student areas. On average expect to pay £3-£4 for a pint.
Also there's not many places to refill your water so make sure you fill-up at the start of your day.
Lordmwa
Traveller
117 comments
Just a little info - any museam that starts with the word National is almost cerainly goverment funded and free - i think there are a few exceptions but not in london. Also some non nationals are also free but less likely.
Huge price differences within the UK. im in liverpool which is basically the cheapest city in the UK. London is very expensive as are most other cultural cities. They will always get cheaper the further out from the tourist areas you go :) But that is a standard around the world
jens90
Traveller
11 comments
Hi,
25 days sound a lot to me. I did UK and Ireland in about 15. But if you have a lot of time, try exploring Scotland for some days. Also the south of Ireland is interesting landscape-wise. There is a handy ferry connection from Scotland (south of Glasgow somewhere) to Belfast. It is fairly cheap and you get a interrail discount.
Money-wise a lot has already been said (free museums, cheap pub-food). Just be aware that in London most Hostels are a ripp-off (expensive and crappy). Also Dublin is very expensive. If you're not a huge fan, don't go to the brewery-museums. They cost around 15-18 Euros and are only exploiting tourists. Also I found food and drinks very expensive in Dublin. To drink a nice pint of Guiness go to another Irish city ( i heard Cork was nice).
Flo
Traveller
10724 comments
[quote]There is a handy ferry connection from Scotland (south of Glasgow somewhere) to Belfast. It is fairly cheap and you get a interrail discount.
[/quote]
Stranraer - Belfast :arr: includes a nice train ride from Glasgow via Ayr down to Stranraer. To get the InterRail discount at StenaLine it is best to buy the ticket directly at the ferryport.
Flo 8)
mefhisto1
Traveller
9 comments
hey, thanks for the replies
Yeah i know 25 days for UK and Ireland is probably more than someone needs, but I'm doing a 4 day walking tour through peak district and another 2 day tour around highlands + city hopping in England.
Jens, I'll be in Ireland for about 10 days (i mean i'm not fixed on anything, few days less, few days more doesn't matter much) .. what do you think, is that enough to do some city hopping + take a tour or two through south or west of Ireland for some sights ?
When it comes to prices, is Ireland more expensive or cheaper than UK ?
jens90
Traveller
11 comments
hmmm, I got the feeling that Ireland is more expensive than the UK, although that obviously depends on the city. Dublin is defenetly more expensive than most UK-cities but some of the other areas should be cheaper.
With ten days on your hand I would recommend you to stay in Belfast for some time (interesting history), which makes sense, especially if you arrive by ferry from Stanrear. Then I would visit Dublin and in the end spend some time in the south, maybe make some tours or visit Cork ( Iheard that is a nice city, but I've never been there...) I don't know where you are from, but if you are from France/ Germany you might check out the ferry connections to get back to the European mainland (Rosslare-Rosscoff (France)) Of course there are also cheap flights...