Survey

Edinburgh Ranks as Costliest UK Destination to Stay in This Summer

Edinburgh won’t be doing budget travelers any favors this summer. The Scottish capital has just ranked as the most expensive UK destination according to a new survey from CheapRooms.co.uk. The determining factor in coming up with the rankings was hotel costs during the summer school vacation period. Thirty destinations in the United Kingdom were compared by the survey.

To stay overnight in Edinburgh this summer, visitors will have to pay an average of GBP 97, and even at that price they’ll have to settle for the most affordable double room. The annual Festival Fringe is certainly a major contributor to the city’s steep hotel prices. The world's largest arts festival, this year the event will occur August 2nd through the 26th. Bargain hunters will want to plan their visit outside of the festival timeframe. Late in July or at the tail end of August, they should be able to score a room in Edinburgh for 30% less.

Taking the number two spot on the survey is Bath, where the average double room is going for GBP 93 per night. That figure makes this southwest England city a tad more expensive than London, where the least costly double room this summer has an average price tag of GBP 92.

The following table compares 30 destinations in the UK based on their hotel rates this summer. The prices shown reflect the average daily rate for each locale's cheapest available double room (minimum: 3 star hotel) for the time period spanning July 24th through September 1st.

1. Edinburgh GBP 97
2. Bath GBP 93
3. London GBP 92
4. St. Ives GBP 89
5. Oxford GBP 88
6. Iverness GBP 82
7. Brighton GBP 82
8. York GBP 79
9. Portsmouth GBP 73
10. Shanklin GBP 69
11. Windermere GBP 69
12. Aberdeen GBP 66
13. Tenby GBP 66
14. Eastbourne GBP 63
15. Douglas GBP 62

16. Newquay GBP 61
17. Bournemouth GBP 59
18. Bristol GBP 57
19. Southport GBP 56
20. Glasgow GBP 54
21. Belfast GBP 52
22. Torquay GBP 49
23. Llandudo GBP 47
24. Manchester GBP 47
25. Skegness GBP 47
26. Liverpool GBP 46
27. Sheffield GBP 46
28. Ayr GBP 45
29. Cardiff GBP 42
30. Blackpool GBP 33

About the Methodology

For 30 popular destinations in the United Kingdom, the price for the cheapest available double room was established for the following time periods: July 26–28, August 6–8, August 16–18, August 19–21 and August 29–31. Based on this data, an average price was calculated for each destination, resulting in the aforementioned rankings. Only such hotels rated 3 stars or higher and with a TripAdvisor rating of at least average were included in the survey. Moreover, only such hotels located in or less than one kilometer from the city center/beach were considered for the respective destinations. All prices were established between July 15 and July 20 via the hotel comparison website Kayak