France ranks as costliest holiday destination in Europe

A new UK Post Office survey shows France to be the priciest holiday destination in Europe, according to a post office spokesman.

Of the ‘Big Four’ European destinations popular with British summer holidaymakers, France is the most expensive.

When compared with the other three destinations – Greece, Spain and Turkey – the cost of visiting France is the highest by far. In the 11 key categories used to measure the cost of holidays, France ranked highest in seven. The categories include meals, beer, mineral water, and car hire, for example, according to the post office’s research department.

France also registered the highest percentage increase on unleaded fuel, over 2007. The average price jumped 32 per cent, to the equivalent of £1.24 per litre.

The cost of entry to the top heritage attractions in France is also the highest. This includes tourist favourites such as the Arc de Triomphe, the Eiffel Tower and the Palace of Versailles, making the country “significantly less family-friendly than Italy, Greece or Spain when it comes to a day out” – according to the report.

Overall, the country was 61 per cent pricier than Turkey, 58 per cent more than Spain and 13 per cent higher than Greece - with car hire particularly costly at £115 a week, compared with £57 in Spain.

The UK Post Office survey used pricing information from tourist boards for the price of Coke, Heineken and postcards, among other others. It checked costs for car hire directly with Avis and Europcar, and checked the entry fees for numerous attractions in the four major destinations.

A post office spokeswoman commented that she was “surprised to find such a marked difference in France this year.”

www.postoffice.co.uk