TicketLens, with its metasearch engine for tickets, tours and activities, has compared the prices of attractions such as museums within the last four years to show how expensive entrance fees have become.
Globally, prices for tourist attractions have increased by an average of 18% or €13.63 within the last four years.
Turkey comes out on top, paying an average of 35.25% or €26.22 more in 2023 compared to 2019.
Overall, sightseeing & guided tours have become the most expensive. On average, you have to budget €12.40 or 21.7% more this year if you want to visit famous monuments and buildings or experience exciting tours.
TicketLens, the comparison portal for tickets, tours and tourist activities, has conducted a price analysis between June 2019 and June 2023 for various popular travel experiences in 27 countries. The results show that the prices for tours and tickets have increased significantly worldwide.
For the analysis, a wide variety of well-known activities and attractions within the four categories of sightseeing and guided tours, museums, hop-on hop-off buses and viewpoints were examined and evaluated by experts.
Germany is not the only country to have been affected by inflation in recent years. So if you don’t want to experience any unexpected price surprises on holiday, it is worthwhile to find out in advance about possible costs for local activities.
Table 1: The 15 countries with the highest price increases for tourist attractions. In these countries, prices for museums, guided tours and the like have risen the most in the last four years. The complete overview of all 27 countries surveyed can be found at: https://www.ticketlens.com/de/magazine/touristenattraktionen-im-preis-vergleich-2019-2023
| Rank | Country | ⌀ price 2019 | ⌀ price 2023 | Increase % | Increase € |
| 1 | Turkey | 74,40 € | 100,60 € | 35,25 % | 26,22 € |
| 2 | Ireland | 81,10 € | 106,80 € | 31,70 % | 25,71 € |
| 3 | UK | 87,90 € | 113,70 € | 29,44 % | 25,86 € |
| 4 | Poland | 49,50 € | 63,80 € | 29,03 % | 14,35 € |
| 5 | Hungary | 48,20 € | 60,70 € | 26,04 % | 12,54 € |
| 6 | PRoChina | 59,20 € | 73,50 € | 24,29 % | 14,37 € |
| 7 | Portugal | 81,80 € | 101 € | 23,46 % | 19,19 € |
| 8 | Singapore | 33,40 € | 41,10 € | 23,02 % | 7,69 € |
| 9 | Marocco | 66,10 € | 80 € | 21,01 % | 13,89 € |
| 10 | Austria | 83,70 € | 101,30 € | 20,96 % | 17,56 € |
| 11 | Germany | 49,20 € | 59,50 € | 20,96 % | 10,31 € |
| 12 | Czech Republik | 51,40 € | 62,10 € | 20,95 % | 10,76 € |
| 13 | Spain | 64,90 € | 78,50 € | 20,83 % | 13,53 € |
| 14 | Italy | 87,20 € | 105,20 € | 20,64 % | 18,00 € |
| 15 | USA | 90 € | 107,40 € | 19,27 % | 17,35 € |
Price increase in Germany
There is also no good news for those who like to spend their holidays at home. In an international comparison, Germany ranks 11th in terms of price increases for tourist attractions. The costs for guided tours, hop-on hop-off buses and the like have risen by almost 21% in this country within the last four years. These German cities have become the most expensive:
Table 2: Top 3 German cities with the biggest price increase for tourism attractions. In these cities, tourist activities have become the most expensive since 2019. The complete overview of all cities, also internationally, can be found here: https://www.ticketlens.com/de/magazine/touristenattraktionen-im-preis-vergleich-2019-2023
| Rank | City | ⌀ Price 2019 | ⌀ Price 2023 | Increase % | Increase € |
| 1 | Berlin | 50,20 € | 62,10 € | 23,55 % | 11,84 € |
| 2 | Dresden | 40,80 € | 47,70 € | 17,04 % | 6,95 € |
| 3 | Hamburg | 49 € | 57,10 € | 16,55 % | 8,10 € |
Prices for luxury experiences:
Even “luxury activities” for high earners have become more expensive. Below is a selection of the most extravagant experiences that are perfect for very special moments despite the price increase:
Early Bird Vatican Tour: In this 3-hour private guided tour through the treasures of the Vatican, one experiences the Sistine Chapel, the Raphael Rooms and St. Peter’s Basilica very exclusively – before the general masses have access to the museums. So you can marvel at the places undisturbed and privately. Prices start at 250 euros upwards and have changed only slightly since 2019.
London Eye: If the conventional ticket isn’t enough, there is the option of booking a private ride. If you want a cabin for your loved one and yourself alone, you will pay €769.30 in 2023, an increase of 58.71% compared to 2019.
Burj Khalifa: For the world’s tallest building in Dubai, a package with skip-the-line entry, gourmet meal and transfer is available from €738.68. However, in 2019 the price was still €291.02, an increase of 153.83%.
More information on this analysis as well as an explanation of the methodology can be found here.
