Exhibition too expensive?

[NUKe]

Picked up a leaflet at the local railway station yesterday. It contains an offer for half price entry to various "attractions" in London. My wife has never been in St Paul's Cathedral and would really like to go but normal entry is £18! I think even that for two is OTT.

I also picked up a leaflet for London bus tours as we have the grandchildren for half term and thought they might like to see some of the sights but a family ticket is £73. I think Shank's pony will be our mode of transport.

The Tube is a great way to get round London . most of the main sights of London are within spitting difference of the tube and it in its self is a great London Landmark
would be cheaper than 73

[[XAP]Bob]

Tube - but have a look at a "real" map as well - you'll walk further getting into and out of some stations than the distance between them...

Or Boris bikes of course

[pstallwood]

Even cheaper is our free bus passes and the children go free as well. We have Oyster cards for use on the tube and children go free there as well. Southern charge £1 each for the children so getting from home into London is not too expensive.

Grandchildren have been on the tube - visit to the free National History Museum - but we thought that an open top bus trip would be a treat for them so they could at least see Buckingham Palace and the Tower with all places in between but I am not going to pay £73 for that.

[mercalia]

Picked up a leaflet at the local railway station yesterday. It contains an offer for half price entry to various "attractions" in London. My wife has never been in St Paul's Cathedral and would really like to go but normal entry is £18! I think even that for two is OTT.

I also picked up a leaflet for London bus tours as we have the grandchildren for half term and thought they might like to see some of the sights but a family ticket is £73. I think Shank's pony will be our mode of transport.

since when do u have to pay to visit St Pauls? I think attend a service there ( for free?) or are they also charging for that now? I havent been there for a long time but it used to be voluntary. they wont be getting any of my money. wrong for an established church such as the CofE to charge?

[mercalia]

I also picked up a leaflet for London bus tours as we have the grandchildren for half term and thought they might like to see some of the sights but a family ticket is £73. I think Shank's pony will be our mode of transport.

well dont take one of those bikey things - there was a case of some visitors being charged some obscene amount of money to go from one end of Oxford st to other.

[Penfold]

If you want to see a load of old bikes you can look in my shed/garage for a fiver

[mjr]

Museums in London - I expect free entry to the vast majority of exhibits.

The Museum of London is like that and pretty good.

[niggle]

Some adult entry prices for places we have visited in recent years to compare:

National Maritime Museum Falmouth £12
Lost Gardens of Heligan £12.50
Stirling castle £14.50
Highland Wildlife Park £15
Edinburgh Castle £16.50
Eden Project £25

[PH]

Looks like a great exhibition, I'm looking forward to going. Too much? Well simply don't go, it's not like anyone needs to see it. That is doesn't compare with something slightly similar somewhere else in the World doesn't seem that relevant, it doesn't compare to the £4 entry for the National Cycle Collection either. If I lived in London I'd sign up as a member and go as many times as I liked for £55 a year. Any profit will go back into it, no one's getting rich from this (The accounts are published and it's only around a third of it's income comes from entrance fees) and remember it's permanent collection is free and very much worth a look. It's moving to a bigger building in Kensington next year and I look forward to seeing what they do there. If you want to be constructive, maybe you should be urging them to take this exhibition on tour, and encouraging regional venues to take it.

[pwa]

Museum of Welsh Life £0.00

A brilliant place to visit, with farm houses, cottages, old streets and a manor house set in parkland. You can wander through the many buildings, and you can picnic on the lawns. And unless you have to pay the modest car park fee you get in for nothing.

[foxyrider]

Museum of Welsh Life £0.00

A brilliant place to visit, with farm houses, cottages, old streets and a manor house set in parkland. You can wander through the many buildings, and you can picnic on the lawns. And unless you have to pay the modest car park fee you get in for nothing.

sounds just like the Peak District!

I use a value for money indicator for Museums etc based on price divided by length of visit. £5 per hour (or local equivalent) i consider to be ideal and i'm afraid the UK is not doing well in the vfm stakes!

examples this year
Latenium museum Neuchatel Switzerland - visit 1.5 hours CHF8 (@ £5) £3.33 ph
Portland Castle - visit 0.75 hours £5 £6.66 ph
Louwman Museum The Hague holland - visit 4 hours €14 (@ £10) £2.50 ph
Fleet Air Arm Museum, Yeovilton - visit 2 hours £14.50 £7.25 ph

These are just 4 random 'attractions' i've visited this year, even Switzerland is cheaper than the UK! This method levels the playing field when comparing different places.

Don't get me wrong, if i want to go in somewhere i will generally pay up but i am often left wondering exactly why i'm paying so much at some sites.

[NickWi]

You have to remember that a lot of 'tourist attractions' are businesses and expect to make a profit. I know there are few left, but the days of free entry Government/Councils funded museums and exhibitions are rapidly being consigned to the history books.