Find Cheap Hotels has published new research comparing prices at 126 attractions across 19 UK destinations, finding that only 15.1% clearly became more expensive between March and July 2026.
Prices were initially recorded between 3 and 31 March 2026 and checked again between 6 and 23 July 2026.
Of the 126 attractions included in the final analysis, 19 increased their prices, 27 became cheaper and seven recorded a mixture of increases and reductions across different ticket types.
A further 32 paid attractions kept their prices unchanged, while 41 continued to offer free main admission.
Overall, 100 of the 126 attractions either became cheaper, stayed at the same price or remained free to visit.
The full UK attraction price study for 2026 covers destinations including London, Brighton, Blackpool, Bath, Windsor, York, Cambridge, Cornwall, the Cotswolds and the Lake District.
Hasnaat Mahmood, founder and CEO of Find Cheap Hotels, said: “We expected to find that attraction prices had risen more widely, but the results were considerably more mixed.
“Price reductions were more common than clear increases, although visitors still need to compare advance, walk-up, child, family and promotional prices carefully. Different ticket types at the same attraction can move in opposite directions.”
Paid attractions changed more frequently
When the 41 attractions offering free main access were removed, the study contained 85 attractions with paid tickets or paid elements.
Among those attractions:
- 19 increased their prices
- 27 decreased their prices
- Seven recorded mixed changes
- 32 remained unchanged
This meant 62.4% of paid attractions changed at least one comparable price, while 37.6% stayed the same.
Clear decreases were approximately 1.42 times as common as clear increases.
The mixed category was used where different ticket types at the same attraction moved in opposite directions. For example, an adult ticket could become cheaper while a family package, parking charge or optional experience increased.
More individual prices decreased than increased
The research also compared 256 individual paid price lines.
These included adult, child, concession, family, parking, tour and activity prices where a reliable like-for-like comparison could be made.
Of the 256 prices:
- 65 increased
- 98 decreased
- 93 remained unchanged
Among the 163 prices that changed, 60.1% decreased and 39.9% increased.
The average percentage increase was 17.3%, representing an average cash rise of £1.82.
The average percentage reduction was 12.7%, while the average cash saving was higher at £2.71.
Across all 256 comparable paid price lines, the combined total fell from £4,438.15 to £4,290.97. This represented a reduction of £147.18, or approximately 3.3%.
The combined figure is intended to show the overall direction of the sample rather than the cost of a typical day out. It includes different ticket categories, such as adult, child, family and optional experience prices.
Several attractions still introduced substantial increases
Although increases were less common, some individual price rises were significant.
The largest percentage increase was recorded for a guided tour at Trinity College in Cambridge, which rose from £5 to £10.
Other notable increases included:
- An adult walk-up ticket at a Windsor attraction rising from £10.50 to £17.50
- Concession admission at St Augustine’s Abbey increasing from £9 to £15
- An adult advance ticket at a Windsor attraction rising from £8.50 to £13.50
- Adult walk-up admission at St Augustine’s Abbey increasing from £10.40 to £16
These larger movements helped push the average percentage increase upwards, even though relatively few attractions became more expensive overall.
Some of the largest reductions affected family and child tickets
The largest percentage reduction was recorded at Old Trafford, where the lowest available child stadium-tour price fell from £15 to £4.50.
Its adult stadium-tour price also decreased from £28 to £15.75.
Other notable reductions included:
- Brighton Palace Pier adult admission falling from £2 to £1
- Bath Abbey child admission dropping from £5 to £3.50
- Oxford Castle and Prison adult admission falling from £19.50 to £15
Temporary summer offers contributed to some of the reductions recorded during July.
A temporary reduction in VAT from 20% to 5% also applied to qualifying family-attraction admissions between 25 June and 1 September 2026.
Not every attraction or ticket qualified for the reduced rate, and not every operator passed the full saving into its advertised prices. Some reductions may therefore only be available for a limited period.
Free attractions continue to reduce the cost of UK days out
The research found that 41 attractions continued to offer free main access.
These included museums, parks, churches, gardens, viewpoints, historic streets and natural attractions.
Visitors may still need to pay for parking, guided tours, special exhibitions or optional activities at some of these locations. However, the main attraction can be experienced without purchasing an admission ticket.
The findings suggest that combining one paid attraction with several free places could help travellers reduce the overall cost of a UK break.
Visitors should compare the exact ticket they need
The study concluded that UK attraction prices had not increased across the board.
Some individual attractions introduced considerable rises, and the final cost of a day out can still increase once transport, parking, food and optional extras are included.
However, the sample contained more price reductions than increases, alongside a substantial number of unchanged and free attractions.
Find Cheap Hotels recommends checking the exact ticket required before travelling, as advance, walk-up, weekday, weekend, family and promotional prices can vary significantly at the same venue.
The complete UK attraction price comparison contains the full methodology, destination breakdown and detailed findings from all 126 attractions.
