Expensive London Voted Most Exciting City in Europe…but the Food is Awful

TripAdvisor Survey Reveals Highs and Lows of European Cities

LONDON, July 12, 2010 - TripAdvisor(R), the world's largest travel site, today announced the
results of its third annual European Cities Survey, giving London cause for
both celebration and commiseration.

Rip-Off Reputation Haunts London

It seems London still can't shake off its rip-off reputation as it's
crowned the most expensive city in Europe, according to the TripAdvisor
survey of almost 3,000 European travellers*. Pricey Paris and costly Venice
take second and third spots respectively.

The Portuguese capital of Lisbon has been voted the best value city in
Europe, followed by Prague. "Travellers are more aware than ever of securing
the best value on holiday, and with the pound currently at a 19-month high
against the Euro there are some great savings to be made by savvy British
travellers," said TripAdvisor spokesperson Emma O'Boyle.

Food Failures But Excitement Champions

It may be home to some of the world's finest chefs, but it's bad news for
the UK when it comes to gastro tourism - the top three cities in the worst
cuisine category are all British with London's food voted the worst in Europe
for the second year running.

The survey reveals Liverpool's cuisine to be the second worst and,
despite being the birthplace of one of Britain's most treasured dishes -
chicken tikka massala - Birmingham's food was rated the third worst in
Europe.

Yet whilst the capital's food may fail to whet travellers' appetites, its
buzzing atmosphere and plethora of things to do clearly meets with approval.
London has emerged as the most exciting city in Europe, beating rivals Paris
and Barcelona. It's bad news for Brummies though; Birmingham has been named
the most boring city in Europe.

London Cleans Up Its Act

More good news is that London has, quite literally, cleaned up its act.
Last year it was named and shamed as the dirtiest city in Europe, whereas
this year it doesn't even make the shortlist. The dirtiest city title this
year goes to Athens, followed by Istanbul. Travellers looking to avoid the
dirt should head to Zurich, voted Europe's cleanest city, followed by Geneva
and then Stockholm.

Safety is always a concern when travelling, but the results reveal
reassuring news for the millions of visitors who come to London every year.
The English capital clinched third place in the safest city category, with
only Geneva and Zurich ranking safer.

London has also emerged as the easiest city in Europe for travellers to
get around. This may come as a surprise to many London commuters who travel
throughout the capital every day, but Mayor Boris can take some comfort in
this. Rome emerged as the most difficult city to get around.

Not So Beautiful In Birmingham

Singletons should consider heading to Rome - the findings reveal the
Italian city boasts the most attractive locals in Europe. Fans of Cat Deeley
may not agree but the survey found travellers do not feel the same about
Birmingham, with only the Polish city of Krakow ranked higher in the
unattractive locals category.

"Europe's cities all have their highs and lows, but it's great that
London has been crowned the most exciting," continued Emma O'Boyle, "And with
the London Olympics only two years away it's encouraging to see the
fundamental issues of safety and transport already scoring highly with
visitors."

TRIPADVISOR 2010 EUROPEAN CITIES SURVEY: RESULTS OVERVIEW

    Best cuisine:     1. Rome       2. Paris      3. Barcelona
    Worst cuisine:    1. London     2. Liverpool  3. Birmingham
    Most Exciting:    1. London     2. Paris      3. Barcelona
    Best To Get
    Around:           1. London     2. Paris      3. Barcelona
    Worst To Get
    Around:           1. Rome       2. Venice     3. Athens
    Most Attractive:  1. Rome       2. Barcelona  3. Milan
    Least Attractive: 1. Krakow     2. Birmingham 3. Gdansk
    Most Boring       1. Birmingham 2. Zurich     3. Gdansk
    Safest City:      1. Geneva     2. Zurich     3. London
    Most Dangerous:   1. Istanbul   2. Barcelona  3. Rome
    Most Expensive:   1. London     2. Paris      3. Venice
    Best value:       1. Lisbon     2. Prague     3. Istanbul
    Dirtiest City:    1. Athens     2. Istanbul   3. Rome
    Cleanest City:    1. Zurich     2. Geneva     3. Stockholm

Notes to editor

* 2,963 European respondents, including 559 Britons, took part in the
TripAdvisor survey (May-June 2010)

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uSource: comScore Media Metrix, Worldwide, May 2010

For further information please contact: Betsy Croft, TripAdvisor, +44(0)20-3320-3230 / +44(0)751-910-6430/ bcroft at tripadvisor.com