Inspiration arrived the moment I passed through the main Pile Gate into the heart of Dubrovnik last week. I glanced to the right and saw with a shudder that a global "casual dining" brand had carved out a corner of one of the Adriatic's most beautiful and storied cities. I have long been seeking the ideal comparator tourism costs worldwide. And there it was: the Hard Rock Cafe. For decades, The Economist has calculated the global Big Mac Index as a real-world example of the concept of purchasing power parity. I wanted something different from a McDonald's hamburger. It needed to be a product for which most of the purchasers are tourists from abroad. I considered chain hotels, specifically city-centre Holiday Inns. Yet despite a degree of standardisation, the quality of these properties varies substantially. I thought about comparing prices of a pint in the local Irish pub. But a fair number of tourist haunts around the world don't (yet) enjoy the pleasure of a Celtic hostelry. Having a Hard Rock Cafe is the mass-market tourism equivalent of a Unesco listing. A destination that possesses a branch of the rock-themed restaurant chain is also a place with a large number of not excessively discerning overseas visitors in search of familiar food. The brand has infiltrated all the obvious targets from Venice to Vegas. More than 170 Hard Rock Cafes stretch from the Arctic (Tromso in Norway) almost to the Antarctic (Ushuaia in Argentina, also known as "the end of the world and the beginning of everything"). In all these locations, few locals would contemplate walking in to a Hard Rock Cafe to order a "legendary burger" and a pint of lager. But we tourists would. In the 54 years since the first branch opened in Piccadilly, central London, millions of us have demonstrated we are suckers for beef and beer served up amid music memorabilia. The Hard Rock Index calculates the cost of the signature burger and a pint (or 500ml) of draught lager. It is, I contend, a reasonable proxy for the living costs for travellers to destinations across the world. Read on to discover where you will get the most burgers'n'beer for your buck. |
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Sharm cool: Hard Rock Cafe in the leading Egyptian resort, Sharm el-Sheikh, where beer and a burger costs a reasonable £15 |
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| From fry-ups to Michelin stars, this island favourite is fast becoming a gourmet destination. Read more. |
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| Clarkson's Farm is back, but his country outpost isn't the only place you should be flocking to. Read more. |
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| With reasonably priced hotels, a fairytale theme and barely any queues, Efteling has a lot to offer. Read more. |
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Best View Fortina Luxury Suites |
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Sterling stretches furthest in South America, according to the Hard Rock index: in the high-altitude Bolivian city of La Paz, a "legendary" Hard Rock Cafe burger, washed down with a pint of local lager, costs just £10.50. While I can recommend many tastier treats in the High Andes, the index shows what excellent value you will find there. Panama City (£13.50) is next-cheapest location for the rock 'n' roll-themed venue after a day exploring the world's greatest short cut, the Panama Canal (pictured below). Eastwards, Bali and Sharm el-Sheikh share third-best spot at £15, reflecting the excellent value in both Indonesia and Egypt for British travellers. (I should stress once again that the beer-and-burger league table is intended as a helpful guide to relative costs rather than a recommendation that you actually visit the Hard Rock Cafe; you can feast on superb local cuisine at a fraction of the cost.) Across Europe, the mode is £26 – applying in London, Reykjavik and Venice as well as that prime tourism location in Dubrovnik. To save significantly, head for Warsaw or Prague. But Copenhagen stands out as the priciest capital, at £31. Just 50p ahead, Dubai takes the title of most expensive location for a visit to the Hard Rock Cafe: three Bolivians could drink and dine for the price of one in the UAE. The index flatters US cities, because it does not take account of sales tax added to the final bill, nor the necessity to tip handsomely; 18 per cent is the minimum that will not cause offence. So take the £22 figure for New York City and San Francisco with a pinch of Hard Rock's "signature spice blend". Add a fiver to avoid being chased down the street by an angry waiter. But as The Independent has revealed, airfares, hotel rates and car rental prices in the US are tumbling this summer as large numbers of Canadians, Mexicans and Europeans stay away. So 2025 could see the soaring costs of previous years reverse. |
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Each week, we'll invite you to vote in our exclusive Travel Week poll, where two travel experiences go head-to-head. This Friday, we're keen to know whether you'd rather set sail on a mega ship with all the bells and whistles or take in smaller waterways with a river cruise. No surprises here – in last week's poll, a walking holiday came out on top, with a huge 74 per cent of you picking it over a biking adventure. |
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French rail strikes next week |
Trains in France face severe disruption from Monday 5 May to Sunday 11 May. Both the CGT-Cheminots and SUD-Rail unions plan strikes in what they describe as a semaine noire ("black week") to protest about SNCF, the national rail operator. The walkouts will hit holiday plans for many French travellers – especially those taking advantage of Thursday 8 May being a public holiday to create a four-day weekend. Typically during French rail strikes, between one-third and one-half of TGV high-speed trains still run. But, with many trains fully booked already, if yours is cancelled there will be few spare seats. SNCF says passengers booked on trains that are axed will be contacted by email or text "to inform you of the various options". Even if you are not notified of a cancellation, the train operator advises checking the status of your train before going to the station. |
Bank holiday trains in Britain |
Once again the West Coast main line, linking London Euston with the West Midlands, northwest England and southern Scotland, is the target of Network Rail engineering work over the bank holiday weekend. The warm-up is tomorrow, with disruption at various locations between Preston and Carstairs in Scotland. On Saturday one train will run each hour from London to Preston, with some extending as far as Carlisle. Links onward to Edinburgh and Glasgow will involve rail replacement buses. Adding to that disarray on Sunday and Monday: Euston station is closed and trains will start and end at Milton Keynes Central. Elsewhere, London Victoria will be closed to Southeastern trains all weekend, with some replacement services to and from other stations in the capital. The link from Cambridge to Stansted airport will close. Across the Pennines, trains will be routed away from Huddersfield in West Yorkshire. 'Open-access intercity rail firms should learn from budget airlines' |
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Combining a Greek island with Athens? |
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| We want a package holiday on one of the Greek islands – but with the opportunity to explore the archaeological sites in Athens as well. Which island do you recommend? |
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I commend your plan: a package holiday on a Greek island is one of travel's ever-reliable joys. Yet until the summer of 2025, it has been implausible this century to combine the two: all Greek islands with packages from the UK have been many hours away from Athens and therefore difficult to combine. But your timing is excellent, because a lovely island that fell off the list of package destinations in the 1990s has returned to the agenda: Poros, which I was lucky to visit last September. It is just an hour from Pireaus, the port for Athens, by fast ferry. Anticipate all the usual joys of a Greek island: a colourful and relaxed waterfront with too many tavernas to count; a maze of steps and alleys clambering up through whitewashed cottages to a church perched on a hill; and some excellent beaches. Add an exuberance of bougainvillea and an absence of crowds, and you have all the ingredients for an excellent holiday. Reaching Poros is something of an adventure. On a Jet2 package from London Stansted you will be met at Athens airport and transferred to Piraeus in a private transfer "to catch the next available crossing". The crossing via hydrofoil takes 75 minutes. Another private transfer awaits for the short trip to your chosen accommodation. Once established in Poros, you will find regular departures of hydrofoils to Piraeus. Board an early sailing, take the Metro from Piraeus and aim straight for the Acropolis while the temperature and the crowds are relatively low. Once the heat of the day arrives, celebrate the air-conditioning in the Acropolis Museum, then wander through Athens – a pedestrianised joy these days – before heading back to Poros via Piraeus. |
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| | Protect your skin for less – we've spotted some great deals on sunscreens at Boots. |
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| Stay cool while travelling with this handheld, foldable fan from John Lewis – yours for just £12. |
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