LONDON — also the most expensive city in the world
Have you ever been to one of the most interesting cities in the world — London?
London is one of the most expensive and largest cities in the world. It is an amazing metropolis where the city’s rhythm works like clockwork, the streets are crowded, yet there is no chaos. In this city, where it rains approximately four times a week, it is nearly impossible to see mud.
Transportation cost for a 6-day holiday — 180 manats
First of all, let’s say this. When you start walking around London, you will often see the phrase “Mind the gap.” It means to pay attention to the gap between the train and the platform — don’t let your foot get stuck there. The English have experienced such accidents multiple times, so passengers are warned to prevent disasters.
As for metro and bus fares, there is a system here similar to our “metro card.” It is called the “Oyster card.” This card will be your best friend. One ride costs £2.40, roughly 5.20 AZN. As a tourist, if you use transport 5–6 times a day, it will cost about 30 AZN daily. For a 6-day holiday, you would spend 180 AZN on transportation. Instead, if you buy an Oyster card for £5, you can use the metro and buses unlimitedly for a week. The London metro runs like Swiss clockwork, but it is quite complex and expensive.
The world’s most expensive kebab
In London, you can find eateries for every budget. For a minimum of 9 AZN, you can taste delicious dishes. A real lifesaver is London’s markets. Many of them offer a “meal deal,” which can be translated as a “food package.” In this deal, a sandwich, a drink, and a pack of fruit (or chips) are sold for £3 (about 7 AZN). The most popular food in London is the meal deal. Additionally, you can find flavors from even the smallest countries on London streets. In pubs, alcoholic drinks start at 6 AZN.
Although kebab originated in Muslim countries, the most expensive kebab in the world is made in London. For example, at the restaurant “Hazev,” the world’s most expensive kebab costs £925 — approximately 2220 AZN.
They say the most expensive department store in the world is also in this city. It is a place that everyone visiting London must see — a place that mesmerizes with the dizzying atmosphere of expensive perfumes and goods worth thousands of pounds. The seven-story department store covers 2 hectares and houses approximately 330 shops.
A small jar of honey here costs £1,500, which is approximately 2,000 AZN. Fruits and vegetables are also sold here: one kilogram of tomatoes costs 30 AZN, and one kilogram of fish costs 300 AZN.
The place sold to Qatar’s royal family for £1.5 billion
If you can’t afford that, don’t worry — on the souvenir floor, you can buy a cup or a pen with “Harrods” on it for 15–20 AZN. You can also find more reasonably priced items — mushroom soup for £12 and coffee for £6. While most things are aimed at the ultra-rich, it’s still possible to find small items suitable for a modest budget.
This place is mostly visited by Arabs, Asians, and other foreign tourists.
Finally, Harrods was founded in 1849 by Henry Charles Harrod as a food store. It expanded in the late 1800s with many new departments added. In 1985, Egyptian Mohamed al-Fayed bought Harrods and in 2010 sold it to Qatar’s royal family for £1.5 billion.