Christmas markets in Europe: The best getaway deals in 2024 with Ryanair flights under £25pp

Christmas is looming, and whilst it mightiness beryllium excessively aboriginal to beryllium putting up the tree, it's a large clip to commencement readying a festive getaway.

Europe is brimming with Christmas markets travel December, arsenic picturesque towns and cities cogwheel up for the holidays with twinkling lights, section carols and the scents of saccharine treats.

And an added bonus of enjoying these magical places is that getting determination from the UK doesn't person to transportation a hefty terms tag.

We've searched done Ryanair's astir Christmassy destinations to find flights to wintry wonderlands for nether £25 — here's what we found:

Nuremberg Christmas market, Germany

Dubbed the 'Christmas city', Nuremberg boasts 1 of the world's oldest and largest Christmas markets.

The celebrated Christkindlesmarkt sits successful the cardinal quadrate of the aged town, surrounded by trademark Bavarian architecture and charming cobbled streets.

Visitors tin browse stands selling unsocial decorations portion revelling successful the section nutrient country — aft all, Nuremberg is the birthplace of the bratwurst.

The metropolis has a agelong past of gingerbread-making too, with its Lebkuchen often claimed by locals to beryllium the world's best.

It's large amusive for kids, arsenic the lawsuit boasts a mini Ferris wheel, a merry-go-round and a young pistillate dressed arsenic an angel who greets and reads fairytales to the children.

• Dates: November 29 - December 24, 2024
• Flights to Nuremberg with Ryanair: from £20.99 from London Stansted

Basel Christmas market, Switzerland

Basel hosts not 1 but 2 Christmas markets.

Spread crossed the Barfüsserplatz and Münsterplatz squares, Basel's lawsuit was voted Best Christmas Market successful Europe successful 2021.

Here you'll find 155 small woody chalets selling artisanal goods, Swiss raclette and biscuit called Läckerli alternatively of gingerbread (kids tin adjacent decorate their ain astatine a workshop).

The 13 metre-tall Christmas pyramid is the champion spot to drawback a blistery drink, portion the champion presumption tin beryllium seen from the cathedral tower.

Head up to the apical to respect the romanticist oversea of lights from the marketplace below.

• Dates: November 28 - December 23, 2024
• Flights to Basel with Ryanair: from £14.99 from London Stansted

Brussels Christmas market, Belgium

Called Winter Wonders, the Brussels yuletide marketplace is the main crushed the metropolis is considered a Christmas capital.

Tourists making their mode done the 2km agelong of stalls volition find authentic Belgian waffles and chocolates which tin beryllium washed down with an spiced mulled vino oregon a section beer.

Family affable activities tin beryllium recovered each around; there's ice rink for skating, a Ferris instrumentality and spectacular light shows to wow the kids.

Plus, you can't miss the tremendous histrion which stands the centre of each the enactment and is simply a wonderment to behold astatine implicit 66ft high.

• Dates: November 29, 2024 - January 5, 2025
• Flights to Brussels with Ryanair: from £16.99 from Manchester

Krakow Christmas market, Poland

Getting successful the Christmas tone is not hard successful Krakow's picture-postcard medieval square.

Horses propulsion achromatic carriages astir the plaza which is situated astatine the bosom of the Old Town — a UNESCO World Heritage Site — and the aerial is filled with the aromas of accepted cuisine.

Visitors to its marketplace rotation astir with pierogies (Polish dumplings) oregon grilled meats successful manus and possibly the section specialty of mulled beer.

It gets cold, but anyone who comes unprepared tin bargain handmade fur hats and gloves to support toasty from wrong the square's cardinal building, the Cloth Hall.

Truly the spot to beryllium for immoderate Christmas shopping, the marketplace has a wealthiness of crafts connected connection from stocking-fillers to Krakow's signature finely-painted solid baubles.

• Dates: November 29 - December 26, 2024
• Flights to Krakow with Ryanair: from £24.99 from London Stansted

Copenhagen Christmas market, Denmark

Few places embody the cosy Danish tone of hygge arsenic overmuch arsenic Copenhagen astatine Christmastime.

The markets go a haven of enchanting lights, stands selling knitwear and woody toys and radical drinking glögg, the Scandinavian mentation of mulled wine.

Of the respective Christmas markets successful Copenhagen, Tivoli Gardens is by acold the astir popular, but Nyhavn's harbour mounting has its ain charm too.

Braver visitors tin instrumentality an icy dip successful the h2o during the day, but determination are plentifulness of fairground rides to take from if you your thought of amusive is firmly connected adust land.

• Dates: November 15, 2024 - January 5, 2025 (exact dates alteration by market)
• Flights to Copenhagen with Ryanair: from £16.99 from Bristol

Riga Christmas market, Latvia

When Riga's Doma quadrate is decked retired successful its seasonal decor, it's wide to spot wherefore it was voted the Most Authentic Christmas Market successful Europe.

With its award-winning airy way nestled among the accepted architecture and stalls selling section delicacies similar wintertime pig snout, the Eastern European metropolis truly does ooze a consciousness of magic.

Riga is simply a mostly affordable metropolis — according to the Savvy Backpacker's terms guide, lunch, meal and a brew tin beryllium bought for conscionable implicit £10 — but its worthy budgeting a small other for souvenirs and culinary delights.

If you're travelling with family, children tin conscionable Santa's small helpers and nonstop letters to Lapland portion the grown-ups browse a wealthiness of unsocial gifts connected sale.

Latvian people euphony is swapped retired for a unrecorded DJ connected Fridays, truthful Riga has the amusement covered for radical of each tastes.

• Dates: November 29, 2024 - January 2, 2025
• Flights to Riga with Ryanair: from £24.99 from London Stansted

Bratislava Christmas market, Slovakia

Bratislava's markets are scattered passim the metropolis and are a feast for the senses.

From the celebrated Bratislava rolls to cheesy dumplings and roasted goose, the markets are a foodie paradise, and it's a bully spot for a tipple too.

The metropolis boasts immoderate of the cheapest brew connected the continent portion markets service chromatic vino and effect brandy.

Bratislava castle which sits perched connected a elevation connected the banks of the Danube stream adds to the movie-like wonderment of the place, arsenic does the Christmas tram which transports passengers done the streets covered successful fairy lights.

• Dates: November 23 - December 23, 2024
• Flights to Bratislava with Ryanair: from £14.99 from Leeds

Gothenburg Christmas market, Sweden

In the run-up to Christmas the Gothenburg amusement parkland of Liseberg transforms itself into a wintertime wonderland implicit with a marketplace and theatrical performances .

Visitors wage for introduction here, but wrong they'll find towering rides, bumper cars and and an awesome crystal amusement which is included successful the summons price.

For a smaller marketplace that's escaped to visit, the welcoming neighbourhood of Haga offers a assemblage vibe arsenic shoppers meander done cobbled lanes snacking connected roasted almonds.

• Dates: November 16 - December 29, 2024 (selected dates)
• Flights to Gothenburg with Ryanair: from £16.99 from London Stansted

Berlin Christmas market, Germany

Berlin pulls retired each the stops erstwhile it comes to Christmas markets.

Advent sees implicit 80 idiosyncratic markets get acceptable up successful the German capital, with Spandau being the biggest and Weihnachtszauber considered the prettiest.

Postdamer Platz is the spot to beryllium for activities; market-goers tin effort tobogganing oregon curling and children tin bask a escaped crystal skating lesson.

The accustomed German festive trimmings volition beryllium disposable everywhere; sausages, glühwein (mulled wine) and snow-dusted huts selling accepted jewellery and crafts.

Some of the markets person an introduction fee, but you tin get your hole of Christmas cheer for escaped astatine Alexanderplatz, Charlottenburg Palace, Spandau, Landberger Allee and galore others listed connected the Berlin metropolis website.

• Dates: November 24, 2024 - January 7, 2025 (exact dates alteration by market)
• Flights to Berlin with Ryanair: from £24.99 from London Stansted

Seville Christmas market, Spain

Seville whitethorn not beryllium the archetypal spot that comes to caput for Christmas markets compared to the colder and snowier destinations successful Northern Europe, but it is good worthy a visit.

Wooden cabins enactment the streets of the glowing historical 4th arsenic shoppers snack connected blistery churros and choirs sing Andalusian Christmas songs called campanilleros.

It's besides worthy exploring the Spanish contented of nativity scenes — elaborate models of Bethlehem ranging from miniature to life-size are displayed astatine the Feria del Belén.

• Dates: November 29 - December 23, 2024 (to beryllium confirmed)
• Flights to Seville with Ryanair: from £24.99 from Luton

Poznan Christmas market, Poland

There's an ethereal ambiance successful Poznan's quadrate erstwhile it gets festooned with implicit 43,000 LED lights.

Over 70 quaint stands, a Venetian carousel and a monolithic histrion get successful the metropolis for the Christmas marketplace which sees throngs of tourists and locals alike munching connected roasted chestnuts and buying handcrafted wares.

Poznan is an inexpensive metropolis and puts connected a amusement astatine the marketplace with escaped concerts and animations for kids, truthful a travel to the marketplace won't interruption the bank.

• Dates: November 19 - December 23, 2024
• Flights to Poznan with Ryanair: from £16.99 from London Stansted