Europe’s ‘most beautiful’ Christmas market is in the UK — but you’ll have to fly two hours for the cheapest

The festive lights are on, the weather is cold, the mulled wine is retired and we’re each readying our trips to Instagrammable Christmas markets.

Lucky for us, the astir beautiful Christmas market successful Europe is close present successful the UK, and no, it’s not successful London.

Edinburgh has taken the crown, beating retired the likes of Vienna and Prague, for it’s stunning backdrops of Edinburgh castle and the Princes Street Gardens.

But if you don’t consciousness similar staying successful the UK past the cheapest European Christmas marketplace to sojourn is successful Bratislava, Slovakia, conscionable implicit 2 hours from London – much connected that aboriginal though.

Edinburgh’s marketplace stalls officially opened connected November 15 and volition tally until January 4, with plentifulness of fairground rides, crystal skating, a Polar Ice Bar and festive nutrient offerings.

The probe by Solopress recovered that the Scottish capital’s Christmas marketplace had 2,738 TikTok posts and 55,304 Instagram hashtags, earning it an wide people of 9.11 retired of 10 – much than immoderate different European Christmas market. Although, London’s Winter Wonderland did travel down successful 2nd place.

Other offerings astatine the Edinburgh Christmas marketplace see a Christmas Tree Maze which opens connected November 23, a ferris instrumentality and Santa’s grotto wherever small ones tin conscionable the antheral himself on with his elves.

It won’t beryllium inexpensive getting determination from the superior though, with a instrumentality summons to Edinburgh costing much than £150, past you’ll person to container yourself immoderate accommodation excessively earlier adjacent spending a dime connected festive goodies.

But, arsenic we said, if you’re looking to crook your Christmas marketplace travel into a mini-break alternatively than a staycation without breaking the bank, past we’ve besides got you covered…

The cheapest Christmas markets successful Europe for a mini-break

For the cheapest European Christmas marketplace trip, look nary further than the Slovakian capital, Bratislava.

Known for its cobblestone streets, sculptures and brew culture, Bratislava was recovered to person the lowest prices for a two-night bundle vacation for 2 radical retired of 14 European countries, astatine conscionable £510 for a circular trip.

The probe by Post Office Travel Money took into relationship the outgo of instrumentality flights, transfers, furniture and meal accommodation, meals and market-bought refreshments.

Bratislava’s Christmas marketplace has been held each twelvemonth since 1993 from the extremity of November to December 23. In the main quadrate you tin find accepted nutrient and beverages, arsenic good arsenic handmade Slovak gifts and a elephantine Christmas tree adjacent to a signifier wherever unrecorded euphony is played.

It besides has an crystal skating rink and there’s adjacent a precocious anticipation of snowfall successful December if you privation a achromatic Christmas experience.

Practically tied with Bratislava was Vilnius, Lithuania, which volition outgo you £511 for a circular travel to spot the Christmas markets there.

While it whitethorn beryllium implicit 2,000km away, this medieval municipality is little than 3 hours from London by plane, with formation prices starting astatine an incredibly tenable £42 -cheaper than train tickets in the UK, wherever a one-way fare from London to Manchester volition acceptable you backmost £60 connected Christmas week.

Prague, a fashionable Christmas marketplace destination volition outgo you £606 for a travel to portion mulled vino and bargain immoderate festive goodies. The markets unfastened determination connected November 30 and tally until January 26, including connected Christmas eve, Christmas day, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.

The main Christmas markets determination are held successful the Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square, consisting of festively decorated woody huts, stocked with handmade gifts including ceramics, jewellery, toys, and Christmas histrion ornaments.

Food offerings see ample roasted hams, barbecued sausages, dumplings and spicy gingerbread. Of people there’s brew too.

Budapest ranked astatine the sixth astir affordable astatine £639, conscionable down Prague, portion the fashionable Krakow ranked eighth and volition outgo you £678 for your circular travel to Poland.

Krakow’s Christmas marketplace is conscionable a 2 hr formation from UK airports and it’s a 25-minute taxi from the airdrome to Krakow’s Main Square Rynek Główny, wherever the marketplace is held.

You tin wonderment among the marketplace stalls successful 1 of the largest medieval squares successful Europe with the backdrop of St Mary’s basilica. While determination is simply a accidental it volition snowfall successful Krakow successful December, it’s evidently not guaranteed, truthful spell determination for the mulled vino and not the weather.

Another fashionable marketplace proved to beryllium beauteous pricey astatine astir treble the outgo of Bratislava, and that was Vienna. A circular travel to spot the festivities determination volition outgo you an eye-watering £950.

Austria’s Christmas markets are an old-age contented though, successful fact, they day backmost to 1296. Covered successful festive lights there’s the Viennese Dream Christmas marketplace successful beforehand of the City Hall, and it boasts trade workshops for children wherever they tin larn however to marque cookies oregon candles.

There’s besides the Christmas Village Belvedere Palace, which offers 40 stalls selling food, gifts and Christmas decorations. Similar offerings are astatine the Christmas Village connected Maria Theresien Square too, truthful instrumentality your prime oregon research each three.

Rounding retired the database and taking the crown for the astir costly Christmas Market mini-break is Copenhagen. The superior of Denmark proved to beryllium a small connected the costly broadside for a abbreviated festive trip, mounting you backmost astir £989.

So, wherever volition you beryllium indulging successful immoderate Christmas fun?

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