REVEALED: The European Christmas market breaks where a beer costs less than £2.50 and a one night stay will set you back just £30

Research reveals the cheapest Christmas market break for celebrating on a budget

  • New research provides a top 10 ranking of the cheapest European Christmas market cities to visit this festive season 

  • Topping the list is the lesser known Polish city, Poznan, with an overall cost of £126.60

  • Other cities making the top 10 include Metz, Prague, Riga and Budapest

Christmas is officially just around the corner, and while everyone loves the festive cheer of a Christmas market, deciding where to go to enjoy one without overspending can be a challenge.

Here to help this festive season, new research from fintech company SumUp, who provide card terminals and POS systems to thousands of businesses, unpacks which Christmas market cities in Europe are the friendliest for your purse - taking into account different factors including the cost of flights, beer and accommodation. 

Looking at European cities that annually host Christmas markets for residents and visitors, the research provides a definitive top 10 ranking, with lesser-known city Poznan in Poland taking the top spot. 

Poznan, not as internationally recognisable as fellow Polish cities Warsaw and Krakow, could be a great choice for your festive weekend break this year, thanks to its relatively low cost and traditional Christmas market offering. 

The city hosts an annual Christmas market in the Old Market Square, flights from London start at £52, while a one-night stay is as little as £30.40 and a beer will cost you £2.49. 

Closely following in second place is Sarande, Albania. Proving to be another low-cost option, it boasts flights from just £30 and hotels average £48.64 a night. Visitors can order beer in a restaurant for a mere £2.28, with an average meal cost coming in at £40.23.

Metz is home to one of the largest Christmas markets in France and sits in third place. It remains an affordable choice, with flights from £31 and hotel nights around £51.68, whilst a beer is slightly more expensive at £3.52.

Other cities making the cheapest top 10 European Christmas market breaks included Trier in Germany, Prague in the Czech Republic and Riga in Latvia.

Methodology

This analysis ranks European cities, hosting major Christmas markets, based on the total cost of a one-night stay. Cities were seeded from The Independent’s list of European Christmas markets, with any markets not located in major cities excluded from the final dataset. 

Cities making the shortlist were then ranked depending on its total costs (lowest to highest), when factoring in a number of different metrics; cheapest flights from London, average cost of a beer, average cost of a soft drink, average cost of a meal, average spend for one night in a hotel. 

Sources 

Christmas market locations source: The Independent

SumUp Team