The best value Christmas markets in Europe revealed…and it’s somewhere you may not have thought of going
The cost of visiting 11 top European Xmas markets has been examined with surprising results
CHRISTMAS shoppers hoping for a bargain market break should head to the Baltic, research has revealed.
Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, was the cheapest of 11 major cities surveyed in Europe by Post Office Money.
A two-night break for two in the city costs £538 - making it a third cheaper than a getaway in Stockholm, the most expensive.
The cost of living total neared £300 in the Swedish city.
Researchers calculated the cost of return flights, B&B accommodation, airport to city centre transfers, two evening meals for two with wine, coffee, festive drinks and snacks in the Christmas markets to rank the cities.
They found that Tallinn was four per cent cheaper than a year ago because local prices have dropped, counteracting the weaker pound.
Riga in Latvia came in second at £547 while Prague, Czech Republic, was ranked third at £582 thanks to the low cost of eating out.
In western Europe, Munich was found to be the best value festive break.
A trip to the German city - which boasts one of the oldest and most famous Christmas markets - costs £609, researchers found.
Andrew Brown of Post Office Travel Money said: "The great value available in these two Baltic capitals helps to dispel the idea that UK tourists will be seriously out of pocket wherever they travel abroad after sterling's slump in value.
"Of course, this is not the case everywhere in Europe so the challenge for people planning trips in the coming weeks will be to do their homework and book a destination offering a combination of good value package prices and low costs for meals and drinks."
Last year's top recommendation Bucharest dropped to sixth place.
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Hungary's capital is still cheapest for meals, drinks and transfers at one-third (£89.96) of the cost in Stockholm (£297.58) or Copenhagen (£305.94).
Four glasses of mulled wine could set you back more than £40 in the Danish city, while two-three course meals with wine cost £216.
But research found Budapest is the most expensive for a flight and accommodation package (£544).
Munich is also the place to snap up designer bargains away from the Christmas Market, according to the report.
When six fashion, beauty and high-tech items were compared, it found that shoppers can slash almost 14 per cent off the London cost (£873) in Munich (£751), despite the weak pound.
They can also find savings of 10 per cent in Budapest (£785), eight per cent in Riga (£804), 7.8 per cent in Vienna (£805) and 4.7 per cent in Berlin (£832).
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