Budapest is this year’s best value Christmas market destination, according to the Post Office Travel Money Christmas Markets Barometer.
A combination of the lowest two-night package and rock bottom prices for food and drink proved a winning combination, making the Hungarian capital over a third cheaper than Vienna (£653), the highest-priced city surveyed.
At £405 for a weekend break for two – comprising return flights, B&B accommodation, airport-city centre transfers, two evening meals for two with wine, coffee, festive drinks and snacks at the Christmas Markets – Budapest has moved to the top of the Post Office Travel Money leader board from fourth place in 2014, unseating Prague, last year’s best buy.
However, the Czech capital remains cheapest of 12 Christmas market favourites when it comes to meals, snacks and drinks for a two-day break, as well as travel to and from the airport. At under £72 for these items, Prague is 11.7 per cent cheaper than Budapest and prices are almost two-thirds lower than in Stockholm (£207). When accommodation and flights are added to the barometer, Prague is the 2015 runner-up at a total cost of £458.
Last year’s most expensive city, Brussels, has emerged as the Eurozone’s lowest-priced Christmas Market break, easily beating Riga, last year’s Eurozone winner. Although meals and drinks cost 25 per cent more in the Belgian capital (£160) than in Riga (£128), the low cost of a two-night package including Eurostar travel made the overall cost of the two-night break over six per cent cheaper in Brussels (£495) than in Riga (£528).
The good value available to UK visitors has been boosted by the fact that sterling has started to rise in value against European currencies in the past fortnight. The strong pound means visitors to all 12 of the cities surveyed will have greater spending power than last year: almost 12 per cent more in Eurozone destinations rising to 13.7 per cent extra in Budapest².
Thanks to the increased purchasing power of the pound, holidaymakers will find most designer goods cheaper in many cities than in London for the first time. When Post Office Travel Money compared the cost of six fashion, beauty and high-tech items, it found that shoppers can slash over 10 per cent off the London cost (£1,022) in Munich (£914) and make savings of 6–9.5 per cent in seven other cities. Copenhagen (£1,035) is the only capital whose designer shops are best avoided as prices are one per cent higher than in London.
For example, the new Apple Watch Sport costs around £9 less in German, French, Austrian and Hungarian cities (£290) than in London (£299). Similarly, shoppers can save almost 11 per cent on an Apple iPad Air 2 in Berlin, Munich and Vienna (£355) and almost nine per cent in Brussels, Lille, Riga and Strasbourg (£363) compared with the London cost (£399). And shoppers can shave almost 14 per cent off the cost of Marc Jacobs ‘Daisy’ Eau de Toilette, which costs £76 for a 100m bottle in London but £11 less in both Strasbourg and Vienna (£65).
City | Total for six items | % more/less than London |
London | £1,022.00 | |
Munich | £914.20 | -10.6% |
Stockholm | £924.52 | -9.5% |
Vienna | £939.69 | -8.1% |
Riga | £939.88 | -8.0% |
Strasbourg | £944.41 | -7.6% |
Lille | £953.13 | -6.7% |
Berlin | £955.59 | -6.5% |
Budapest | £961.00 | -6.0% |
Copenhagen | £1,034.58 | +1.2% |
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