Bratislava has come first in a list of best-value Christmas markets for 2024, with Vilnius coming a very close second.
The 2024 Post Office Travel Money Christmas Markets Barometer calculates a two-night trip to Bratislava would cost £510 for two people, including return flights, three- or four-star accommodation, airport transfers, two evening meals with wine, coffee, festive drinks and snacks at the Christmas market.
In Copenhagen, the most expensive of the 14 Christmas market destinations assessed, the price for all the items was almost twice as much, at £989 for the same items.
Eastern European cities took nine of the top 10 places in the cost comparison of 14 cities. Vilnius came a close second on the list, with the total cost of all the items coming in at £511. The Lithuanian capital was cheapest for meals, drinks and airport transfers.
After five years on the list as the best value city, Riga has dropped to third place. Prices rose eight per cent to £546. Prices in the Polish city of Gdansk came to £596, 12% lower than in Krakow. However, Krakow’s barometer total of £678 is 20% lower than a year ago, due to a combination of lower meal prices and better availability bringing down the cost of flights.
Last year Post Office reported a big increase in package costs as a result of flight scarcity and the latest research brings prices back to 2022’s lower levels.
Despite the strength of sterling, which has made the UK pound better value than a year ago against all the currencies for cities featured in the 2024 report, prices for a two-night Christmas Market break have fallen in only three of the 11 cities also surveyed in 2023. Apart from Krakow, barometer costs have dropped 5.3% in Prague to £606 and 10.4% in Budapest to £639, helping these cities rise to fifth and sixth in this year’s chart.
Prague came in lowest for meal prices, with two three-course meals for two with wine costing £131.75 compared with £133.82 in Vilnius and £134.07 in Budapest, and twice as much, £263.16, in Copenhagen.
Rising prices for flights and accommodation account for the increased costs recorded in most cities, with flight charges having the greatest impact. For example, last year’s runner up, Stockholm, has fallen to eighth place in the barometer table, with overall prices up by a third to £737. This is because last year’s flight and accommodation cost has risen to £524, an increase of almost 55%, the result of fewer flight options leading to higher prices.
When these are excluded, the research found that prices for food, drinks and airport transfers have fallen in six of the 11 cities also surveyed a year ago. The biggest fall of 13.6% was in Krakow, while Prague registered a fall of 11.2%.
Post Office Head of Travel Money Laura Plunkett said: “Sterling has risen in value against European currencies, which means that holidaymakers visiting a Christmas Market will have more cash to spend. However, the price variations revealed by the latest barometer show just how important it is for people planning trips to check prices and factor in all the costs they are likely to incur.
“While emerging cities like Bratislava and Vilnius offer outstanding value, Prague and Budapest are also great options for bargain hunters because of the price falls we found in these more established favourites.”
The top 14 best-value European Christmas markets, with the cost of items assessed by Post Office Travel Money are:
Bratislava, Slovakia: £510.09
Vilnius, Lithuania: £510.87
Riga, Latvia: £545.87
Gdansk, Poland: £596.24
Prague, Czech Republic: £606.23
Budapest, Hungary: £639.06
Zagreb, Croatia: £649.19
Krakow, Poland: £678.47
Stockholm, Sweden: £737.12
Tallinn, Estonia: £749.38
Berlin, Germany: £884.94
Lille, France: £886.11
Vienna, Austria: £949.57
Copenhagen, Denmark: £988.60
