Baltic capitals top list of best value cities for a European Christmas Market break

• Vilnius and Riga are best buys for a Christmas Market break, overtaking last year’s winner Bratislava
• Prices are down in half the cities surveyed despite sterling’s fall against European currencies
• Scarcity of flights and accommodation has resulted in a big rise in Prague’s barometer cost
• Copenhagen and Vienna are again the most expensive of 15 cities surveyed

British holidaymakers looking for a bargain break at a European Christmas Market this winter will find the lowest prices in Vilnius and Riga, capitals of the Baltic Republics Lithuania and Latvia. Published this week as Advent markets begin to get underway across Europe, the annual Post Office Christmas Markets Barometer¹ reports that the two Baltic capitals are now cheaper for a two-night weekend break than last year’s best buy Bratislava, where prices have risen by over 11 per cent.

Researchers found that Vilnius is easily the best value in a survey of 15 European cities. The city’s barometer total of £509, calculated by combining the costs of return flights, two nights’ three or four-star accommodation, airport transfers, two evening meals with wine, coffee, festive drinks and Christmas Market snacks, is marginally lower (-0.4 per cent) than last year. It is also more than eight per cent cheaper than in runner up Riga (£555) where prices have risen 1.8 per cent. However, prices for meals, drinks and airport transfers are lower in Riga (£178) than in Vilnius (£182).

Prices for all six tourist commodities surveyed have risen in Bratislava, which means that the Slovakian capital has fallen to third place in the barometer chart at an overall cost of £568. Meals, drinks and airport transfers are up 8.5 per cent compared with 12 months ago, while flights and accommodation have increased by 12.9 per cent.

Three Polish cities also feature in the top six cities. Gdansk retains fourth place with a barometer total of £586, down 1.7 per cent on 2024 levels. New for 2025, Warsaw is in fifth position with a barometer cost of £589 and Krakow comes seventh after prices fell 0.6 per cent to £674. Alongside Vilnius, Gdansk and Krakow are among seven cities where prices have fallen year-on-year despite sterling’s falls of between five and 10.9 per cent against European currencies².

The biggest fall has been in Berlin, which fell down the rankings last year because of a steep rise in flight and accommodation costs. The opposite is true this year, with these costs having fallen by 28.4 per cent year-on-year. As a result, the German capital has risen from 11^th to eighth place on the back of an overall 21.8 per cent fall to £692 and is the best value Western European city surveyed².

Conversely, Prague has fallen victim to a scarcity of three-star hotel accommodation and less flight capacity. Barometer prices have risen by almost 50 per cent to £901, making the Czech capital one of the most expensive cities surveyed for a Christmas Markets break – now in 13^th place compared with fifth last year. Despite this, Prague remains among the best value cities for meals and drinks. Its total of £197 for these items makes it the fifth cheapest.

Budapest (6^th, £664, up four per cent year-on-year), Stockholm (9^th, £717, down 2.7 per cent year-on-year) and Zagreb (10^th, £756, +16.5 per cent year-on-year) complete the 10 best value cities for a Christmas Markets break.

Copenhagen (£1,056) is again the priciest city for a Christmas Markets break. At £385, the cost of meals and drinks for two days is more than double the price of these items in the four cheapest cities – Riga, Vilnius, Gdansk and Bratislava. Although Vienna (£926) remains one of the most expensive cities in the survey in 14^th place, its barometer total has fallen by 2.4 per cent since last year, boosted by a four per cent drop in package costs and steady prices for meals and drinks.

Laura Plunkett, Head of Travel Money at Post Office, which accounts for one-in-four UK foreign exchange transactions, said: “A short break to one of Europe’s colourful Christmas Markets is an attractive holiday option at this time of year. However, sterling’s drop in value is an important factor for travellers to consider before booking a trip because this varies between currencies. The pound’s fall against the euro is smaller than against other European currencies – five per cent compared with 10.6 per cent against the Hungarian forint and 10.9 per cent against the Swedish kronor.

“The cost of flights and accommodation will also have a significant impact on overall costs so it is doubly important for holidaymakers planning a trip to do their homework to factor in how sterling’s value, flight and hotel capacity and meal costs will affect overall costs. Budget-conscious travellers stand to save hundreds of pounds if they choose carefully.

“Away from the Advent markets, there are tempting opportunities to shop for Christmas gift items, but we advise holidaymakers to think carefully before using a credit or debit card to make payments as they are likely to end up paying extra non-sterling transaction charges. Instead, consider loading spending money onto a pre-paid card like the Post Office Travel Money Card, which is widely accepted and does not incur these transaction charges.”

Post Office is the UK’s leading foreign currency provider, offering over 60 currencies for pre-order at 7,000 branches or online at www.postoffice.co.uk/travel for next day collection at any branch or home delivery. 3,600 larger Post Office branches stock the leading currencies and over 7,000 offer euros over the counter without the need to pre-order. These can also be ordered online for same day ‘click and collect’ at selected branches.

Barometer totals have been rounded up or down to the nearest pound.

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