In the market to bag yourself a festive bargain
‘Go east’ is the message of a new survey on the cost of taking a trip to an overseas Christmas market this winter.
Latvia’s capital Riga emerges as the bargain choice for a European shopping trip for the fourth time running in Post Office Travel Money’s Christmas Markets Barometer.
With markets set to open across the continent within the next fortnight, the Post Office barometer compares costs in 12 European cities with those in 2019. Prices in Riga are now 45% lower than in Vienna, the priciest city in the survey.
Riga’s total of £507 for two people was calculated by combining the costs of return flights, two nights’ three-star accommodation, airport transfers, two evening meals with wine, coffee, festive drinks and snacks at the Christmas Market.
Riga’s ranking was due largely to the low cost of accommodation and cheap flights because the city was ranked only sixth cheapest for meals and drinks.
Budapest (£745) was cheapest for these items, but the higher cost of flights and accommodation meant that the Hungarian capital could only make eighth place in the list.
The report comes as new research reveals that 42% of Britons felt that the rising cost of living would have some impact on their holiday plans.
Nick Boden, head of Post Office Travel Money said: “Although prices have risen across the board since we last conducted the survey, the scale of those increases varies significantly from city to city.”
Croatia’s capital city, Zagreb, was runner up in the barometer with a total of £541, while Poland’s Krakow (£649) made it an Eastern European 1-2-3.