5 Best-value Christmas destinations in Europe

While traditionally many Brits may have stayed closer to home during the Christmas period, festive holidays have seen a big surge in popularity over the last few years. As Christmas approaches, the term “Christmas getaways” has seen a 23 per cent increase in Google search demand since this time last year. But where are the best value destinations in Europe for a yuletide break?

Online voucher code platform Savoo has delved into 40 European cities, considering the price of accommodation, travel, food & drink, as well as the chance of snowfall and the number of Christmas-related events to unveil the ultimate budget-friendly festive destinations.

The research found Sibiu in Romania to be the best-value European destination for a Christmas getaway.

Known for its brilliant architecture and steeped in over 800 years of history, the city offers the cheapest costs for taxis (£1.58 per one km), three-course meals (£31), and pints of beer (£1.40) among all destinations analysed.

Krakow in Poland comes in joint first position with the Romanian city. The Polish capital, which dates back to the 7th century and has been a UNESCO Heritage Site since 1978, offers taxi fares averaging £2.34 per km, £2.92 pints, and three-course meals that are just £3 more on average than in Sibiu.

Hotel stays are slightly more expensive here, with one night in a four-star hotel costing £144.

Gdansk, in Poland, comes second. Three-course meals cost just £32 per person in the city, and a pint of beer is relatively cheap (£2.53). Additionally, hotel stays are some of the cheapest of the ranking, averaging just £93 per night.

The Polish city offers 47 Christmas events to choose from, and the Gdansk Christmas Fair is considered to be one of the most beautiful in Poland.

Funchal, the capital city of the Portuguese island Madeira, comes in third place for the best-value Christmas getaways in Europe. While locals and visitors won’t be fortunate enough to see snow during the festive season, 148 Christmas-related events are on offer this year, the highest number of the ranking. In fact, Funchal is home to the island’s Christmas Market, packed with stalls selling local delicacies and handcrafted gifts.

If hotel stays are a little more expensive there (£213 for one night), going out in the city stays affordable, with three-course meals averaging £43, and pints around £2.17.

Tallin, in Estonia, follows in fourth position. Offering 47 Christmas-related events this festive season, this is in the Estonian capital, where people are most likely to have a white Christmas this year. Indeed, Tallinn offers the highest chance of snow of any location on this list (65 per cent).

If three-course meals are £21 more expensive than in Sibiu (£52), accommodation stays fairly reasonable, with four-star hotel stays in the city, averaging £108 per night.

Vilnius, in Lithuania, rounds out the top five, offering the cheapest accommodation of all cities analysed, with a night’s stay in a four-star hotel costing £88 on average.

Travelling in the city is relatively cheap, with a taxi costing £2.50 per km, and going out for a drink, a pint of beer averaging £3.90.

Those looking for a lot of options for festive events might be a little disappointed, but a white Christmas is very likely in the Lithuanian capital, with a 58 per cent chance of snow this year.