Is Christmas overrated? We can see why you would think so. Presents are expensive, sorting a turkey for 10+ people is stressful, and there’s always one family member who ruins the vibe by starting an argument over the dinner table.
If you’re not in the festive spirit yet, a last-minute Christmas getaway could be what you need. We’ve still got a little time until the big day itself, and longer until the New Year, which is more than enough time to hop on a plane and go someplace else.
Luckily, insurance company Tiger has created an entire ‘City Break Index’ designed to help you choose where to go this winter. Its calculations are based on a range of factors including the average cost of a meal, average night’s stay in a hotel, and how much snow you can expect to see on your trip. It compared 10 of the ‘most festive’ cities in the continent in order to determine which one you should jet off to for a super Christmassy holiday.
Kraków, Poland’s second city, came out on top. It had the least expensive food, with a mid-range meal for two generally costing 200 Polish złoty, or €47.40. It also came second for hotel prices, and third for the cost of beer. Its affordability combined with its relatively high likelihood of snow to push it into first place, with an overall score of 40.
Second was Budapest with 38.5. The city, which was also recently named the best in Europe for its hot chocolate, beat Kraków in accommodation and beer costs, but lost out due to its food being quite a bit more expensive. Basically, if good food isn’t high up on your list of priorities, Budapest is just as affordable as Kraków, and gets just as much snow, making it an equally exciting option.
Prague came in third, with the lowest average cost of a pint in Europe at just 60 Czech koruna (€2.5). I just returned from a holiday in Prague, and can vouch for it as a festive getaway – the city goes all out with hundreds of twinkling trees and more markets than you could ever need, all set against its stunning architecture. And the beer really is as cheap as they say.
On the other hand, Edinburgh and Copenhagen were at the bottom of the list, scoring a measly 11 and 12 respectively. This was largely due to costs. A meal in the Danish capital will set you back more than double what it would in Kraków, while Edinburgh’s hotel rooms are the second most expensive in Europe.
Europe’s most Christmassy city breaks, ranked
Here are all of the cities that Tiger analysed as part of its City Break Index in order:
- Kraków, Poland
- Budapest, Hungary
- Prague, Czech Republic
- Helsinki, Finland
- Berlin, Germany
- Stockholm, Sweden
- Vienna, Austria
- Brussels, Belgium
- Copenhagen, Denmark
- Edinburgh, Scotland
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