Head to Bratislava for a Christmas Market bargain break

• Bratislava beats Vilnius to rate as best buy for a Christmas Market break
• Prices fall in Krakow, Prague and Budapest but higher flight costs lead to rises in other cities
• Copenhagen and Vienna are the most expensive of 14 European cities surveyed

Bratislava, Slovakia’s capital city, emerges as the bargain choice in the 2024 Post Office Travel Money’s Christmas Markets Barometer¹ (www.postoffice.co.uk/christmasmarkets) published this week as Advent markets get underway across Europe. Featuring in the report for the first time, a combination of the lowest-two night package and low prices for food and drink have made Bratislava cheapest of 14 cities surveyed for the report and almost half the price of Copenhagen, the most expensive city.

Bratislava’s barometer total of £510 for two people was 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 snacks at the Christmas Market. In Copenhagen, visitors can expect to pay almost twice as much - £989 – for the same items.

Eastern European cities offer the best value for bargain hunters, taking nine of the top ten places in the cost comparison of 14 cities. Vilnius, another newcomer to the Post Office barometer, was only marginally behind Bratislava in second place. At £511, the Lithuanian capital was just 78p more expensive – and it emerges as cheapest for meals, drinks and airport transfers. After five years as the best value city, Riga has dropped to third place. Prices rose eight per cent to £546.

Completing the east European top three is Gdansk, another introduction to the barometer. At £596, prices are 12 per cent lower than in another Polish city, Krakow. Its barometer total of £678 is 20 per cent lower than a year ago, thanks 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 report², 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 per cent in Prague to £606 and 10.4 per cent in Budapest to £639, helping these cities rise to fifth and sixth in this year’s chart.

Prague also boasts the lowest 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 – or twice as much, £263.16, in Copenhagen.

Laura Plunkett, Head of Travel Money at Post Office, which accounts for one-in-four UK foreign exchange transactions, 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.”

Rising prices for flights and accommodation account for the increased costs recorded in most cities – with flight charges having the greatest impact. A good example of this is the big rise in barometer costs for Stockholm. Last year’s runner up has fallen to eighth place in the barometer table because prices are 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 per cent, 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 per cent was in Krakow, while Prague registered a fall of 11.2 per cent.

Although the increased value of sterling will give Christmas Markets visitors more bang for their buck, Post Office Travel Money’s Laura Plunkett adds: “Think twice before using a credit or debit card to pay for gifts as you could run the risk of paying extra non-sterling transaction charges without realising it. If you want to carry cash on a card, load 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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