IN THE MARKET FOR A POUNDSTRETCHING EUROPEAN CHRISTMAS SHOPPING BREAK

At £405 for a weekend break for two – comprising return flights, B&B accommodation, airport-city centre transfers, two evening meals for two with wine, coffee, festive drinks and snacks at the Christmas Markets – Budapest has moved to the top of the Post Office Travel Money leader board from fourth place in 2014, unseating Prague, last year’s best buy.

However the Czech capital remains cheapest of 12 Christmas Market favourites when it comes to meals, snacks and drinks for a two-day break, as well as travel to and from the airport. At under £72 for these items, Prague is 11.7 per cent cheaper than Budapest and prices are almost two-thirds lower than in Stockholm (£207). When accommodation and flights are added to the barometer, Prague is the 2015 runner-up at a total cost of £458.

Last year’s most expensive city, Brussels, has emerged as the Eurozone’s lowest-priced Christmas Market break, easily beating Riga, last year’s Eurozone winner. Although meals and drinks cost 25 per cent more in the Belgian capital (£160) than in Riga (£128), the low cost of a two-night package including Eurostar travel made the overall cost of the two-night break over six per cent cheaper in Brussels (£495) than in Riga (£528).

The good value available to UK visitors has been boosted by the fact that sterling has started to rise in value against European currencies in the past fortnight. The strong pound means visitors to all 12 of the cities surveyed will have greater spending power than last year: almost 12 per cent more in Eurozone destinations rising to 13.7 per cent extra in Budapest².

Thanks to the increased purchasing power of the pound, holidaymakers will find most designer goods cheaper in many cities than in London for the first time. When Post Office Travel Money compared the cost of six fashion, beauty and high-tech items, it found that shoppers can slash over 10 per cent off the London cost (£1,022) in Munich (£914) and make savings of 6–9.5 per cent in seven other cities. Copenhagen (£1,035) is the only capital whose designer shops are best avoided as prices are one per cent higher than in London.

For example, the new Apple Watch Sport costs around £9 less in German, French, Austrian and Hungarian cities (£290) than in London (£299). Similarly, shoppers can save almost 11 per cent on an Apple iPad Air 2 in Berlin, Munich and Vienna (£355) and almost nine per cent in Brussels, Lille, Riga and Strasbourg (£363) compared with the London cost (£399). And shoppers can shave almost 14 per cent off the cost of Marc Jacobs ‘Daisy’ Eau de Toilette, which costs £76 for a 100m bottle in London but £11 less in both Strasbourg and Vienna (£65).

Andrew Brown of Post Office Travel Money said: “Sterling’s strength brings glad festive tidings for shoppers visiting Europe. Not only will they have up to £60 more in their pockets when they change pounds into European currency, but they will also benefit from the low prices in many cities. However, it is still important to do some homework before travelling because our research showed that prices are not universally lower than in London.”

The Post Office Travel Money research found that UGG Classic Short Boots, a winter fashion staple, cost more in Budapest (£157) and Riga (£159) than in London (£155) and more still in Copenhagen (£179). Clinique cosmetics are between 3–5 per cent more expensive in the two Scandinavian cities surveyed. While the brand’s Long Last Lipstick costs £18 in London, shoppers can expect to fork out 55p more in Stockholm and an extra 93p in Copenhagen.

Other key findings:

Meals, drinks and transport are expensive in Copenhagen (£176) and cost over twice as much as in Budapest (£81), but low package prices helped the Danish capital take fourth place in the Christmas Markets league table. Its flight and accommodation package was second cheapest in the survey at under £335. As a result, Copenhagen’s total of £510 was almost £100 lower than in Stockholm (£608) the other Scandinavian city surveyed

The reverse is true in Tallinn, which is third cheapest for meals, drinks and transport (£113), but has fallen from fourth to ninth place in the barometer table because of higher package prices (£447). At a total of just over £560 this makes Tallinn 38 per cent more expensive than Budapest and 22 per cent pricier than Prague

Holiday living costs have fallen in over two-thirds of the cities surveyed. The biggest falls for meal, drinks and other festive fare are in Tallinn (-25 per cent) and Stockholm (-15.6 per cent). However, despite the strong pound, these costs have risen in Prague (+12.8 per cent) and Vienna (+4.5 per cent), mainly due to meal price inflation.

Holidaymakers planning trips to the European Christmas Markets can purchase euro on demand at over 10,000 Post Office branches, while the other European currencies featured in the Post Office Travel Money report are available over the counter at more than 1,600 branches. Up to 70 currencies can be pre-ordered at more than 11,500 Post Office branches or online at postoffice.co.uk for next day branch or home delivery. Over 3,000 Post Offices are now open on Sundays while many branches are also open early in the morning and late at night, so holidaymakers can plan their visit to suit them.

From 8am on 18^th November until 8am on 20^th November, Post Office Travel Money is mounting a flash sale for online purchases of euro and US dollars. These currencies will be joined by the UAE dirham, Australian dollar and Canadian dollar for a second flash sale starting online at 8am on Black Friday, 27^th November, running over the weekend and on Cyber Monday, 30^th November before finishing at 8am on 1^st December.

Ends

For more information, please contact:

Gabrielle O’Gara, Post Office Press Office, 

Tel: 020 7250 2534

E: gabrielle.ogara@postoffice.co.uk

Notes to Editors:

• [1] The Post Office European Christmas Markets Barometer was compiled using prices sourced from national and regional tourist offices of participating cities, and cross-checked with online research. Package prices were sourced online via Thomas Cook and based on flights (Eurostar for Brussels and Lille) departing London between 3 and 5 December (apart from Strasbourg, departing 7 December, and Tallinn, departing 14 December), with B&B accommodation (two sharing). Prices include hand luggage only on flights and exclude transfers. Exchange rates used relate to purchases of £500-£999 online on 5 November.

POST OFFICE CHRISTMAS MARKETS BAROMETER

• European Christmas Market dates and locations:

1.Prague, Czech Republic: 28 November-1 January, Old Town Square2.Budapest, Hungary: 28 November-31 December, Vörösmarty Square

3.Tallinn, Estonia: 21 November-8 January, Town Hall Square

4.Riga, Latvia: 29 November-7 January, Dome Square

5.Lille, France: 18 November-30 December, Place Rihour

6.Berlin, Germany: 23 November-27 December, Gendarmenmarkt

7.Vienna, Austria: 13 November-26 December, City Hall

8.Strasbourg, France: 27 November-31 December, Place de la Cathédrale

9.Brussels, Belgium: 27 November-3 January, Grand Place

10.Munich, Germany: 27 November-24 December, Marienplatz

11.Copenhagen, Denmark: 14 November-3 January, Tivoli Gardens

12.Stockholm, Sweden: 21 November–23 December, Old Town

² Post office exchange rate comparisons between November 2015 and November 2014: