Best Christmas markets in Europe for a cheap city break that not many people know about
If you fancy getting away for a couple of days ahead of Christmas, these are the places to go
It's (almost) the most wonderful time of the year, which means that even if you haven't started feeling Christmassy, it's hard to go shopping without being bombarded by festive cheer and that one Mariah Carey song over and over again.
It also means that the Christmas retail experience isn't just confined to the shops, as plenty of city centres are now being taken over by the sprawling Christmas markets.
Depending on your view of these things, they're either a charming place to visit where you can get some festive grub and possibly even pick up a few present ideas, or they're an overpriced rip-off with too many people going to make it worthwhile.
Of course, if you've been living in the same spot for a while, then you might not have experienced the different Christmas markets Europe has to offer.
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Variety is the spice of life, so they say, and easyJet has created its own index of some of the best Christmas markets in Europe, where you could have a cheap city break.
Marché Vert Noël, Aosta, Italy
Nestled in the Italian Alps, Aosta is a picturesque city where the chances of some festive Crimbo snow are high.
Their Christmas markets are based around the idea of recreating an Alpine village in the heart of their city with wooden chalets and a forest.
Mulled wine costs as little as £2.55, while easyJet reckons the price of a sausage (a very important metric for their index) is as low as £4.25.
A flight to nearby Turin could cost you as little as £23.99, but assuming you'd want to make a trip of it you could take a couple of nights there for £219 per person.
Known as the 'little Rome of the Alps', when you're not visiting the Christmas markets, there are many well-preserved Roman monuments which you could take a look at.
Old Town, Innsbruck, Austria
This list has put together some of the lesser-known markets which you might not immediately think of, and there are plenty of famous 'old town' Christmas markets in European cities.
However, the ones in Innsbruck have a particular charm as they feature daily traditional brass band music as well as a regular performance from the local music school.
Mulled wine can be bought for £3.80, while a sausage to snack on will cost around £4.25.
Should you wish to make it one of those extreme day trips and fly from the UK to Innsbruck, then you can get there for as little as £35.99, but should you wish to make a city break of it, then you can expect to spend £279 per person.
Being another Alpine city, you'd also have a good chance of snow.
Hanseatic Markets, Lübeck, Germany
Heading a bit further north in Europe, we get to Lübeck, historical home of the mighty trading group the Hanseatic League, and even now it's a place for plenty of markets.
There are actually 11 different Christmas markets in the city this year, though if you find the right spots your mulled wine and sausage will both cost you £3.40, and a reasonably priced sausage seems fitting for Germany.
Flights here might be a smidge more pricey at £47.99, but a city break to Lübeck could be yours for as little as £219.
There's also a decent chance of December snow, so if that's vital to your chances of enjoying a Christmas market then cross your fingers.
Christkindlmarkt, Salzburg, Austria
Just narrowly missing out on the bronze medal in this list is the Christkindlmarkt in the Austrian city of Salzburg, one of the world's oldest advent markets in the world.
This market is set up outside the cathedral and is the most popular one the city has to offer, while easyJet reckon you can score a mug of mulled wine for £3.40 and fork over £4.25 for your festive sausage.
Flights to Salzburg are available for around £31.99, while a proper city break for a couple of nights would be £239 per person, so will you go and discover why it's so popular?
Place Victor Hugo Market, Grenoble, France
It wouldn't be a list of places to visit in Europe without an entry from France, and the country of good wine and good food makes the list with the lesser-known markets in Grenoble.
Here, easyJet reckons you can get mulled wine for as little as £2.50 while a sausage will set you back £3.40. It's also the cheapest city break option on this list as a couple of nights in nearby Lyon will cost you £209, and it's not far between the two cities.
Pietrarsa National Railway Museum, Naples, Italy
Opening on 29 November, who wouldn't want to follow up a visit to some Christmas markets with a trip to a nearby railway museum?
This one comes with wandering street artists and bands, as well as live concerts and theatre performances, along with getting a look at the trains which pulled the Polar Express.
This is also one of the cheapest markets to buy food and drink in, as mulled wine and a bite to eat can be bought for as little as £5.50 in total, while a city break to Naples and its various delights would be £229.
If there's any downside, the easyJet index reckons there's a low chance that your Christmas market trip here would be blessed with snow.
Festive December, Ljubljana, Slovenia
If you fancy a more 'riverside' feel to your Christmas markets, then you might like a trip to Slovenia and their 'Festive December'.
With concerts, choirs, festive displays and more Christmas lights than you could shake a candy cane at there's plenty to do here beyond wandering between the stalls.
Speaking of which, here you'll find mulled wine for £3, but food goes up to £5.5,0 and flights are a bit pricier as they'll cost £54.99, though your city break to this picturesque city would be priced around £229.
Capitole Christmas Market, Toulouse, France
We're back in France again for the Capitole Christmas market in Toulouse, with 100 snow-white chalets selling all sorts of arts and crafts and Christmas decorations.
Your mulled wine could be as little as £2.55 here while a festive sausage would be £4.25, but when in France there's all sorts of culinary delights to sample, though a festive dusting of snow is unlikely on your trip.
If you want a city break to Toulouse for a Christmas gastronomic experience then you could make it happen for £219 per person.
Just don't be too full not to go ice skating while there.
Piazza Bra, Verona, Italy
Should you be the type to juggle a trip to a world heritage site and the Christmas markets then fair Verona could be your destination of choice.
It has an outstanding number of historical monuments to visit in between your trips to the markets, with you able to get flights out to Verona for £38.99 while a city break would cost £249.
If you head out here you can expect more Alpine winter weather, and who doesn't like Italy?
Barfüsserplatz, Basel, Switzerland
Rounding off the list is the market in the Swiss city of Basel, where, along with the Christmas market,s you'll be able to listen to choir music while you sup your mulled wine (or other beverage of choice) for £3.75 and chow down on a Swiss sausage for £5.25.
Flights out here are £38.99 if you're going one way, or a city break can be yours for £249.
Here's hoping you've got the time in the busy Christmas calendar.
Topics: Europe, Travel, Easyjet, Christmas, World News
Joe Harker