Fancy a European Christmas market? Budapest is cheapest capital on continent for a winter weekend break as pound powers back

• A two-night break for two people in Budapest cost about £405 
• Vienna is most expensive out of 12 European cities at £653 
• 500 euros now costs £45 less than it did a year ago

By Camilla Canocchi for Thisismoney.co.uk

Published: 04:16 EST, 14 November 2015 | Updated: 08:22 EST, 14 November 2015

British shoppers looking for a weekend winter city-break and a Christmas market on the continent will see their money go furthest in Budapest, research shows.

The price of a two-night break for two people to the Hungarian capital on the Danube - including return flights, B&B accommodation, city transfers, food, drinks and snacks - comes to roughly £405, the Post Office said.

This is 60 per cent more expensive than Vienna, where the same city break for two would cost £653, making it the most expensive destination this Christmas out of 12 European cities surveyed.

Christmas destinations: The price for a two-night break for two people in Budapest, including return flights, B&B accommodation, city transfers, food, drinks and snacks was £405, the Post Office said

In general trips to the continent are good value thanks to the renewed appreciation of the pound, which is back near highs hit earlier this year, so holidaymakers to any of the 12 cities will have greater spending power than last year.

The pound is trading at a powerful 1.415 against the euro, or 12.5 per cent higher than it was a year ago. That means 500 euros costs £45 less to buy than it did this time last year. 

But the pound has gained even more against the Hungarian currency: it now buys 440 forints, a hefty 17 per cent more than a year ago.

Thanks to this increase in spending power, for the first time in a decade, many designer goods will be cheaper in European department stores in city centres than in London.

For example, the new Apple Watch Sport costs £290 in German, French, Austrian and Hungarian cities - around £9 less than in London, where you pay £299, the Post Office said.

And the Apple iPad Air 2 is almost 11 per cent cheaper in Berlin, Munich and Vienna, at £355, than in London, where the gadget costs £399.

For a 100ml bottle of Marc Jacobs Daisy Eau de Toilette, customers can expect to pay £76 in London but £11 less in both Strasbourg and Vienna, where the average price is £65. But Ugg Classic Short Boots were still cheaper in London, at £155, than in Copenhagen, where they cost £179.

When the Post Office compared the cost of six fashion, beauty and high-tech items, the cost to buy them in London was £1,022 whereas in Stockholm it was just over £914.

The tables show the cheapest and most expensive cities in Europe for a short break overthe festive period

Prague, which was last year’s cheapest destination for a Christmas city break, passed to second position. A two-night break in the Czech Republic’s capital would cost £458 for two people, research shows.

Brussels was the third cheapest city, with the two-day trip costing £495 – cheaper than Copenhagen in Denmark and Latvia’s capital Riga, where the equivalent city break would cost £510 and £528 respectively.

The Post Office said that although meals and drinks cost 25 per cent more in the Belgian capital than in Riga, the low cost of two-night package including Eurostar travel made the overall cost cheaper in Brussels than in Riga.

Christmas vibe: Vienna is the most expensive city for a short break in the festive period out of 12 cities

Swedish capital Stockholm was found to be the second most expensive at £608, followed by German city Munich at £570.

High flight prices to Tallinn, Estonia, negate the savings made on cheaper food and drink to put it as the fourth most expensive city at £560. 

Andrew Brown, of Post Office Travel Money, said: ‘Sterling's strength brings glad festive tidings for shoppers visiting Europe.

‘Not only will they have the equivalent of up to £60 more European currency in their pockets this year when they change £500, 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.’

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