APH’s market watch

With an increasing number of Brits heading to the continent for Christmas markets, what’s on offer where can be a baffling choice.

Airport Parking & Hotels (APH) has compared 15 of the most popular markets across Europe, including the cost of taking a trip to see them.

The research compares markets in major European cities, including the cost of a return flight and a seven-night stay in a four-star hotel when there.

Germany was found to host four of the top 15 Christmas markets in Europe including Berlin, Cologne, Munich and Nuremberg, whereas Belgium and Austria both have two cities each including Bruges, Brussels, Vienna and Salzburg.

With regard to the cost of return flights from Heathrow Airport, prices were found to range from £102 to £176 per person. The cheapest destinations to fly to are Brussels and Munich both at a cost of £102, whereas Budapest and Prague are the most expensive at £176 and £160 respectively.

When booking hotel accommodation, travellers should be careful when choosing a four-star hotel as prices vary greatly. Seven nights’ accommodation for two adults was found to be the cheapest in Prague at a cost of £195 for a double room, whereas the French town of Strasbourg is the most expensive place to stay, at a cost of £695 for two people. A flight and hotel package for two adults travelling from 1 to 8 December 2012 is cheapest in Barcelona, costing £474 and the most expensive destination is Strasbourg, costing £1,031 for two adults.

For the full results, see www.aph.com/xmasmarkets