'Best Christmas market' in Europe is 'better and cheaper' than any in UK

A woman has claimed to have found the best Christmas market in all of Europe, and says it has the UK beat in terms of offerings and price.

Now that the festive season is here, many of us might be dreaming of wrapping up warm, getting our hands on a hot chocolate or mulled wine and perusing seasonal market stalls. Across the world, crowds of festive fans flock to Christmas markets to celebrate this time from the end of November right through until the new year.

In the UK, Edinburgh, Birmingham and Manchester boast some of the most popular Christmas markets, alongside London's Winter Wonderland. But over the years, many have made it no secret that the cost of attending can burn your bank account.

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Money savvy Brit named Chelsea insists that the best Christmas market to visit is in Cologne Germany - not only is there so much to do, but she claims it is cheaper than the UK.

Chelsea, who is a bargain holiday expert who shares her top tips on social media, recently took to TikTok and said: "If you haven't booked a European Christmas market yet this year here's why I think you should opt for Cologne. So last year I visited seven European Christmas markets and Cologne my absolute favourite."

Cologne Tourism states: "This year the Christmas markets in Cologne opened their gates around November 18, and are welcoming visitors with delicacies such as mulled wine and waffles. You can explore the many markets in the course of a mulled-wine tour through the cathedral city."

At the Cologne markets there are seven different sections - Cologne Harbour Christmas Market, Vringsadvent, Heinzels Wintermarchen, Stadtgartn Christmas market, Village of St. Nicholas, Christmas market at Cologne Cathedral.

On her website Cheap Holiday Expert, she commented: "I loved Heinzels Wintermärchen Christmas Market in Cologne’s old town, spread over the Alter Markt and Heumarkt squares. This is a traditional market, centred around the folk legend of household spirits, the Heinzelmännchen. As well as stalls selling incredible hand-made gifts, there are food stands, live music, artist performances and an ice rink too.

"The main market is Cologne Cathedral Christmas Market, where you’ll find stalls laden with handmade treasures, foodie delights and Christmassy drinks. Of course there’s also a giant Christmas tree at the centre of the action, and a stage with lots of performances."

Chelsea said she also found there were lots of choice for food and drink. She enjoyed a hot dog for £3.85, compared to London's Winter Wonderland's price of £8 or Nottingham's £7.50 hot dog. Birmingham's is priced at £6.50.

On TikTok, Chelsea continued: "As for the drink, the mulled wine was so good and also a great place that is so boozy." She also noted that the mugs which are used to serve drinks are "so cute".

The social media sensation also noted how good the shopping is at Cologne. She added: "Oh and how can I forget the shopping. I've seen a lot of tat during my Christmas market crawl last year. These were definitely one of the best when it came to a good variety of stalls which had items that actually looked like they were good quality."

She advises if you want to attend, you should book your accommodation and travel as soon as possible. A number of people commented on Chelsea's viral video. One individual said: "I was literally saying how amazing Cologne Christmas market is. We did this last year via train from London and it was so much fun!"

Another added: "I watched your last year video comparing markets and actually flying to Cologne this weekend!" "Oh this is so temping - purely for those huge cinnamon rolls to be honest," commented another.

Do you have a story? Get in touch at Lucy.Marshall@reachplc.com.