Christmas Market Breaks 2026 from UK and Irish Airports
Christmas market breaks for 2026 from the 23 UK and Irish airports we search, airport by airport: the cheapest market from each, its opening hours and how to get there. Flights from £27.
Written By Rick Blyth
Happiest at 36,000ft as the sun rises above the clouds
27 min read
•
Published on 28/10/2026
How cheaply can you get to a Christmas market this year? From Dublin, Christmas market breaks start at £27 in flights per person: five nights in Brussels, or six in Barcelona.
From Great Britain, they start at £28: Milan from London Stansted, Alicante from Bristol and Gran Canaria from Liverpool.
Every one of the 23 airports we search has its own section below. Each has its cheapest Christmas market, with the market's opening hours and how to get there from the airport, then more trips, and a link to search them all.
Our search has a Christmas Markets mode, and it's strict. It only counts a trip if you spend at least one night in a market city while that city's market is open.
A trip that lands the day after a market closes doesn't count, however close it is. Close isn't good enough.
Take Kraków from Newcastle: six nights for £33. It's in Newcastle's list below because at least one of those nights falls while Kraków's market is open.
The cheapest Christmas market trip from London Heathrow is Bilbao, £58 for 6 nights.
🎄 Cheapest from London Heathrow
GABONART (Feria de Artesanía de Navidad de Bilbao)
📍 Muelle del Arenal, Bilbao
Gabonart is Bilbao's Christmas crafts fair, on the Muelle del Arenal by the river, at the edge of the old town. Basque craftspeople sell pottery, wood, leather and jewellery, made by hand.
The Guggenheim is a pleasant walk along the river, and the old town's bars are full of pintxos, Basque snacks on bread, a few euros each.
✈️ Flights
£58 from London Heathrow
6 nights, flights only, per person, the cheapest we found
🕒 Opening hours
Mon - Sun
11:00 - 14:30
🚶 → 🚌 → 🚶 Getting there
About 45 min from Bilbao airport
Bizkaibus A3247 to Plaza Moyua, then a 15 min walk to the Arenal
Every 15 min, about EUR 3
An approximate daytime journey by public transport, waiting included. Check the timetable on the day.
The cheapest Christmas market trip from London Gatwick is Gran Canaria, £32 for 5 nights.
🎄 Cheapest from London Gatwick
Mercado de Navidad
📍 Plaza de Canarias, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Christmas in the sun. Las Palmas puts on its Christmas market on Plaza de Canarias, by the port, with crafts and food from across the islands.
A short walk away, on Las Canteras beach, the city builds a nativity scene out of sand every Christmas. Then have a swim: the sea's still warm enough for a dip.
✈️ Flights
£32 from London Gatwick
5 nights, flights only, per person, the cheapest we found
🕒 Opening hours
Mon - Tue
Closed
Wed - Sat
11:00 - 21:00
Sun
11:00 - 18:00
🚶 → 🚌 → 🚶 Getting there
About 60 min from Gran Canaria airport
Bus 60 to Santa Catalina bus station, which sits under Plaza de Canarias
Every 30 min, EUR 2.95
An approximate daytime journey by public transport, waiting included. Check the timetable on the day.
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Christmas Market Breaks from London Luton 🎄
The cheapest Christmas market trip from London Luton is Alicante, £29 for 5 nights.
🎄 Cheapest from London Luton
Mercado de Navidad
📍 Paseo de Federico Soto, Alicante
Alicante's Christmas market is an evening one, on Paseo de Federico Soto in the city centre. It opens late in the afternoon and runs until late at night, Spanish style.
By day, walk the palm-lined Explanada by the sea, in the winter sun.
🍬 Try: turrón, Spain's Christmas almond nougat. The most famous is made in Jijona, just inland from Alicante.
✈️ Flights
£29 from London Luton
5 nights, flights only, per person, the cheapest we found
🕒 Opening hours
Mon - Sun
17:00 - 23:00
If it keeps its 2025 hours
🚶 → 🚌 → 🚶 Getting there
About 40 min from Alicante airport
Bus C-6 to Luceros, then a 3 min walk to Paseo de Federico Soto
Every 15-20 min, about EUR 4.60
An approximate daytime journey by public transport, waiting included. Check the timetable on the day.
The cheapest Christmas market trip from Edinburgh is Madrid, £31 for 7 nights.
🎄 Cheapest from Edinburgh
Mercado de Navidad de la Plaza Mayor
📍 Plaza Mayor, Madrid
Madrid's market fills Plaza Mayor, the grand old arcaded square in the heart of the city, and has done since the 19th century.
Its stalls sell figures for the nativity scenes Spanish families build at home, and joke wigs and masks for Spain's own April Fools' Day, just after Christmas.
🍴 Try: a bocadillo de calamares, a squid roll, in a bar off the square. Then chocolate and churros round the corner.
✈️ Flights
£31 from Edinburgh
7 nights, flights only, per person, the cheapest we found
🕒 Opening hours
Mon - Thu
10:00 - 21:00
Fri - Sat
10:00 - 22:00
Sun
10:00 - 21:00
🚶 → 🚇 → 🚇 → 🚇 → 🚶 Getting there
About 50 min from Madrid airport
Metro line 8 to Nuevos Ministerios, line 10 to Tribunal, line 1 to Sol, 5 min walk
Every 5-10 min, about EUR 5 (EUR 1.50-2 plus EUR 3 airport supplement)
An approximate daytime journey by public transport, waiting included. Check the timetable on the day.
The cheapest Christmas market trips from Birmingham are Copenhagen and Alicante, £30 each. Here's Copenhagen: 7 nights for £30.
🎄 Cheapest from Birmingham
Tivoli Gardens
Tivoli Gardens, a pleasure garden in the middle of the city since 1843, turns into a Christmas market, with lights, stalls and the rides still running.
🍷 Drink: gløgg with almonds and raisins in the cup, and have it with æbleskiver, little round pancakes with jam and icing sugar.
✈️ Flights
£30 from Birmingham
7 nights, flights only, per person, the cheapest we found
🕒 Opening hours
Mon - Thu
11:00 - 22:00
Fri - Sat
11:00 - 23:59
Sun
11:00 - 22:00
If it keeps its 2025 hours
🚶 → 🚆 → 🚶 Getting there
About 25 min from Copenhagen airport
Train to Copenhagen Central Station (København H), then a 4 min walk to Tivoli
Every 10 min, about DKK 30
An approximate daytime journey by public transport, waiting included. Check the timetable on the day.
The cheapest Christmas market trip from Glasgow is Kraków, £46 for 7 nights.
🎄 Cheapest from Glasgow
Rynek Główny
The market is on Rynek Główny, one of Europe's largest medieval squares, around the Cloth Hall and below St Mary's Basilica. Listen for the trumpet call from its tower every hour.
✨ Look for: the szopki, Kraków's glittering nativity scenes, a tradition UNESCO lists as living heritage.
🍴 Eat: oscypek, smoked mountain cheese, grilled and served with cranberry.
✈️ Flights
£46 from Glasgow
7 nights, flights only, per person, the cheapest we found
🕒 Opening hours
Mon - Sun
10:00 - 20:00
🚶 → 🚆 → 🚶 Getting there
About 50 min from Kraków airport
Train to Kraków Główny, then a 12 min walk to Rynek Główny
Every 30 min, under PLN 20
An approximate daytime journey by public transport, waiting included. Check the timetable on the day.
The cheapest Christmas market trip from Newcastle is Milan, £32 for 5 nights. For £6 more, there's Reykjavík: 4 nights for £38.
🎄 Christmas market from Newcastle
Jólaþorpið (Christmas Village)
📍 Thorsplan, Hafnarfjörður
For something different, Reykjavík. Jólaþorpið, the Christmas Village, fills Thorsplan square in Hafnarfjörður, a harbour town just south of the city, with little wooden huts. It's open at weekends.
Hafnarfjörður calls itself the town of the elves and hidden people. Buy a hand-knitted Icelandic jumper, have a hot chocolate, and look up after dark: winter is Northern Lights season.
✈️ Flights
£38 from Newcastle
4 nights, flights only, per person, the cheapest we found
🕒 Opening hours
Mon - Thu
Closed
Fri
17:00 - 20:00
Sat
13:00 - 20:00
Sun
13:00 - 18:00
🚌 → 🚶 Getting there
About 95 min from Reykjavík airport
Strætó bus 55 to Fjörður in Hafnarfjörður, then a 2 min walk to Thorsplan
Every 1-2 hours
An approximate daytime journey by public transport, waiting included. Check the timetable on the day.
The cheapest Christmas market trip from Liverpool is Gran Canaria, £28 for 7 nights. For £2 more, there's Warsaw: 7 nights for £30.
🎄 Christmas market from Liverpool
Jarmark Warszawski
📍 Plac Defilad, Warsaw
Warsaw's big market is on Plac Defilad, below the Palace of Culture and Science, Stalin's gift to the city. There's a second in the Old Town, rebuilt after the war and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
🍴 Eat: pierogi, and grilled oscypek cheese with cranberry. 🍷 Drink: grzaniec, Polish mulled wine.
✈️ Flights
£30 from Liverpool
7 nights, flights only, per person, the cheapest we found
🕒 Opening hours
Mon - Thu
11:00 - 21:00
Fri - Sat
11:00 - 22:00
Sun
11:00 - 21:00
If it keeps its 2025 hours
🚶 → 🚆 → 🚶 Getting there
About 40 min from Warsaw airport
Train S2 or S3 to the city centre, then a 5 min walk to Plac Defilad
Every 15 min (S2, S3 and RL combined), about PLN 7
An approximate daytime journey by public transport, waiting included. Check the timetable on the day.
Christmas Market Breaks from Leeds Bradford Airport 🎄
The cheapest Christmas market trip from Leeds Bradford is Alicante, £38 for 6 nights. For £1 more, there's Riga: 4 nights for £39.
🎄 Christmas market from Leeds Bradford
Old Town Christmas Market
Riga's market is on Dome Square in the Old Town, below the cathedral. Riga says the first decorated Christmas tree stood here in 1510; Tallinn says it was there first.
🥃 Try: Riga Black Balsam, the city's herbal liqueur, warm with blackcurrant juice, and gingerbread from the stalls.
✈️ Flights
£39 from Leeds Bradford
4 nights, flights only, per person, the cheapest we found
🕒 Opening hours
Mon - Thu
11:00 - 21:00
Fri - Sat
10:00 - 22:00
Sun
10:00 - 21:00
🚌 → 🚶 Getting there
About 45 min from Riga airport
Bus 22 to Grēcinieku iela, then an 8 min walk through the Old Town to Dome Square
Every 10 to 20 min, about EUR 1.50 to 2
An approximate daytime journey by public transport, waiting included. Check the timetable on the day.
Christmas Market Breaks from East Midlands Airport 🎄
The cheapest Christmas market trip from East Midlands is Wrocław, £34 for 5 nights. For £16 more, there's Budapest: 5 nights for £50.
🎄 Christmas market from East Midlands
Vörösmarty Square
The main market is on Vörösmarty Square, beside the grand old Gerbeaud café, and its stalls are picked for Hungarian crafts: leather, lace, ceramics and painted wood. A second stands in front of St Stephen's Basilica.
🍴 Eat: lángos, fried bread with sour cream and cheese, then kürtőskalács, a chimney cake turned over hot coals.
✈️ Flights
£50 from East Midlands
5 nights, flights only, per person, the cheapest we found
🕒 Opening hours
Mon - Thu
11:00 - 21:00
Fri - Sat
11:00 - 22:00
Sun
11:00 - 21:00
🚌 → 🚶 Getting there
About 50 min from Budapest airport
Bus 100E to Deák Ferenc tér, then a 4 min walk to Vörösmarty tér
Every 10-20 min, HUF 2,500 (about EUR 6)
An approximate daytime journey by public transport, waiting included. Check the timetable on the day.
The cheapest Christmas market trip from Aberdeen is Alicante, £44 for 3 nights. For £11 more, there's Paris: 7 nights for £55.
🎄 Christmas market from Aberdeen
Marché de Noël Paris La Défense
Paris's biggest Christmas market is at La Défense, the business district just west of the city, with hundreds of chalets among the towers below the Grande Arche. It's a straight run in on the RER A.
🍴 Try: vin chaud and a raclette, then head back into Paris for the lights on the Champs-Élysées.
✈️ Flights
£55 from Aberdeen
7 nights, flights only, per person, the cheapest we found
🕒 Opening hours
Mon - Thu
11:00 - 21:00
Fri
11:00 - 23:00
Sat
10:00 - 23:00
Sun
11:00 - 21:30
🚶 → 🚆 → 🚶 → 🚆 → 🚶 Getting there
About 70 min from Paris airport
RER B to Châtelet-Les Halles, then RER A to La Défense
Every 10 to 15 min, about EUR 14 (airport ticket, includes the change)
An approximate daytime journey by public transport, waiting included. Check the timetable on the day.
The cheapest Christmas market trips from Southend are Gran Canaria and Barcelona, £30 each. For £12 more, there's Berlin: 7 nights for £42.
🎄 Christmas market from Southend
Weihnachtszauber am Gendarmenmarkt
Berlin has dozens of markets. The Weihnachtszauber on the Gendarmenmarkt is the grandest, on a square framed by two domed churches and the concert hall.
Its white tents are full of craftspeople at work: glassblowers, woodcarvers and potters, with singers on the stage most evenings.
✈️ Flights
£42 from Southend
7 nights, flights only, per person, the cheapest we found
🕒 Opening hours
Mon - Thu
11:00 - 22:00
Fri - Sat
11:00 - 23:00
Sun
11:00 - 22:00
🚶 → 🚆 → 🚶 → 🚇 → 🚶 Getting there
About 45 min from Berlin airport
FEX train to Potsdamer Platz, U2 to Stadtmitte, then a 5 min walk
Every 15 min, EUR 5.00 (ABC ticket)
An approximate daytime journey by public transport, waiting included. Check the timetable on the day.
Christmas Market Breaks from Bournemouth Airport 🎄
The cheapest Christmas market trips from Bournemouth are Wrocław and Gran Canaria, £32 each. Here's Wrocław: 7 nights for £32.
🎄 Cheapest from Bournemouth
Wrocławski Jarmark Bożonarodzeniowy
📍 Rynek, Wrocław
The market fills the Rynek, Wrocław's huge market square, around the Gothic town hall. It's one of the biggest in Poland, with a giant tree and a fairy-tale corner for children.
🔍 While you're there: count the little bronze dwarfs hidden all over the old town. 🍷 Mulled wine here comes in a mug shaped like a boot.
✈️ Flights
£32 from Bournemouth
7 nights, flights only, per person, the cheapest we found
🕒 Opening hours
Mon - Sun
10:00 - 21:00
🚶 → 🚌 → 🚶 Getting there
About 50 min from Wrocław airport
Bus 106 to Pl. Orląt Lwowskich, then a 12 min walk along ul. Ruska to the Rynek
Every 20 min, about PLN 5
An approximate daytime journey by public transport, waiting included. Check the timetable on the day.
The cheapest Christmas market trip from Cardiff is Alicante, £42 for 6 nights.
🎄 Cheapest from Cardiff
Mercado de Navidad
📍 Paseo de Federico Soto, Alicante
Cardiff's one Christmas market trip is to Alicante, whose market opens in the evening on Paseo de Federico Soto. By day, there's winter sun on the seafront.
🍬 Try: turrón, the almond nougat made in Jijona, just inland.
✈️ Flights
£42 from Cardiff
6 nights, flights only, per person, the cheapest we found
🕒 Opening hours
Mon - Sun
17:00 - 23:00
If it keeps its 2025 hours
🚶 → 🚌 → 🚶 Getting there
About 40 min from Alicante airport
Bus C-6 to Luceros, then a 3 min walk to Paseo de Federico Soto
Every 15-20 min, about EUR 4.60
An approximate daytime journey by public transport, waiting included. Check the timetable on the day.
The cheapest Christmas market trip from Glasgow Prestwick is Alicante, £36 for 4 nights. For £4 more, there's Turin: 7 nights for £40.
🎄 Christmas market from Glasgow Prestwick
Natale è Reale Mercatino di Natale
📍 Palazzina di Caccia di Stupinigi (Nichelino), Turin
Turin's Christmas market, Natale è Reale, is held at Stupinigi, a royal hunting lodge just outside the city, built for the House of Savoy in the 18th century and now part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It's open at weekends.
☕ Try: a bicerin, Turin's layered drink of coffee, chocolate and cream, and gianduja, the city's hazelnut chocolate.
✈️ Flights
£40 from Glasgow Prestwick
7 nights, flights only, per person, the cheapest we found
🕒 Opening hours
Mon - Fri
Closed
Sat - Sun
10:00 - 19:30
🚶 → 🚆 → 🚶 → 🚌 → 🚶 Getting there
About 85 min from Turin airport
Train to Torino Lingotto, then bus 41 to Stupinigi and a 5 min walk
Train 2 to 3 an hour, bus 41 about every 20 to 30 min, about EUR 6
An approximate daytime journey by public transport, waiting included. Check the timetable on the day.
More Christmas market trips from Glasgow Prestwick:
Christmas Market Breaks from Southampton Airport 🎄
The cheapest Christmas market trip from Southampton is Barcelona, £51 for 4 nights.
🎄 Cheapest from Southampton
Fira de Santa Llúcia
📍 Avinguda de la Catedral, Barcelona
The Fira de Santa Llúcia, in front of the cathedral, has been held since 1786. It sells nativity figures, and moss, bark and greenery to build the scene.
😄 Look out for: the caganer, a Catalan Christmas figure you'll have to see for yourself.
✈️ Flights
£51 from Southampton
4 nights, flights only, per person, the cheapest we found
🕒 Opening hours
Mon - Sun
10:00 - 21:00
If it keeps its 2025 hours
🚶 → 🚌 → 🚶 Getting there
About 55 min from Barcelona airport
Aerobús to Plaça de Catalunya, then a 10 min walk to the Cathedral
Every 5-10 min, about EUR 7.50
An approximate daytime journey by public transport, waiting included. Check the timetable on the day.
Christmas is a good time to try a multi-city trip. You fly to one market city and stay. Then, instead of going home, you fly on to the next.
✈️ A real one: from East Midlands, Kraków then Budapest costs £76 in flights, for 4 nights: 2 in Kraków, then 2 in Budapest. You get a night in each city while its market is open.
Kraków and BudapestFrom East Midlands · 4 nights in allSearch trips →from£76
Every city you stay in gets a night or more, and at least 12 hours on the ground. So you're never racing from one market to the next airport.
To see only trips where every city has a market, choose Multi-City and All Markets in the search.
Before You Book ✅
⏰ Check the market's opening times. Our search knows each market's dates, but times can change. Confirm with the market before you go.
🏨 Book a refundable room until all your flights are booked. Then firm it up.
🛬 Check which airport you land at. Several of the cheapest trips use a city's second airport, and some are a long way out: Oslo Torp is over two hours from the market.
🧣 Pack for the cold and travel light. A cabin bag is easier to manage between cities. Each airline has its own size rules, so check them before you go.
📌 Key points
From Dublin, Christmas market breaks start at £27: Brussels, Toulouse or Barcelona.
From Great Britain, they start at £28: Milan from Stansted, Alicante from Bristol, Gran Canaria from Liverpool.
Every one of the 23 airports we search has at least one Christmas market trip.
Every trip has at least one night in a market city while that city's market is open.
You book each flight directly with the airline.
Questions People Ask 💬
When Do the Christmas Markets Open?
It depends on the city, and the dates change every year, so we don't give them here.
Our search knows each market's dates. It only shows trips with a night in a market city while its market is open.
What's the Cheapest Christmas Market Break This Year?
From Great Britain, the cheapest we found was £28 in flights per person: seven nights in Milan from London Stansted, three in Alicante from Bristol, or seven in Gran Canaria from Liverpool.
From Dublin, it was £27, to Brussels, Toulouse or Barcelona. Fares move, so check the search for today's.
Can I See the Whole Season for Free?
Free search shows trips leaving in the next 14 days. Premium members see about six months ahead, which covers the whole Christmas market season. See Premium for what's included.
Do the Prices Include a Hotel?
No. They're for flights only, per person. Each trip shows how many nights you'll spend in each city, so you know exactly what to book.
Ready to Find Your Market? 🎄
Choose your airport and switch on Christmas Markets. You'll see every trip with a night in a market city while its market is open, cheapest first. Search Christmas market trips.
Prices were found between the 25th of October and the 1st of November 2026: flights only, per person, rounded up to the next pound. Fares change every day, so search for today's.