Europe’s cheapest city for Christmas breaks has gorgeous market and £26 hotels

The weather is freezing cold, the UK has even had snow this weekend and Christmas is well on its way. While lights are being switched on across the countries and trees go up you might still feel the pull of your wandering feet and be desperate to get away.

Luckily, there are still some great value destinations where you can take a festive break without breaking the bank. One pretty spot even has hotels from as cheap as £26 per night.

Research conducted by travel experts at Bounce analysed European cities based on the nightly cost of a hotel room, TikTok views, Instagram posts of Christmas markets and google searches to find the cheapest festive destination.

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Thankfully, for us Brits, the city that came out tops is just a hop over the channel for us in France. Metz, in the northeast of the country, is a gorgeous city filled with gardens, leafy promenades for strolling and the Moselle and Seille rivers add impressive views.

The city boasts an old town which has a massive gothic cathedral covered in stained glass windows by famous artists. There’s also the Musée de la Cour d'Or which has artifacts from Roman to Renaissance times and includes the ancient Petites Carmes Abbey, the Chèvremont granary, and the Trinitaires church.

The Centre Pompidou-Metz has excellent modern and contemporary art exhibitions. Those who love history can head to the German Gate – a bridge castle made from medieval fortifications with round towers and gun bastions.

All of this makes for a gorgeous winter destination, but for those who want to get extra festive there is, of course, a Christmas market from November 24 to December 30. It’s been voted one of the best Christmas markets in France and you’ll find plenty of stalls selling mulled wine, hot chocolate, gingerbread and other traditional treats.

Hand-crafted gifts line the streets and the city market hall offers tasty food and drink options. Holidaymakers can get stuck into the merry-go-round or walk through the magical "Sentiers des Lanternes" with animated trees offered by the Department of Moselle.

Right by the city’s gorgeous cathedral is a big wheel for the best views and there are boutiques and shops all around that stay open even on Sundays before Christmas. Plus, the research shows that you can enjoy Metz on the cheap!

Bounce found that the average cost of a night in a hotel was just £26. Some of the most recommended hotels include the likes of Best Western Metz Centre Gare, ibis Metz Centre Cathédrale, and Hotel De La Cathedrale. Beers aren't extortionate either with PintPrice putting the average cost at £2.56.

However, you will need to be a little bit clever to get to Metz as flights aren’t particularly cheap despite the closeness of the city. You can get a coach from London to Metz though with the average price being £42.99 according to FlixBus.

You can also get the Eurostar from London to Paris and then a train from Gare de l’Est to Metz. The second train only costs around £14 so it’s not too much extra.

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