Staying in the UK for Christmas?

If you long to wander around a traditional Christmas Market, Gluhwein in one hand and Bratwurst in the other, absorbing the nostalgic glow of colourful baubles and hand carved wooden toys, the UK may have just what you need. A December full of nativity plays, carol services, Christmas parties, planning, shopping and wrapping often means putting festive treats for ourselves on hold. And taking a trip to a market in Europe is out of the question. 

However, a recent Europcar survey showed that the UK can rival Europe when it comes to Christmas markets. When we asked which European Christmas market respondents would be most likely to visit, Edinburgh was the most popular option, with a quarter of the votes. In second place was Frankfurt with 16% and Vienna with 12%. 

Having established that the UK had more appeal than options across the Channel, we asked which UK market would be top of the list. Perhaps somewhat unsurprisingly, London was the most common answer, with 1 in 5 opting for the Capital. York came in second and the festivities in Edinburgh, Birmingham and Bath appeal to more than 1 in 10.

What’s your winter break of choice?

When they do manage to get away for a winter break, half of those we asked like to make culture and sightseeing the focus, while almost a third prefer a bit of R ‘n’ R with a spa break. One in five looks for adventure instead. For those looking for culture and sightseeing, Edinburgh certainly ticks all the boxes, perhaps another reason why it tops the list of European Christmas market destinations.

For Christmas shoppers, spa breakers and thrill seekers alike, Europcar has a wide range of Electric, Hybrid and fuel-efficient petrol vehicles to hire from city centre, train station and airport locations. 

With small city runarounds and large SUVs, a rental vehicle could make the journey more comfortable whatever the destination, with all the boot space required for the Christmas shopping.