THERE is a charming, small Italian city that hosts a quiet Christmas market for less than the cost of visiting one in the UK.
The tiny city of Arezzo located in the Tuscan hills of Italy features the country’s largest Christmas market that is themed like an Alpine village.
Each winter, according to Visit Tuscany, Arezzo becomes a “Christmas City” in the medieval centre, Piazza Grande, with stalls selling handmade gifts.
In fact, the gifts come from all over, with exhibitors travelling from the Tyrol, Germany and Austria to the market to sell wood carvings, ceramics, and hand-painted Christmas decorations.
You can expect over 640,000 LED lights, a Ferris wheel that offers amazing panoramic views and Santa’s house too.
For something to drink, opt for a steaming mug of glühwein – a traditional German hot mulled wine with cinnamon, cloves, star anise and citrus fruits.
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A mug usually costs around €4 to €5 (£3.47 to £4.34).
You can step it up a notch too by having a Feuerzangenbowle – the fiery version where a sugarloaf soaked in rum is set on fire and drips into the mulled wine.
In the Prato – a large green space that dominates the city – there are more wooden huts selling local street food, such as sausages for around €5 to €8 (£4.34 to £6.95).
Families can have some fun skating at the ice rink as well.
For the duration of the Christmas market, there will also be a number of events and shows.
For example, for €10 (£8.68) per person, you could see Brick House Art – a three-floor exhibition of different Lego artworks.
The market will run between November 16 and January 6, every Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
And for this year, visitors can travel on a limited-edition Christmas train to Arezzo, from Rome.
Called The Assisi Espresso, each carriage on the train will be decked out with festive decorations and passengers will each be given a gift.
Other stops along the route include Terni, Spoleto, Foligno, Spello, Assisi, and Perugia.
The train will operate every Sunday from November 30 to January 11, departing Rome at 8:30am and arriving in Arezzo at 12:10pm.
The train will then leave Arezzo at 5:30pm and arrive back in Rome at 10:42pm.
Passengers can book either first class or second class, and there is a dining carriage onboard too – expect mulled wine, roast chestnuts and traditional treats.
Return tickets on the train cost just €62 (around £54).
And with cheap flights to Rome, you can head to Arezzo’s Christmas market for cheaper than a UK staycation.
Prices for a full stay and the Christmas train cost from just £250, which is 44 per cent less than heading to Edinburgh around the same period, according to First Choice.
But travellers don’t need to stay in Arezzo – they could opt to stay in Rome instead.
Kevin Nelson, managing director at First Choice said: “Rome might not be the first place you think of for a Christmas break, but that’s exactly what makes it such a smart choice.
“Pairing the city’s festive charm with a proper Alpine-style market in Arezzo gives you two authentic experiences for the price of one – it’s the ultimate festive hack.”
First Choice’s Rome package starts from just £184 per person for three nights this December, and this includes return flights to the city and a central hotel, such as Rome Garden.
Add in the cost of the train to Arezzo and back, the holiday costs just £238 per person.
And if you were planning the trip on your own, return flights from Birmingham, Manchester and London all cost around £27 in December.
A hotel in the centre of Rome then costs as little as £38 per night, so if you stayed for two nights, you’d spend around £238.
Both of these options would cost less than heading to the Birmingham‘s Frankfurt Christmas Market for a weekend, where a return train ticket costs about £35 from London and a hotel will set you back around £100 a night.
And that’s before battling the prices of the market – a pint cost £7 last year and a bratwurst around £10.
Before you know it, you’ve spent over £250.
Unless you’re staying in a hostel, a mid-range weekend away for two, anywhere in the UK usually costs £350 to £500.
So why not head to the charming Italian city instead?
In other Christmas market news, is this England’s most beautiful Christmas market? The 100-stall festive event in the middle of a palace courtyard.
Plus, the cheapest Christmas market in the UK with quaint stalls, bargain food and hardly any crowds.