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Travel influencer Chelsea Dickenson, founder of cheapholidayexpert.com, decided to explore seven of Europe’s top Christmas markets in just eight days – and she’s revealed the best ones for a bargain break. The travel enthusiast was looking for proper festive vibes after finding UK markets "too commercial" and so bagged an inter-railing pass for a December adventure.

Chelsea, from the UK, spent £343 on her 10 day train pass which let her travel all throughout Europe without planning too far ahead. She started her trip own Budapest, capital of Hungary, as the city’s Christmas market was voted best Christmas market in Europe.

After that, the influencer and travel enthusiast decided to let her followers vote for which markets she’d visit next. In total she headed to five countries with one Christmas market destination still left to visit.

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READ MORE: Europe's cheapest city for Christmas breaks has gorgeous market and £26 hotels

Revealing the best value market, Chelsea told Daily Star: "If you want the cheapest all-round market it’s Cologne with Berlin not too far behind it. Cologne, especially the Heinzels Winter Fayre, you can get a really delicious bratwurst in a bun for £3.80 and the mulled wine was £3.86. And, it was really nice and boozy."

Having been to markets in Hungary, Austria, Poland, Germany and Switzerland, Chelsea spoke to Daily Star about which were the best value. She compared the price of entry, a glass of mulled wine – yum – and a traditional bratwurst hotdog to find out which had a good balance of costs.

The traveller did explain that you can find cheaper wine and food at other Christmas markets – however rarely are both cheap at the same place which is why she’d recommend Cologne. Chelsea commented: "Budapest had the cheapest mulled wine at about £3.82, but it also has the most expensive food by a country mile. It’s outrageously expensive.

"The bratwurst in a bun was really big, but it was £13. Which that’s an absolutely crazy amount for Budapest. I went and got a potato pancake with some chicken and vegetables on top and that cost me £20. It was a bit painful."

However, she also found the opposite at another Christmas market. She explained: "The most expensive mulled wine was at Krakow with it costing £4.95. But, then it had the cheapest sausages for £3.57."

In Budapest, Hungary, Chelsea visited the Advent Feast at the Basilica and Vörösmarty Square Christmas Market before heading to Vienna for the Wiener Christkindlmarkt am Rathausplatz. On top Krakow in Poland she went to the Kraków Christmas Market before heading to Berlin, Germany for the WeihnachtsZauber Gendarmenmarkt.

After that, she went to Cologne in Germany and tried out Cologne Cathedral Christmas Market and Heinzels Wintermärchen (also known as Heinzels Winter Fayre). The next stop was to Basel in Switzerland where she hopped over to Münsterplatz Christmas Market and Barfüsserplatz Christmas Market.

The only Christmas market that Chelsea said it cost to enter was Berlin which cost two euros (£1.71) so Cologne worked out the best all-round. Plus it was her favourite because it stood at the base of a beautiful cathedral and had an "epic view" which was "so impressive".

She noted: "I think it’s so important for me at a Christmas market – that there’s something epic lit up beautifully behind it and the stalls were in almost a maze formation rather that rows which helped it feel more authentic. You're kind of just like navigating your way through this maze of huts and there’s a really prominent red colour throughout that made it really festive. They've got a stage right in front of the massive Christmas tree with amazing music playing and that was wonderful.

"Plus, you can walk just seven minutes and be at another huge market. There are five or six different drinking places in big log cabins that have a traditional feel. You’re also in the old town with all the townhouses wrapped around you. There’s ice skating, curling and musical acts popping up. It felt like what a real German Christmas market should be like and was the most festive."

Getting to Cologne won't cost you a fortune either. Skyscanner puts the price of a return flight from £29 – of course this will vary by date and time but cheap flights are out there!

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