When I arrived into Stockholm Central Station on the overnight sleeper train from Hamburg, I was nervous.
I was in the middle of my ‘Christmas Market Bingo Challenge’. I had given myself £500 to spend over five days, ticking things off my bingo card whilst I traversed across various European festive fairs.
My transport and accommodation were booked in advance, so the real danger to my budget lay in the markets themselves. The bingo budget covered mulled wine and sausage, transport, accommodation and a wildcard, so I had to make sure every penny counted.
If I was smart with my spending, I was able to carry the total on from one day to the next.
Mulled wine and sausages were all mandatory bingo squares of course. But it meant that one particularly expensive market could easily throw everything off plan.
And Stockholm worried me especially. Scandinavia is not exactly known for being cheap, and enjoying food and drink at Christmas markets can quickly spiral in cost if you are not careful.
To ensure I stuck to my budget, I had one present on my list to buy from my Christmas Market crawl but otherwise I was simply window shopping.
It felt cosy and calm, but almost suspiciously so. I worried the lack of crowds might mean prices were scaring people off.
But, it was time to face my fears.
Since Sweden does not use the euro, I had no idea what damage I was about to do when faced with a menu priced Swedish krona.
Prices started at 30 SEK for a classic hot dog, but I went for the more traditional Christmas Market option – the bratwurst.
The sausage arrived slathered in ketchup and mustard, gloriously so. I took a bite and it was delicious, with enough garlic to repel unwanted strangers for hours.
Then came the reveal.
50 SEK, or, as I happily discovered, £3.99.
Markets often labelled budget, such as Budapest or Tallinn, can be the opposite once you arrive. In Budapest two years ago, a bratwurst cost me £13.75!
Tallinn shocked me this year too. Mulled wine started at €7, or £6.15, and a sausage plate cost €15, or £13.20. Even with the cheaper accommodations, this feels criminally overpriced.
German markets still set a good standard. In Hamburg this year, I paid €5 (£4.38) each for a mulled wine and a bratwurst, which was very reasonable, especially given the superb quality.
The only cheaper markets I have personally experienced were years ago in Romania. In Timisoara, where a pint of mulled wine cost just £1.
I expect prices have shot up since 2017 but that kind of value still tends to exist in places that are less visited, like Brno in Czechia, although you should not expect vast markets with endless stalls like in Germany.
But for charm, fair prices and a reminder that Christmas markets do not have to be cash grabs, Stockholm may just surprise you.
