Christmas Market Day Trips from Edinburgh and Glasgow 2026
From Scotland, Amsterdam (£95 flights from Edinburgh on 14 Dec, about £146 all in) and Gdansk (£127, over 9 hours there) are the best Christmas market day trips. Fares checked 6 to 14 Oct.
Founders: £19 a year, locked for life. See the founding offer
Scotland gets the short end of the stick for Christmas market trips. Most coach tours start in England, and a weekend in Germany isn't cheap. But a day trip from Edinburgh or Glasgow works better than you'd think.
Here's what we found, with the whole day costed: flights, getting into town, food and a drink.
Which Christmas markets can you do in a day from Scotland?
- Amsterdam from Edinburgh, Mon 14 Dec: £95 flights, about 7.3 hours there, about £146 all in
- Gdansk from Edinburgh, Sun 20 Dec: £127, about 9.1 hours, about £165 all in
- Amsterdam from Glasgow, Thu 3 Dec: £115, about 6.6 hours, about £166 all in
- Budapest from Edinburgh, Fri 20 Nov: £139, about 6.4 hours, about £171 all in
- Berlin from Edinburgh, Sun 6 Dec: £148, about 6.4 hours, about £195 all in
Krakow is in there too from Edinburgh on Sun 13 Dec at £107 with over nine hours on the ground, but Krakow hasn't confirmed its 2026 market dates yet. Check before you book.
Want to see where your money actually goes? BudgetBro tracks it in any currency, free.
Which one would we pick?
Gdansk. It's not the cheapest, but you get over nine hours there on a Sunday, the market runs until 23 December and food and drink in Poland cost a lot less. Ryanair out at 06:05 and home at 23:15. See the Gdansk day.
Quick tips for a Christmas market day from Scotland
- Glasgow's Amsterdam flight on 3 December lands at 08:20, the day the Ice Village on Museumplein opens
- Amsterdam's Ice Village runs 3 to 27 December only, so no November trips there
- Berlin's Gendarmenmarkt and Alexanderplatz markets open on 23 November
- Hand luggage only. Waiting at the carousel eats into a short day
- Fares were checked between 6 and 14 October. Always check the live price before you book
Every market, with dates and opening hours, is on our Christmas markets page.
Day trips in this article
Founders: £19 a year, locked for life. See the founding offer
Comments
No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts.
Related Articles
Vienna Christmas Market Day Trip: What the Whole Day Costs
Vienna's Christmas markets as a same-day trip from Stansted: £67 return flights on Monday 16 November, about 8.8 hours in the city, and every pound of the day added up.
· 2 min read
Prague Christmas Market Day Trip: The Whole Day for £84
Gatwick to Prague and back on Tuesday 24 November was £56 return when we checked. Add the bus, food and a beer and the whole day comes to about £84. Here's every pound.
· 2 min read
Salzburg Christmas Market Day Trip: Is Three Hours Enough?
Salzburg's Christkindlmarkt on Domplatz opens 19 November 2026. A Saturday day trip from Stansted was £83 return, but you only get about three hours in town. Here's whether it's worth it.
· 3 min read
Latest Articles
View all articles
Day Trip to Rome from the UK: Is One Day Worth It?
Rome in a day from Stansted for £44 return, with about 6.4 hours in the city. The questions people ask, answered with prices we checked.
· 1 min read
Lyon's Festival of Lights as a Day Trip: Worth the Late Flight?
Lyon's Fête des Lumières runs four nights, 5 to 8 December 2026, and it's free. With a 23:15 flight home you can see it in a day from Gatwick for £94 return.
· 2 min read
Leeds to Dublin Day Trip for £32: Quick Tips
Ryanair from Leeds Bradford to Dublin and back on Monday 23 November was £32 return. Out at 06:00, home at 22:00, nearly 12 hours in Dublin. Quick tips for the day.
· 1 min read