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.
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My chosen Stockholm Christmas market sits in Stortorget square, in the heart of the old town, Gamla Stan. When I arrived, shortly after opening time, my first impression was not that it looked expensive, but that it was tiny.
Around 30 wooden huts were dotted across the square, standing in the shadow of the Nobel Prize Museum. I love a Christmas market framed by grand architecture, like a cathedral or dramatic town hall.
While the Stortorget market did not quite have that awe-inspiring scale, the surrounding storybook baroque buildings made it feel like standing in a film set.
Small, but perfectly formed.
There were stalls selling knitwear, candles, wreaths, artwork and beautifully bottled drinks to take home. I quickly spotted two huts selling glögg, which is the Swedish version of mulled wine, two sausage stalls, a waffle stand, plus places for hot chocolate and coffee.
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.
I checked the exchange rate twice. I was stunned at how cheap it was!
Feeling emboldened, I headed for the glögg stall. No prices were displayed, which always feels like a dangerous game, but I ordered anyway, hoping to repeat my luck from the bratwurst.
I was met with another joyful surprise of 40 SEK, equivalent to £3.19.
It even came with a small biscuit, which felt oddly charming.
The drink was warming and tasty, with berries and nuts floating in the cup, and I couldn’t help but wonder how on earth it could be so affordable. But after a second sip, it dawned on me that something was missing.
There was no booze.
Doubling back, I asked the woman at the stall whether it contained alcohol. Yes, she said, but very little.
Sweden has strict alcohol rules, with stronger drinks only sold through the state-run Systembolaget. Drinking culture here is different, more about taste and tradition than strength, and that filters down into Christmas markets too.
But you’re not paying for a heavy hit of alcohol; you’re paying for the atmosphere, and it’s worth every penny.
And because the food prices were so reasonable, I did not feel short-changed. Paying around £3 for a drink at a Christmas market felt like a treat.
You would struggle to get a coffee for that in most British coffee shops.
By sunset, the market had started to fill out a little and I decided to tick off another bingo square – ‘festive pudding’. I opted for a waffle, priced at 60 SEK, or £4.80, dusted in powdered sugar and shaped like a snowflake.
Having visited more than 15 European Christmas markets, I can confidently say Stockholm’s food and drink prices are among the cheapest I have seen in recent years.
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.
And whilst the window for Christmas Market trips may have passed for this year, it’s helpful to remember that less known may be better for your purse strings – and help combat overcrowding.
Stockholm’s Christmas market is best treated as a festive stop-off rather than a full-day event. It works perfectly alongside exploring Gamla Stan, and if you want to add more, you can visit Skansen, the world’s oldest open-air museum showcasing Swedish life through the ages, which hosts its own traditional Christmas market, or head to the ABBA Museum nearby.
For me, Stockholm’s Christmas market is perfect for travellers who want to add a festive touch to a city break, or those combining several markets as part of a wider trip. It is not for anyone expecting to spend entire days immersed in Christmas chaos, and definitely not for those hoping to get boozy.
But for charm, fair prices and a reminder that Christmas markets do not have to be cash grabs, Stockholm may just surprise you.
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