Edinburgh's Christmas markets have been named the best in the UK for 2026, according to a new study, with Glasgow's festive offering also making the top 10.
The team at Idealo ranked 10 of the best Christmas markets across the country, taking into account factors such as total days open, visitor ratings from Tripadvisor and Google, Instagram popularity and Google search volumes. The study also considered how long it would take visitors to reach each market from public transport.
Edinburgh takes the top spot
While Hyde Park in London and Birmingham's popular Christmas market were in the top three, it was Edinburgh's Christmas markets that took the crown as the best in the UK for 2026. The Scottish capital's markets were given an overall score of 7.56 out of 10, marked as a convenient event to attend in terms of travel accessibility and running length.
The markets are open for 50 days, from November 14 to January 3, giving Scots and visitors plenty of opportunities to attend. They have also amassed tens of thousands of social media posts and nearly 880,000 Google searches in the last year.
Along with the market stalls, the iconic ferris wheel and theme park rides located across the Princes Street Gardens, visitors can also find a number of other attractions dotted across the city. While the ice rink has been axed this year, guests can still feel the chill in an ice bar or get involved in a ceilidh and sing to live music at the Corrie Inn on George Street.
A new addition to this year's programme is La Clique Noel held at Bristo Square, bringing seven weeks of spectacular Christmas cabaret to Edinburgh. The Olivier Award-winning show first started out at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2004 and has had sell out seasons across the globe.
Glasgow also makes the list
Glasgow's Christmas markets at George Square also made the list, coming in at seventh place. With a close proximity to Queen Street Station, interest in the celebrations has been growing over the years.
Following George Square's £20million redevelopment, half of it will be transformed into the Good Times Christmas Village this year. Opening on November 19, the village will hold food stalls from food across the globe as well as a variety of entertainment every night of the week.
The market will also be raising money for a number of charities in the local area, in addition to promising to plant a tree for every Christmas tree bought at the square this year.
Idealo's top 10 best UK Christmas markets
Edinburgh Christmas Market, Hyde Park Winter Wonderland - London, Birmingham Frankfurt Christmas Market, Nottingham Winter Wonderland, Manchester Christmas Market, Bath Christmas Market, Glasgow Christmas Market, Exeter Christmas Market, Liverpool Christmas Market and York St Nicholas Fair.
