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We’re dreaming of a white Christmas… and there’s a UK city with one of the best seasonal markets, which is expected to get snow this year, for the enchanting backdrop we envision each year

With the festive season approaching, many of us will be longing for a classic white Christmas, for the ultimate Hallmark movie backdrop. Fortunately, there’s one city with the top-rated Christmas market in the UK that is forecast to welcome snow during the holiday season.

Edinburgh has been highlighted as the only UK destination on a list of European Christmas markets most likely to be dusted with snow this season. The renowned Christmas market, which adorns East Princes Street Gardens, has joined a list of more than 30 European countries expected to offer visitors that authentic and sought-after white Christmas.

To compile the results, Omio, a leading multi-modal travel booking platform, gathered weather data for 51 European Christmas market locations in November and December, and calculated the average lowest temperature from this data. Omio identified which markets are most likely to be chilled by temperatures of 2°C or below, resulting in a higher likelihood of snowfall during the last two months of the year, and, ultimately, when the Christmas markets are open. The data was sourced from NOAA.

READ MORE: The best 9 UK Christmas markets named – with 4 places completely overlookedREAD MORE: Magical market town surrounded by mountains and islands voted best place to live

However, a cold snap expected in the UK this week could prove the study wrong. Snow is forecast in parts of the North East and North West, meaning highly ranked Christmas market cities such as Chester, Liverpool, York and Durham could get a dusting.

Already one of the UK’s most picturesque cities, Edinburgh is famed for its Christmas market, which runs from 15 November to 4 January this year. Among the quaint huts packed with festive gifts and snug stocking fillers, you’ll find international foods such as German sausages and crepes, as well as a warming cup of hot chocolate or mulled wine.

The market also boasts a mini-funfair with a helter-skelter, swing carousel that almost brushes the Gothic Scott Monument, and a big wheel providing a view of Edinburgh’s imposing medieval castle and ancient hill, Arthur’s Seat. So, the thought of wandering around the Edinburgh Christmas market, adorned with charming wooden chalets, in a flurry of snow, is enough to entice anyone to the Scottish capital.

But if you needed another excuse to visit, Edinburgh was also ranked among the top nine UK Christmas markets to visit this year, following extensive research from Which? in its annual tradition. In addition to its hugely popular Christmas market, Edinburgh is also famous for hosting one of the UK’s most famous New Year’s Eve (Hogmanay) celebrations.

So with hundreds of Christmas markets dotted across the UK and Europe, this just might be the best spot in the UK to visit during the festive season. Plus, visitors can take in the city’s allure even further with a leisurely walk around the winter gardens, a glide around the ice rink, or by exploring the New Town for more retail therapy in the city.

However, if you’re looking to venture a little further afield, there are more than 30 other European Christmas markets predicted to welcome snow this year, according to Omio.

European Christmas markets expecting snow

• Christmas Village, Rovaniemi, Finland
• Christmas Market at Senate Square, Helsinki, Finland
• Christmas Markets at Market Square, Turku, Finland
• Christmas Market at Main Market Square, Kraków, Poland
• Old Town Christmas Market, Innsbruck, Austria
• Advent Market at Hauptplatz, Graz, Austria
• Christmas Markets at Náměstí Svobody, Brno, Czech Republic
• Christkindlmarkt at Domplatz, Salzburg, Austria
• Advent Feast at the Great Forest, Debrecen, Hungary
• Christmas Market at Rynek, Wrocław, Poland
• Christmas Markets at Hlavná ulica, Košice, Slovakia
• Christkindlesmarkt at Hauptmarkt, Nuremberg, Germany
• Christkindlmarkt at Marienplatz, Munich, Germany
• Skansen Christmas Market, Stockholm, Sweden
• Christmas Markets in Old Town, Colmar, France
• Christmas Market at Targ Węglowy, Gdańsk, Poland
• Marché de Noël at Parc des Bastions, Geneva, Switzerland
• Christmas Market at Den Gamle By, Aarhus, Denmark
• H.C. Andersen Christmas Market, Odense, Denmark
• Christkindelsmärik at Place Kléber, Strasbourg, France
• Marché de Noël at Place Saint-Louis, Metz, France
• Striezelmarkt at Altmarkt, Dresden, Germany
• Gendarmenmarkt Christmas Market, Berlin, Germany
• Liseberg Christmas Market, Gothenburg, Sweden
• Christmas Market at Gustav Adolfs Torg, Malmö, Sweden
• Old Town Square, Prague, Czech Republic
• Christmas Market at Vörösmarty Square, Budapest, Hungary
• Christmas Markets in Caves, Valkenburg, Netherlands
• Christmas Markets at Hlavné námestie, Bratislava, Slovakia
• Christkindlmarkt at Main Train Station, Zurich, Switzerland
• Weihnachtsmarkt at Barfüsserplatz, Basel, Switzerland
• Christmas Market at East Princes Street Gardens, Edinburgh, UK

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