{"id":1321598,"date":"2026-10-30T11:08:08","date_gmt":"2026-10-30T11:08:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hostelworld.com\/blog\/?p=1321598"},"modified":"2026-10-30T11:08:08","modified_gmt":"2026-10-30T11:08:08","slug":"cheap-places-to-travel-in-december","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hostelworld.com\/blog\/cheap-places-to-travel-in-december\/","title":{"rendered":"Cheap Places to Travel in December: Winter Escapes That Won’t Wreck Your Budget"},"content":{"rendered":"

December has a reputation as the most expensive month to travel. Flights around Christmas spike, hotels hike their rates and everyone seems to be heading home. But it doesn’t have to wreck your budget. Pick somewhere it’s off-season, dry season or Christmas market season, sleep in a hostel, and some of the best places to travel in December on a budget turn out to be surprisingly cheap.<\/p>\n

This guide splits nine picks into three kinds of trip: Christmas markets<\/strong> in Europe’s cheapest cities, winter sun<\/strong> a short flight away, and long-haul dry season<\/strong> trips where December is peak weather. For each one, you’ll get why December works, what it costs and the dates that matter.<\/p>\n

One rule before you start:<\/strong> book flights early and compare a few different dates around Christmas before you commit. Then pick your bed on Hostelworld<\/a> and let the hostel do the social side. For year-round ideas, see our best value backpacking destinations with daily budgets<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Photo by Yevhenii Dubrovskyi<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Krak\u00f3w, Poland: the cheapest Christmas market city?<\/h2>\n

If you want the full Christmas market experience without Vienna or Munich prices, start with Krak\u00f3w. Wooden stalls fill the Main Square (Rynek G\u0142\u00f3wny), with grilled oscypek cheese, pierogi and mulled wine under the Cloth Hall’s arches and St Mary’s Basilica lit up behind.<\/p>\n

The market is expected to run from about 27 November 2026 to 1 January 2027, following its usual pattern of opening on the last Friday of November, according to this market guide<\/a>. The city hadn’t confirmed the 2026 dates when we checked in October 2026, so look on krakow.travel<\/a> before you book.<\/p>\n

The savings come from everything around the market. Poland<\/a> uses the z\u0142oty rather than the euro, the old town is walkable, so you won’t spend much on transport, and you can check live dorm prices in the hostel cards below. Our Krak\u00f3w travel guides<\/a> cover what to do between mugs of grzaniec, and if you’re market-hopping, these Christmas city breaks<\/a> are easy add-ons.<\/p>\n