On the hunt for the most Christmassy cities in Europe? Well, you might not have to look too far: one recent ranking has found Amsterdam to be amongst the top 20 most festive European cities - although perhaps take that with a pinch of salt.

Holidu’s list of Christmassy cities in Europe

Published by holiday booking platform Holidu, the ranking features 110 cities from across Europe, all of which are assessed according to four key criteria, ranging from their popularity on social media to weather:

• Number of Instagram hashtags
• Global search volume
• Number of Christmas markets
• Average number of snowy days

Each factor was used in order to determine the cities in Europe which are worth a visit in December and are guaranteed to offer visitors a magical festive experience.

In what will likely come as little surprise to Christmas market fanatics, German cities dominated the top 20, with Holidu unveiling Berlin as the most Christmassy of them all. Austria also did particularly well, with three cities ranking in the top 20, while Zurich in Switzerland came in a fairly respectable 12th place. 

Is Amsterdam a good Christmas destination? Kind of…

Sadly - but perhaps unsurprisingly - no Dutch cities managed to nab a place in the top 10, but Amsterdam did secure a place in the top 20, coming in 18th place overall and beating out the likes of Dublin and Brussels. 

While the Dutch capital did fairly well when it came to global search volume and the number of times it featured in Instagram hashtags, Amsterdam was let down by its weather and lack of abundance of Christmas markets. It remains a popular choice for tourists, but perhaps isn’t the most appropriate destination for anyone hoping for the ultimate Christmas experience, featuring just five Christmas markets and an average of three snow days in December.

Other cities in the Netherlands did feature in the ranking - although none did particularly well. Maastricht came in 75th place, while Groningen came in 94th. Meanwhile, Haarlem, The Hague, and Arnhem occupy some of the lowest spots in the ranking (99th, 101th, and 103rd respectively).

Top 10 European cities to visit at Christmas

According to the ranking, the 10 most Christmassy cities in Europe are:

1. Berlin
2. Vienna
3. Prague
4. Munich
5. Copenhagen
6. Stockholm
7. London
8. Salzburg
9. Paris
10. Oslo

For more information about the ranking, visit the Holidu website.