Riga was found to be the best-value Christmas market on the continent in a survey by the UK's post office, beating off stiff competition from stalwarts of the Christmas market scene such as Munich, Prague and local rival Tallinn.
"Riga is this year's bargain choice for a Christmas markets break. A combination of low-cost packages and cheap prices for food and drink in the Baltic city have resulted in a 7.8% fall in prices compared with a year ago," the Post Office Travel Money survey said.
Though Riga came out on top as a result of the good value of its mulled wine and gingerbread, other parts of the report were concerned with the more high-end consumerist Christmas traditions such as the acquisition of Ralph Lauren shirts and UGG boots, an area in which Berlin was said to excel.