Manchester Christmas Markets named best in the UK

Manchester's famous Christmas Markets have been ranked as the best to visit in the UK in a new study. It beat competition from the likes of Birmingham, Nottingham and Edinburgh to be ranked top.

According to the new research, Manchester Christmas Markets was the most-searched for festive event on Google - with over 60,000 searches a month and 8,000 mentions on Instagram.

It also ranked highly as the "most affordable" city to stay - due to the number of cheap hotels that people can book to make a festive break of it while visiting the markets. The study said the average 3* hotel stay in Manchester came in at £68 - the cheapest of any of the cities ranked in the top ten.

The new study, by Christmas Tree World, ranked Manchester top, with an overall score of 7.54 out of 10 across five different measurements. Nottingham was ranked second and Leeds in third.

Time for sausage and gluhwein (ABNM Photography)

Manchester's Christmas Markets will open this year on Thursday November 10, and run right through to December 22. The main hub will return to Piccadilly Gardens' "Winter Gardens" while the markets will spread across a number of city streets including Market Street, Exchange Square, Cathedral Gardens, St Ann's Square and King Street.

Manchester came top in no small part thanks to the HUGE number of searches on Google compared to its rivals. The study authors said: "Ranking as the best Christmas market in the UK is Manchester.

"With over 60,000 searches on Google and an average of 8,000 mentions on Instagram, the city’s market scored an overall score of 7.54.

It added: "If you're looking to get into the Christmas spirit and enjoy the festivities this year then Manchester’s Christmas markets are a must, and can be enjoyed from November for 42 days."

Manchester Christmas Markets are hugely popular (ABNM Photography)

Naming Nottingham as the second-best Christmas market in the UK with an overall score of 6.61, it praised some of the city's particular charms. It said: "Running for 46 days, visitors have plenty of time to experience Nottingham’s 60ft Christmas tree and several of its charming wooden stalls.

"And if you’re planning on travelling from afar to Nottingham’s festive markets this year, then you can enjoy a night's stay in one of the city’s 3* hotels, costing an average of £89 a night."

Nottingham Christmas Markets launch from November 15 and run 'til December 31 - a week longer than Manchester. Ranking as the third best Christmas market in the UK was Leeds, followed by Birmingham and Winchester who were tied on the same score for 4th place.

The full study by Christmas Tree World, which also ranks the best Christmas Markets across Europe. It named the festive event in Wraclow in Poland as the best, followed by Tallinn in Estonia and Dusseldorf in Germany.