Malaga surpasses major rival Vigo as the place to visit for Christmas markets in Spain
The capital of the Costa del Sol is also one of the cities most favoured by tourists to enjoy this coming festive season
Malaga city has spent years positioning itself on the map of Christmas tourist destinations and it is achieving this despite stiff competition among other Spanish cities. The latest reports indicate that the capital of the Costa del Sol is one of the country's top Christmas destinations and it is already in the 'Top Five' of Spanish cities to travel to for its Christmas markets.
The reports show that Malaga has surpassed Vigo, which has always marketed itself as the first city in Spain to switch on its Christmas lights. Despite this, it is in eighth position this year according to a study by Sixt, one of the leading international providers of transport services present in more than 100 countries around the world.
The company has identified the ten best winter cities in Spain, analysing 18 Christmas markets. For the list, it has analysed the searches on Google and TikTok in the country over the last year using KeywordTool.io to measure the public's interest. The final list prioritised the cities with the most Google and TikTok searches for 'Christmas in [city]' and the most 'likes' on TikTok content about each city's Christmas market, highlighting the most searched destinations for a magical Christmas experience.
The report highlighted that Malaga scored 25 points and "has earned recognition as one of the most festive places in southern Spain. The city has attracted considerable interest, with 1,900 Google searches and 1,500 TikTok searches in the last month, as visitors look forward to the Christmas charm of its market". Vigo gets 21 points.
Ahead of Malaga come Madrid, Granada, Barcelona and Seville. Completing the top ten cities for Christmas lovers are Mallorca, Coruña, Vigo, Tenerife and Bilbao.
Reservations
According to data from Kiwi.com, the leading travel technology company, both bookings and the number of passengers have doubled compared to last year. The report notes that Spain is positioned as the number one destination among Spaniards, with a 132 per cent growth compared to last Christmas. In addition to Madrid and Barcelona, usually fixed in the top positions, Seville, Malaga, the islands and other beach cities including Alicante and Valencia are among the most popular places among Spaniards to spend Christmas.
The study highlighted that the average price of tickets to travel this Christmas is, on average, some 9.2% more expensive, especially long-distance tickets, which are up 28.3%. The average stay is seven days, slightly less than the eight days recorded for Christmas 2024. The booking window is also smaller, with an average of 80 days before the start of the trip, compared to 86 days in 2024. "Both the choice of shorter stays and the shorter booking window is a trend that has also been observed in other European markets, such as Poland and the Czech Republic, since the summer," the company explained.
After Spain comes Italy, whose bookings from Spain have more than tripled this year, with Rome and Milan as the main destinations. Demand has also tripled in Poland (Krakow) and doubled in the UK (London) and Morocco (Marrakech). "There has also been a sharp increase of more than 130% in Christmas trips to Hungary and Austria, which compete for one of the most beautiful markets in Europe, with the Danube as a backdrop," the company said.
