Edinburgh Christmas market has the best hot chocolate in Europe according to latest TripAdvisor data

Edinburgh Christmas market is the place to go for the best hot chocolate in Europe according to new research.

Travel comparison site OMIO looked at TripAdvisor reviews from around Europe and found that the Capital came out on top when it comes to finding a perfectly made hot chocolate. According to online reviews, Edinburgh came in first place ahead of Budapest, Bruges, Manchester and Tallinn.

OMIO said they were inspired to carry out the research after finding that online searches for hot chocolate had increased by 92 per cent on the image-sharing app over a one-month period.

Research suggests Edinburgh Christmas market sells the best hot chocolate in Europe and is the most 'Instagrammable' Christmas event in Scotland

OMIO said customers in Edinburgh “were particularly interested in the capital’s boozy version” which includes Baileys hot chocolates.

Edinburgh has also been crowned the most ‘Instagrammable’ Christmas event in Scotland by event insurance specialists Protectivity. The firm analysed over 84,000 Instagram posts featuring location-specific hashtags for 42 Scottish Christmas events. Edinburgh’s Christmas market was found to be the most popular event featuring in 56,218 hashtags, followed by Glasgow Christmas Market with 5,400 hashtags.

Christmas at the Botanics ranked in third place with 5,399 Instagram posts, followed by the IRN-BRU Carnival at SEC Glasgow (4,565), Castle of Light in Edinburgh (3,064) and Aberdeen Christmas Village (2,361).

Sean Walsh, Head of Marketing at Protectivity said: “It’s wonderful to see that Scotland’s Christmas events have bounced back after the pandemic.  These Christmas spectacles have become an integral part of the festive season for many people in Scotland as well as tourists, bringing joy, light, and warmth to the winter months.”

 Mr Walsh added: “Make sure to visit your local Christmas event this year to help support small businesses and to immerse yourself in the Christmas spirit.”