Weekends away

For fans of the final series of BBC Saturday night thriller The Killing, starring Sarah Lund’s woolly jumper, the price of a three-night break at trendy Ibsens Hotel, Copenhagen in January has plunged by 30 per cent from £258 to £181, just £90 per person, bookable through the website www.i-escape.com. Flights with easyJet between Gatwick and Copenhagen start at £60.

At Jet2 holidays, flying out of eight northern airports, New Year city break options include three nights’ B&B in Prague, at the two-star plus Fortuna West Hotel, for £240, ex-Edinburgh on January 3, and three nights’ B&B in Amsterdam, at the three-star Amstel Botel Hotel, from £190, ex-Leeds Bradford on January 4.

According to the Trivago Hotel Price Index, hotel prices across Europe have fallen from a peak early in 2012: an overnight stay in December now costs an average £84. Hotel prices were at their highest in May, at an average £107.

Across the EU, hotel prices are moving in contrasting directions: biggest falls are found in Valencia, down 19 per cent to £55 per night. Istanbul, Frankfurt and Brussels have all decreased by 11 per cent, to £86, £77 and £88 per night respectively. Some centres in eastern Europe are boosted by rising demand: Riga, Latvia, is up by 34 per cent in comparison to last month and 28 per cent in the last year, with one night costing an average £74.

Other significant price increases in comparison to November include Dresden (up 23 per cent to an average of £80); Prague (up 19 per cent to £84) Salzburg (up 18 per cent to £110). These three cities are popular winter destinations: Dresden and Prague feature Christmas markets, and Salzburg is a popular skiing destination.

But Spain is getting cheaper all the time: in comparison to this time last year, hotels in Seville are down 14 per cent to an average of £61, with Madrid down nine per cent to £72.

In Britain, city centre prices have fallen from £130 in August, to £109. London hotel prices predictably peaked in August thanks to the London Olympics and the cheapest UK cities in December were Blackpool and Sheffield, where one night costs an average of £56 and £67 respectively.

Most expensive are London and Oxford, at an average £151 and £108 respectively.