Travel: There are still bargains to be had on the continent if you're looking to stock up on wine and tobacco

Anyone planning a festive shopping trip to the continent had better prepare themselves for something of a shock, and I don't mean the bitter weather that is predicted to make this a winter to remember.

The comparative weakness of sterling against the euro often sees the rate at little better than one for one, once commission has been charged.

Also, price inflation on the continent on everything from food to luxury goods means that the festive shopping trip is no longer the no-brainer it once was, though things could swing back if Holyrood succeeds in driving up the price of booze here.

Today's shopping bills provide stark contrast to the good old Nineties when the Government had to bow to EU pressure and do away with personal limits on duty-free imports so that British shoppers could suddenly bring back as much duty-paid fags and booze as they wanted.

With cigarettes at half UK prices, and beer, wine and loose tobacco around a quarter of the UK price, you could hire a van in Scotland and finance a mini break in France with the savings on the stuff you brought back.

If there's anyone left who still smokes you can still buy relatively cheap cigarettes and tobacco in Belgium, which is yet another good excuse for making Brugges your base for a shopping trip to Europe.

I know that the Rosyth Zeebrugge ferry is doomed, but I was never a fan of this route as not only was it expensive, but it left you exposed for a long time to the vagaries of an often nasty North Sea.

I've always preferred the much shorter Stena Line crossing from Hull which is an easy four to five-hour drive from the central belt, so you can enjoy the trip without the exhaustion involved in going all the way to Dover.

With return trips available from around 240, it initially looks expensive compared to the round trip crossing from Dover at around 80 for a vehicle and two passengers. But the extra 500-mile round trip from Hull will cost between 50 and 100 in fuel and you'll need to pay for two hotel rooms at a minimum of 50 a pop.

There's a full British breakfast available as you arrive, but we prefer pastry and coffee either in Brugges which is about ten minutes drive from the ferry or even France which is well under an hour away.

That leaves a couple of hours for a shopping recce of the French hypermarkets, the cheapest of which I reckon, are the Cora in Dunkirk and the Auchan near Sangatte in Calais.

The good old days when you could pick up a decent bottle of Muscadet or Bordeaux for about 65p have long since gone, but at about 1.20 a bottle that's at worst half the UK price.

I know you won't easily find Muscadet for under three quid in the UK, but I bought some Valpolicella at Tesco recently which worked out at about 2.20 a bottle.

If it's basic plonk you're after, forget French vin de table and go for the Spanish equivalent which is available from Auchan at 99 cents per litre and is, well, drinkable.

It's also worth a browse through the own-brand aisle in the food section because many bits and pieces, most notably the cheeses and meats, are a lot cheaper and tastier than those in the UK. Auchan also offer you the choice of paying in euros or sterling with the best exchange rate we found.

There's a two-course, E9 menu on offer at the Holiday Inn in the centre of Calais but while I can recommend the hotel (comfortable, affordable and they don't rip you off when they so easily could) the local restaurants do food better, albeit for a few euros more.

If tobacco is on the shopping list then the best savings are at the purpose-built shop immediately after you cross the border from France into Belgium, where one of Europe's biggest tobacconists has set up to supply the legions of chain-smoking French.

The biggest disappointment of the trip was the Christmas market in the centre of Brugges which, together with a temporary skating rink, fills the main square of the city. It's a spectacular setting for sure, but then so is Princes Street Gardens in Edinburgh and, actually, the Christmas market in Argyle Street in Glasgow has its charms as well.But while both Scottish cities make serious money from parking charges, in Brugges you can park free on the ring road which is just a few minutes' walk through spectacular streets.

Obviously the cost of parking will not be the deciding factor in any festive trip but, with the cost benefits so evenly balanced at the moment it might just help swing the decision.

THE FACTS

Drive south on the M74 to Penrith then cross country on the A66 to Scotch Corner. Head south on the A1M, then follow the signs for Hull on the M62. For ferry deals, visit www.ferrysaves.com, plan your shopping in advance at www.auchancalais.com

This article was first published in The Scotsman on December 4, 2010