Here’s a surefire way to boost your Christmas cheer this season: try sitting down to a Christmas Eve feast in Venice, or riding in a horse-drawn carriage through Manhattan’s Central Park. End-of-year trips offer endless delight for the entire family—not to mention being the perfect antidote to the typical holiday stress. By simply setting your next Christmas break in a new or unexpected location, you’ll relive the wonder of the season all over again.
A Christmas to suit all tastes
Looking for something out of the ordinary this Christmas break? Seek out life-size gingerbread houses, or a candlelit performance of Handel’s Messiah. There’s endless excitement happening in America’s most scenic holiday towns. Hear (even join!) Christmas carolers in Aspen, perhaps, or tour elaborate mansions in Newport. Drawn to more balmy climates? Try hula lessons in Hawaii, or treat your kids to a Caribbean-themed reindeer routine in the Dominican Republic. Whether you’re after that classic white Christmas, or prefer something a little more unconventional, Travel + Leisure helps you plan the coziest, most magical holiday escape.
The best time to travel
Whether you’re exploring a secluded Swiss mountain village or chasing the Northern Lights in Sweden, travel during Christmastime might be one of the most rewarding ways to see the world. Travel + Leisure takes you around the world through different Christmas traditions—from ice skating in Amsterdam to a holiday concert at Paris’s Sainte-Chapelle church.
Whatever your plans, it’s hard not to get inspired by the season’s most stunningly decked-out hotels and twinkling winter wonderlands. From Dubai to Hong Kong to New York, you’ll be amazed as the world’s capital cities light up in shades of red, green, and white. Looking to make this Christmas extra special? Try visiting one of Europe’s famous Christmas markets, where you can sip mulled wine, peruse wooden toys and local crafts, and end up at your luxury hotel, soaking by candlelight in your own private hot tub.
