10 Enchanting Christmas Destinations to Add to Your Holiday Bucket List

Some locations dress up for the holidays with wreaths, lights, and possibly mistletoe. But what about others? In addition to showcasing their natural beauty, they go all-out to create Christmas magic with extravagant decorations and thoughtful traditions.

If you want to be whisked away to a winter wonderland this holiday season, these 10 destinations will have you feeling as if you’ve stepped into a real-life snow globe.

Walt Disney World

During the Christmas season, Walt Disney World is truly a magical place. (Here are all the reasons we love the theme park during the holidays.) From extravagant Christmas trees to Cinderella’s castle twinkling in icicle lights, this vacation spot is fit for a fairytale. Disney also hosts Christmas parades, candlelight processional dinners, fireworks at Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM!, and extravagant desserts, in addition to sharing international Christmas traditions at Epcot.

Best places to stay

Reykjavik, Iceland

Come for Christmas, but stick around for New Year’s! Christmas-time in Iceland is especially cozy, as families get together for a big meal and exchange books as gifts. Fireworks are commonly set off by families on New Year’s Eve. Both holidays, however, are fantastic for visitors. If you’re visiting Iceland, stay at the new Canopy by Hilton in the heart of downtown. After a chilly night spent watching the Northern Lights, grab a book from the hotel’s towering bookcase and cozy up to the fireplace. Or, if you really want to get into the hygge spirit, the hotel will loan you a record player and some records to take to your room. (A Christmas trifecta consists of Bing Crosby, snow, and hot cocoa.) The town goes all out for Christmas, affixing actual Christmas trees to downtown buildings and even stationing a bright red mailbox downtown for letters to the Icelandic Santa.

Best places to stay in Reykjavik

Norfolk, Virginia

You won’t be able to make it all the way to the North Pole? When you visit the Norfolk Botanical Garden, you’ll feel as if you’ve teleported there. The garden creates the “Dominion Energy Garden of Lights,” which, with over 1 million twinkling lights, has won awards for being among the best light displays in the country and is modeled after the North Pole. Guests can drive through, take a walking tour, or even take a tram ride on the Norfolk Botanical Garden Express.

Best places to stay in Norfolk

Helsinki, Finland

The Finnish capital refers to itself as the “Christmas city,” and Aleksanterinkatu has been designated as the official “Christmas street.” The downtown street is illuminated for the holidays, and shop windows are decorated to compete for the attention of shoppers. (In Finland, children look forward to the unveiling of the Stockmann department store’s window.) You can toast tradition with a mug of Glögi, a traditional Christmas drink made with spiced wine, almonds, raisins, and vodka. In addition, your children can visit Santa Claus at his year-round residence in Finland.

Best places to stay in Helsinki

Vienna, Austria

When you arrive, your first task will be to decide which Christmas market to visit first. Allow the aroma of chestnuts roasting on an open fire to guide you. Throughout Vienna, more than 20 Christmas markets sell handcrafted gifts and treats. One of the most well-known is the Viennese Christmas Market, which is illuminated with white lights in front of City Hall. Children can learn how to make Christmas cookies and candles in a special area inside City Hall. On weekends, international choirs perform carols.

Best places to stay in Vienna

Nashville, Tennessee

Gaylord Opryland goes all out for its “Country Christmas” celebration, with over three million twinkling lights and a full calendar of holiday events. Are they among them? “ICE feature A Charlie Brown Christmas,” an interactive ice sculpture that tells the classic Christmas story, and “Cirque Dreams Holidaze,” an acrobatic extravaganza with 20 acts and 30 gravity-defying performers.

Best places to stay in Nashville

Frisco, Colorado

Do you wish for a white Christmas? Escape to Frisco, a mountain town that serves as the ideal basecamp for all of your skiing and snowboarding adventures. The Frisco Adventure Park even has groomed snow tubing hills where you can zoom down. If you can plan your vacation around Wassail Days, you’ll be in for a real treat. The holiday lighting with 600 luminaries, Santa visits, caroling, free sleigh rides, and, of course, plenty of wassail are all part of the December festival. Over 70 businesses produce the hot spiced cider for visitors to sample. It originated as a European custom and is intended to be a sign of hospitality during the cold winter months.

Best places to stay in Frisco

Nuremberg, Germany

The Christkindlesmarkt here looks like a page ripped from a Norman Rockwell painting. Try the German gingerbread known as lebkuchen, which comes with chocolate or strawberry toppings. Climb the stairs of Church Our Lady for Instagram gold, and you’ll get a spectacular shot of the red-and-white booths and market lights. The Market of the Sister Cities, located next to the Christmas Market, sells international gifts ranging from Scottish kilts to French marmalades.

Best places to stay in Nuremberg

Christmas Farm Inn & Spa in New Hampshire

You can reserve the “Sleigh Bells” or “Mr. and Mrs. Claus” rooms at this charming Christmas-themed inn. It’s open all year, so you can relive the holidays with a Christmas in July getaway. Sip a hot toddy at the Mistletoe Pub or ride the mountain train with Santa and his elves.

Rooms and prices

Lake Oconee, Georgia

During the summer, The Ritz-Carlton Reynolds Lake Oconee feels like a summer camp, complete with lawn games, jet ski rentals, and an infinity pool that stretches out near the lake. This lakeside resort, however, takes winter just as seriously. You can skate around a 6,000-square-foot ice rink, and your children can ride a train while singing Christmas carols. But what about the show-stopper? David Campbell, the hotel’s pastry chef, and his team create a massive, life-sized Gingerbread House for the hotel’s main lobby. There’s also a letter-writing station where your children can write down their Christmas wish lists, and the hotel hosts fun events like “reindeer games” and storytime with Mrs. Clause. In addition, the hotel offers “elf tuck-ins” for your children, which include milk and cookies as well as a Santa-signed copy of “T’was the Night Before Christmas” or “How to Catch an Elf.”

Rooms and prices

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