If you could travel anywhere this Christmas where would you go?
Aside from Edinburgh, which is always my favourite and where I’ll be this Christmas, I’ve been thinking about different places that give you an awesome Christmas experience!
In my mind, the perfect Christmas would involve amazing Christmas markets, snow, somewhere that would give me a unique Christmas experience, or maybe somewhere with awesome Christmas shopping.
For my friends and family of course…
So where might some of these magical Christmas places be? If I had to narrow it down, here’s my top five destinations to travel to this Christmas.
Berlin, Germany
Germany knows how to do Christmas, and Berlin has to be one of my favourite places to experience it!
There are actually SIXTY Christmas Markets in Berlin, with everything from the classic currywurst, to giant donuts and plenty of glühwein (that’s mulled wine).
One of my favourites is Potsdamer Platz Winter Wonderland where you can ride giant inner tubes down an ice hill.
Even if you only plan to hop from one Christmas Market to another, you won’t be able to help but see the plentiful historic sites in Berlin as well, from Checkpoint Charlie to the East Side Gallery of the Berlin Wall.
It’s hard to imagine a divided Berlin now, especially when you see everyone mingling together in the Christmas spirit.
Sydney, Australia
I grew up with Christmas in the summer. It’s normal for me to imagine both a beach and a barbeque and snow and ice skating when I think of Christmas!
I think everyone should experience a summer Christmas at some point in their life. There’s just something about wearing a Santa hat in the sun, playing some backyard cricket and having an outdoor summer adventure on Christmas Day.
Bondi Beach in Sydney is a popular spot for backpackers to go on Christmas Day. At one of Australia’s most popular beaches, there’s barbeques, swimming, and sunbathing.
If you stay on in Sydney for New Year you can see one of the most spectacular fireworks displays in the Sydney Harbour.
New York, USA
It’s kind of hard to beat the 94 foot Christmas tree outside the Rockefeller Centre in New York.
As if that’s not spectacular enough, they’ve covered it in 50,000 lights on 5 miles of wiring, with a star on top that weighs 550 pounds.
Ice skating in front of it seems to pop up on many a bucket list, but check out the ice skating in Central Park too for smaller lines!
If you’ve ever seen the Christmas classic Miracle on 34th Street, then you’ll know about the elaborate Santaland at Macy’s department store.
New York is always known for its shopping, but at Christmas time it’s an even more extravagant experience, and there are definite bargains to be had.
Reykjavik, Iceland
It seems that these days a snowy Christmas Day is rarer than it used to be, and even those of you from the northern hemisphere may not have experienced a true winter wonderland Christmas Day.
That won’t be a problem if you head to Iceland this Christmas! Iceland in winter is a beautiful place to be.
Seeing the Northern Lights, a bucket list item for so many of us, is possible at Christmas time too, which would just be the icing on the cake.
Just make sure you pack your warm clothes!
Prague, Czech Republic
Speaking of cake, trdelnik is reason enough to travel to Prague at Christmas time. It’s a delicious cake also known as “chimney cake” because of its cylinder shape and they dust it with different sugars or cocoa (cinnamon sugar is my favourite!).
All the usual tourist attractions like the Charles Bridge, Prague Castle and the Astronomical Clock in the Old Town Square just seem better at this time of year.
There are decorations everywhere, and the Old Town Square has to be one of the most perfect places for a Christmas Market and I think it’s one of the best Christmas markets in Europe.
Don’t forget to try the honey mead wine, as well as the usual mulled wine!
So there you have it, the top five places I’d be this Christmas if I could! Where are your favourite Christmas destinations? Or what’s on your wishlist?
Sonja x
If you liked it, pin it!
Nice post!! I really need to visit Australia to experience a summer christmas, I think the weather is warmer than in Germany 🙂
A part from all those amazing christmas destinations I highly recommend to visit Rovaniemi, the capital city of Finland’s northernmost province and… the city of Santa Claus! Have you ever been there? Regards form Germany!
Thanks for the suggestion! I have heard of it but I’ve never been there :D. All going well I hope to go to Finland very soon however, so I’ll have to add it to the list! It’s definitely warmer in Australia than Germany, and well worth making the trip for a different sort of Christmas.
Great post! I LOVE the German Christmas Markets – I only visited the markets in Cologne, but they were fantastic 🙂 I definitely want to experience one in OZ, but I would have such a hard time being away from my family! They are always #1 on my list – I’ve only missed one in 36 years – wow, I’m old 🙂 Great post, thanks for sharing!!
Thanks Lindsay! I love them so much too! Really missing them this year as I haven’t been to any yet! Having a summer Christmas is so different but so normal to me, and I think it’s worth experiencing even if it doesn’t feel like Christmas to you! Family at Christmas is really important, but I’ve found myself away quite often through not being able to go home and it does get easier and you find fun ways to do presents or Skype at meals and that kind of thing. Maybe you can plan a trip together!
I love the Prague Christmas markets (especially the trdelnik and the hot wine) and your post made me want to explore the different types of Christmas celebrations in New York and Edinburgh. Great read and just in time for getting excited for the holidays 🙂
Me too both are so delicious!! Everywhere is so different, and these are just the obvious Christmassy places! Thanks 🙂
I am going to visit Berlin and Prague this month! I never knew that Berlin is organising so many Christmas markets! 60!! Can you believe it! I actually would like to visit all these destinations! Maybe, next year I can visit the other ones that you recommend!
I hope you have the best time! I loved visiting both in December!!
You have some lovely choices on that list – I think Prague would be lovely for Christmas. I love spending Christmas in new places. I have been in Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Sweden and Sri Lanka for Christmas so far. Maybe next year I will stay in Bratislava (where I currently live).
Thanks! I seem to be in a lot of different places around Christmas but not exactly on it! Bratislava almost made the list actually. Although the market is small I really loved it!
I’ve been to Berlin at Christmas but have been dying to make it to Prague! Great list!
Thanks! I hope you do at some point, I loved it!
Lovely post! Thanks for sharing these ideas. I’d love to be in snowy Reykjavik right now! And I totally agree about Germany. The Christmas markets there are amazing 🙂
Thanks! Me too, I love Iceland and can’t wait to go back one day!
What a nice bucket list to have! I’m actually going to Berlin this Sunday and then on to Vienna over the holidays, and I think a day to Salzburg as well – probably more Christmas markets than I can handle 🙂 I’d love to spend a Christmas in Reykjavik as well – there’s something about Christmas in Scandinavia – it’s like the two belong together!
Thanks Kathi! I enjoyed putting it together. Now if only it would all come true haha. I was in both Berlin and Vienna close to Christmas and they were great! At the Vienna market they had donuts as big as my head! I think a Christmas in the far north in the snow would be so amazing!