The 15 best destinations to visit this Christmas
Any place can throw up a few lights and call it a holiday celebration, but travellers who really adore Christmas want more.
They want a place where Christmas markets beckon, lights dazzle in all directions, holiday feasts offer endless temptations and Yuletide traditions such as Advent are long-time, serious business.
From England to the Philippines, these 15 places around the world traditionally offer up some of the best holiday atmosphere for a Christmas-drenched vacation.
2. Bogotá, Colombia
Colombia's high-altitude capital brightens up each year with Christmas lights galore.
In Bogotá, there's the tradition of "Ruta Navideña," or the Christmas Route. Celebrants stroll popular spots around the city to take in the dazzling displays.
Día de las Velitas (Little Candles' Day) is celebrated on December 7, which is the eve of the Immaculate Conception. It officially marks the start of Christmas in Colombia.
People light small candles and paper lanterns, placing them on windowsills and balconies.
3. Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Close to big cities Philadelphia and New York City, Bethlehem offers a smaller Christmas escape.
Settled in the 1700s by Moravian colonists, Bethlehem is justifiably proud of its Live Advent Calendar, which can be enjoyed starting at 5:30 p.m. from December 1 to 23.
A town crier rings a bell up and down Main Street to call visitors to the Goundie House (the oldest house on Main Street). A child from the crowd is then invited to come knock three times, and then a local business comes out with a surprise for everyone.
"The Christmas City" also has horse-drawn carriage rides, holiday libations, historic tree displays and decor aplenty.
4. Bath, England
This historic city in southwest England celebrates both the birth of Jesus and the birth of Jane Austen with plenty of fanfare.
The Bath Christmas Market has a multitude of wooden chalets selling distinctively British handmade crafts in a quaint Georgian setting.
Straddled between the imposing Bath Abbey and the venerable Roman Baths, the market offers a festive way to discover the character of this historic city.
8. Nuremberg, Germany
The Nuremberg Christmas market (Nürnberger Christkindlesmarkt) is a German institution, traditionally pulling in more than 2 million visitors each year.
It has a lot of history behind it – its first known written mention dates to 1628.
In "the little city of wood and cloth," visitors to market booths can find traditional, often handmade Christmas decorations, wooden toys and all sorts of food and drink.
Adults can enjoy Nuremberg spicy gingerbread and mugs of mulled wine. And for families with the kids along, there's the Toy Museum.
9. Malta
While December is off-season, this heavily Roman Catholic island in the Mediterranean Sea has a festive and spiritual vibe at Christmas.
Visiting presepju, or Nativity scenes, is an integral part of Christmas here. Every year, residents proudly open their shutters, and sometimes even their garage doors, to display their holy crib confections to the public.
Downtown Valletta is home to a lively holiday spirit, with carolers singing outside the Baroque St. John's Co-Cathedral during Advent. See a dizzying display of Christmas lights on Republic Street.
10. Quebec City, Canada
A haven for environmentally friendly, outdoor enthusiasts, French-speaking Quebec City bustles with winter activity, offering holiday programs for all tastes.
Old Quebec is turned into a picturesque Christmas village. Sausage and roasted chestnut lovers can browse the wares at the German Christmas market. The more religiously inclined can wander a display of Nativity scenes from around the world.
The nearby Sentier des Caps de Charlevoix offers family-friendly hiking, snowshoeing and skiing. Speed devils can zoom around in a snowmobile from Nord Expe.
Can't make it for Christmas? There's still the Quebec Winter Carnival from February 7 to 16, 2025.
11. San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
Piñatas, posadas and ponche sum up the festivities in this colorful town in central interior Mexico, where Christmas is both a solemn and celebratory affair.
Leading up to December 24, visitors are likely to stumble upon Mary and Joseph strolling the streets, as locals make pilgrimages from home to home, singing to beg for "posada" (or "shelter") as they reenact the journey to Bethlehem.
Piñatas and ponche (a mulled fruit drink) cap a long evening of peregrinations around this cobblestoned city, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its wealth of grand churches, well-preserved architecture and grand zocalos.
13. Strasbourg, France
Get the French and German flavors of Christmas in this border city that feels the influences of both cultures. Dating back to 1570, Strasbourg claims to be the oldest Christmas market in France and one of the oldest in Europe.
Strasbourg's series of themed Christmas villages morph the city into a visual and gastronomic wonderland. Hundreds of stalls are spread out in numerous locations.
Make photographic and visual memories with a roughly 30-meter (100-foot) tall Christmas tree that is brought to the central square of Place Kléber each year and decorated with ornaments and lights.
14. Queenstown, New Zealand
The traditional Christmas colors of red, green and white take on an entirely new meaning in New Zealand.
Here, red represents the pōhutukawa (New Zealand's ruby-red flowering Christmas tree). White represents the pristine sandy beaches. And green? The kiwi, of course!
Sun-lovers who want to join Santa in his surf shorts should definitely head to Queenstown, where warm summer temperatures mean folks can jetboat, river surf or paraglide on Lake Wakatipu.
Or visitors can simply set up camp along the lakefront and enjoy a hearty Christmas meal of lamb, seafood and chicken on the barbie.
