Christmas Getaways
Christmas is undoubtedly one of the most magical times of the year. But how about enjoying the Christmas spirit and travelling to another city where holiday cheer is in full swing and each destination adds a unique twist to your festive getaway. Whether you are planning to visit a traditional Christmas market in Austria; ice skate at Rockefeller Square in New York; indulge in a warm chocolate waffle in Bruges, or witness the incredible light displays in Tokyo, here’s our top picks of where to go.
Salzburg, Austria
Imagine visiting a fairytale town during Christmas, that's the feeling every visitor will experience when stepping into Salzburg. Travelling to this Austrian town during Christmas is probably one of the best times of year to visit, the town is littered with festive lights and decorations, and it has beautiful Christmas markets and seasonal music.
Salzburg is home to one of the most popular and stunning Christmas markets in Europe, the Christkindlmarkt at the Dom and Residenzplatz, it’s also one of the oldest in the world. This Christmas market offers an amazing variety of traditional decorations and handcrafted products, as well as local snacks at incredibly reasonable prices. Some of these must-try treats include pancakes, gingerbread and the traditional vanillekipferl, shortbread biscuit infused with vanilla and nuts. Keep yourself warm as you explore the market with some mulled wine or hot punch.
Throughout the year the city celebrates Salzburg’s most famous son, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart with classical concerts that add a musical touch to your holiday. During December, special Mozart and Christmas Concerts are held at Hohensalzburg Fortress. The concerts are held in the most beautiful rooms, where visitors experience spectacular 360 views over the city. If you fancy grabbing a bite to eat before the concert, there’s also restaurants offering pre-set meals.
New York, USA
Andy Williams wasn’t wrong when he sang ‘It’s the most wonderful time of the year’, especially if you are in New York. One of the must see attractions is the Christmas window displays at Macy’s on Herald Square, this has become popular with visitors eager to marvel at the year’s theme. A few blocks over on Fifth Avenue, visitors can see the emblematic two lions outside the Public Library, adorned with seasonal wreaths, a perfect place for a photo opportunity to capture your trip to the Big Apple.
One of the highlights is the Rockefeller Centre. Nestled among incredibly high skyscrapers surrounded the square and the Prometheus statue, it’s home to an enormous Christmas tree topped with a big glass star and boasts over 50,000 colour LED lights. One of the most iconic experiences at this time of year is skating on The Rink at the Rockefeller Centre enjoying the atmosphere in this fantastic symbol of the holiday season.
NYC hosts a number of traditional Christmas markets around the city: a great opportunity to find local handmade artwork, souvenirs and the perfect original gifts for your loved ones. Visitors can browse around some of the most iconic Christmas markets including the Winter Village located in Bryant Park with over 180 stalls and pop-up restaurants surrounding the 17,000 square foot ice skating rink.
The entire city becomes a sea of colours and lights making it a real magical experience, why not visit outstanding spots like the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens where you’ll enjoy a vibrant display of local and international art, or the Dyker Heights Christmas Lights, adorned with incredibly Christmassy stripes of lights, cheerful Santas and snowmen accompanied by music and carols.
Reykjavik, Iceland
Reykjavik is an incredibly special city to visit at any time of the year, but it has a special charm during Christmas. The city is covered in an extensive and charming display of lights and bells, as well as Christmas trees and beautiful lit statues. One of these statues includes the five-metre-high Christmas Cat, a cherished Icelandic Christmas creature as well as the Oslo Christmas tree, just two of the highlights, who’s arrivals mark the beginning of the festivities. Skólavörðustígur, an iconic street leading to the Hallgrímskirkja church, is adorned with Christmas bells making it an unmissable part of the city to visit during this time of year. As snowflakes gently fall, the scene becomes a truly magical experience.
Stroll through the popular shopping street Laugavegur with stunning lights and Christmas trees here you can buy souvenirs or gifts for your loved ones, as well as send a letter to Santa Claus and post it in Santa's mailbox. Visitors can browse around Laugavegur, and indulge in a rich selection of food and drink. Vendors also sell sweets and delicious roasted nuts. Their smell, along with Christmas carols, adds to the magical festive spirit in the city. Christmas buffets, jólahlaðborð, are part of the Icelandic Christmas culture, where local restaurants will put on Christmas menus with traditional dishes that you will only find during the season. Some of these dishes include Laufabrauð or leaf bread, a flatbread with geometric leaf patterns and Hangikjöt, smoked lamb served hot or cold, often accompanied by caramelised potatoes.
Tokyo, Japan
Although Japan is widely a Shinto and Buddhist country, Japan has adopted Christmas as a commercial holiday. Tokyo goes all out and the city is transformed into a spectacle of lights of different colours and shapes decorating buildings and shops. It also creates special attractions like the famous tunnel of lights in Omotesando, where they decorate all the trees with vivid colours and lights. The enchanting atmosphere of illuminated trees and buildings encapsules the magic of Christmas.
Japan has some very unique traditions at this time of year. For families, Christmas is all about the kids, with lots of children believing in Santa. Couples exchange lavish gifts and visit KFC, that they’ve booked as far in advance as October! This tradition has become popular after some visitors to Japan couldn’t find turkey for their Christmas meal in the 1970’s. KFC decided to capitalise on this and promoted their meals of fried chicken as an ideal Christmas meal. Another popular tradition is to eat strawberry cake, which is a sponge cake decorated with strawberries and whipped cream.
If you’re looking to do some Christmas shopping visitors can find one of Tokyo’s largest Christmas markets at Meiji Jingu Gaien. This market offers a great mixture of traditional and modern goods, as well as activities and workshops for children. Shop ‘til you drop at some of Japan’s amazing high street brands, artisan shops and department stores all amazing places to pick up some special and unique gifts for your loved ones.
Bruges, Belgium
Where hot chocolate and Christmas meet medieval and Gothic architecture and history, UNESCO World Heritage Site Bruges is famous for its incredible canals and picturesque squares. One of the most famous attractions is the Grote Markt, a pretty cobbled market square where one of the city’s most prominent buildings the Belfy is located. From the end of November, a Christmas Market surrounds the square with stalls selling Christmas gifts and delicious local food and drink including specialties, gluhwein with amaretto. A similar enormous market is located on Burg Square, near to the town hall, where you’ll also find a weekly food market all year round.
At the top of the list of must-try things in Bruges is the culinary extravaganza of chocolate and waffles. There are a number of chocolate shops where locally produced chocolate is available in a variety of flavours. Belgium is considered one of the best chocolate producers in the world, after all. The classic Belgian waffle is also a part of the city's culinary experience and is often served with fruits, nuts, and even meat. After enjoying all the tasty food on offer why not explore the city’s canals by boat, providing views of iconic landmarks and breweries: another of Bruges' great attractions.
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