Christmas, snow and sun
Advent markets, fairy-tale villages, Lapland, beaches to escape the cold and the best New Year’s Eves.
From the team
This winter, we travel together
Some trips are planned months ahead; others are born over a long lunch. This issue is about both: Christmas markets to get lost in, villages straight out of a fairy tale, Christmas in Spain, the Lapland of huskies, beaches to escape the cold, snowy mountains and the cities that see the year out best.
Everything you read here comes from our guides, reviewed with the same data the app uses: when to go, what to see and what to bear in mind in each place. Every destination has its full guide just a tap away.
And once you’ve made up your mind, we plan your trip in under a minute and travel with you before, during and after. Because the best trips start together.
The Bagintravel team
Advent
The markets worth the trip
Wooden stalls, mulled wine and fairy-tale squares. From Nuremberg to Prague, the Christmas markets that really are worth a flight.
Wooden stalls, mulled wine, lights and nativity scenes: the most beautiful Christmas markets in Europe, from Alsace to Vienna, and why each one is worth the trip. Almost all of them open in late November and close on Christmas Eve or shortly after.
In December, half of Europe smells of cinnamon, toasted almonds and mulled wine.
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01 Germany
Nuremberg
The Christkindlesmarkt is one of the oldest and most famous in the world: gingerbread, Nuremberg sausages and little figures made of prunes. Every year it’s opened by the Christkind from the Church of Our Lady.
From the Friday before the first Sunday of Advent until Christmas Eve
Read the guide -
02 France
Strasbourg
It calls itself the capital of Christmas: its Christkindelsmärik, dating from 1570, is one of the oldest in Europe and fills the centre around the great fir tree in Place Kléber.
From late November to Christmas Eve
Read the guide -
03 Austria
Vienna
More than ten markets: the Town Hall one with its ice rink, the one at Schönbrunn Palace and Spittelberg’s among narrow lanes. Some stay open until New Year.
From mid-November to late December
Read the guide -
04 Czech Republic
Prague
The one in Old Town Square, with the astronomical clock and the great tree, and the one in Wenceslas Square: trdelník, mulled wine and carols.
From late November to early January
Read the guide -
05 Germany
Dresden
The Striezelmarkt, with almost six centuries of history, is one of the oldest in Germany. Stollen, the fruit loaf sold at every stall, was born here, and there’s a giant Christmas pyramid.
From late November to Christmas Eve
Read the guide -
06 Belgium
Brussels
Plaisirs d’Hiver: stalls from the Bourse to Sainte-Catherine, a big wheel and the sound-and-light show on the Grand-Place with its great tree.
From late November to early January
Read the guide
Getaways
Villages straight out of a fairy tale
Half-timbered houses, canals, lakes and hilltop castles: small places in Europe that look like a postcard in December.
Half-timbered houses, snow on the roofs, small markets and lights in every window: the villages and small towns in Europe that look most like a Christmas card.
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01 France
Colmar
Colourful houses, the canals of Little Venice and several markets; nearby, Alsatian villages such as Riquewihr, Eguisheim and Kaysersberg.
Read the guide -
02 Germany
Rothenburg ob der Tauber
Walls, towers and intact half-timbered houses: the quintessential medieval German town, with a market in the square.
Read the guide -
03 Austria
Hallstatt
Little houses beside a lake among mountains: under snow, one of the most famous images of the Alps.
Read the guide -
04 Czech Republic
Český Krumlov
A bend in the Vltava, a huge castle and medieval lanes that fill with lights in December.
Read the guide -
05 Switzerland
Lucerne
The wooden Chapel Bridge, the lake and the snowy mountains, with a Christmas market by the station.
Read the guide -
06 Belgium
Bruges
Canals, step-gabled houses and a market in the Markt square: Flanders’ medieval city at its best.
Read the guide
Spain
A very Spanish Christmas
Light displays that fill entire streets, centuries-old nativity scenes and winter fairs: Spain does Christmas in a big way.
The lights of Vigo, the Plaza Mayor market in Madrid, the Fira de Santa Llúcia in Barcelona or a sand nativity scene on Las Canteras beach. Where to experience Christmas in Spain and what each place has to offer.
Some cities feel like different places in December.
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01 Spain
Vigo
The most famous Christmas lights in Spain: millions of bulbs, a big wheel and a giant tree in the centre, with visitors from all over the country.
From mid-November to early January
Read the guide -
02 Spain
Málaga
The light-and-music show on Calle Larios is one of the most watched in Spain, with nativity scenes all over the centre.
From late November to Epiphany (6 January)
Read the guide -
03 Spain
Madrid
The lights on Calle Alcalá, Gran Vía and Sol, the tree in the Puerta del Sol and, to round off the year, the New Year’s Eve chimes.
From late November to Epiphany (6 January)
Read the guide -
04 Spain
Barcelona
The Fira de Santa Llúcia, in front of the cathedral, has been held since 1786: moss, nativity figures and the caganer, Catalonia’s quirkiest little figure.
From late November to 23 December
Read the guide -
05 Spain
Seville
The Nativity Fair by the cathedral, with figure makers, and the nativity scenes of churches and brotherhoods. In December the weather is good for strolling.
From late November to late December
Read the guide -
06 Spain
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
The sand nativity scene on Las Canteras beach, with life-size sculptures, and Christmas in short sleeves.
From December to early January
Read the guide
More in “Christmas in Spain: lights, nativity scenes and markets”
Arctic
Lapland, the real winter
Guaranteed snow, huskies, Santa’s village and, if the sky plays along, the northern lights. The trip many people have dreamed of since childhood.
Santa Claus Village, husky and reindeer sleighs, ice hotels and the northern lights over the snow: Lapland is split between Finland, Sweden and Norway, and each side has its own charm.
In midwinter the sun barely rises, and the sky becomes the show.
- 01
Finland
Rovaniemi
Santa Claus Village on the Arctic Circle, the easiest gateway to Lapland, with flights in winter.
Read the guide -
02 Finland
Levi
A ski resort with slopes, huskies and wooden cabins, very convenient for families.
Read the guide -
03 Finland
Saariselkä
Snowy forests, glass igloos for sleeping under the northern lights and Urho Kekkonen National Park.
Read the guide -
04 Sweden
Kiruna
Sweden’s northernmost city, with the Icehotel at Jukkasjärvi, carved anew every winter.
Read the guide -
05 Sweden
Abisko
One of the best places in the world to see the northern lights, thanks to its often clear nights.
Read the guide -
06 Norway
Tromsø
The capital of Arctic Norway: fjords, whales in the depths of winter and the northern lights from the city.
Read the guide
Sun
Escape the cold
When it’s coat weather at home, it’s swimsuit weather on these islands and beaches. From the Canaries to the Indian Ocean, winter can be summer too.
When the cold arrives, there are places with sunshine, beaches and temperatures above 25 °C, some just a few hours’ flight from Europe. We’ve chosen them using each destination’s seasonal data: no rainy season or hurricanes in these months.
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01 Spain
Tenerife
The climate of eternal spring: beaches in the south, snow-capped Teide up high and mild temperatures all winter.
Read the guide -
02 Spain
Lanzarote
Volcanic landscapes, the work of César Manrique and coves like Papagayo, with good weather in the middle of January.
Read the guide -
03 Cape Verde
Sal
White sand, turquoise water and almost guaranteed sunshine in winter, off the coast of West Africa.
Read the guide -
04 Mexico
Cancún
White-sand beaches, cenotes and Maya ruins close by, in the dry season and with no hurricanes.
Read the guide -
05 Thailand
Phuket
December to March is high season on the Andaman Sea: calm water, sunshine and island trips.
Read the guide -
06
Asia
Maldives
The dry season starts in December: crystal-clear water and nurse sharks under the jetty.
Read the guide
Snow
Mountains, slopes and a fireside
From the Pyrenees to the Alps: skiing in the morning, mountain villages in the afternoon and landscapes that look like postcards in winter.
Skiing in the Alps and the Pyrenees, snowy villages, Lapland by sleigh or a weekend in the mountains: the most popular snow destinations, with or without skis.
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01 Spain
Granada
Sierra Nevada less than an hour from the Alhambra: skiing in the morning and tapas in the afternoon.
December to April
Read the guide -
02 Spain
Jaca
The gateway to the Aragonese Pyrenees, with Astún, Candanchú and Formigal nearby.
December to April
Read the guide -
03 Andorra
Canillo
Grandvalira, the great ski area of the Pyrenees, with plenty for families.
December to April
Read the guide -
04 Switzerland
Zermatt
A car-free village at the foot of the Matterhorn, with slopes that reach into Italy.
November to April (and the glacier all year round)
Read the guide -
05 Austria
Innsbruck
A city surrounded by ski resorts, with a gondola from the centre.
December to April
Read the guide -
06 Bulgaria
Bansko
Skiing below the Pirin peaks in a stone village with taverns.
December to April
Read the guide
31 December
Where to see in the new year
Midnight chimes, Hogmanay or Réveillon: every city sees the year out its own way, and some turn it into a party lasting several days.
The chimes in the Puerta del Sol, fireworks over the Thames, the ball drop in Times Square or Copacabana’s Réveillon dressed in white. The best cities to see out the year and what each one offers.
Midnight sounds different depending on where it finds you.
- 01
Spain
Madrid
The chimes of the Puerta del Sol, the ones the whole of Spain watches on TV, with the twelve grapes in the square.
Read the guide -
02 United Kingdom
Edinburgh
Hogmanay, the Scottish New Year: several days of celebrations, a torchlight procession and fireworks over the castle.
Read the guide -
03 United Kingdom
London
The London Eye fireworks over the Thames, among the most famous in the world. You need a ticket for the riverside viewing areas.
Read the guide - 04
Austria
Vienna
The Silvesterpfad, a trail of parties through the centre, and on 1 January, the Philharmonic’s New Year’s Concert.
Read the guide -
05 Portugal
Madeira
The Funchal fireworks over the bay once held the Guinness world record for the largest fireworks display.
Read the guide -
06 Brazil
Rio de Janeiro
Copacabana’s Réveillon: millions of people dressed in white, offerings to the sea and fireworks over the beach.
Read the guide
In the kitchen
Christmas sweets to make at home
Three seasonal classics, from the German markets to the bakeries of Toledo, to fill your kitchen with the smell of Christmas.
Nuremberg, Germany
Nuremberg Lebkuchen
Nuremberg’s soft spiced biscuits, with honey, almonds and hazelnuts, on a wafer base and glazed or dipped in chocolate. They’re the sweet of its Christmas market.
Ingredients
- 3 eggs
- 200 g brown sugar
- 100 g honey
- 200 g ground almonds and 100 g ground hazelnuts
- 100 g very finely chopped candied orange and lemon peel
- 50 g flour
- 2 teaspoons of gingerbread spice (cinnamon, clove, cardamom, nutmeg)
- 1/2 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda
- Round wafers (optional)
- Dark chocolate or sugar glaze
Method
- Whisk the eggs with the sugar until frothy and add the honey.
- Stir in the almonds, hazelnuts, candied peel, flour, spices and bicarbonate.
- Spoon little mounds of mixture onto the wafers (or onto baking paper) and smooth them with a wet spoon.
- Bake at 160 °C for about 20 minutes: they should stay soft inside.
- Dip them in melted chocolate or glaze and leave to set.
Tip: Keep them in a tin with a slice of apple: they’ll stay soft.
Recipe in its guide
Dresden, Germany
Stollen
Dresden’s Christmas sweet bread, with more than 500 years of history: a buttery dough with candied fruit, raisins and almonds, covered in icing sugar. It’s made weeks ahead because it improves with time.
Ingredients
- 500 g flour
- 20 g fresh yeast
- 150 ml warm milk
- 80 g sugar
- 200 g soft butter
- 250 g raisins soaked in rum
- 100 g candied orange and lemon peel
- 100 g chopped almonds
- 1/2 teaspoon of cardamom and the zest of 1 lemon
- 100 g melted butter and icing sugar for the coating
Method
- Dissolve the yeast in the milk with a little flour and leave it to ferment for 20 minutes.
- Knead with the rest of the flour, the sugar, butter, cardamom, zest and a pinch of salt.
- Work in the raisins, candied fruit and almonds, and leave to rest for 1 hour.
- Shape it into an oval, fold one third over the rest (the shape of the swaddled Christ child) and leave to rise for 30 minutes. Bake at 180 °C for about 50 minutes.
- While it’s hot, brush it several times with melted butter and cover it with plenty of icing sugar. Wrap it and leave it to rest for at least a week.
Tip: Well wrapped it keeps for weeks, and tastes better every week.
Recipe in its guide
Toledo, Spain
Toledo marzipan
Toledo’s sweet for centuries, made of almonds and sugar, with a protected designation of origin. It’s shaped into little figures and filled “eels”, and it’s a Christmas must.
Ingredients
- 250 g blanched almonds, very finely ground
- 250 g icing sugar
- 1 egg white
- 1 beaten yolk for glazing
- A few drops of water
Method
- Mix the ground almonds with the icing sugar.
- Add the egg white and knead until you have a smooth paste that doesn’t stick (if it’s dry, add a few drops of water).
- Wrap in cling film and leave to rest in the fridge for an hour.
- Shape small figures or balls and place them on a tray lined with baking paper.
- Brush them with yolk and grill them in the oven at 220 °C just until golden on top (2 or 3 minutes).
Tip: The finer the ground almonds, the smoother the marzipan.
Recipe in its guideDownload the app
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