Every December, cities across the world transform: they trade street lamps and normalcy for fairy lights, mulled wine, choirs, festive markets, and winter magic. Increasingly, travellers aren’t just heading out on a year-end holiday; they’re actively seeking places that feel like Christmas.
A new 2025 holiday travel study by Tripadvisor and Kayak shows just how powerful that pull is. Nine of the world’s most sought-after Christmas cities this year are in Europe, with North America contributing one strong contender. According to the report, Europe’s “deep-rooted Christmas traditions, historic market culture, and architectural charm create an authentic holiday atmosphere.”
Be it royal palace concerts, snowy medieval squares, or gorgeous old towns, these 10 destinations are the world’s most desired Christmas travel experiences in 2025.
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London, UK
London claims the top spot, courtesy of the sheer scale of festive programming. The capital transforms into a city of experiences, including royal palaces dressed up for the season, Christmas-focused West End theatres, themed afternoon teas at historic hotels, Hyde Park’s Winter Wonderland, and lights twinkling across Oxford Street, Regent Street, and Covent Garden. Riverside markets and free cultural events make London the Christmas capital of the world.
Try this: Skate in the twilight at Somerset House with mulled wine in the courtyard, one of the city’s most atmospheric winter rituals.
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Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam’s charm feels tailor-made for Christmas. Canal houses glow with warm window lights, the Amsterdam Light Festival turns waterways into a floating art trail, and city squares do double duty as skating rinks. The study highlights that multilingual seasonal tours, including Dutch food walks to winter museum circuits, make Amsterdam accessible to international visitors.
Try this: Get up close and personal with the Amsterdam Light Festival on an illuminated canal cruise.
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Nuremberg, Germany
Nuremberg is home to the centuries-old Christkindlesmarkt, one of Europe’s most traditional Christmas markets. The lineup of traditional stalls offers hand-carved wooden toys, gingerbread, spiced sausages, and warm glühwein (mulled wine). In the medieval old town, the lights and carols transform the season; it appears historic, deeply German, and magical.
Try this: Visit the dedicated Children’s Market with its historic carousel and gingerbread decorating corners.
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Zagreb, Croatia
Zagreb’s rise on the list reflects a growing desire for festive experiences that offer better value than Western Europe – and fewer crowds! The city’s award-winning Advent celebrations turn its historic squares and streets into a winter festival. The concerts, craft stalls, and Croatian specialities like fritule and winter stews add a warming touch.
Try this: Ride the funicular to the lantern-lit Upper Town during evening carol performances.
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Strasbourg, France
The unofficial Capital of Christmas, Strasbourg combines Germany’s festive heritage with French elegance. The illuminated old town showcases a towering Christmas tree and elaborate nativity scenes. With the restored Gothic Cathédrale Notre-Dame, medieval half-timbered houses, and Alsatian cuisine, the city, traversed by the Ill River, is one of Europe’s most atmospheric winter escapes.
Try this: Walk Rue des Orfèvres, often named one of Europe’s most beautiful holiday streets.
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Prague, Czech Republic
Prague seems like the picture-perfect fairy-tale town, thanks to its Gothic skyline and cobblestone lanes. Come Christmas, that feeling intensifies. Markets take over Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square as the aroma of trdelník and winter comfort food hangs heavy in the air. Twinkling trees and towering cathedral spires complete the storybook feel.
Try this: Climb the Old Town Hall Tower at dusk to watch the square glitter below.
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Budapest, Hungary
Europe’s most underrated capital balances baroque splendour with festive warmth. Vörösmarty Square is the site of one of Europe’s most popular holiday markets; elsewhere, the city’s thermal baths become cold-weather havens. The seasonal food traditions, including old favourites like chimney cake, hearty goulash, and spicy mulled wine, are not to be missed.
Try this: Soak in the Széchenyi thermal baths outdoors as the temperature dips.
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Quebec City, Canada
The biggest surprise entry on the list, Quebec City feels unmistakably European — without crossing the Atlantic. Its UNESCO-listed old town, stone buildings, outdoor markets, and guaranteed snowfall create a storybook Christmas that travellers say feels “authentic, festive, and cinematic”.
Try this: Bundle up and explore Quartier Petit Champlain, the oldest shopping district in North America.
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Copenhagen, Denmark
Copenhagen leans into hygge, Denmark’s cultural philosophy of warmth and comfort, round the year, but more so at Christmas. Tivoli Gardens becomes the festive heart of the city; around it, local markets and harbourside neighbourhoods glow up to match the seasonal vibe. The study notes that visitors love Copenhagen for its “gentle atmosphere” rather than grand spectacle.
Try this: Enjoy a traditional Danish Christmas dinner, complete with roast duck and gløgg, at a historic kro (inn).
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Rome, Italy
Rome is a tourist draw throughout the year, but its Christmas fervour remains unmatched. Across the city’s churches, nativity scenes dominate. Piazza Navona seems almost like a festive fair, while Midnight Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica remains a cherished Christmas tradition. Rome offers a “distinctly Mediterranean Christmas experience with tours that blend religious significance with Italian festive traditions,” the report says.
Try this: See St. Peter’s Square at night, against the backdrop of the illuminated Christmas tree, nativity scene, and Vatican.
